Grand Canadian Premiere of Mystic India
Ontario Place Cinesphere, Toronto, Canada
5 July 2006

The grand Canadian Premiere of Mystic India took place on 5 July 2006 at the Ontario Place Cinesphere, the world’s first permanent IMAX film theatre. Located in the heart of Toronto, Canada’s largest city, Cinesphere is home to the second largest IMAX screen in the world, with a capacity to seat 675 individuals comfortably.

BAPS Care International presented the charity show in recognition of the Royal Ontario Museum’s Renaissance ROM Project and its contribution to building bridges between civilizations, cultures and ages. All gifts received following the charity show benefited the Renaissance ROM South Asian Initiative. The event hosts were the Consul General of India, Shri Satish Mehta and the President and Executive Director of the prestigious Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Mr. David Palmer. The nationally acclaimed ROM is currently constructing a South Asian gallery, which will promote the heritage of the region.

The Honourable James M. Flaherty, Canadian Minister of Finance, was the chief guest of the event. Other political dignitaries included:

Many top corporate executives also attended the grand premiere.

BAPS youths guided the guests arriving for the evening reception right from parking to the entrance of the event pavilion. A grand arch and two giant model elephants greeted the guests at the entrance of Ontario Place. Guests were welcomed with sweets offered by children in traditional Indian dress.

Guests were enthralled by the traditional decorations displays in the center of the reception pavilion including beautiful rangolis created by the ladies volunteers.

The Chief Guest and dignitaries were entertained by classical tabla performance by renowned Vineet Vyas and a beautiful traditional classical Indian dance performance by Menaka Thakkar Dance Academy bringing to life the sights, sounds, colours and pageantry of India.

Prior to the screening of the film, the children sang Sanskrit verses for world peace (Shanti Paath) in consonance with the message of 'Mystic India' that “we are a single human family”. Thereafter the president of BAPS Care, Chandrakant Sachdev spoke about the activities and mission of BAPS Care. As the official hosts of the evening, the Consul General of India and the President of the ROM welcomed the guests. Both thanked BAPS Care for its dedication to humanitarian services. The Chief Guest was traditionally welcomed with a garland.

The film left a lasting impression on each of the more than 600 elite guests. All were ecstatic after the screening and truly appreciated the film. They left with a sense of excitement and pride that such a rich culture and civilization exists in today’s modern world.