Hello! I am Tejas from the City of Mississauga in the province of Ontario, in Canada. I wish everyone a very Happy Maharashtra Day.
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Maharashtra.ca
This website is a result of seeing the Maharashtrian community spread out among various mandals (associations) across Canada. Each association has its own website, yet all engage in roughly similar activities – events around the various festivals and important days of Maharashtra, Canada, India, and their own province; perpetuate the Marathi language by organizing classes to teach Marathi; send newsletters; promote businesses of members.
So, I thought it would be a great idea to help these associations to come together under one umbrella. After all, we are all connected to the great state of Maharashtra, by birth, work, or ancestry. By bringing all existing associations across Canada under the banner of maharashtra.ca, the associations will be able to:
- easily connect with each other, and have a constant and fresh presence on the Internet.
- benefit from a larger presence on the Internet because search engines will pick up on a large pool of content.
- encourage more associations to form, since they will have a standard website template to follow and populate.
- help create focused groups – for instance, to connect youth across the country through dedicated pages like youth.maharashtra.ca or connect seniors via seniors.maharahstra.ca
Social media presence comes and goes – Facebook today, Instagram tomorrow, TikTok day after – how many will one maintain?
A new committee might not have a technologically savvy enough person to update/ maintain the website, so it quickly becomes out of date.
A website on the other hand helps maintain a constant presence on the Internet. And with an easy to remember name like maharashtra.ca it becomes even easier to share with everyone and to associate with.
Now that you have read the above, why not connect with me to explore how we can make this work!? Let us bring together everyone in Canada who carries a piece of Maharashtra in their heart.
Chala tar, e-mail kara!
Thank you!
This website is a long-held dream to bring together the many individuals across Canada that have a connection to Maharashtra – whether through ancestry, language, or work.
What is Maharashtra?
Home to illustrious individuals like Emperor Shivaji, social reformers Savitri & Jotiba Phule, legal expert (and fellow LSE-alum) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Maharashtra is a preeminent state in the Republic of India.
Whether you enjoy Alphonso mangoes from Ratnagiri or oranges from Nagpur (also the geographical centre of India) or both, you have had a taste of Maharashtra.
You can travel back in time to the 2nd century through the caves at Ajanta and Ellora, imbibe imperial splendor at the fort of Raigad, and embrace true cosmopolitanism in the City of Mumbai – all in Maharashtra.
Maharashtrians in Canada
People of Maharashtra-origin have been in Canada for at least 50 years.
The most notable Maharashtrian is the late Dr. Bhausaheb Ubale O.Ont. who was the Ontario Human Rights Commissioner from 1979 to 1985, as well as the first Chief Race Relations Commissioner for the Province of Ontario.
Her Worship Justice Of The Peace Meena Nadkarni was the first South Asian Citizenship Court Judge in Canada and the first female Justice of the Peace of South Asian origin. She was appointed in 1986.
Dr. Jagannath Wani established the Maharashtra Seva Samiti Organization (MSSO) in Calgary in 1984, to contribute to their country of birth. Their Toronto chapter started in 2009.
In recent years, people of Maharashtra-origin have run for nominations of major political parties, been elected as Director of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, and served as the deputy-leader of a provincial party.
Associations for Marathi and Maharashtrian people are present in Toronto and Ottawa in Ontario, Montreal in Quebec, Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, and in British Columbia.
This website is a work in progress. I invite you to connect with me to help make this website as rich and meaningful as the land that is Maharashtra.