Oakville, ON: On Nov 5, 2022, more than 450 business owners, investors and individuals attended the first annual Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce Dhanteras Gala at the OE Banquet Hall and Conference Centre here.
Many dignitaries joined such as Senator Leo Housakos, MP Chandra Arya, MP Garnett Genuis, Mayor Rob Burton. Premier Doug Ford, MP Melissa Lantsman and Dr Nagendra also joined virtually and sent a video message. Greetings were also sent from PM Trudeau, MPP Stephen Crawford, MPP Nina Tangri, and MPP Logan Kanapathi.
Awards were handed out as follows: Hindu Ethos Award – Dhiren Trivedi; Member of the Year Award – Maharshi Jani; Business Excellence Award – Hemant M Shah; Excellence in Education Award – Parthi Kandavel; Professional Excellence Award – Rakesh Joshi; Corporate Excellence Award – Vipul Patel; Global Hindu Award – Rajiv Malhotra; Art & Culture Award – Kanan Bhatt; Female Entrepreneur Award – Dr Indira Khurana; President’s Award – Chandra Arya; Life Time Achievement Award – Jeffrey Armstrong (Kavindra Rishi).
MP Chandra Arya mentioned the importance of 2022 where a Hindu was elected PM in the UK, Canada declared November as Hindu Heritage Month and the CHCC did its first Dhanteras Gala. Senator Leo praised the economic strength of the Hindu community. MP Garnett Genuis praised the Hindu community for their contributions across all fields to Canadian society.
Special performances were presented by Nritya Kala Mandir doing Ganesh Vandana, Chahana Dave doing Kathak folk dance, and Chitra Das doing Bangladeshi Classical Performance. Satvik food was served to all guests which included a three-course meal.
Special performances marked the occasion
