Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 Diwali Milan celebrations organized by the Rajasthan Association of North America-Canada, a non-profit organization with a mission of preserving and promoting Rajasthan culture, values, heritage and traditions from within Canada and educating current and future generations about their motherland, while enjoying the crisp freedoms that life in Canada allows them.
Part of the celebration was the awards ceremony where outstanding individuals were recognized for their achievements, hard work and dedication in promoting the culture, values and heritage of Rajasthan.
I take this opportunity to thank the president of RANA Canada, Mr. Yogesh Sharma, and his team for the tireless work, dedication and leadership. I also congratulate the honourable recipients of individual awards: Prerna Khandelwal, Mahendra Bhandari, Ashok Khandelwal, Ekta Mantri and Shalini Vyas, and RANA Business Excellence Award recipient Globeways Canada Inc.