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MEHFIL
February/March 2010 $4.95

INSIDE Weddings 2010

racism in australia From fashion to fitness
and makeup to henna,
attacks highlight
vulnerability of our special is full of
indian students tips and trends
Perspectives
SwVairkuaps
MoNSter
the man behind
HoMeS
Slumdog
Activist Millionaire

BCahninemrjeoey NiNa Gupta

a man of ideas Big on bright (and green) ideas
and action
alisha pillay
Tabla star on the fast track
to becoming
Cassius Khan a pop sensation

Drums up notice

WTFROORRAEKINIEGERND?

SEE INSIDE FOR DETAILS.

www.mehfilmagazine.com

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MEHFIL
44 Cover Photo by MoNIQUe dykstra February/March 2010

10 D E pa r t M E n t s

CoVEr storY Publishers’ Note . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Stellar Student . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
18 Nina Gupta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Clippings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Campus Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
As founder and president of Greenlite Lighting Corporation, Nina Unsung Hero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Gupta is on a mission to get consumers to see the light — as in Scene & Society . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
compact fluorescent lights. And the future is looking bright indeed Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
for the woman who took her company from $300,000 to $30 Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
million in sales in just one year. Weddings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Fashion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
FEaturEs Auto Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Local Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Cassius Khan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

30 A B.C.-based musician is drumming up notice as the world’s only CoLuMns
ghazal-singing tabla player.
8
The Man Behind Slumdog . . . 40 India Today

Vikas Swarup, the diplomat turned bestselling by Jas Johal
author of the book that inspired the film
Slumdog Millionaire, shares his thoughts on 24
slums, success and Six Suspects, his new novel. The Inspired Sufi

Wedding Trends 2010 . . . . . . 49 40 by Azim Jamal

From inspiring love stories to practical tips, 26
97 our annual wedding section has something Politics
for every bride. Mehfil turned to experts in
everything from makeup and henna to fashion and fitness for their by Andy Radia
favourite techniques and insight into today’s hottest trends for
Indian brides. 28
49 Perspectives
Alisha Pillay . . . . . . . . . . .97
With a song getting airplay on radio by Divinder Purewal
stations across Canada and a new CD
in the works, this Vancouver-based 82
19-year-old is on the fast track to Horoscope
98 making it as a pop sensation.
by Georgia Nicols
4 MEHFIL February/March 2010
84
Cuisine

by Gurj Dhaliwal

86
Health & Fitness

by Shefali Raja

96
Movie Reviews

by Ron Ahluwalia

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Family Class Sponsorship Contributing Editor
Applications & Appeals Hardip Vig

Adoptions Contributing Writers
Citizenship Applications Robin Roberts, Jas Johal,
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6 MEHFIL February/March 2010

Publishers’ Note

There is nothing quite as grounding as inter- A.S. Bubber, CA It’s NOT what you
viewing the pioneers who came to Canada from
India. To say their lives were difficult would be an EARN
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ceeded, they took the time to get involved in their It’s what you
communities to make a difference.
KEEP!
Take Kesar Singh Bhatti, the subject of this
issue’s Reflections, who came to Canada at a Accounting • Income Tax
time when less than 100 Indians were permitted Personal • Corporate
to enter each year. Needless to say he had only
a handful of Indian classmates at UBC in the A.S. BUBBER
1950s, yet they got organized, held events and
even published a magazine to give a voice to the & ASSOCIATES
growing community.
Chartered Accountant
We’re sure Mr. Bhatti is glad to see South Asian
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MEHFIL February/March 2010 7
Plus, in our Weddings 2010 feature we present
couples-to-be with some inspiration, advice and
tips as they plan their way to the altar.

Lastly, our columnists aren’t shy in this issue
about their views on monster homes, Canada’s
healthcare system and detox diets. We encourage you
to share your opinions on anything you see in Mehfil
via email or online at www.mehfilmagazine.com.

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I ndia Today
by Jas Johal

The Montreal Canadians, L.A. Kings and New York Islanders have either
donated equipment or sent coaches to work with the locals in Ladakh

Hockey Night in India

NEW DELHI — Living and working in and monasteries. “you know as a little kid non-government organization and lives in
India you realize very early how impor- growing up in Canada, playing hockey and the region working with at-risk youth in
tant a role religion plays in the lives of its dreaming about playing in the NHL, this isolated communities. “Our future lead-
people. But when you watch television or is one of the most amazing hockey experi- ers program started in hockey to deal with
read magazines here you realize there are ences I’ve ever come across.” young people who dropped out of school
two religions that overshadow all others: While the Canadians had the advantage and don’t get jobs and can get into trou-
Bollywood and Cricket. when it comes to experience, the Ladakhis ble,” she explains.
were used to playing on the roof of the Even though hockey is a force for good
Bollywood I understand. Cricket I’m world. “We have the stamina. We’re used in the area it doesn’t mean there aren’t
still getting use to. To call this country to playing in high altitude,” said Ladakhi problems. India’s notorious bureaucracy
cricket mad is an understatement. With player Sonam Paldan. still makes it difficult at times to import
all those cricket channels you can under- hockey gear. Ladakh also suffers
stand why the Canadian in me misses from a lack of electricity most of
hockey. So when a bunch of Canadians the year. A new hydro electric dam
invited me to Ladakh to watch a few will hopefully change that, which
hockey games I jumped at the chance. would finally mean Ladakh could
get its first indoor hockey rink in
Located in the mountainous north- the next few years.
west region of India, Ladakh is para- During my time there, I saw
dise. It is truly God’s country and at many smiles. None were bigger
11,000 feet above sea level it’s where than that of Akshay Kumar, the
the world’s highest-altitude hockey is president of the Indian Ice Hockey
being played. I joined diplomats from Association. After years of fighting
Canada’s High Commission in New bureaucracy and getting ice hockey
Delhi who make a yearly trip here to recognized as an official sport with
play hockey. Ladakh is a tiny hockey hotbed where the game is the government, Kumar tells me
played on frozen ponds and reservoirs. construction of India’s first indoor
My initial reaction is probably no hockey rink will begin in March
different than yours: They play ice The Canadians were quite concerned north of Delhi.
hockey in India? It began in 2001 about the thin air in Ladakh. We were It will come complete with a Zambo-
when a Ladakhi official came to Delhi warned to acclimatize for at least 24 hours ni. During the stifling summer heat, when
looking to get a travel visa so he could buy upon our arrival. Four people were sick the temperatures can hit the mid 40s the arena
hockey equipment in Canada. The reaction first day. Even running up the stairs to my will be used for inline skating. It’s expected
to the visa application is still remembered first-floor hotel room left me breathless. more arenas will soon follow as India begins
by Calgarian Tony Kretzschmar. “The offi- Deputy High Commissioner Peter attending international tournaments.
cer thought Indians don’t play ice hockey. Nickel, who played in the tournament, “Last year we selected our first national
It’s a hot country. That’s a scam.” knew the only chance of winning was quick team and they played in Abu Dhabi at the
shift changes. “Fifteen- to 20-second shifts. Asian Challenge Cup and we also managed
When they investigated further they That’s all,” he told me. to score our first international goal,” Kumar
were shocked to learn that Ladakh was a The hockey has gotten better here says proudly.
tiny hockey hotbed. Hockey was played on thanks to donations of skates and sticks. His enthusiasm didn’t help the Ladakhis
frozen ponds and reservoirs just like they The Montreal Canadians, L.A. Kings and on the scoreboard. They ended up losing all
used to in Canada in the early part of the New york Islanders have either donated three games to the Canadians. But in an age
last century. The Indian army first intro- equipment or sent coaches to work with of spoiled athletes, sky-high hockey ticket
duced ice hockey here in the mid 1980s. the locals. With little to do in the winter, prices, and pesky agents, it was wonder-
Skates were nothing more than army boots hockey keeps teenagers busy. Illiteracy ful to see the true meaning and impact of
with metal bolted onto them. Goalies wore and unemployment are big problems so hockey. Who knew I would have to go all
cricket pads and used field-hockey sticks. through donations Canadians have also the way to India to find it. p
helped teenagers return to school and gain Based in New Delhi, Jas Johal is the South
Since then, Canadians have been visit- valuable skills. Asia Bureau Chief for Global National News
ing every year. The tournaments have been Canadian Cynthia Hunt works for a which airs daily at 5:30pm.
getting bigger and the players better.

Brent Hamilton is a teacher in New
Delhi. It was his first visit to Ladakh and
he was awestruck watching a pond hockey
game in a region known for its mountains

8 MEHFIL February/March 2010

DON’T GAMBLE
ON A WEDDING GIFT.

Give them
the best time of

their life...

Saif Ali Khan

GOLDEN TREE JEWELLERS

Willowbrook Shopping Centre t

S tellar Student Priyanka WadhWa Photo by Gary WIldMaN

Age: 18 Hometown: Surrey, BC
Academic Awards: $20,500 Canadian
Millennium Scholarship, UBC President’s
Entrance Scholarship, SFU Summit
Entrance Scholarship, Surrey Principals
and Vice-Principals’ Association
Scholarship and Excellence in French
Scholarship
Area of Study: Bachelor of Commerce at
UBC
Volunteer Work: Cheryl’s Children Home
(Nairobi, Kenya), Surrey Community
Youth Development Initiative, Surrey
Hospice Society, Surrey Youth Foundation,
Canadian Cancer Society and the UBC
Commerce Community Program.
Advice for students: I believe that in
order to be the very best at something, you
need to have a passion or a driving force.
Always keep in mind the end goal that you
hope to achieve. This will keep you going
no matter how stressful school becomes.
Your favourite confidence-building tips:
It is extremely important to get out of your
comfort zone sometimes and try things
that might seem intimidating. By opening
yourself to new and different experiences,
there is a possibility of finding a strength
or passion you didn’t know you had. This
may help you see yourself in a new light,
and that is what confidence is about.
Success strategies: I believe that suc-
ceeding in school is much more than
grades; it is vital to have a balance between
school and extracurricular activities. Get
involved in your school and community,
doing things that you enjoy. Furthermore,
time management is key. You have to learn
how to prioritize .
Why did you go to Kenya to volunteer?
I went back to Kenya because I was born
and brought up there. Growing up in the
small town of Eldoret, I have seen the
depths of poverty. I have always wanted to
go back and do something worthwhile and
meaningful.
I volunteered with an organization called
Cheryl’s Children’s Home. It gave orphaned
children a place to live and a chance to
go to school. I volunteered there for two
weeks, working with young children in the
classrooms. I played with them, taught
them, and helped the teachers.
What did you learn?
I have learned how unfair life can be some-

