It rained on the parade but mercifully the thunderstorm stopped when the cultural show began. It was a relief to the thousands of people who gathered at the Dundas Square on August 9 to celebrate India Day, an event held on the anniversary of India's Independence Day.

Organized by the Panorama India Committee annually, the show had everything for everybody. The rains failed to dampen the spirits of both the participants and the spectators. There was a fine array of floats by some of the community associations. Some stood out with their colourful decorations and the native dresses of some of the states they represented. The Karnataka and Goa floats were very appealling, with the Goan Overseas Association (GOA) showing its pride of winning the national football championships with some of its members wear the team jerseys.

Consul general Preeti Saram unfurled the national flag and then read a message from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Indian envoy lauded the role of the expatriate community as the true ambassadors of India abroad.

She referred to India's rise on the world stage and asked them to serve as a link between India and Canada.

Harinder Takhar, minister in the Ontario provincial government, praised India for its rapid progress and said he was proud of his Indian heritage. After the rendering of Indian national songs, there were presentations of Indian classical and folk dances by both the young and the old as well as modern dances by youth. The Sri Sanskriti Dance Academy performed Ganeshanjali, followed by Chitralekha Dance Creation's Dashavatara, an Odissi dance. Some of the other groups that performed were the Kannada Sangha, Canadian Malaylee Association, the Goan Overseas Association, York University Students, Suroma, Kanan Bhatt's Nritya Kala Mandir, Natya Tapasya, Nrityanjali, Marathi Bhashik Mandal, and Bharat Mata Mandir.

Talented local singer Geeta Chopra and Shiamak Davar's Dance Academy held the crowd spellbound.

Noted Punjabi folk singer Hans Raj Hans was billed as the star performer but could not make it to Toronto for personal reasons, according to an official of Panorama India.

However, IANS quotes an unnamed source saying that Hans Raj Hans did not show up under pressure from "some elements from Canada."

His place was taken by the husband-and-wife team of Sardool Sikander and Amar Noori, who entertained the crowds with fine Punjabi songs.