Indian culture continues to flourish in the Sault (10 photos)

Hundreds came together at the Elks of Canada Hall this past weekend to celebrate Navratri, a nine-day Indian festival held annually to celebrate the victory of good over evil by Hindu goddess Durga.

Navratri attendees took part in traditional dances while wearing their authentic dresses from home, and a variety of meals and delectable foods from India were prepared for the occasion.

Event organizer Abhishek Patel describes the event as a promising sign for their culture’s growth in the Sault.

“It’s growing rapidly,” he says. “I want to bring the community together and help it grow, and I want to spread love and peace to everyone.”

The surge in their community presence is no secret.

According to Stats Canada and the 2021 Census, the Indian population in the Sault has grown substantially between 2016 and 2021.

Of the dozens of non-official languages spoken in mother tongue, Punjabi had the largest increase over that time frame, growing from 20 speakers to 200.

Hindi-speaking residents nearly doubled from 70 to 120, and those who speak Gujarati grew from 65 to 100.

Meanwhile, Italian speakers with the mother tongue in the Sault had the largest decrease over the five-year time span, dropping from 3180 people to 2270.

Like many in attendance for Navratri, Patel speaks Gujarati, and he considers himself as a guardian and mentor for many of the newcomers who move to the Sault.

“When someone new is coming to the community, everyone helps them,” he says. “When they come here, it’s hard for them because everything’s different. Eventually, they get settled. Many of them say the Sault is much more peaceful than Toronto. If you get a good job, you’re good to live your whole life here. Most of them want to live here.”

Punjabi, Hindi, and Gujarati fall under the subset of Indo-Aryan, a large group of languages which are derived from South Asia and India. In the Sault, those who speak under that subset grew from 230 in 2016 to 530 in 2021.

Patel believes it has gone up even more since last year.

“It’s definitely grown since then,” he says. “Lots of students are coming to study at Sault College or Algoma, there’s lots of good programs here. A lot of people are getting work-permits too.”

Patel was a doctor in Ukraine and India before moving to the Sault in 2020, and he recently graduated from the healthcare and administration program at Sault College.

He says the city’s interest in their culture is growing as well, which was also felt at the festivities this past weekend.

“I had some Canadian friends come on Saturday, and they loved it,” he says. “We’re all one here.”

Meanwhile, tickets are on sale for Diwali celebrations at the Moose Lodge on Thursday Oct. 13 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Hosted by Harsh Goyal, Lovleen Sharma and Navraj Kaur, the event is open to everyone and includes dinner, games, dancing, and a cash bar.

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased through e-transfer by emailing [email protected]. Interested attendees are asked to include a phone number when sending the e-transfer. Tickets are on sale until Oct. 7.