10 MEHFIL February/March 2010

C lippings

times. On one side of the world, A Student’s Olympic Moment
there are children who have no
family or support left in their Fourteen-year-old Jaeten Gosal, a Grade 9 student at
lives. They have to worry about Vancouver’s St. George’s School was one of the lucky
where their next meal is going 12,000 Canadians selected to take part in the 2010
to come from. We, on the other Olympic Torch Relay. Jaeten, who has been a competitive
hand, tend to take for granted swimmer since the age of five, hopes to one day swim on
everything that we do have. This Canada’s national team. In his application Jaeten said he’d
experience has also taught me a like to help get more kids from the Indian community
lot about who I am; it has made involved in competitive swimming and see the sport better
me want to use my education to represent Canada’s diverse multicultural population. On
help people living in third world February 4, he became one of the youngest torch bearers
countries. and carried the torch 300 metres in Squamish, B.C. We
caught up with Jaeten after his run.
Do you have plans to go
back? Yes, I definitely plan on Why did you want to carry the torch? to a lot of the Canadian swimmers such as Brent
doing something similar in the My mom suggested that I apply. A friend of hers Hayden and Annamay Pierse. I’ve met both of them
near future, perhaps going to had told her about it. Her husband had carried the because they often come out to work with young
India or somewhere in South torch in Calgary and it was one of the most memo- swimmers. They are superb athletes and they take
America. Next time, I would like rable experiences of his life. This was a once in a the time to share their experiences with kids who
my stay to be a lot longer. lifetime event so when the chance came up, I had are pursuing the sport.
Why do you think it’s impor- to take it. I thought it would be an amazing experi-
tant for young people to ence, and it was. I love all sports and I thought it
volunteer? Volunteering gives would be exciting to be part of the Olympics.
us the opportunity to come out
of our little bubbles and see I thought I might have a small chance because I
the world for what it really is. I didn’t think a lot of younger teenagers would apply.
believe that it can teach us how I also thought my statement included some good
to be compassionate and per- points that were reflective of what the Olympics
haps give us the desire to help stand for.
people. Moreover, it gives us a
chance be grateful and count our How did you feel when you found out you’d In your application you talked about getting
own blessings. be carrying the torch? more Indian kids involved in swimming.
When choosing a volunteer I wasn’t too excited at first because it seemed so far Why?
activity, what advice would off. There wasn’t a lot of Olympic excitement in the Canada and especially B.C. has a large population
you give to other students? air at that time, and I didn’t really understand the of South Asians and it isn’t represented in swim-
I decided to volunteer in an significance of being selected. ming. Although there are some from our com-
orphanage because I love work- What was it like when your torch was lit? munity, there should be more. The sport is a great
ing with children. I think that The rush of adrenaline just travelled through my way to meet new people and develop a lot of skills
when choosing a volunteer activ- body. When they extinguished the other person’s that can help you in many different areas of your
ity, do something that you have torch, it was really special because I was the only life. It also keeps youth busy because training for
some kind of interest or passion person in the world carrying the Olympic flame. swimming can be up to 25 hours per week. Sports
for. keep kids busy and away from things that might
A quote that inspires you: The best part about it was seeing everybody cause them to get into trouble. If you become really
“Our truest life is when we are in behind me running with me. My younger cousins good you can travel all over Canada and represent
dreams awake.” were so excited and I loved the eager looks on your community.
their faces While I was running, I realized that I What do you enjoy most about swimming?
– Henry David Thoreau helped bring the Olympic flame 300 metres closer I enjoy competing and setting goals to improve my
to Vancouver and to the start of the games. My times and reaching the next level of competition
grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all came (e.g. Lower Mainland to provincial to national to
out. There were about 80 people. senior national). Also, the social aspect that comes
Who are some of the Olympic athletes you with the sport makes it a lot of fun. I have made a
admire? lot of friends through swimming and have had a
I admire Christopher Delbosco because he over- chance to travel around Canada. p
came alcoholism and drug use and is a contender
for a medal in the men’s ski cross.

Also, I admire Scott Niedermayer because he
is Canada’s men’s hockey team captain and is
from B.C. He has great leadership and I hope he
can lead Canada to a gold medal! I also look up

Mehfil February/March 2010 11

C lippings

Brain Teasing Exercises 8.625 in
0.375 CPAOGUENT 53-111 69054-KAUR_5.5X8.5_Hardcover - Dustjacket
The new quiz book Knowledge Is Power answers: 1. osiris; 2. sphinx; 3. Mars; 4. venus; 5. mermaid; 6. dragon; 7. Pegasus; 8. phoenix; 9. horus 10. unicorn
was inspired by authorA BSraiantTewaseirnder SPINE SIZE
Kaur’s lifelong love of learning and herThis book is written to appeal to all age groups. Answer the quizzes
Satvinder Kaur Following is a quiz excerpted from
which are fill in the blanks, multiple choice or mix and match and Knowledge Is Power.
KnPowolisewdgee r
belief in the importance of “exercising theopen the door to a world of general knowledge. Learn about countries, A General-Knowledge Fill in the blanks with the words given
inventions, mythology, popular foods, traditional costumes and much, Quiz Book below that best describe the following
KNOWLEDGE IS ALWAYS A GAIN mythical creatures, gods and goddesses.
mind as well as the body.”much more. Learn about things you never knew before. A book so handy NEVER A LOSS
you can carry it with you anywhere you go. 1. Egyptian god of the underworld.
2. Lion’s body with female head.
“I have always done a lot of readingI wish all my readers Happy Learning. 3. Roman god of war.
Look out for the next book coming out soon and keep learning about 4. Roman goddess of love.
5. Female body with a fish’s tail.
and have always enjoyedourworld. expanding my 6. Serpent’s body, bat’s wings, tiger’s
general knowledge,” says Kaur. “I had al-Satvinder Kaur was born in Penang, Malaysia.
claws.
Her primary,secondary and tertiary education 7. Horse’s body with bird’s wings.
was in Penang, and later she went on to teach 8. Eagle-like bird reborn in fire.

ways thought I would write something,History in a secondary school in Penang. 2.875 in
She moved to Vancouver, Canada in 1990
9. Egyptian god of light.
and I started coming up with quizzesbut her passion for reading about ancient 10. Horse’s body with a spiral horn on the
civilizations and cultures around the world
continued. The quizzes in this book reflect forehead.

based on all the facts I’ve learned throughthe wide knowledge and interests Satvinder Choose from: Pegasus, Sphinx, unicorn,
has about different places, their historical and Mars, Osiris, Horus, mermaid, phoenix,
dragon, Venus.
my education and my reading. I came upcultural diversities.
Currently she is working in Health care. Here she had first hand

with 10, 20, 30, then 45 quizzes and de-experience on the importance of keeping mentally active. Her interests
and work experience has motivated her to write this quiz book which
she feels will test your knowledge,entertain you and keep your brain

cided to publish them in a book.”alert at the same time.
The book’s title is partly inspired byISBN: 978-1-4415-9933-9

ªxHSLEOBy59 3 9zv*:+:!:+:!@Kaur’s certainty that keeping the brain (69054)
active is one of the keys to keeping it
healthy. “As a healthcare worker, I’ve seen
5.625 in 0fo.2ld5

firsthand that dementia is on the rise,” from the sale of each book to Variety the
says Kaur, who works in a nursing home. Children’s Charity.
“Activities that keep the brain active can Kaur, whose book is available in B.C.
help delay the onset of dementia.” at Book Lover’s Haven in Vancouver and
The book includes quizzes about Black Bond bookstores in Surrey and
countries, inventions, mythology, pop- Mission, will be at the Guildford Black
ular foods, traditional costumes and Bond bookstore on March 27 for a book
other topics. Kaur is donating 50 cents signing.

THIS IS MORE
THAN A LADDER.

It’s the avenue towards moving up.

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YOU HAVE THE SKILLS.

The Government of Canada’s new Foreign Credentials Referral Office helps newcomers who are looking
to put their skills to work in Canada. The federal government has reached an unprecedented agreement
with the provinces and territories to speed up the assessment and recognition of foreign qualifications.

Campus Talk “Magnetars have the highest magnetic field in the
by Jaspreet Singh Mangat universe among other astrophysical sources...

CAMPUS SCHOLAR Magnetars can unleash the equivalent amount of energy
our Sun has produced in its lifetime, within a second.”
Astrophysicist Ramandeep Gill

Ramandeep Gill grew up wanting to become an Air Force pilot. When his
parents expressed concerns about their only son flying fighter jets, Gill
changed course and decided he would become an astronaut instead. “To do
that, you need at least a bachelor’s degree, so my goal was to apply to NASA
for an astronaut position after obtaining a B.Sc.,” says Gill. “In my second
year, while taking astronomy courses, we were learning about Kepler, Newton
and Einstein and I was amazed when I learned about their far-reaching contri-
butions. Right then, I decided that this is what I wanted to do. These people
made such great contributions, and it is what I learned about these people that
inspired me.”

Gill is now a PhD student in Theoretical High Energy Astrophysics at UBC,
where he earned combined honours degrees in Astronomy and Physics.

“When I was in my third year at UBC, I took a physics class on electricity
and magnetism, and at the end we were asked to write a term paper,” recalls
Gill. “I chose to write a paper on earth and its magnetic field, but little did I
know that when I finished my undergrad, that I would be studying this topic
again. I had not even heard of the word magnetar in my early undergrad days.
When I came across a magazine article in Scientific American by the people
who discovered magnetars, there was one illustration that I cut out and posted
on my wall . . . So today, I am learning and writing about how these magnetic
fields are generated and how high energy radiation is produced. ”

What’s your area of stars with magnetic fields 1000 energy our Sun has produced in particles appearing in places where
research? times stronger than that of radio its lifetime, within a second — so you have such high energies.
Our Sun is an average star, but pulsars manifest themselves as these are really powerful objects. Who inspired you to pursue
there are other stars which are magnetars. These are the strange What impact does your field this field?
much more massive. Stars that objects I looked at in my under- of research have on the
are between eight and 25 times graduate thesis. In it, I calculated community at large? I was amazed at how Kepler
as massive as our Sun leave the birthrate of magnetars in our postulated three laws of plan-
remnants at the end of their life Galaxy. Taxes are going somewhat etary motion that have stood the
cycles in a supernova explo- What is the hottest topic of towards the salaries of the scien- test of time, and how Newton
sion. These dense remnants discussion when it comes to tists who study these strange later provided a theoretical base
are called neutron stars. These magnetars? objects, so we are answerable for these laws. They made such
objects are so dense that if you to the public on this topic. The great contributions, and it is what
take a teaspoon of neutron star Magnetars have the highest things that happen inside or I learned about them that inspired
material, it would weigh as much magnetic field in the universe outside these stars are so high me. I read many biographies of
as a mountain on Earth. These among other astrophysical sourc- in energy that we cannot replicate such luminaries, and have come
stars are quite small, only about es; we do not completely know or simulate any of those things in to realize that their intellect is out
10 kilometers in radius, but their the magnetic structure of these experiments on Earth. We are only of this world! What strikes me is
mass is roughly 1.4 times that of objects or even how the radiation left with analyzing the radiation we that all of these people made such
our Sun. We’ve learned a lot about is produced. This is what I study, receive from these objects. magnificent contributions when
these stars since their discovery particularly their bursting behav- they were only in their early twen-
in 1967; some spin much faster iour, which is very much similar We study these objects for the ties. They made ground break-
than our Sun and give off radio to the flare that occur on our Sun benefit of advancing our knowledge ing contributions to the field of
pulses just like a light house. but much more energetic. During of quantum physics, the processes science, so it is amazing to learn
These types of neutron stars are these bursts magnetars can and high energy particles that we about their work and be able to
called radio pulsars. Neutron unleash the equivalent amount of don’t observe in labs on Earth, it apply it every day. p
is possible that we can study those

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14 MEHFIL February/March 2010

