Bollywood's original 'Khiladi' Akshay Kumar added some star power to the Independence Day
celebrations here, with thousands of Indo-Canadians who gathered for the annual India Day Parade.
The 43-year-old actor attended the India Day parade at the Dundas Square, an annual event held on the eve of Indian Independence Day.
People had started gathering at the venue since morning to have a glimpse of Akshay, who commended the contributions made by Indo-Canadians to the country.
"The people of Indian origin can not only look back history with pride, but also look ahead to a future filled with hope and accomplishments," said the actor.
Akshay and Canada go a long way and he was one of the fourteen international torchbearers at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Th actor is also the Canadian Tourism Commission's Ambassador to India.
Consul General of India, Preeti Saran hoisted the tri colour and the revellers sang national songs of India and Canada at the event.
More than a dozen floats, from the Indian states of Rajasthan, Karnataka, Goa, Orissa, Kerala, ISKCON, Indian Tourism, several marching bands, and hundreds of marchers joined the parade and attended the daylong event.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, and High Commissioner for India S M Gavai sent messages of greetings.
"In the six decades since it became independent, India has come into its own as a vibrant democracy and an emerging superpower. Today, we have an occasion to reflect on this
inspiring story and to celebrate the deep bonds of friendship and kinship between our two countries," Harper said in his message.
Several Minister of Ontario governments including Harinder Takhar, Panorama India co-chair Ajit Khanna and members of Federal and Ontario Parliament including Gurbax Singh Malhi, Amrit Mangat, and John McKay addressed the
gathering.