As his three-nation tour, edges towards the finish, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Vancouver early Friday morning. He started the day with a visit to the Gurudwara Khalsa and the Laxminarayan Temple, along with his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper.

Thousands of admirers collected at the holy sites to catch a glimpse of Modi, who has so far charmed all and one, in every foreign trip he has made. To cheers and claps, he said on his visit to the temple, "Hinduism is not religion but a way of life. Even the SC has said that Hinduism is more than just a religion."

He thanked the Canadian Prime Minister and the people of Canada for the warm welcome and hospitality they had accorded him. He exhorted the gathering to live life scientifically, in balance with nature, and with compassion.

He said the United Nations had recently adopted June 21st as the International Day of Yoga with 177 countries co-sponsoring India's resolution. He said Yoga had great potential to help the world overcome the stress of modern life, and urged people to spread this message.

Modi had reached Ottawa, Canada from Berlin on Wednesday. After a ceremonial welcome in Ottawa, he along with Harper flew to Toronto to proceed with their historically significant meetings. This was the first bilateral meeting of an Indian prime minister in Canada since 1973, when former PM Pierre Elliott Trudeau met India's then PM, Indira Gandhi.

PM's gift to Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper

On meeting the Canadian PM, Modi gifted him a miniature painting titled Guru Nanak Dev. Painted in the traditional Indian miniature style, this composition shows Guru Nanak Dev with his two disciples Bhai Mardana and Bhai Bala, sitting beside him. The background of pristine landscape adds to the tranquility around the painting encased in intricately painted borders.

Painted on handmade paper with mineral colours, the work has been done by a Jaipur-based artist, Virendra Bannu, who is a seventh generation artist in his family and has been taking forward the legacy of his family in specialised miniature art form.

The Prime Minister applauded the Indians in Canada and said," So many of our Punjabi brothers and sisters have made Canada their home and enriched it with their renowned vigour and entrepreneurial drive."

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