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Campus Talk Scholarships

ON CAMPUS Scholarships and International Volunteering

Fear of Failure It was raining cats and dogs as my good bars or a Big Mac at the McDonalds down
friend Gurjeet and I walked briskly up the street, or slices of greasy cheesy pizza
You have spent weeks preparing for a hill towards a small building, trying to in the cafeteria.
hell week, also known as exam time. avoid getting mud all over our clothes from
You leave the classroom after writing your the unpaved roads. As a part of an ambi- On one hand, high schools promote
last exam. You breathe a sigh of relief tious team of 12 undergraduate students athletic activities by enforcing manda-
but you also have an uneasy feeling in from across North America, we gathered tory physical education until Grade 10.
the pit of your stomach. A week later you at the emergency ward at Akal Charitable But on the other hand, high schools were
receive your marks and your biggest fears Hospital in a rural town called Baru serving unhealthy foods in the cafeteria
are realized. You failed! What do you do? Sahib in the Himalayas. Inexperienced and and enabling local fast food restaurants to
Crawl under the blanket and pray that it young though we were, our global health influence students’ eating habits. I wanted
was just a bad dream? You could — or initiative in the Himalayas had a mission: to do something to improve the availabil-
you can go speak to an academic advisor. to assist rural children and working fami- ity of healthy food options in high schools
lies — many from households so poor that like mine. After I discussed my concerns
Failing a course in your first year may they didn’t have enough to eat — with with Mr. B, he connected me with an
not be detrimental to your GPA in the access to primary health care services, edu- organization called BC Student Voice.
long run (unless, of course, it was a pre- cation and food resources. After I got in touch with the organization,
requisite for the year after, in which case it my involvement in leadership activities
is recommended by advisors to re-take the The initiative involved rigorous plan- started snowballing.
course), but it can potentially leave a mark. ning, team co-ordination, supportive com-
Students are put on academic probation if munity partners and, above all, a compas- I was given an opportunity by BC
they have failed two years, leaving their sion for those in need of socio-medical Student Voice to present my concerns to
overall GPA below 2.00 (45 per cent). If assistance. other students across the province. Before
you are a senior student facing such an I knew it, I found myself presenting to
issue, then you are required to sit out for a Scholarship committees search for stu- the minister of education, Shirley Bond,
year. First-year students are encouraged to dents with well rounded backgrounds. In at a colloquium on student learning and
attend another institution and return once addition to community service, what other engagement. I expressed the concerns that
they have pulled up their marks. activities are you passionate about? Do you hundreds of students had about unhealthy
play any musical instruments? Do you play eating practices and their effects on learn-
Chavah Avraham, a senior academic sports? ing. The colloquium was a huge success.
advisor at UBC, recommends students Minster Bond decided to fund us in a
make use of the workshops that are When I went to the Himalayas, I did provincial high school healthy food choice
designed to provide study tips to improve not anticipate how demanding our physi- project. I joined other students in the
how you prepare for exams. Avraham also cal work-load would be: hours of walking organization to make pamphlets that were
advises students to speak to the professor between villages and hiking up steep slopes distributed to 36 high schools in the prov-
or teacher’s assistant. Although you may to reach rural residents. Athleticism is ince. We also gave presentations during
know the material, you should “go in with more than just playing basketball, tennis staff meetings to educate and help develop
the intent to clarify what you have studied or hockey — it’s about maintaining fitness healthier eating practices in high schools.
(material) and how you are learning it throughout your intense academic life.
(methods).” When a student fails an exam, High school guidance counsellors are a
generally it’s not because of a lack of Some of the team members in our health great resource as they are familiar with the
effort but because of a gap between what initiative also had a passion for music: system and are well aware of pressing issues
you have learned and what you know,” Harmit Sarai learned violin, Ishrat Gadhok in the student community. In the scholar-
Avraham says. “It is a good place to begin learned sitar and Rameet Dhaliwal played ship application process, creative thinking,
because it can help them identify where harmonium. They were able to bond with communication and personal initiative are
they are going wrong or what they are not local community children through the tremendously valuable characteristics.
absorbing.” shared medium of music, which helped to
facilitate a harmonious healing environ- If you would like to talk about how
To quote her: “You can either study ment during our health and nutritional to get involved in your community, you
right or study hard.” Memorization is a assessments of the villagers. can contact Jaspreet via email at jaspreet@
study “don’t.” Avraham highly recom- mehfilmagazine.com. p
mends www.leap.ubc.ca. This website The point is that diverse skills play an Jaspreet Singh Mangat is recognized as a
provides study tools as well as a list of essential part in professional development, National Scholar on the Canadian Association
other useful resources. In addition to the even though we may not immediately of Principals, founder of the non-profit North
website, several tutors await at the Barber recognize it. American Student Alliance Global Health
Learning Centre at UBC to provide assist- Care Foundation, and has worked in com-
ance to students who want it. University is One of the most common questions I munities below the poverty line in Europe and
not about how much you can memorize, receive from readers is: If students wish India. A Governor General Award recipient,
it’s about what you know and whether you to get involved in community service, he now works within
can apply that knowledge. where can they go to find guidance? The the community to engage
best resource for high school students is students in dialogue
– Aman Grewal guidance counsellors. I remember back surrounding commu-
16 Mehfil February/March 2010 at North Surrey Secondary School, my nity development. For
guidance counsellor Mr. B was a fantastic project ideas and schol-
resource for informing me of what activi- arship advice, you can
ties were happening at school. One issue I reach him at jaspreet@
vividly recall was unhealthy eating habits mehfilmagazine.com.
during lunch time. Mr. B and I used to
discuss how students always found their
way to vending machines for chocolate



Unsung Hero

Chinmoy Man of

IdeasBanerjee
and Action

By Robin Roberts

Chinmoy Banerjee does not believe in heroes. Instead, he believes in everyday people doing
good deeds every day. The retired SFU professor and social activist considers the time he’s
spent fighting racism and defending human rights unremarkable, never mind heroic.

As a child growing up in Calcutta in the 1940s and ’50s, Banerjee was deeply affected by

the poverty around him. Banerjee’s father had been dependent on an older brother after their fa-

ther died young. When Banerjee’s uncle quit his job and joined the anti-British movement after

Mahatma Gandhi called for non-cooperation, the family became destitute. Banerjee’s father be-

gan weaving homemade cloth and selling it village to village to eke out a living. With help from a

wealthy and patriotic lawyer and from another brother, Banerjee’s father eventually went on to get

an education and become a doctor. Having experienced what it was like to be impoverished, he

devoted much of his practice to treating the poor for free. It was that example of compassion that

inspired the younger Banerjee to get involved in social causes. It also showed him how important

a part education plays in escaping poverty.

Chinmoy Banerjee attended Scindia School in Vancouver, he was wrong. When he landed a posi-
Gwalior, and St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, then tion in the English department at SFU in 1970,
went on to earn his BA and MA at Delhi Univer- the Vietnam War was still raging, but it was the
sity. He won a Fulbright scholarship to study in latent racism and sexism lurking in his new back-
the U.S., and did his PhD in 18th-century English yard that caught his attention. “Much of it was
literature at Kent State University in Ohio. It was graffiti written on doors and walls,” he recalls. So
the height of the Vietnam War, and demonstra- he got involved in groups like the Indian People’s
tions were not uncommon. What was uncommon Association of North America, Canadian Farm-
was when members of the National Guard opened workers’ Union, and was a founding member of
fire on students on his own campus. He was in the the B.C. Organization to Fight Racism. He also
middle of teaching a class when he heard the gun served on the board of the Committee For Racial
shots. He ran out to see what was going on and Justice for many years. Besides creating awareness
was met with the tragic aftermath of the clash – of social injustice, it got the attention of racists.
four students lay dead, many others wounded and
bleeding on the ground. Chaos ensued, ambulanc- “I got hate calls and threats and so on,” he says
es and police cars screamed onto the campus. It was matter-of-factly. When the phone rang late one
a shocking eye-opener for Banerjee, and a turning night, with a voice telling him, “I’m going to kill
point. “That was when I got engaged in activism you and float you down the river,” he realized he
and the anti-war movement,” says Banerjee, who needed to protect himself and his young family. “I
began to join demonstrations in Washington. slept with a loaded shotgun,” he says.

If he thought he’d have a more peaceful life in Fortunately, he never had to use it, but recalls the
late 1970s and early 1980s as a particularly tumul-

18 Mehfil February/March 2010

Photo by Gary Wildman “The KKK and Aryan Nations [white supremacy
groups] were walking up and down Robson
Street and hanging around schools wearing
hoods and distributing [hate] leaflets and cards.
People were getting shot at by passing cars...
There was a lot of violence; it was a period of
extremely concentrated attacks.”

Mehfil February/March 2010 19

“He’s very aware of what goes on in the world, but his action is local. A lot

of people who are inclined to activism take on obscure Internet causes which are
geographically far removed from them. Chin acts where he lives.”

tuous time in Vancouver. “The KKK and appreciate [my accomplishments] a great – Ashok Mathur
Aryan Nations [white supremacy groups] deal now, but what they lost in terms of What does a popular film do? Why does it
were walking up and down Robson Street play time, they lost.” represent society? What is its impact? Our
and hanging around schools wearing hoods intention is to take everything quite seri-
and distributing [hate] leaflets and cards,” He has a second chance, however, with ously, even if it is quite trivial.”
he remembers. “People were getting shot at his six-year-old grandson and three-year-
by passing cars, homes in Surrey got shot at, old granddaughter, who are “too young to Although Banerjee has a serious
there was a fire bomb at a wedding in Rich- listen to my lectures on human rights,” he demeanour, his close friends see another
mond, a young man was kicked to death at says with a chuckle. side of him. “Chin is very, very funny in
a park near 41st and Fraser, swastikas were a wry, self-deprecating way,” says South
being painted on gurdwaras. There was a Still, Banerjee remains actively involved Asian Film Society co-founder and friend
lot of violence; it was a period of extremely in human rights causes, most notably as a Patricia Gruben. In addition to being an
concentrated attacks.” member of the South Asian Network of associate professor in Contemporary Arts at
Secularism and Democracy, which works SFU and a director at the Praxis Centre for
He struggled with the media, taking to promote a democratic and just society Screenwriters, Gruben is a writer-director
issue with outlets for giving what he through education. “Chin has very global and has benefited from Banerjee’s critiques
saw as an open platform to former KKK concerns,” says his friend Ashok Mathur, of her work. “He’s got a really sharp, analyt-
head David Duke. He even tussled with a fellow member of the group. “He’s very ical eye and a great appreciation for film at
the CBC over a W5 segment on Chinese aware of what goes on in the world, but all intellectual levels,” she says. “He’s been
Canadians taking up space in universities. his action is local. A lot of people who a hugely generous and enthusiastic mentor
are inclined to activism take on obscure for me as someone who has come only late-
“It’s different now,” he says. “The polit- Internet causes which are geographically ly to South Asian culture.”
ical situation has changed, the discourse far removed from them. Chin acts where
has changed, the media has realized it he lives.” It was Gruben who first learned about
can’t carry on with that stuff.” a cache of about 150 Hindi films that had
Mathur says what he admires most been discovered behind the screen of the
The change did not come easy, but about Banerjee is that he is well-read and old Raja Cinema on Commercial Drive.
Banerjee never backed down. “I don’t knowledgeable about a wide variety of The theatre was slated for renovation when
get frustrated because I know change is topics, and is “always interested in passing workers came upon the 35mm reels from
slow,” he says. “One has to keep work- some of that knowledge along to anyone the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, which would
ing at it, be patient, and remain hopeful. who’s receptive. Chin is an educator. He’ll likely have ended up in the trash. “I knew
Without hope you can’t struggle. If things talk about a bunch of things, but ‘educa- that if I told Chin about this he would
are wrong and make you indignant and tor’ sort of defines him. He has a very curi- mobilize the troops to save the films,” she
annoyed, then you have to do something ous mind. He’s always learning, trying to says. “He’s full of energy for things that
about it, and you have to have hope that figure things out. And I think he assumes interest him.”
you’ll make a change. Today there is a seri- other people have the same kind of curios-
ous change, and I’m proud I have partici- ity about the world we live in. As people Sure enough, Chin, his wife Robyn
pated in it.” of South Asian origin — and I think that’s and Ashok Mathur went down to the
true for all of us — we are cultural ambas- theatre, rolled up their sleeves and dug
His part in that change did not come sadors of the land we come from. At some through the films. The most valuable reels
without personal consequences, howev- level we try to build bridges.” have now found a new home in the SFU
er. His war on racism left his own chil- library archives. Some of them will be
dren somewhat battle-scarred. He had One of Banerjee’s current passions is shown at the new Woodward’s building in
believed it was important for son Anand cinema. He co-founded the South Asian Downtown Vancouver, where the univer-
and daughter Nandini to see the world for Film Education Society, which now boasts sity now runs its Contemporary Arts
what it was, and to be involved in fight- about 50 members who gather once a program. The films will be used in a vari-
ing unfairness alongside him. “I’m not month to watch South Asian films, and ety of courses related to film, culture and
sure they were terribly pleased because then dissect them. “We use those films literature, which makes Chinmoy Baner-
children like to go and play with their to talk about India, South Asia and what jee very happy. After all, that is precisely
friends rather than being dragged to meet- issues are being taken up and how these the goal of his film education society —
ings and demonstrations,” he says quietly. films are situated in the cultural landscape and his life.
“I’m not sure I’ve been forgiven entirely of South Asia, how they’re affected by the
for that. I certainly didn’t have that sense politics, how they’re intervening in the “If he believes in something, he’s will-
of balance that I have now, when you are politics,” explains Banerjee. ing to act on it,” says Mathur. “It’s kind
involved in things and you’re young and of rare; there aren’t many people who
you just do them. It’s only later on when And this esteemed academic is not combine that level of intellectual activity
you realize you wish you had a little more above watching lighter fare. “Actually, with actual activism. People live either in
balance in regards to your children, that Bollywood does something we take quite the realm of ideas or in the realm of doing
you didn’t deprive them of things that seriously,” he says. “Though it is popular things. Chin combines the two rather
children should be doing. They certainly entertainment, it can be taken serious- nicely. He’s quite a guy.”
ly. For instance, we raise the questions:
Even, perhaps, a hero? p

