Vancouver: After wooing the audience in Toronto, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Laxmi Narayan temple and a gurdwara and in Vancouver.
He was accompanied by his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper here.
At the Khalsa Diwan Society's Sikh Gurdwara, located on the southern edge of Vancouver, a large crowd of supporters gathered at the temple before filing inside.
The president of the historic Sikh society, which has roots stretching back more than 100 years in BC, said Modi will be the third Indian prime minister to visit, after Jawaharlal Nehru's visit in 1949 and Indira Gandhi's 42 years ago.
Addressing the devotees at the gurdwara, the PM said: "My relationship with you all is a blood relation because one of Guru Gobind Singh's 'Panj Pyare' came from Gujarat. We are people who know how to 'give'. The Sikh culture laid the foundation of love and sacrifices in India. Taking inspiration from Bhagat Singh, so many Sikh youngsters devoted themselves to the freedom struggle.”
"The Sikh community came here as farmers, worked hard and earned the respect of the people of Canada. India is respected in Canada and this is due to your efforts. Wherever we are, let us do things that bring pride to our nation," he added.
Later, the PM prayed at the temple, with the priest applying tika on his forehead.
He also addressed his supporters, stating that Hinduism is not a religion but is a way of life.
“I bring greetings from 1.2 billion Indians to the 1.2 million Indians living in Canada. In India, the Supreme Court gave a superb definition for Hinduism: they said that it is not a religion but a way of life: how to live in synchrony with nature,” the Prime Minister said.
The PM also spoke about the upcoming first International Yoga Day.
“Last year in September, I spoke at the UN General Assembly for the first time and requested that June 21 be celebrated as International Yoga Day. The UN has agreed to this and 177 countries have become its co-sponsors,” he said.
“It is good if people of Indian origin help in the spread of yoga. Yoga is very essential to guide humanity, for mental peace and good health,” he added.
Modi will later attend an official dinner hosted by his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper, before departing for India.
(With ANI inputs)
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