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Indians recreate 'Ganga Aarti' on Canadian riverbank: 'Come back home and clean real Ganga'
A viral video showed Ganga Aarti in Canada, sparking mixed reactions online.
In a attempt to recreate spiritual traditions thousands of miles away from home, a video of Indians performing Ganga Aarti on the banks of the Credit River in Erindale Park, Mississauga, Canada, has gone viral on Instagram.The video, shared by user Priyanka Gupta, captured the sights and sounds of the divine ritual that mirrored the famous aartis held on the ghats of Varanasi and Haridwar.
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Gupta, an Indian living in Canada for over a decade, shared the video with a deeply nostalgic caption: “Ganga Aarti in Canada — A Divine Vibe, Miles from the Ganges... Not on the ghats of Varanasi or Haridwar, but right here in Canada. Living abroad doesn’t mean letting go of who we are... we weren’t NRIs, we were just Indians — connected, grounded, and grateful.”
The event featured traditional aarti thalis, devotional music, mantra chanting, and bhajans under the open skies of Canada.
Homage to heritage
Radio Dhishum, which hosted the annual event, also posted a video, stating: “On July 4, 2025, the serene banks of the Credit River glowed with hundreds of diyas, divine chants, and heartfelt devotion… From soothing bhajans, mantras, and shloka chanting by kids, to the divine Ganga Aarti — it felt like Varanasi had arrived in Toronto.”
Mixed reactions online
The video received nearly 4,000 views and sparked a range of reactions from viewers. One user appreciated the emotion, commenting, “Har Har Gange — what a feel through this reel.”
However, criticism followed swiftly. A viewer remarked, “Hope they don’t start polluting Canadian rivers like the Ganga.” Another was more direct, “Stop this please. This is not even the Ganga River to perform Ganga Aarti. Next, people will start Kumbh Mela here.”
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Others felt the ritual misplaced, “Are you guys serious? Ganga in Canada? If you love it so much, come back to India.” One user added, “Doing aarti in front of any river doesn’t make it Ganga Aarti. Return to your own country if you crave for it so much.”
Yet amid the critiques, one voice offered a different perspective: “Come back home, let’s clean the Ganga river.”