20 Mehfil February/March 2010

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Scene & Society

2 Photos 1 & 2 by Gurkirpal Bains/Crossroads Media

Dance Premier League 1 4 3
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and 8
wife Laureen pose with Shiamak Davar & the Desi Vancouver 2010 Olympic
Pardesi team on the set of Dance Premier League torch-bearers
in Mumbai. 1. Jarnail Singh Sahota
Grad 2010 Armaan Fashion Show & Gala 2. Monty Raisinghani
Davi Bains Gill with Tarannum Thind (left) at the 3. Narinder Sabharwal
Grad 2010 Armaan Fashion Show & Gala held at 4. Tejinder Rasoda
the Hilton Metrotown in Burnaby. 5. Balbir S. Gill
6. Shareen Rai
7. Peter Khakh
8. Bindi Kullar

5

6

7

Republic Day Celebrations
at Vancouver’s Pan Pacific Hotel
Consul General of India Ashok Das (centre) and
his wife, Dr. Erika Das, with B.C. Minister of Public
Safety and Solicitor General Kash Heed.

22 Mehfil February/March 2010

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The Inspired Sufi
by Azim Jamal

an Inflated ego Is an
obstacle to True Happiness

I“ t is humility to realize that quality of of the team, you are also a leader. There- opposite sides of the social coin. Introverts
life is not me. It is us,” wrote Stephen fore, if you believe in your work you will draw emotional energy from quiet and
Covey and Roger and Rebecca Merrill not let another person’s criticism destroy solitude; interaction tends to drain them
in their book First Things First. you. of energy. Extroverts draw energy from
interaction with others. They lose energy
It may take humility to come to that Good leaders see the beauty in their when they’re alone and can’t interact.
realization, but it is the opposite of humil- teams. Ego destroys that beauty. Ego in
iating. The person who dispenses with leaders causes them to use humiliation as Neither introvert nor extrovert is
egotism learns that the universe rushes a destructive tool. Ego in team members immune from the imbalance that springs
into the vacuum with bountiful gifts for causes them to take criticism personally from ego. An inflated ego makes intro-
those who care to become a part of it and let it crush their efforts. verted people sly and jealous, putting
instead of apart from it. When you issue others down behind their backs. Egotis-
your ego its walking papers, gifts march I reasoned that the leader who humil- tical introverts will be quiet and smug,
in to replace it. you become non-judg- iated me had nothing to do with me. I always trying to prove how smart they
mental. your mind becomes more open have continued to serve in many capaci- are. They never accept blame for errors or
and receptive to deep learning. you tend ties, and have enjoyed and benefited from misfortunes.
to give others the benefit of doubt, which them.
enhances your relationships with them. An oversized ego tends to make extro-
When ego goes, balance enters. When you don’t trust others, you verts brash, vain and loud. They love to
become focused on the scarcity mental- criticize and to exaggerate their own
When you are egocentric, you want ity. A good leader trusts, empowers and virtues and the flaws in others. They are
constant attention, sympathy and flattery. believes in the abundant mentality. show-offs and like to control others.
you make unreasonable demands. This
makes you overly competitive, a sore loser The universe is abundant. It contains Egocentric people are ultimately the
and a perfectionist. you insist on having 500 trillion stars, by conservative esti- losers because they have problems in their
things your own way. Self-centred people mate. Our sun is only a medium-sized personal lives and relationships. Though
are unrealistic, unable to accept criticism star; trillions are much larger. Our Milky they can be successful in their careers, they
and are insensitive to others. Way galaxy contains about 100 billion will not be liked as leaders. Egotistical
stars, and it is only one of about 100 people with both introverted and extro-
Instead of pooling resources and billion galaxies in the universe. verted tendencies have difficulty balanc-
talents, they insist on going it alone, ing their lives because the negative energy
and though they may be exceptional- So why think in a miserly manner? they create erodes their efforts.
ly good at what they do, they can never Scarcity comes from your ego. The larg-
match the accomplishments of many able er it makes you feel, the smaller it makes An oversized ego will make you insen-
people acting and thinking collectively. the universe seem in comparison. When sitive to others, and it will harm your rela-
In short, they miss out on the value of you realize the enormous breadth of the tionships. When egotism is present, love is
interdependence. universe, you understand how small you absent, and without love there is no trust,
are and how much you can benefit from and trust is the basis for any relationship.
I remember the humiliation, many its wealth.
years ago, when I was pouring my heart When you block out learning because
and soul into volunteer work and one of The greatest intellects in history have you think you know it all, it will limit
my leaders told me my work was not up been humbled by the mysteries of the your capacity to be open, to upgrade your
to par. I was hurt deeply, and it affect- universe. knowledge or to achieve real wisdom. you
ed me for a long time. I vowed that if may possess huge amounts of knowledge,
ever I became a leader, I would do my “The most beautiful thing we can expe- but it has less worth than the wisdom
utmost never to belittle the hard efforts rience is the mysterious,” wrote Albert you’ll gain by accepting the fact that
of others. I know of people who have Einstein, who propounded the theories of what you know is dwarfed by what you
given up volunteer work because of simi- relativity. “It is the source of all true art still don’t know and will never master, no
lar humiliations. and science.” matter how long you live. p

We learn two things here. First, as Jelaluddin Rumi, the great Sufi poet/ From Life Balance the Sufi Way by Azim Jamal
a leader, you get best results when you philosopher, agreed with him 700 years in and Nido Qubein. Azim Jamal is the No. 1 Amazon
are sensitive to the needs of your team advance: “Sell your cleverness; purchase Bestselling Co-Author of The Power of Giving: How
members and try to discover and make bewilderment.” Giving Back Enriches Us All (published by Penguin).
use of their talents. Second, if you are part Introverted or Extroverted, Now available on Amazon and at major bookstores.
24 MEHFIL February/March 2010 Ego Leads to Imbalance

Introverts and extroverts are the two



Politics
by Andy Radia

Canada Should Be Having
Its own Healthcare debate

About a year ago, President Barack tainable and, frankly, unimpressive. Inter- of public- and private-sector involvement.
Obama embarked on an ambitious national think-tanks consistently place And, in most of these countries, patients
effort to overhaul the u.S. healthcare Canada’s healthcare system between 25th who choose public instead of private care
system. Since then, our neighbours to the and 30th in worldwide rankings, citing are at no medical disadvantage and receive
south have been embroiled in a conten- long wait lists and ballooning costs. the same standard of care as those who
tious debate. enrol in private plans.
In 2007-08, the Province of British
It is obvious, from our vantage point Columbia spent $14.2 billion on health Italy, whose healthcare system was
in Canada at least, that the current u.S. care. If historical trends continue, health ranked as No.2 in the world, has a nation-
healthcare delivery model is in dire need care will consume 50 per cent of the prov- al insurance program which, like Canada’s
of reform. Out of all the industrialized ince’s budget by 2040, leaving little for Medicare program, is designed to ensure
nations in the world, the united States other critical services such as education, that everyone in the country has free
spends more on healthcare than any other policing, etc. This rate of growth simply access to the healthcare that they need.
country — both in terms of GDP and cannot be sustained; we have got to find
per-capita spending. Even with the huge other ways of providing health services in But Italians also have the option of
expenditures, however, some 45 million this country. visiting a private hospital, for a fee, if
Americans are uninsured and hundreds of they wish to avoid surgery wait times.
thousands go bankrupt every year because Under our current system, The result, in Italy and in other countries
of costly medical bills. The question now we pay doctors per patient around the world, has been lower costs
facing Americans is how to get the unin- visit. Real reform needs to and smaller waiting lists for the public
sured insured. The potential policy solu- address preventative measures system.
tions are divisive and polarizing. It is, such as providing incen-
however, a debate that must happen. tives to doctors to motivate Along with improving upon our insur-
their patients to follow better ance and delivery schemes, healthcare
The united States is not alone in its diets and get more exercise. reformers in this country should aggres-
struggles to develop a sustainable and sively tackle the issue of “incentifying”
affordable healthcare system. Every coun- The suggestion of introducing a priva- our doctors. under our current system, we
try in the world, including Canada, is tization component into our healthcare pay doctors per patient visit. Real reform
facing an aging population and over- model is scary for many Canadians. When needs to address preventative measures
whelming healthcare costs. we think of private healthcare we often such as providing incentives to doctors
think of the uS system, which is fraught to motivate their patients to follow better
But while the Americans are facing with disparities in service levels between diets and get more exercise.
the challenge head on, it seems that we the rich and poor. uppermost in many
in Canada are avoiding the healthcare minds are images of a young mother of As Canadians, we’re told that our
debate. an infant who is refused healthcare service healthcare system is the envy of the world.
because she doesn’t have insurance. We stick our chests out with pride, trum-
Canada, unlike the united States, has peting its universality, its affordability and
a one-payer universal Healthcare system: The reality, however, is that many its availability. The truth of the matter is
Every citizen has access to medically developed nations have chosen a plural- that our system is unsustainable, over-
necessary procedures that are paid for by istic healthcare system that involves a mix whelmed, and even meagre compared to
the “public.” other developed countries.

