THE Indian Consulate General in Vancouver on Sunday honoured veterans living in Greater Vancouver Area who served in the Indian Armed Forces as part of the ongoing Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence.

The celebration was launched on March 12 — 75 weeks before August 15, 2022, which is the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.

Indian Consul General Manish was joined by House Speaker Raj Chouhan, Surrey MP Randeep Sarai and Surrey MLAs Jinny Sims and Jagrup Brar as well as former MLA Gulzar Cheema to honour the veterans who expressed their deep appreciation at being recognized in this manner.

The cultural part of the program included songs by Faizan Mansuri, a young IT professional from Gujarat, and classical dance performances by Ruchi Sridhar and Angel Gautam. An abridged version of a documentary film titled “Black Pepper, White Pepper – Stories from the Trenches” was shown during the event to highlight the contribution of Indian soldiers in World War 1 and World War 2.

The veteran servicemen included:

1 Mohinder Singh Jaswal. 2. Devinder Singh Dhami, 3. Sarwan Singh Khaira, 4. Sukhdev Singh Gadri, 5. Ramji Lal Choudhary, 6. Kabal Singh Sandhawalia, 7. Gian Singh Saini, 8. Gurdev Singh Rakkar, 9. Sucha Singh Nijjar, 10. Ajit Singh Saran, 11. Brij Lal Sharma, 12. Joginder Singh Gill, 13. Harpal Singh Brar, 14. Jarnail Singh Chima, 15. Raghbir Singh Parmar, 16. Malkit Singh Thind, 17. Jagtar Singh Sihota, 18. Gurdev Singh Kanwar, 19. Santokh Singh Gakhal, 20. Joginder Singh Mahal, 21. Kulwant Singh Kular, VSM, 22. Joginder Singh Kolar, 23. Prem Singh Sandhu, 24. Devinder Singh Sandhawalia, 25. Harbans Singh Khangura, 26. Palwinder Singh Bhathal, 27. Sukhdev Singh Girn.

Photos  by SUKHWANT DHILLON / AM 600 Sher-E-Punjab Radio