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Modi heads home after temple, gurudwara visit in Vancouver
Vancouver, April 17
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi headed home after ending his three-nation tour, with the final day
spent in the city of Vancouver in British Columbia, visiting a temple
and a gurudwara and attending an official dinner hosted by Canadian
Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
In his final tweets before
emplaning for India, Modi said: "I leave Canada with immense
satisfaction. This visit will further enhance India-Canada ties. A big
thanks to the people of Canada."
"A special thanks to @pmharper- a
fine host, a wonderful human being and a very dear friend," he wrote on
his twitter handle @narendramodi.
Besides visiting the two
religious institutions connected with the diaspora, Modi also met
British Colombia Premier Christy Clark.
The Canadian prime
minister, who has been a constant companion of Modi throughout his
Canadian tour, received him at Vancouver International Airport, and
accompanied him to the Gurudwara Khalsa Diwan on Ross Street and the
Laxmi Narayan temple in Vancouver.
Harper hosted an official dinner for Modi at the Pinnacle Vancouver Harbourfront Hotel.
At
the Gurudwara, Modi and Harper had their heads covered in pieces of
cloth in deference to the Sikh tradition not to enter bare headed.
Both
were presented a yellow saropa, or a scarf of honour, and a sword each
by the gurudwara authorities. Both the leaders stood with hands folded
in prayer. Canada has 1.2 million Indian diaspora, with most
concentrated in Vancouver.
Modi, in his address to the gathering
at the gurudwara, spoke about the reconstruction of the gurudwara at
Lakhpat in Gujarat during his tenure as chief minister.
He said
the gurudwara at Lakhpat, where Guru Nanak had stayed for 15 days, had
been damaged in the 2001 earthquake and had been reconstructed
successfully.
Modi said: "We should fill life with colours of humanity and serve mankind."
Modi
and Harper also visited the Komagata Maru Museum. The museum is in
memory of the steamship of the name that reached Vancouver in 1914,
carrying 376 passengers from Punjab, British India.
Of them 24
were admitted to Canada, but 352 other passengers were not allowed to
land and the ship was forced to return to India.
At the Laxmi
Narayan temple in Vancouver, Modi and Harper were presented with shawls
and the priest put vermillion marks on their foreheads.
In his
remarks at the temple, Modi thanked the Canadian prime minister and the
people of Canada for the warm welcome and hospitality they had accorded
him.
He said the Supreme Court of India had described Hinduism as a way of life.
He exhorted the gathering to live life scientifically, in balance with nature, and with compassion.
Modi
said the United Nations recently adopted June 21 as the International
Day of Yoga with 177 countries co-sponsoring India's resolution.
The
prime minister said Yoga had great potential to help the world overcome
the stress of modern life, and urged people to spread this message.
Modi visited France, Germany and Canada during his April 9-17 three-nation tour.