Mr. Speaker, namaste.

I would like to begin by thanking my colleagues from all political parties for strongly backing the motion to designate November as Hindu heritage month. I am humbled by the support of dozens of organizations across Canada and from thousands of Canadians.

Hindu Canadians are a peaceful, hard-working community. They have made and continue to make significant contributions to Canada’s socio-economic development and cultural heritage. On Hindu heritage, Hindus have an ancient, magnificent and robust inheritance, which they have received from numerous sources: our wisdom traditions, our religious rites and rituals, our literature, the many arts and crafts, our elders, our fairs and festivals and, above all, from the many samskaras or sacraments in our home. That heritage not only gives us a drishti or world view; it also defines our purusharthas or aims of life and equally defines our sanskriti or culture. In short, the Hindu heritage defines our dharma.

What is striking about such an ancient civilization is not only the unbroken tradition of 5,000 years of recorded history but also the plurality or diversity of our tradition. Even in the absence of a monolithic religious dispensation, we Hindus, whether in Canada or anywhere in the world, are connected by an invisible thread that binds us together: the strength of our Hindu heritage.

Our wisdom traditions, which start from the Vedas and then flow into the Upanishads or forest discourses, followed by our puranas or our songs and stories, are philosophically rich and form the foundation of our temple traditions. It is the same vast heritage that informs our costume and cuisine, our habits and behaviour, our arts and crafts. The Hindu heritage does not restrict itself to religious matters: We have a strong aesthetic foundation, which leads to the celebration of saundarya, or what is beautiful.

We celebrate the beautiful in our lived lives through stories and paintings, song and dance, colour and cuisine, festivals and family events. Though ancient, our heritage is alive and growing. It is open to influences from other civilizations and freely adapts and gives to whomever we come in contact with.

Thus it is that for us Hindus, Canada is a comforting and embracing home away from home. For many people in the world, the term “cultural heritage” is still primarily tangible or material cultural heritage. There is a need to recognize, preserve, celebrate and promote the Hindu heritage as defined by UNESCO’s intangible or living cultural heritage. This intangible or living cultural heritage includes oral traditions such as songs and dramatic performances; performing arts, such as vocal and instrumental music and dance; social practices, such as rituals and festivals; traditional knowledge, such as cuisine and medicine; and traditional craftsmanship, such as pottery, metalwork and jewellery.

Proclaiming Hindu heritage month provides an opportunity to remember and celebrate Hindu heritage and the contributions of Hindu-Canadians to our great nation, as well as to educate both current and future generations.

I would like to again thank my colleagues in this House, dozens of organizations across Canada and the thousands of Canadians who have reached out to me in support of this motion. This support is so Canadian, in that people with different political ideologies and people agnostic of any political ideology are all coming together in recognizing and promoting Hindu heritage in Canada.