Meet the patriot helping to organize three Indian Independence Day celebrations in three cities

At 9am on Aug. 15, India’s Independence Day, Ashwani Aggarwal will help organize celebrations marking the 79th anniversary of his country of birth at the office of Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton, Ont., where he, along with other members of the Indian diaspora in Canada, will unfurl a 40-by-60-foot flag. Later that afternoon, the same flag will be unveiled at 3pm in neighbouring Mississauga. Two days later, at Nathan Phillips Square, just outside City Hall in Toronto, that flag will be the centrepiece of Indian Independence Day celebrations in Canada’s largest city.

Curiously enough, this is not the first time Aggarwal has unfurled such a large flag in Canada, which according to him, is the largest-ever Indian flag displayed outside of India. In this exclusive interview with The Inspired Indian, Aggarwal shares with us decision to move to Canada, and his dedication to honouring India’s Independence Day every year.

 

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey to Canada?

I was born in the state of Haryana, in India, and my wife and I decided to move to Canada for the sake of our children: we realized that there weren’t enough opportunities for them back home and decided to take advantage of all that Canada had to offer us. I still remember the day I arrived in my new home: it was Oct. 7, 2013.

After coming here, I worked a survival job for a while, before rising through the ranks at BLS, a company that specializes in providing consular and visa services to the Indian community in Canada, as well as those who have business with India. But deep down, I always wanted to do something for myself, and in 2018, I began own media consultancy firm, AM Consultants. I am also the co-founder and president of MICA (My Indians in Canada Association), which organizes many community events and social outreach programs in Canada.

 

Interesting…so when did you organize the first Independence Day celebrations?

It was in 2019, just two or three days before India’s Independence Day. My organization asked the organizers if we could participate in the celebrations, and they agreed, but they did not know if we could deliver within such a short time span. We didn’t know what to do either, but we procured three large rolls of cloth: one orange, one green, and one white, so we made a giant Indian flag and decided to parade it. It didn’t have the blue chakra in the centre, but we believed it was still worthy of bringing out during the celebrations.

Turns out that this was the largest flag on display, and everyone wanted to carry it and pose with it, because it was the largest flag at the celebrations in Brampton, and back then, there was really no one who had a flag. People wanted to be around the flag when photos were being taken, and when it was time for the Independence Day procession to get going, we were asked to lead the procession while holding the flag. Everyone wanted to carry it with us…it was hard to say ‘no’ to a lot of people.

 

Wow. How did you manage a celebration during the COVID pandemic?

It was very difficult to organize a procession during the pandemic, so we decided to organize a car rally in Brampton. We were able to arrange a procession of 60 cars, all of them adorned with the Indian tricolour. We also made sure that we all followed COVID-19 protocols, with a six-feet distance maintained between one car and the next. That rally went all the way across Brampton, from Queen St. East to Queen St. West. So many events were cancelled at the time, and many people were hesitant to join us, but once word spread, we were able to get a good number of people together.

 

You seem to organize pretty memorable events. What happened next?

In 2021, we wanted to do something different. At that time, after asking around, I realized that the largest Indian flag available in the Canadian market was three-by-five feet, which was quite small. We got in touch with a professional flag maker and designed two flags: one Indian and one Canadian, each of them measuring forty feet by sixty feet. Everyone was surprised when we told them that I would be arranging for such massive flags, but we were confident that my efforts would be appreciated.

My intent was to display both flags outside Brampton City Hall, in the presence of Mayor Patrick Brown, but the COVID measures regarding gatherings were still in place. But the City told me that they would waive COVID restrictions for our Indian Independence Day celebrations. Later, we were told that they were waived just for us. We had issues getting volunteers for that event, because the flag is so heavy: it weighs 18 kilos, and you need at least a dozen people to lift it. Even the packing box in which it came measures two feet by two feet by two feet.

Interesting…do your events always have a community angle?

Yes. Two years ago, we partnered with Sai Dham Food Bank in Mississauga. Canada’s economic conditions are not that great right now, and affordability of basic necessities are a cause for concern right now, especially among newcomers and international students who have limited resources. Food banks are a lifeline for so many people in Canada – immigrants and Canadians alike – and the demand for them is steadily increasing. During the pandemic, we realized just how valuable they are to people facing challenging situations because we helped tens of thousands of people across Canada with groceries and hot meals.

We wanted to highlight the importance of food banks, and so we decided to partner with Sai Dham. People were encouraged to give whatever they could, whether it was in terms of money or any dry goods. It could be anything: some fruits, some canned food, even a bottle of juice, anything to help people and ease their burden. In the end, we were able to donate $18,000 before Indian Independence Day, and more money poured in after the event as well. We were able to give grocery packages to 36,000 people.

Each of the packages had an Indian Independence Day sticker on them, and we distributed them to people from all of the Greater Toronto Area’s multicultural communities: Filipinos, Koreans, Chinese, everyone. Many of them were surprised that we were celebrating Independence Day in this manner, and I was glad that our campaign had multiple impacts.

 

Ahead of India’s upcoming Independence Day, what message to you have to people in Canada?

Firstly, I want to say just how appreciative I am of Canada – a country that places a high value on personal freedoms and gives us the opportunity to celebrate and honour our culture. The Indian community is Canada is educated and hardworking and we are dedicated to contributing to Canada’s economy.

I invite every person of Indian origin in the GTA to come to Nathan Phillips Square and celebrate the Indian Independence Day. Whichever part of the country you originate from, and whichever religion you belong to – Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, or any other faith – please come and celebrate with us. Independence Day for us is hard-won and built on the sacrifices of our forefathers and brave freedom fighters, and we must celebrate to honour them. We have arranged new flags for the celebrations and am looking forward to seeing everyone there.