I don’t think there is a Canadian As we have seen in the united States,
among us who could argue against the a healthcare debate can become difficult
universality component of our healthcare and unwieldy. These are uncomfortable,
plan. Every citizen should be entitled to a difficult and even emotional topics. But
high quality of medical attention regard- the time for Canada’s healthcare debate is
less of their ability to pay. now. p

unfortunately, our one-payer compo- Andy Radia is political columnist based in Vancouver,
nent, where the government outlaws most B.C. His articles have been published in the Vancouver
private insurance and service providers, Sun, Winnipeg Free Press and Vancouver Metro. He
has made our “Medicare” system unsus- can be contacted through his website at www.radia.ca
26 MEHFIL February/March 2010

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P erspectives
by Divinder Purewal

It makes me laugh when I drive around and see homemade
signs on front lawns with the words “Suite For Rent.” If I can
see the signs, then why doesn’t the City?

No Palace Like Home
The “Monster Home” debate is in the
news — again. The Province recent- Suite and sour signs on front lawns with the words “Suite
ly ran an article with the rather emotive In my four and half years in Canada I For Rent.” If I can see the signs, then why
header: “Surrey’s mega-home controver- doesn’t the City?
sy becoming culture war. Indo-Canadian- have seen numerous houses where the owners
driven Surrey Ratepayers Association wants lived in a small space upstairs and had created In a Globe and Mail article with the
more floor space in homes.” up to four “illegal”side and basement suites. headline “Debate rages over Surrey monster
Cultural divide? Now if each of the four suites brings in $800 homes,” a reporter spoke with City of Surrey
in monthly rent, that’s $3,600 each month official Bob Bose: “Bob Bose, a city coun-
The story looked at the issue from two that effectively pays off the home owners’ cillor, admits City Hall has ignored bylaw
conflicting angles: the views of Fleetwood mortgage. I have no issue with that; we live infraction problems for decades. He esti-
Community Association (FCA), a group in a very expensive city and everyone wants mates there may be as many as 30,000 extra
of mainly Caucasian residents who want to get ahead. However, I do have an issue suites in the city, representing $800,000
to preserve the traditional nature of their with home owners who are not contributing in unpaid taxes. Last month, two council-
neighbourhoods, versus the Surrey Rate- to their local infrastructure by paying suffi- lors admitted to owning illegal secondary
payers Association (SRA), a group of 4,200, cient property taxes. suites.”
mainly South Asian residents who seem to Share the wealth
want to build larger and larger homes. The $800,000 in unpaid taxes? That’s a lot
FCA argument is that larger homes are a The people who rent the basements of lost revenue and could pay for a few extra
blot on the landscape while the SRA coun- have the right to be educated, to use social police officers on our streets, more medical
ter that they need larger homes to keep their services and healthcare facilities, etc. Now staff in the health system or more teachers
families under one roof. The SRA suggests if the homeowners aren’t paying the addi- or books in our schools.
that South Asians need to have larger homes tional property tax to help cover the rent- The future?
in order to keep the various generations ers’ needs, then the financial burden falls on
together. people like me, and that isn’t right. Maybe Talking purely about the City of Surrey,
Walking the tight-rope landlords need to be accountable for all the I think it’s time the mayor and her team
additional people in their house. For exam- created a new strategy to deal with all people
I can see both sides of the argument. ple, there could be an additional property with illegal suites. Maybe there’s a need to
As a South Asian I can relate to that tax levied on each suite in the house that create an amnesty where landlords will be
need for a house that would allow me to produces rental income. let off for past infractions. In return, they
keep my family under one roof, but not at would get their suites inspected for safety
the detriment of the neighbourhood. When At the end of the day, property tax goes a compliance and start paying tax on their
my family and I came to Surrey we bought long way towards keeping the local commu- rental income.
a house with a basement suite. We didn’t nity together and ensuring that we all bene-
intend to rent it out, but expected it would fit from the very best services available. There is a genuine concern that when
permanently accommodate my in-laws, who houses are partitioned off after they have
were planning to immigrate from the UK. Before people accuse me of being an passed all official safety checks, the subse-
Unfortunately, my in-laws’ 90-day stay in Indian-hater, let me say that people of all quent electrical and gas work might be below
late 2005 coincided with some of the worst races are on the “make.” It’s not exclusively a code, and no one should have to live in sub
winter weather to ever hit the Lower Main- South Asian issue. standard or dangerous accommodation.
land. After 72 days of rain (we even had a Live and let live
three-week period when it rained 24/7!), When my wife and I were looking for
they both decided they couldn’t wait to get a house, we were shown one in Newton All I’m saying is let’s live within the
back to London. where the owner, a Chinese man, took us confines of the law. If we build ever great-
As you can see, I appreciate that multi- to his basement. At the back of the suite he er homes and our only intention is to make
generational living is a reality for a number took away a false wall panel and then guid- as much money as possible, without giving
of families but I don’t think that’s the truth ed us along a very thin corridor to two ille- anything back to where we live, then what
in the majority of cases. gal suites. He smiled as he told me, “These contribution are we making and what
suites are hard for the police to find and lessons are we teaching our kids? p
bring in good free money.”

The rampaging monster!
I live in Surrey and it makes me laugh Divinder Singh Purewal, 40, is a human

when I drive around and see homemade resources professional in Surrey, B.C.

28 Mehfil February/March 2010

What’s your perspective? My opinion comes from a burueacratic

This could easily become a cultural issue. Or the parties involved could and a political lense. In our culture
choose to approach the issue rationally and practically. Instead of asking we predominantly live with our
extended family, which is great.
questions like, "Why do you need a house so big? “perhaps the better question to ask is: "What are It tends to keep the family values
the concerns in allowing you to do so?" intact, so I think it’s cultural. Mind
People are concerned these houses will look out-of-place and unappealing. This is where tools like
city planning guidelines come in. Seems only logical to introduce guidelines regarding the plan- you, our culture tends to have a tough time
ning and construction of these bigger homes. The second issue is taxes. Again, seems only logical a veering away from keeping up with the Joneses
house with bigger square footage would be assessed at a higher value and therefore pay more taxes. or even outdoing them.
If this isn’t satisfactory, bigger homes could be required to "register" as high-volume users of utili-
ties, etc., and pay more for these services than smaller homes. The owners of these homes already However, I do feel that if you want larger
acknowledge the extra footage is to accommodate more people. homes you should only be allowed to build
these homes in designated neighbourhoods. If
Turning it into a "cultural" issue really doesn't accomplish anything. this doesn’t happen, you have neighbourhoods
– Indi Sanghera without an esthetic theme and just a mish mash
of homes, which affects land value, and just
I think you should People should be allowed to build as looks horrendous. I think we’ve all seen that
be allowed to build long as they pay the due taxes per larg- large mansion in between two bungalows. All
whatever size home er home. As we know, there are a number of homes that I can think is why would that person build that
on your own land. home in this neighbourhood? It’s an eyesore.
do extensions once the final inspection is done to bypass this
You should only be charged law and in turn don't pay the right taxes. Another idea would be Plus, these large homes should pay addi-
tax for the size of the land. to let people building the larger homes build them but increase tional taxes. Some of the issues that are not
Even if it is not for an taxes to a higher rate on square footage above a certain amount. taken into consideration when you have these
extended family but some- This is kind of like how our income is taxed: the more you large homes is you require additional parking
one has a dream to build a make, the more you pay. The other advantage of more coverage on the street or else you make a larger drive-
mini-castle, they should be is that it allows more people to live on the same property with- way, but a larger driveway cannot be made,
allowed to. out having to expand into our depleting farmland. because the house is too big. The majority of
the time these folks will park in the streets, and
– Missy Sall –­ Harvey Dhinjal then you get major congestion.

– Raj Patara

Presumably the larger homes
will cost more to build and will
be evaluated for taxation according

to market value of the home. Obviously under
this scenario they will pay a larger share of
taxes. There is a racist perception that Indo-
Canadians build mega homes. However, that
should not stop people from building what is
good for their families."

– Salim Jiwa

The fact that the Indian commu- Jas Janda-Wiseman
nity wants to have more square
footage is outrageous. I do not think Regional Sales Manager
604.908.3238 | [email protected]
that having a large home is a cultural issue at
all. It is an economic issue, where the more Canada Trust
people that live in a house, the more the
mortgage can be shared, and basement suites Mehfil February/March 2010 29
can be rented. I do not feel that it is feasible
to allow houses to increase in size. Although
Surrey has grown tremendously, and contin-
ues to increase in population, its landscape is
suffering. The City cuts down trees wherever
possible to make room for more houses.

– Vaneeta Dhanoa-Manhas

Be a part of the discussion:
www.facebook.com/mehfilmagazine
www.mehfilmagazine.com
[email protected]

Spotlight

HE’s GoT

BEATTHE

Cassius Khan drums up notice

as the world’s only ghazal-singing tabla player

By Robin Roberts

Cassius Khan is living the dream. Almost literally. When the New Westminster water. One of the movements on the right
musician was just six years old, he dreamed he was sitting in a very ornate hand of the tabla, known as the dhire
palace, on plush carpeting under soaring arches. Before him appeared four glow- dhire composition, always reminds me of
ing gurus who commanded him to sing and play the tabla. Khan was scared and fish I would spot in the water with their
confused: Who were these luminous apparitions, and how was he to fulfil their wagging tails.”
request? The gurus reassured him that they had come to guide him and teach
him all he needed to know. One day, as he sought shade from the
Khan awoke in a sweat, heart racing. stunned at how easily their son took to fierce Fiji sun under a banyan tree outside
He could not understand the meaning the instrument, with no training whatso- his school, a teacher heard him tapping
of the dream. When he told his parents ever — other than from his secret gurus, his knees and singing ragas to himself. She
about it, they dismissed it with a laugh. that is. True to their word, says Khan, the asked him to come inside and perform for
But the dreams kept returning, each one gurus in his dreams had infused his mind, the class. He upended a plastic water jug,
more vivid than the last. Again he confid- body and soul with music. began to drum out a beat, and sang a clas-
ed his visions and again his family took sical song he had heard on the radio. “I
a step back, eyebrows arched. So he kept But Khan’s destiny would take a only knew the main line, so I kept sing-
his mouth shut. “I didn’t want people to detour. His family moved back to Fiji in ing it over and over,” says Khan. One of
think I was some kind of freak show, you 1983, when Khan was nine. At Andrews his classmates complained, “Turn over
know what I mean?” he says now. Primary School in Nadi, the young Alber- the cassette, it seems to be stuck!” Khan
tan stood out — and for all the wrong laughed the loudest and from then on
Khan was born in Lautoka, Fiji, in reasons. became part of the group.
1974, and moved with his family four
months later to Edmonton when his “I vividly remember the first day of At night, the budding musician was
father, a ground engineer for Qantas classes,” says Khan. “Being from Alberta, I lulled to sleep by a different kind of
Airlines, got a job offer from Air Cana- wore jeans, cowboy boots, and a cowboy- rhythm. The family lived so close to the
da. Growing up in the prairie city, Khan style button-up shirt. The other students country’s international airport, passengers
began humming ragas and beating on his could not stop staring at me. I don’t think used to wave at him through the windows
mom’s pots and pans. On Saturday nights, they had ever seen jeans or a shirt like of the 747s as they came in for a land-
his dad would take him and his sister to that, or my hair, which was longer than ing. He became so attuned to the sounds,
parties at a cousin’s warehouse, which had theirs because of school rules. I felt really he could track each aircraft’s movements,
an open space upstairs. There, the adults self-conscious about that!” its make and model, without rising from
would sing while his dad played harmo- his bed. “People used to ask me, ‘Hey
nium and a friend played the tabla. Khan escaped his classmates’ criti- Cassius, has Air New Zealand landed yet?’
cal eyes at the beach, where he would or ‘Has that DC plane taken off yet?’” he
“It sounded like cats screeching to me,” sit in the sand and strum his hands on says with a laugh.
recalls Khan of the simple folk songs. One his knees, his mop of black, curly hair
day, the youngster noticed the friend had bobbing in the breeze. “I would listen to He used to imagine himself in the
left his tabla at their house. He picked it the crashing of the waves and create melo- cockpit of those jet liners, and had every
up and began to play. His parents were dy and rhythm in my head,” he remem- intention of becoming a pilot. But the
bers. “I have always been fascinated by gurus kept invading his dreams, even
more so once the family moved back to
Canada in 1987. “My interest in classical

30 Mehfil February/March 2010

Photo by TODD DUNCAN

Mehfil February/March 2010 31

“Cassius puts a sort of modern edge on everything he does
. . . If he were a jazz musician or even a folk musician, he’d
probably be way more recognized than he is.”

