It was a delightfully multicultural moment. As Small Business and Entrepreneurship Minister Harinder Takhar was explaining the meaning of Diwali - the Hindu New Year and festival of lights - to the crowd of 250 invited guests, someone's cellphone went off.

The ringtone? "O Canada."

A musical reminder of where we were all gathered - the hallowed halls of Queen's Park.

The event was hosted by Consul General Satish Mehta and his wife Priti, along with Panorama India, a non-profit organization that promotes Indian culture.

Tuesday's reception marked the first time that Diwali, Oct. 21 this year, had been celebrated at the Legislature, with guests receiving the traditional welcome of a red tilak on their foreheads.

Guests, including Lata Pada and her husband Hari Venkatacharya; Toronto police services board chair Alok Mukherjee and wife Arun; Mumbai-based artist Padmanabh Bendre; Toronto city council candidate Sonali Verma and her husband Vikash Jain; Aditya Jha and his nephew Ashutosh Jha, nibbled vegetarian snacks such as samosas, paneer tikka, dokla and mithai in the legislative dining room, transformed into a cozy alcove with Indian fabrics and diwa lamps.

Saris were the garb of choice for most of the female guests - including Barbara Hackett, wife of Opposition Leader John Tory. She was resplendent in a blue silk number picked up on a visit to India.

In his speech, the newly slim Tory recalled that his wife had difficulty putting on a sari - typically a piece of cloth a couple of metres long - the first time, despite assistance from him and an aide. There was the problem of extra material they didn't know where to tuck, he joked. Some helpful Indian women in the washroom helped her out.

"Now I know why women go to the washroom in groups," Tory said with a chuckle.

Tory called India a "most extraordinary place ... a magnificent nation that is diverse beyond imagination."

After the traditional lighting of the Diwali diwas, chief guest Premier Dalton McGuinty, accompanied by wife Terri, took the opportunity to chat about their upcoming trip to India in January, the first time the couple will visit the subcontinent.

McGuinty will lead a delegation of 100 Ontario business people and academics on a trade mission from Jan. 21 to 27, with stops in New Delhi, Punjab, Bangalore and Mumbai.

In the interest of saving taxpayer money, McGuinty appealed for free lodging during their trip. "If any of you have family and friends in India, Terri and I don't take up much space," he joked.

By visiting the "exciting powerhouse that is India," McGuinty said he hopes to have a "better appreciation for the ties that bind us together."

He praised the South Asian community for giving back to the province "in so many ways," adding that Queen's Park was the perfect location for a Diwali event because they are both symbolic of hope for the future.

McGuinty quoted Mahatma Gandhi, twice, ending with: "We can make a positive difference together as long as we have hope in our hearts."