Mississauga, ON — The Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce (CHCC) welcomed over 700 dignitaries, business leaders, professionals, and community members to the Dhanteras Gala 2025 at IKON Event Space (6887 Dixie Rd, Mississauga, ON). The evening celebrated entrepreneurship, cultural pride, and social impact—marking CHCC’s continued leadership as Canada’s national voice for Hindu businesses and professionals.
The program was gracefully hosted by MCs Vedanshee Patel and Maharshi Jani, beginning with a Ganesh Vandana by Vidhi Sharma and a traditional Dhanteras Pooja led by Pandit Kannan Bhattacharya, followed by greetings from Chair Abhishek Tanwar and Co-Chair Ganesh Parida. Convenor Nitheen Rao and Co-Convenor Nikhil Sabharwalemphasized collaboration and innovation, while CHCC President Kushagr Dutt Sharma highlighted the Chamber’s advocacy work, expansion of chapters, and the upcoming India Trade Mission 2026.
Honours & Highlights
- Member of the Year – Minesh Patel: Recognized for uniting 21 Indian communities through exemplary volunteer leadership.
- Social Service Award – Dr. Nitin N. Ghorpade: Cardiac surgeon and humanitarian transforming lives through service.
- Inspiring Woman of Excellence – Harshida Acharya: Fulfillment IQ executive and trailblazer in global logistics.
- Excellence in Entrepreneurship – Kundan Joshi: Founder & CEO, TheAppLabb and Al Labb; visionary in AI innovation.
- Arts & Culture Award – Aditi Patil: Youngest professional singer from Calgary; cultural ambassador with a global reach.
- Excellence in Public Service – D/Cst. Sneh Patel: Inclusive policing and hate-crime prevention leader (Peel Regional Police).
- Excellence in Business – Subhash Khanna: Montreal entrepreneur and philanthropist.
- Professional Excellence – Prof. Vern Krishna: Order of Canada; architect of Canada’s National Mobility Agreement for lawyers.
- President’s Award – Hon. Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs: Canada’s first Hindu federal minister; champion of governance and equality.
- Global Hindu Award – Danny (Digvijay) Gaekwad: Entrepreneur and philanthropist advancing Hindu excellence worldwide.
- Lifetime Achievement – Dr. V. I. Lakshmanan: Visionary scientist and humanitarian.
Distinguished Guests
Special remarks were delivered by Mr. Himadar Maddipatla, President & CEO, ICICI Bank Canada; Mr. Kapidhwaja Pratap Singh, Acting Consul General of India (Toronto); and Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, Member of Pakistan’s Parliament.
The Gala was graced by numerous political leaders, including Councillors Parthi Kandavel, Mona Patel, and Brad Butt; MPs Garnett Genuis, Anna Roberts, Michael Ma, Michael Guglielmin, Sonia Sidhu, Amarjeet Gill, Iqwinder Gaheer, and Juanita Nathan; and MPPs Mohammed Firin, Silvia Gualtieri, Sheref Sabawy, Deepak Anand, and Jonathon Tsao.
The evening featured performances by Aditi Patil, the launch of the CHCC Annual Magazine and tagline, announcements of new CHCC chapters, and the unveiling of the CHCC Trade Mission to India (2026) chaired by Dr. Rakesh Kantaria with President Kushagr Dutt Sharma.
About the Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce (CHCC)
The CHCC is Canada’s leading national platform representing Hindu business owners, professionals, and investors across all sectors. United in fostering economic growth, celebrating cultural heritage, and creating opportunities, CHCC champions the voice of Canadian Hindus in national economic and policy dialogue.
