Several Dignitaries & Bollywood celebrities joined the India Day 2020 festivities
Mississauga, ON | August 17th, 2020: Panorama India, along with the support of the Consulate General of India in Toronto, celebrated the 74th Independence Day of India on Saturday, August 15th and Sunday, August 16th. Over the two days, Panorama India showcased the first-ever digitally curated Virtual Grand Parade representing 28 States of India and more than 100 artists along with many Bollywood celebrities as Parade Marshalls, and a special show with comedy king, Sunil Grover. The entire 14 hours of unique original programming was live-streamed on 20+ Channels in the GTA including television, social media and various other mediums.
“The community come together to celebrate first time a digital India Day and Virtual Grand Parade, it has been amazing to witness the engagement and the response” shared the Hon. Ms. Apoorva Srivastava, Consul General of India, Toronto.
The opening of the India Day 2020 festival on August 15th witnessed a welcome address from Ms. Sumeeta Kohli, Co-chair – Digital & Event Strategy, Hon. Ms. Apoorva Srivastava, Consul General Of India, Sanjay Makkar – Co-chair Sponsorship and Finance, Hon. Ajay Bisaria, High Commissioner of India in Canada, Premier Doug Ford, Hon. Andrew Scheer, Canadian MP’s and MPP’s, Mayor John Tory, Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Mayor Patrick Brown and the Panorama Board wishing Happy Independence Day to the entire Indo-Canadian community.
Panorama India created a virtual large-scale India Day 2020 celebration by launching their official tagline “Mera India, Humara India” and the 90-sec official theme song which was instantly loved by all viewers. Many children sent in their versions of the theme song which were also shared on Panorama India’s social media.
The cultural heritage and diversity of India were showcased throughout the two days. The much-talked about segment of the weekend was certainly the Virtual Grand Parade, as various community organizations presented visual compilations showcasing their represented State’s iconic beauty, heritage, personalities, traditions to present a unique vibrant collage.
For the first time in Panorama India’s history, the audience voting was enabled on the organization’s website so viewers could vote for their favourite float. A total 2,765 votes were received online for the public voting. The official selection jury for the parade – Lata Pada, Jasmine Sawant, Lalita Krishna and Jake Dheer – evaluated the floats based on creativity, originality and production values and delivered the signed-off scores maintaining all protocols of confidentiality. The winners were derived based on the 50% Judges scores marks combined with 50% audience votes.
The event’s patriotic segment had over 40 artists sharing their love for India through their singing performances in over 10 different languages. The cultural segment presented over 30 performances and over 70 artists representing various states of India.The celebration encompassed different competitions and quizzes and garnered interest from participants from all over Canada, US and India.
The most loved segment of the festival “Toronto Laughs with Sunil Grover” featuring India’s Comedic actor and stand-up Sunil Grover, took the audience by a riot through his dose of hilarious conversations with the Toronto community. Another highlight of the event, a digitally curated Fashion Show themed as Colours of India, was presented showcasing traditional dresses from the 28 states of India. The Bollywood Dance School Canada marked the closing to the cultural segment on both days with their breathtaking fusion dance performances.
“Panorama India is a non-profit organization delivering free events to the community. It would not have been possible without the support of the Title Sponsors, Partner Organizations, Gold and Silver Sponsors. We thank them for their support” shared Co-chair Sanjay Makkar and Executive Director Janak Bhawnani.
The 2-day grand and a unique celebration of India’s 74th Independence Day was concluded in the India Day 2020 Grand Finale episode of Namaste Live with Panorama India, where Hon. Ms. Apoorva Srivastava, Consul General of India, Toronto joined Ms. Sumeeta Kohli, to announce all the contest winners. The Best Parade Float Selection Jury announced the winners of the Virtual Grand Parade.
“We thank all the Sponsors, Media Partners, Float Partners, Community Organizations and the talented artists” shared the entire board as they appeared on the grand finale.
Competition Winners:
- Sabse Pehle Safety Face Mask Painting: Winner – Natvar Patel
- Rang De India Art Competition Junior: Winner – Aditi Shah |Runner ups: Nilaksh Nagpure and Sukraat Singh
- Rang De India Art Competition Adult: Winner – Natvarlal Patel | Runner ups: Amandeep Kaur and Sanjoy Das
- Mera India Photography Competition: Harvinder Singh and Nilanjan
- India Trivia: Winners: Bhuvaneshwari Viswanathan, Biswajit Das, Mayur Jain, Richa Digesh, Chintan Bhavsar
Virtual Grande Parade Winners
- Best Parade Float 1st place: (Maharashtra) Majha Maharashtra, Global Entertainment Toronto (Canada Dhol Tasha) and Marathi Bhashik Mandal Toronto
- Best Parade Float 2nd place: (Karnataka) Nanna Karnataka, Kannada Sangha Toronto
- Best Parade Float 2nd place: (Rajasthan) Mharo Rajasthan, Rajasthan Association of North America
- Best Parade Float 3rd place: (Assam) Mor Asom, Asom Sangha Canada Community Association
- Best Parade Float, Critics’ Choice Award: North East, Radio Dhishum
“None of this would have been possible without the passion and dedication of such a hard-working and a dedicated volunteer board of directors. I want personally thank Co-Chair Sanjay Makkar, Janak Bhawnani, Sumit Ahuja, Vaidehi Raut Bhagat, Anusha Iyer, Sanjay Agarwal and Anuradha Grover Tejpal. As a board, our role is to serve the community and create a celebration representing all of India, we are grateful for the support of the Indian Consulate General Hon. Apoorva Srivastava.” shared Sumeeta Kohli Co-chair, Panorama India.
The festival kicked off on August 10, 2020. The five-day festival kick-off week included a sneak to the Grand Virtual Parade and showcased artist spotlights, chat with Panorama Board of Directors, Past Chairs, community leaders Mr. Andy Jasuja, Chairman, Sigma Group and Mr. Joseph Selvaraj Savier, CEO, SBI Canada Bank.
Panorama India is a not-for-profit umbrella organization to help unite various Indian cultural associations and groups, project a common identity based on their Indian heritage, and celebrate Unity in Diversity. Panorama India fosters a better understanding between India and Canada and is proud to build bi-lateral relations with India and Canada through culture.
Report by: Anuradha Grover Tejpal (Director, Digital Media & PR – Panorama India)
