South Asian country’s economy continues to grow in leaps and bounds
Place de la Gare, one of Park Extension’s best-known outdoor meeting places, was filled with joy and jubilation on the afternoon of Sunday Aug. 16 as people of Indian heritage from throughout the Montreal region gathered to take part in festivities marking the day eight decades ago when India became a nation.
India Independence Day is one of the largest public events in Parc Extension every year. Months of preparation take place, leading up to it annually.
Guest artists came from far
In addition to being the country’s 80th anniversary, this year was also the 24th time the India-Canada Organization sponsored and coordinated the celebration in the heart of Parc Extension.
“We have guest artists here today from as far away as south India,” the India-Canada Organization’s Naseer Mehdi Khan said in an interview with Nouvelles Parc Extension News, adding that every one of the 28 states in India was represented by an artist or cultural group this year.
While also pointing out that 29 official languages are spoken in India, in addition to more than 1,500 linguistic dialects, he noted, “all this in one country, India, which is incredible. And the growth of India of going so fast now.”
Among the dignitaries attending the celebration were Laurier-Dorion Liberal candidate Randy Legault-Rankin, Liberal MNA for Viau Frantz Benjamin, Lac-Saint-Louis Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia, and veteran Montreal city councillor Alan DeSousa who is also Saint-Laurent’s borough mayor.
Support and admiration
“I am here with some of my former colleagues like Alan DeSousa to show support and admiration for the Indian Canadian community which has done so much for Quebec,” said Benjamin, who represented the district of Saint-Michel on Montreal city council before being elected to the Quebec National Assembly.
India Independence Day is also an occasion for people of Indian heritage to publicly speak about progress that’s been made over the previous year in the home country and to focus on issues of concern there.
Since the early 1990s, India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in the developing world. This has been accompanied by increases in life expectancy, literacy rates and food security. India is now one of the world’s largest economies by nominal GDP, and third-largest by purchasing power parity.