– musician and author Stu Cox

Photo by TODD DUNCAN path. “They’re proud of me now,” says I’ve had so far has been not very good.”
Khan, “but it took a long time.” And the man studied law! “I know,”
Khan is married to Kathak dancer and
harmonium player Amika Kushwaha, who Despite his natural talent and years of he says sheepishly. “But it’s such a strange
study with many masters, Khan still learns relationship between the managers and
often accompanies him in his concerts. from his chacha. “I saw great potential artists. The last one would tell me, ‘Oh,
Indian music was overtaking everything in him,” says Ali, who has taught many you’re like my son’. You get sucked in to
else in my life,” he says. When his uncle, other students over the years. “He was a that, you’re trusting, but they just look for
Ustad Rukhsar Ali, heard him play, he very fast learner, very keen. He told me young talent to make money off.”
told Khan’s father, “Maybe he’d be a good when he first came to me, ‘I’m going to be
tabla player.” a professional, I don’t want to do anything These days Khan handles his own
else but play music.’ He was totally dedi- bookings — and books. He hasn’t gotten
Ali himself had learned from the great cated, the best of my students. And we rich off his work yet, but he says he does
tabla master Ustad Latif Ahmad Khan at still work on compositions together; there alright. He’d like to play more dates, but
the Delhi Gharana (school of tabla play- is always something new to learn.” his genre of music has limited appeal.
ing), so he knew potential when he saw it. “Even the Indian community doesn’t
Khan’s dad agreed to the lessons, as long as Khan is acutely aware of that, and support it so much,” he says. Still, he says
they did not interfere with his schooling. he continues to practise up to 10 hours he’d “rather be poor and do what I love.”
So every summer, Khan travelled from a day. “In my field, there’s no such thing
Edmonton to Vancouver, where his uncle as becoming good enough, because there’s He’s able to continue that love through
lived, and learned the intricacies of India’s so much to learn,” he says. Indeed, what collaborations with other artists, like slide
most famed percussion instrument. His Khan does — play tabla and sing ghaz- guitarist Ellen McIlwaine, who played
uncle’s sister, the renowned ghazal sing- als simultaneously — is extremely rare, with Jimi Hendrix, keyboardist and
er Mushtari Begum, who died in 2004, as each form requires deep concentration composer Stu Goldberg, and Dobro lap-
was his vocal coach. Once he became and many hours of practice. To produce slide guitarist Doug Cox.
comfortable around his aunt and uncle, the unique sounds from the tabla alone
Khan confided in them about his dreams. requires him to use his palms and fingers “He’s a brilliant musician, a brilliant
Rather than call him crazy, they told him, in certain, precise ways to apply pressure mind, extremely talented, and very open-
“These dreams don’t come to just anybody. to the skins. The technique is so compli- minded and very versatile,” says Goldberg,
You were destined to become a musician, cated that it requires such intense focus with whom Khan collaborated on the
to serve the goddess of music.” that other players find it too difficult to 2006 album Dark Clouds. “Like me, he’s
combine with singing. Khan’s ability to very spontaneous. When we work togeth-
His parents thought it was “cute” that do both is so unusual, in fact, that masters er we play off of each other, we improvise
their young son wanted to be a musician. in the field from India and Pakistan say and we create things on the spot. He kept
As he grew up, however, they became he is the only one in the world they’ve up with me through everything, which
concerned about his ability to make a witnessed perform the two together. was very exciting because we didn’t have to
living drumming and singing. “There do a lot of planning in advance. In fact, all
were some conflicts,” Khan admits. It’s a distinction Khan has tried to the plans were for nothing because every
pass on to the 150 students he himself time we performed it was different.”
So, like a good son, off he went to teaches, either online, one-on-one or in
university, majoring first in English, then groups upstairs at East Is East restaurant Goldberg praises Khan’s unique ability
in law, while continuing to study with his in Vancouver, so far with little success. to play tabla and sing ghazals simultane-
aunt and uncle. His father, who by then “There’s really nobody who can play tabla ously. “He’s a virtuoso player as well as a
had started his own diesel mechanics and and sing, it doesn’t come for them,” he virtuoso singer,” he says.
hydraulics repair company, had hopes his says.
eldest son would be his apprentice. But These days, Khan is a member of the
the pull of the tabla was too strong, and You’d think a musician with such group Slide to Freedom, with Cox and
Khan decided to pursue his passion full a unique talent would have amassed a satvik veena player Salil Bhatt. Bhatt
time. To his relief, his younger brother fortune, but, at the beginning of his is the son of legendary slide player and
was mechanically inclined, and happily career, Khan’s naivete made him vulner- Grammy winner Vishwa Mohan Bhatt,
took his place alongside their father. His able to opportunists. When he recorded who invented the Mohan Veena, a multi-
parents eventually accepted his chosen an album at the age of 13, his manager stringed guitar widely used in Indian clas-
scooped the profits. A few years later, sical music. The trio has plans to tour
at the end of a long tour, he never saw Canada in June, then internationally after
a dime. “I’ve had a number of unscru- that. A studio CD will follow. Cox, also
pulous managers,” he laments. “ They’re a renowned music instructor and author,
everywhere. At that age I was very exploit- says he first met Khan five years ago at the
ed by certain people. And every manager Calgary Folk Festival, and was instantly
impressed by his talent.

“Cassius has studied his roots and

32 Mehfil February/March 2010

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what he does is very heartfelt, especially and Indian culture from Canada. “Cassius gift and this platform to perform our art
for the style of singing he does,” says Cox is certainly a Westerner. He’s well aware on. I always bow my head and touch the
from his studio on Vancouver Island. “It of the hierarchies and the cultures and feet of ustads and pandits of music, and
gives him a step up amongst a lot of clas- how to act around musicians from India I do so because I respect and admire the
sical Indian singers, because he does it . . . but then when we work together in sacrifices they have made for the sake of
very well. And he puts a sort of modern Canada, we just work like Canadians. It’s music. In Western culture, this behaviour
edge on everything he does. Technically, a whole different thing.” is almost non- existent . . . I think humil-
he’s very good but he’s also got a lot of ity is lacking here in most artists.”
heart. If he were a jazz musician or even a When told of Cox’s comments, Khan
folk musician he’d probably be way more clarifies: “Growing up in Fiji, our school While he’s firming up his tour schedule
recognized than he is.” slogan was, ‘Respect your mother, respect for this year, Khan is enjoying down time
your father, and respect your guru.’ This with his wife, Kathak dancer and harmo-
Cox says that by collaborating with has been ingrained in my soul . . . In our nium player Amika Kushwaha, who
Khan, Salil Bhatt and Bhatt’s famous musical training, we are taught to respect often accompanies Khan in his concerts,
father, he is learning a lot about the differ- our instruments and the stage, as it is the and vice-versa. “I also learn a lot of tabla
ences between Indian culture from India goddess of music who has given us this compositions from my wife. Kathak is the
North Indian classical dance form which
“The connection to success.” is intertwined with tabla  bols  (notes) so
she teaches me many different math-
“Kwantlen enabled me to apply ematical compositions. She is also my
the skills I learned while I was chief  harmonium  player and, thanks to
nishing my Bachelor of IT degree. her, I have learned many more nuances in
Kwantlen’s co-op program gave melody for Indian music.”
me the connections to the IT
industry that provided a stepping Khan is also promoting his latest solo
stone to my successful career in album, Mushtari, A Live Concert, which
information technology.” is a tribute to his vocal guru, his late aunt
Mushtari Begum. “She was the one who
Minaz Jiwa shaped my voice and my understanding
of ghazals and ragas. I was always sing-
Bachelor of Information ing when I was younger, but learning
Technology Graduate from Mushtari Begum was a life-enrich-
HDI Global Analyst of the Year ing experience which will always be with
Award Recipient me.”
Customer Support Analyst,
WorkSafeBC His first classical performance in front
Kwantlen is B.C.’s of an audience, in fact, was alongside his
Polytechnic University. famous aunt in Edmonton. “I was quite
young, 13 or 14,” recalls Khan. “I’ll never
Apply now l kwantlen.ca l 604.599.2000 forget it. It was a wonderful experience for
me being on stage with my aunt for the
first time. I was a little nervous because I
was sitting with such a master of music,
and she was very well respected in her
field by her peers. I didn’t want to let her
down. When I listen back on that record-
ing I think, ‘Well, I actually didn’t do that
bad.’

Khan’s uncle Rukhsar Ali says he and
Mushtari Begum always had faith in their
nephew. “He has always had big dreams,
and one day, hopefully, they will come
true,” he says. “He’s already there, but he
needs a bigger break. Luck has to be in
his favour.”

Meanwhile, Cassius Khan continues
to hone his craft and work with his wife
to “take this art and move it forward.” He
says he’d love to continue to collaborate
with as many different musicians and in
as many different genres as possible. On
his wish list are American banjo player
Bela Fleck and Canadian song bird Celine
Dion.

Well, he does have a way of making his
dreams come true. p

34 Mehfil February/March 2010



Feature

Attacks Highlight Vulnerability
of Indian Students in Australia

While Australian politicians are labelling attacks on Indian students studying in Nitin Garg, 21, was killed in
Australia as “opportunistic urban crime” rather than hate crimes, international stu- January while walking to his
dents in the country, Indian politicians and media around the world are characterizing the job in a suburb of Melbourne.
Australian government’s stance as denial.

In May and June 2009, the growing number of allegedly racially motivated attacks
against Indians and a perceived poor response by authorities sparked protests and ral-
lies in Melbourne and Sydney. The Sydney Morning Herald reported: “In the 12 months
to June 2007, 1,082 attacks on Indians in Victoria were reported to police — an as-
sault rate of 1,700 in every 100,000. Victorian Indians are 2½ times more likely than
non-Indians to be beaten up or knifed.” According to news reports, police figures in the
Australian state of Victoria reveal 1,447 assaults on Indian students from July 2007 to
July 2008, an increase from 1,082 the previous year.

