The 26th generation Gaddi Nashin of Dargah Ajmer Sharif and Chairman, Chishty Foundation, joined CLF 2026 in Mississauga and Toronto, where H.E. Shri Dinesh K. Patnaik, High Commissioner of India to Canada, and Shri Mahaveer Singhvi, Consul General of India in Toronto, underlined interfaith harmony in India Canada relations.
New Delhi, May 21, 2026: Haji Syed Salman Chishty, the 26th generation Gaddi Nashin of the sacred Dargah of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty in Ajmer Sharif and Chairman of the Chishty Foundation, participated in the Canada Literature Festival 2026, held from May 13 to 18 in Mississauga and Toronto, Ontario.
His participation brought India’s 800 year old Chishty Sufi heritage to the festival through interfaith panel discussions, the Canadian release of Yakub Mathew’s book Seeking the Infinite and an evening of Sufi poetry and spiritual discourse.
The engagements were attended by H.E. Shri Dinesh K. Patnaik, High Commissioner of India to Canada, and Shri Mahaveer Singhvi, Consul General of India in Toronto. Their presence highlighted the role of cultural diplomacy in deepening India Canada bilateral relations.
A key moment at the festival was the Canadian release of Seeking the Infinite: Maha Kumbh 2025, a multi faith coffee table book by Yakub Mathew featuring more than 50 global thought leaders. The panel discussion focused on interfaith dialogue, spiritual unity and the universal quest for meaning before members of the Indian diaspora in Toronto.
Haji Syed Salman Chishty was a featured speaker at A Confluence of Faiths: Seeking the Infinite at the Apollo Convention Centre, Mississauga. The session included Yakub Mathew, Lama Aria Drolma, Rakesh Kaul and Harry Mann, with Cambridge University Professor Prabhu Guptara moderating the interfaith panel.
At the Noel Ryan Theatre in Mississauga, Haji Syed Salman Chishty presented an evening of Sufi poetry and spiritual reflection, offering Canadian audiences an introduction to the living Chishty Sufi Order and its mystical tradition.
Haji Syed Salman Chishty, 26th Generation Gaddi Nashin, Dargah Ajmer Sharif and Chairman, Chishty Foundation, said, “The Chishty Sufi tradition has taught for 800 years that unconditional love and service towards the creation is the way leading us towards the Creator. From the blessed Dargah of Khwaja Gharib Nawaz in Ajmer Sharif to the shores of Lake Ontario, the message remains the same: Love Towards All, Malice Towards None.”
Yakub Mathew, Author of Seeking the Infinite, said, “The Infinite is not a place to reach but a truth to remember: within you lies a horizon without end. This gathering in Toronto proves that the quest for the Infinite transcends every border.”
H.E. Shri Dinesh K. Patnaik, High Commissioner of India to Canada, said, “Platforms like the Canada Literature Festival demonstrate that interfaith peace and harmony are the true foundations of lasting bilateral relations. The mystic traditions and spiritual culture of the noble land of India embody the shared values of pluralism and mutual respect that India and Canada are committed to strengthening together.”
Shri Mahaveer Singhvi, Consul General of India in Toronto, said, “Interfaith dialogue and spiritual harmony are the strongest pillars of people-to-people diplomacy. The unity witnessed at CLF 2026, where voices from every faith tradition came together in a spirit of peace, reflects the very essence of what India-Canada bilateral relations aspire to achieve.”
Ajaay Modi, Organiser, Canada Literature Festival 2026, said, “CLF was born to celebrate knowledge and dialogue beyond the boundaries of race, language, religion, and culture. CLF 2026 has proven that literature festivals can be powerful instruments of interfaith peace and global understanding, reaffirming the deep civilisational bond between India and Canada as a meeting point of cultures and conversations that matter.”
The participation placed Ajmer Sharif’s Sufi message within a wider international conversation on literature, spirituality, interfaith dialogue and cultural diplomacy.
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