NYCO (Natraj Youth and Cultural Organization) Canada celebrated the 151st birthday of Mahatma Gandhi with the Consulate General of India, Toronto, at the Vishnu Mandir, 8640 Yonge St, in Toronto, Canada, on October 2nd, 2020, from 11:30 am 12:30 pm.
This virtual event had two video components – a mix of the live and pre-edited ensemble videos from international organizations practicing the Gandhian philosophy.
“Gandhi proved that non-violence could change history. Let his courage and convictionon inspire us as we continue our work to advance peace, sustainable development, and human rights for all of the peoples of the world.”
— UN Secretary – General António Guterres
“Gandhi proved that non-violence could change history. Let his courage and conviction inspire us as we continue our work to advance peace, sustainable development, and human rights for all of the peoples of the world.” — António Guterres, UN Secretary General.
Mahatma Gandhi Statue at the Vishnu Mandir – India’s historic icon of peace graces the Peace Park as its central feature to remind us that peace is the way. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was one of the towering figures of the 20th century and revered the world over. His name was synonymous with a way of life that has altered the course of history – a name that continues to inspire millions to this day.
Here, NYCO hosted a dozen guests only, conforming with the City and Provincial guidelines during this Global pandemic, and displayed props like India’s flag and the Charka (spinning wheel), that would remind you of India before the Independence.
Advisory Board member and the event MC Tushar Unadkat warmly welcomed the Guest of Honor Mrs. Apoorva Srivastava, Consulate General of India, to light the lamp ceremony and NYCO President Mrs. Chintan Bhavsar and other VIP guests in attendance, namely Respected Dr. Doobayji. Following that, the chief guests garland the Mahatama’s statue, played Indian and Canadian national anthem, recited the famous song with the spirit of patriotism, and considered Gandhiji’s favorite, Vaishnava Jan Bhajan.
“NYCO showcased 3 minutes video-clips from International organizations focus on the Gandhi movement at this virtual event. NYCO organizes several other events and activities over the whole year as part of the commemoration of the 151st birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This includes art completion, essay write-ing, distribution of books on his life and work of the father of the nation,” said Chintan Bhavsar, President of NYCO.
“Consulate General of India, Toronto declared to celebrate the 151st birthday of Mahatama Gandhi all through the year with events every month to reinforce the education of sacrifices, non-violence, equality, into the coming generations,” said Hon. Mrs. Apoorva Srivastava, Consulate General of India.
NYCO recognizes participating organizations’ contributions to make the virtual event celebrating the 151st Mahatma Gandhi’s Birth anniversary a success!
- Douglas Allen – Professor of Philosophy, The University of Maine, Orono, USA
- Eternal Gandhi Museum – Houston Texas, USA
- Gandhi Information Center – Berlin, Germany
- Gandhi Memorial Centre – Washington, DC, USA
- Kochrab Ashram – Ahmedabad, India
- Mayor of Brampton – Honorable Mr. Patrick Brown
- Mayor of Toronto – Honorable Mr. John Tory
- MP, Scarborough/Guildwood – Honorable Mr. John McKay
- MPP, Scarborough/Agincourt South – Honorable Dr. Raymond Cho
- Deepak Antani – Actor, director, filmmaker, India
- Tushar Gandhi – Great Grandson of Gandhiji – Bombay, India
- Elaben Gandhi – Granddaughter of Gandhiji – Durban, South African
- National Gandhi Museum – Rajghat, New Delhi, India
- Ramnarine Sahadeo (Guyana) – Ontario, Canada
- Sabarmati Ashram – Ahmedabad, India
- Share & Care Foundation – NJ, USA
NYCO Board of Director: Ajit Patel, Ketan Gandhi, N V Sonderva, Praful Bhavsar
Advisory Committee: Asha Aditi Rupareliya, Dr. Mafatbhai Patel, Tushar Unadkat
Executive Committee: Dhruv Bhavsar, Maharshi Bhavsar, Nisarg Lakhmani
No event is possible without the generous support of sponsors and volunteers.
NYCO is grateful to
- Shirishbhai Patel from Bayside Motel.
- Nisarg Lakhmani from Nisarg Media Production for streaming this event live and for a video compilation.
- Mithilesh Solanki, Piyush Sharma, and Dhruv Bhavsar for website/flyer design.
- Tushar Unadkat from MUKTA Advertising for professional and creative consulting.
We thank all media supporters: Mr. Lalit Soni (Gujarat News line), Mr. Shilpesh Parikh (Gujarat Abroad), Mr. Nilesh Taylor (Swadesh), Mr. Lalit Thaker (Gujarat Weekly), and Mr. Chamkaur Singh (GTA News Production Company Toronto), Zee TV Canada, Ms. Neelam Panditpautra (Radio Muskan). Special thank you to respected Dr. Doobayji (Vishnu Mandir).
To watch the virtual event, visit:
- Part 1 https://youtu.be/iWiNLdKIZuQ
- Part 2 https://youtu.be/LQP3YTNoRcs
For more information on NYCO visit: www.nycocanada.com