The issue made more headlines, partic- costs and no benefits to acknowledging exposed the system’s inadequacy and there-
ularly in India, following the stabbing racism.’’ fore the need to correct the system.”
death of 21-year-old graduate account-
ing student Nitin Garg in early January. In early February, the Indian high Mehfil Magazine spoke to Rashmi
Garg was walking to his fast-food job in commissioner, Sujatha Singh, told Austra- Kumar, co-president of Sydney Univer-
the Melbourne suburb of Footscray when lia’s governor-general, Quentin Bryce, sity Postgraduate Representative Associa-
he was attacked. that the government of the state of Victo- tion (SUPRA) about her perspective on
ria was in denial over the issue. She said the issue. Kumar is doing a masters in
Many students, as well as observers in there would be long-term consequences Development Studies at the University of
the media and politics, saw it as a case of of the attacks. Sydney, where she also earned an honours
insult being added to injury when police undergraduate degree in Economic and
advised Indian students “not to speak Those consequences could include Social Science.
loudly in their native language or display significant financial losses for Austra-
signs of wealth such as iPods” in order to lia. Indian students comprise the second “Violence against international
avoid being attacked. largest group, after China, for Interna- students has been occurring for years,” says
tional students coming to Australia for Kumar, who has lived in Australia since
In early February, the Sydney Morn- their education. From 2004 to 2009 the her family settled there 22 years ago and
ing Herald reported that new research number of Indians studying in Australia has been involved in activism through-
by Professor Kevin Dunn, an expert in rose from 30,000 to 97,000 with 45,000 out her years as a university student. “It
human geography and race and ethnic of these living in Melbourne, 32,000 in was only in May last year that it gained a
studies at the University of Western Adelaide and the remainder in Sydney, high media profile because Indian media
Sydney, indicates that as a group, Indians Brisbane and Perth. In 2007-2008, inter- picked up the story. Before that, very little
in Australia perceived themselves to be national education contributed AUD attention had been paid to it by Austra-
victims of racism as much as the Aborig- 13.7 billion to the Australian economy, lian or international authorities.
inal community. That’s as bad as racism measured through all categories of export
gets in Australia, Dunn said. earnings, including tuition fees, living “It is important to stress that these
expenses and tourism associated with highly visible, high-profile incidents
‘’It’s been a fairly appalling neglect that visits from relatives. represent only the tip of the iceberg in
the interest that is now being shown was terms of abuse and violence experienced
not by our own media and our own lead- Amit Dasgupta, the consul-general of by international students . . . Internation-
ers but by politicians and media in anoth- India in Sydney, told the Sydney Morning al students from all parts of the world have
er country, India,’’ Dunn told the Herald. Herald that the issue has put a much-need- been attacked violently, verbally abused,
ed spotlight on the entanglement of Austra- exploited and vilified. The reasons for this
‘’Our politicians are fixed in denial,” lia’s education and immigration policies: are complex, and individual racist atti-
he added. “Australians want leadership, ‘’Education and immigration were linked tudes definitely play a big part, but don’t
we want action, but we have bad leader- together [by the government] … this has explain the whole story.”
ship. Politicians believe there are electoral

36 Mehfil February/March 2010

“Advice that has been given to students – information about safe travel routes. However,
such as to conceal all personal electronic this has been branded “vigilantism” by police,
devices such as mobile phones — and students themselves have been told that
almost amounts to victim-blaming.” they would be arrested if they gather in groups
at certain train stations. The response of
Rashmi Kumar, authorities is highly contradictory, because it
is ideologically motivated, not aimed at sup-
co-president of Sydney University Postgraduate porting or protecting students.
Representative Association (SUPRA) Have the attacks been countrywide?

What are you hearing from students? international students are no longer coming to It seems concentrated in certain areas.
Many students have expressed concerns to Australia for university education; they’re com- Melbourne has seen some “hot spots” for
SUPRA. Students have also reported verbal ing here to enrol in private colleges. Private violence as has Sydney. These tend to be
abuse that they’ve experienced, which isn’t nec- colleges have very little support infrastructure areas where many new immigrants, including
essarily recorded in violent crime statistics. in place, and each one is very idiosyncratic students, live together. Areas such as Harris
in terms of the information they provide to Park in Sydney, and the western suburbs of
There also seems to be an element of students. Melbourne, have seen many acts of violence,
denial about the issues for those who haven’t I believe.
experienced any violence, abuse or exploita- It’s very hard to offer advice to students
tion for themselves. Many of the major Indian about their own safety other than advising Newcastle is also a city where many vio-
community organizations have vested interests them to travel in groups. Other advice that has lent attacks on international students have
in the private education sector, and their busi- been given to students — such as to conceal occurred. Last year in one 10-day period there
nesses are being threatened by the reduction in all personal electronic devices such as mobile were 20 attacks on international students from
student visa applications from India. It’s in their phones — almost amounts to victim-blaming. a variety of countries of origin.
interests to downplay the issues. What other group of victims of violent crime How long have these attacks been
What advice have the students been are told that they are responsible for violence occurring?
given? done to them because they openly carry their
possessions? I have heard about it since at least 2006. In
Advice is patchy in the education sec- 2007 there were mass demonstrations by taxi
tor, which is highly diverse. The majority of Measures that students have taken include drivers in Melbourne, of which nearly 70 per
patrolling problem areas in groups and sharing cent are South Asian international students,
after a student driver was stabbed on the job.
As I said earlier, the media attention on the

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issue is new, but the issue itself is not. market, the government needs to keep immi- “Education has been commodified
Australia’s High Commissioner Peter gration conditions repressive, and to keep that in Australia to the extent that the
Varghese has described most assaults labour force desperate. As such, it is against national economy depends upon
on Indian students as “opportunistic [the government’s] interests to take decisive international student fees. As the
urban crime.” How do you respond? action on these issues, or to even acknowledge third-largest ‘export’ industry,
that they are problems. education represents a very lucrative
“Opportunism” is a red herring. It is deep- What makes you certain the attacks are sphere of economic activity.”
seated structural racism that creates these racist?
opportunities for violence to occur, regardless contributes to a general climate of hate and
of the motive of the attacker. International Many of the attacks have involved racist fear.
students are a huge money-spinner for the verbal abuse being hurled at the victims before
country, yet they live, study and work in they were assaulted. I think in these cases the When one particular racial grouping is tar-
appalling conditions. This is because, structur- attacks fit the definition of hate crimes. There geted to the extent that they are twice as likely as
ally, international students are a source of both have also been a number of far-right white- white Australians to be victims of crime, this indi-
huge fees and cheap labour for the country. To supremacist groups who have spread vilifying cates both a wider disparity between that grouping
maintain such a depressed sector of the labour propaganda about international students. This and the general population, and that there is some
systemic discrimination in place.
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PPrroouuddlylyCCaannaaddiaiann. .DDeesisgigneneddanadndmmadaedelolcoaclalyl.ly.

Q&A Feature

VWiITHkas
Swarup
The man behind Slumdog Millionaire

by Muhammad Cohen

UBUD, Bali - Vikas Swarup is India's consul general to Osaka-Kobe in Japan. Mumbai slum] just happened to be the back-
But he's also the author of Q&A, the novel that became Slumdog Millionaire, drop of telling a compelling human story about
the Oscar-winning film. Q&A was Swarup's first novel, and he wrote it in two the ultimate underdog.
months, after his family returned to India to start the school year on time while he You live as an expatriate, in foreign
completed a posting in London. cultures, yet your novels are deeply
grounded in India. Why is that? Does
Aside from the success of the movie, the book has been translated into 42 living overseas make you feel more
languages, and Swarup's second novel, Six Suspects, has been optioned as a strongly Indian?
film. We caught up with Swarup at the recent Ubud Writers and Readers Festi- I have always written about India as an insider
val in Bali. In the spirit of the quiz show in Q&A, the author agreed to answer 12 and never as an outsider. Even though I have
questions about himself and his works. lived abroad because of my government job, I
have never felt that I am living away from India.
Every aspiring novelist dreams of so many diplomats have turned to writing is I remember my early days in the diplomatic
having a best-selling novel turned into that we are trained to use words rather care- service when we would anxiously await the
an Oscar-winning movie and becoming fully. That training probably comes in handy arrival of the diplomatic bag which would bring
a millionaire. You’ve done all that. So when we try to write something other than offi- mail and newspapers from India. Living now
why haven’t you quit your day job? cial reports. in the era of broadband Internet and 24-hour
Vikas Swarup: Because I love representing What conflicts arise between your cable TV, the sense of distance has largely melt-
my country and secondly there is no guarantee work as a diplomat and your work as a ed away. I feel connected to India every waking
of continued success. More importantly, I think novelist? minute.
the security of the day job gives me the freedom Actually, the Indian government is very liberal After the enormous success of your first
to write in my spare time. I don’t feel I am under and gives complete freedom for artistic novel, was it difficult to write another?
any kind of “pressure.” expression of any kind to civil servants. So Were you apprehensive about having to
Is there any tradition of Indian diplomats technically speaking, there is no bar to what live up to the high standard you’d set?
as novelists, as there is with Indian film you want to write as long as it is made clear I think any writer whose first book becomes
stars as politicians? that the views expressed are personal. The only a huge hit faces the second-book syndrome.
Some people do talk of an IFS [Indian Foreign conflict, I suppose, is that as a bureaucrat you Luckily, I don’t see myself so much as a writ-
Service] School of Writing. But the real reason are neither supposed to be seen nor heard in er but as a storyteller. And I asked myself this
public whereas as a novelist you have to be out question after Q&A: Do I have another story to
there, promoting your work. tell? As it turned out, I didn’t have just one, I
had six different stories to tell, and that is how
‘I am, by and large, happy with the end product,’ Your books delve into the seamy sides Six Suspects was born.
Swarup says of the film Slumdog Millionaire. of India, including corruption, religious What was your involvement with the
strife and class conflict. How do you filming of Slumdog Millionaire?
40 Mehfil February/March 2010 reconcile those widely read portrayals I was consulted on the screenplay and gave my
with a diplomat’s mission to promote suggestions.
a favourable image of the nation How pleased or disappointed were you
overseas? with the translation of Q&A to film? What
At its core, my book presents the image of an would you have done differently?
India that is vibrant, energetic, ingenious and I consider Slumdog Millionaire to be a creative
industrious. The book tries to capture the vital- interpretation of my novel. The film-makers
ity of life in our cities. How people, even those took my central narrative structure and a few
living in the slums, are trying to make a better of the stories and added some new stories of
life for themselves. Neither the book nor the
film is a documentary on slum life. Dharavi [a

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product, but I was sorry to see that my multi-
NionwSuOrpreeyn SAMMY’S religious protagonist Ram Mohammad Thomas
CARPETS [Hindu, Muslim and Christian names respec-
tively] had morphed into the unidimensional
& HARDWOOD LTD. Jamal Malik.
HARDWOOD Do you plan to have any role in the
upcoming film version of your second
Un-finished & Pre-Finished novel, Six Suspects?
I have only seen the treatment so far and it is
LAMINATE quite faithful to the original novel. Six Suspects
from .98$ /sq.ft. is a much more complex novel than Q&A so
I hope to be more closely involved in the film
CARPETS project.
Commercial - from $4.99/sq.yd What did you think of the controversy
surrounding houses for the two young
Berber - from $6.99/sq.yd actors in Slumdog Millionaire?
It is not really my area. The so-called contro-
10 Colours to choose from! versy pertains to the agreement between the
Textured Saxony families and the filmmakers. I will only say that
the two slum kids have cashed in on the break
from $10.98/sq.yd they got in life. Now they should get a decent
VINYL • RUGS education.
You didn’t grow up in a slum but in a
13033-76th Ave 810 Kingsway family of lawyers. With that background,
how were you able to make the depic-
Surrey, BC Vancouver, BC tion of slum like seem so realistic? What
sources did you draw from?
604-592-9788 604-879-5788 For this you have to give credit to my research.
www.sammyscarpets.ca I have never actually lived in Mumbai. And I
had never visited the slums of Dharavi where
my protagonist Ram Mohammad Thomas is
supposed to reside. But research can only help
you create an authentic backdrop. To get under
the skin of your characters you need the qual-
ity of empathy — E M Forster’s [edict to writ-

Ierbse] li“eovnelyallcohnunmeacnt6.”b0eAi4tnga-s5fau8rned8aalm-ik4een,6taw6lithl5evthele,

same dreams, desires and passions. One only
has to take certain things out of the equation —
for example, money — to visualize life for the
disadvantaged.
You say you found an agent without
finishing your manuscript and that you’ve
never gotten a rejection slip. Who is more
lucky, you or Ram Mohammad Thomas,
your character who wins the quiz?
I think all of us have been lucky at some point
or another. The important thing is to believe in
yourself, remember that there are no shortcuts to
success and that, as Ram Mohammad Thomas
says, “Luck comes from within.” p

Former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen
told America’s story to the world as a U.S. diplomat
and is author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set
during the 1997 handover about television news,
love, betrayal, financial crisis, and cheap lingerie.
Follow Muhammad Cohen’s blog for more on the
media and Asia, his adopted home.
Copyright 2009 Asia Times Online Ltd.

