But we'll always have Diwali

The Hindustani Times reports on how Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is being celebrated on Parliament Hill. Judging by some of the comments made in the article, Diwali in Canada has more to do with Indian triumphalism than Hindu spirituality.

For example, there's this comment from Conservative MP Deepak Obhrai:

""But what followed bhangra stole the hearts of the audience. It was an Odissi performance by two white girls who did it to perfection. Not even we Indians could believe that these two girls would perform odissi with such aplomb,'' the three-time MP from Alberta says."

It should be noted that in a August 20 letter to the Toronto Star, Obhrai rejected the idea that immigrants should assimilate:

"In my opinion, multiculturalism is about ensuring minorities are not marginalized by the majority. Assimilation is a concept where the majority want to maintain their dominant position. It's two very different approaches.

Canada's early history has been less than honourable with respect to its treatment of minorities, as highlighted by recent newspaper headlines of different ethnic groups raising past grievances and demands for redress. When immigration to Canada from traditional countries declined, it became evident that the policy of assimilation could no longer be sustainable. Hence, it was not long before the concept of multiculturalism became an alternative. The first person to raise this concept was Paul Yuzyk, a Conservative senator of Ukrainian descent, who himself experienced great difficulty early in life."