42 MEHFIL February/March 2010

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By Robin Roberts

When Tarana Nina Gupta enters a room for the first time, her eyes are not
drawn to the design or decor. They’re drawn straight to the lights. And
what she sees often disappoints. But as a savvy entrepreneur, she’s turned
that disappointment into opportunity.

As founder and president of Montreal-based Greenlite Lighting
Corporation, it’s Gupta’s job to see the light — and change it. Her mission
is to convert consumers from Edison-era incandescent lighting to Gore-era
compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). Why? Simple facts: one CFL lasts 10
times longer than a regular bulb and uses two-thirds less energy; a 26-watt
CFL generates the same light as a 100-watt incandescent; CFLs emit 75 per
cent less heat than conventional bulbs; and, in terms of the environmental
impact, Gupta says if every Canadian household were to replace one incan-
descent bulb with a CFL, the switch would reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by about 400,000 tonnes annually — the equivalent of leaving 70,000 cars
parked for a year.

So why are we still using those old-fash- the weight and reputation of a family busi-
ioned dim bulbs? In a word, cost. CFLs are ness that tracks back 20 years, when her
more expensive, although not as expen- father first began producing CFLs in his
sive as they once were. They’ve dropped New Delhi factory for the Asian market.
from about $9 each to roughly $2 each. He had intended his eldest child to join the
By comparison, an incandescent bulb can family business, but Gupta had other plans:
be had for about a buck. Plus, there has She wanted to be a fashion designer.
been lots of reporting about their supposed
hazards, specifically mercury. “My husband was disappointed at Nina
for taking up a job,” says her mother, Priya,
“ I really think it was a ploy by the incan- from her home in New Delhi. “People
descent makers to try and create a tempest from business families normally do not like
in a tea pot,” says Gupta. their kids to work for anybody else. Nina
has always been headstrong. I would have
But Nina, as she prefers to be called, is liked her to go to a good university.”
not easily blown off course. She shoulders

44 MEHFIL February/March 2010

Photo by MoNIQUe dykstra MEHFIL February/March 2010 45

C over

“I used to call people up and say, ‘I sell CFLs,’ and they thought I was calling from the
Canadian Football League. I endured a lot of Canadian Football League jokes. But we
hung in there and our business evolved and the demand increased.”

But Gupta believed life is as good an off the ground then I can get back to the computer at 10 p.m., when Asia re-opens.
education as the classroom. She had lived other two. It’s like having three children She’s tried to trade this metaphorical
in Montreal as a teenager, while attend- but one’s in diapers.” treadmill for a physical one with limited
ing the private Trafalgar School For success.
Girls. After graduation, she went back to She almost had them all on their feet
London, where she was born. As vibrant and out of the house three years ago, “I’ve been trying to go to a gym, but
a fashion scene as London was, Gupta when her parents sold their own lighting I just can’t get there. Between the weath-
was drawn to Canada, and moved back to business. “We were all supposed to retire er and having no discipline...” she trails
Montreal at age 20. on a beach,” she says with a sigh. “But my off. When it’s suggested she just outfit her
father said, ‘No, the kids have to work, home with a mini gym, she says, “Oh, I’m
She landed a job first as an assis- they’re too young to retire, they’ll both fully equipped, I just don’t use it! I have
tant fashion buyer for Le Chateau, then turn into beach bums.’ the treadmill, the ball and the weights,
Limite Boutiques. She parlayed what she the whole thing. I even had a trainer for a
learned into her own women’s wear busi- “So I started the solar cell facility in while. I also have the DVD with a pretty
ness, called Tarana’s. It became so success- May 2008, which is state-of-the-art, I blond girl teaching me what to do, which
ful that in just a few years she had three think the third most automated facility in I do, then I flop down on the floor and
outlets. She sold the stores in the early the world. So now everybody’s got their just look at her. In the summer I love to
1990s when she took time off to raise her nose back to the grindstone.” walk. I’m out at 7:30, 8:30 at night, head-
two children. When she returned to the phones on, I just love it.”
work world, it was finally in her father’s That means her dad and brother run
realm, much to his delight. She used his the New Delhi plant, called IndoSolar, Growing the business is what keeps
New Delhi factory as a base to tap into while she oversees offices in L.A. and a Gupta in the office from dawn until
the North American lighting market by factory in Shanghai from her Montreal dark. It’s a work ethic she inherited from
launching Lamptronics. When that went headquarters. her father, who used to take her and her
well, she morphed Lamptronics into younger brother into the office on the
Greenlite in 1996 to import CFLs to Gupta has to strike while the iron is weekends. “Let me tell you, I could send
Canada and the U.S. hot on her new solar division. The Cana- a Tel-Ex at 12 years old,” she says. “Our
dian government is finally supporting Sunday treat was to go with dad to the
At first, things didn’t go as well as energy conservation and efficiency by factory and the office, check the Tel Ex,
she had hoped. The new company’s loosening the purse strings on subsidies the fax machines, etc. It was a big deal
biggest road block was an identity prob- — offering the best in the world, in fact, for us to be allowed into the office on the
lem. “I used to call people up and say, ‘I says Gupta. “Plus, they’re running out of weekends. Then we’d go to the movies,
sell CFLs,’ and they thought I was call- power. It’s like the sun: you can harness then out for dinner. The four of us always
ing from the Canadian Football League,” it every day and put it away for a rainy ate dinner together, always went places
says Gupta. “I endured a lot of Canadi- day, literally. Now they’ve finally realized together. We’re still very close-knit, we
an Football League jokes. But we hung it’s worth spending the money to put up talk on a daily basis . . . we’re a typical
in there and our business evolved and the the solar farms because they’re not going immigrant family. Our table conversation
demand increased.” to have enough coal, etc. for the rest of was business and I think that’s what really
the world.” taught me a lot of what I know.”
Never more so than when the U.S.
government implemented a mandate to Gupta’s goal, apart from seeing every- She’s passed that knowledge and work
drastically reduce energy use at its feder- body’s homes shining with CFLs, is to see ethic on to her own kids, a daughter, who’s
al sites. Gupta stepped into the spotlight their roofs outfitted with solar panelling. in her last year at McGill earning her busi-
as supplier, sending her company’s sales And the idea is not so far-fetched. With ness degree, and her son, who’s finishing
figures rocketing from $300,000 to $30 the subsidies, you could be financially up at Marianopolis with a possible trans-
million in just one year. She says she’s rewarded from the government for being fer to McGill law school.
shooting for $75 million in the next five a good green citizen. “You could get $200
years. Now that Ontario is offering subsi- or $300 in the mail from Hydro Ontario “Wherever I’ve gone, my kids have
dies for consumers and corporations — or BC Hydro rather than writing a cheque gone with me,” says Gupta. “I used to pull
and has vowed to abolish the incandescent to them every month. You’re using the them out of school to go with me wher-
bulb by 2012 — her future can only get electricity, plus you’re earning.” ever I went. Of course, you can’t always
brighter. In fact, Gupta is now juggling be travelling, but if I’m going to Cuba
three companies: Greenlite Lighting, Gupta, now 51, has to get up pret- or India or Timbuktu for seven days, it’s
“the mothership,” as she calls it; Green- ty early in the morning to keep tabs on worth it for them to see the country and
lite USA, with an office in L.A.; and her those three growing “children.” She usual- the culture.”
new baby Greenlite Solar. “Because it’s in ly starts working the phones at 6:30 a.m.,
its infancy, it needs my time the most,” when the India and China offices are still Although she was born in England
says Gupta of the new division. “Once it’s open. An hour later she’s in her Montre- and her kids were born in Canada, she
al office “fielding fires all day until about ensures they are well acquainted with
7 p.m.” when she heads home for a bit their culture. “They’re Canadian by birth,
of family time before getting back on the

46 Mehfil February/March 2010

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Meantime, Greenlite continues to bask
in the limelight of recognition and awards.
Gupta herself won the 2007 Trailblazing
Award from the Canadian Women Entre-
preneurs, the RBC Momentum Award for
2008, placed 12th out of Canada’s Top
100 Entrepreneurs in 2008, was a final-
ist for Ernst & young’s Social Entrepre-
neur Award, and won the Entrepreneur of
the year Award from the Indo-Canadian
Chamber of Commerce, also in 2008.
While she appreciates the recognition,
Gupta says she’d prefer that the spotlight
fall on her company rather than herself.

“I think we won a lot of awards because
we’re a small company that had a real
trajectory of growth. We caught a lot of
people’s attention because a) I’m Indian,
b) I’m a woman, and c) we’re green. We
have a lot of the buzz words. And I think
once you win one award then you’re on
everybody’s radar. I know it sounds cliche,
but we’re a very good team. No man is an
island, everybody needs somebody. Every
success we have is because everybody
did what they were supposed to do. My
only contribution is that I dug my heels
in and said I’m going to stay with this,
I’m not going to deviate, I’m not going
to start selling incandescents and having a
20-page catalogue of things that don’t go
with what we’re trying to do. It’s like sell-
ing a cigarette ad and a cancer cure.” p

MEHFIL February/March 2010 47



Feature

Weddings 2010

Fashion, Fitness, Trends and Tips

We have words of inspiration and advice for every
bride-to-be dreaming of her big day.

To celebrate the sheer romance of a good love story, we
bring you four weddings, including a feature on the recent
marriage festivities of Mehfil cuisine columnist Gurj Dhaliwal.

To help brides prepare for their big day, we turned to
experts on everything from makeup and henna to fitness
and fashion for practical tips and techniques as well as

insight into today’s hottest trends.

Mehfil February/March 2010 49

Feature Photos by Studio Orange Photography

Gurj Dhaliwal
Sukhi Ghuman

Just Married

“One could say it was love at first bite,”
says Gurj Dhaliwal, describing how he
won the attention of the woman who
would become his wife.

Dhaliwal, a professional chef, is refer-
ring to the first time that television host
Sukhi Ghuman got a taste of his culinary
prowess in the form of paneer pakoras,
which he taught her to make on camera
during a segment for Shaw Multicultural
Channel. It was their second meeting. The
first was when Sukhi attended a wrap-up
party for the reality series Superstar Chef
Challenge, on which Gurj had been the
winning contestant.

“We hit it off and Sukhi scheduled an
interview with me for Shaw,” says Gurj.

Their third meeting was a date, and
it wasn’t long before they were sure they
had the right ingredients for a long-term
relationship.

“We knew we had a special connection
within the first three dates,” says Sukhi.
“Since we were both 28 when we started
dating, we had a fairly good idea of the
qualities we were looking for in a lifelong
partner and we saw these amazing quali-
ties in each other.”

For the one-year anniversary of their
first date, Gurj decided to dazzle Sukhi
with a romantic proposal. “With the help
of my best friend, Riaz Meghji, I had con-

50 Mehfil February/March 2010