17 minute read
Dosti
By Naina Grewal
A CHILDREN’S BOOK ON INDIA-PAKISTAN PARTITION
As the world advances to new eras, facets of history are sometimes left untold and fade away in time. The richness of our culture and history can only be kept intact if we continue to pass down this knowledge to the coming generations. To keep these stories alive, the onus falls on our community to spark such conversations in the public sphere, stemming from our children. Taking on this leadership role, Steeven Toor has recently authored children’s book, Dosti, portraying the India-Pakistan partition.
A Fraser Health Authority Community Health Specialist by profession, Toor wanted to integrate content in a way that would peak interest in the minds of children. He recognizes that whatever one is stimulated by at a young age, will have an everlasting impact. The protagonists of the book’s narrative, Manh the Mor and Chanh the Chakor, are two childhood best friends that fall prey to sudden separation, caused by the Partition. The tone of the picture book is friendly and lighthearted, curated to appeal to young readers. The book is graced by colorful, heartwarming illustrations, skillfully put together by the talented Sukh Sidhu, who has been an important collaborator for the project.
When growing up, Toor recalls not having access to any South Asian literature, which became motivation for him to write. His goal is to encourage more creatives and young creators to deliver high-quality and well-produced content. Of course, the intention behind releasing Dosti extends beyond that. Having completed a Masters in Public Health from Queen’s University, Toor explains that he is well aware of the cyclical nature of intergenerational trauma on multiple generations, as part of his work in the science and research community.
He explains, “When something devastating happens to a particular generation, the impacts linger. Until today, indigenous communities are impacted by trauma inflicted by colonial settlers. For the South Asian community, I see an overlap under the umbrella of colonialism, with the British abruptly leaving India. I look at that era as a painful time in our system. Work needs to be done.” Toor himself is making significant strides in the area of work, as he has co-founded non-profit organization, Punjabi Resilience and Empowerment in Mental Health (PREM), to inspire a movement in mental health advocacy through a creative lens, striving for resilient and empowered communities.
During the community outreach phase of his early writing, Toor found that the community’s adults and elders have mostly internalized the Partition experience; it is not commonly spoken about. The writer of the book’s foreword, Jaswant Singh Cheema, is a survivor. He shares that his involvement with the book marks the first time he spoke about the Partition since it happened, not even talking about it with his own family. Cheema’s foreword carries a message to the next generation, simply asking them to find love for another and foster unity.
Given the endless wisdom they have to offer, Toor urges younger generations to learn from elders while they’re with us. According to him, as our generations continue to thrive, it is important that we utilize our elders’ knowledge. After all, we come from a tradition of talking to our elders.
For the book, Toor reached out to many community members and grandparents
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to capture the finest details and integrate them into the writing and illustrations. Taking flight during the pandemic, the project underwent unique challenges. In-person conversations were no longer an option, so discussions happened propelled by Zoom and screen-sharing tools. “In creative projects, drive and motivation are key. With the project spanning 4 years, it was easy to feel drained. Seeing the finish line was especially difficult during the pandemic, but the collaboration from friends and family has been tremendous support.”
Now that the book has come together, the responsibility falls on the community to enable such conversations to take in public spaces, with parents and educators playing important roles. In a world where we are becoming overwhelmed by technology, it is important to encourage children to read books, especially physical versions. Toor intentionally made the conscious decision to not release a digital version, in an effort to reduce children’s digital media consumption. He strongly believes that community programming, book clubs, and reading sessions create a sense of culture, enabling young writers to create content.
An avid reader of books as a child, Toor credits his reading habits for advanced comprehension throughout his schooling years, and eventual transition to authorship. Although Dosti is available for sale on Amazon, Toor aspires to have it available in libraries to evoke the same love for reading in children, while increasing accessibility of South Asian literature.
In fact, Toor’s thought-process behind registering his own publishing house, Kalam Creations was motivated by the desire and passion to create something for our own community. His aim is to address issues like the lack of South Asian representation in mainstream media. The publishing house is an outlet not just for himself, but others too. He highlights, “From a grassroots perspective, it is challenging. We are building the plane as we are flying it. That said, we are laying the groundwork for future work.” Undoubtedly, Toor has a noble vision of giving voice to the talent in our community, instill in our future generations an appreciation for our history, and spread the love for South Asian literature. A literary catalyst, Dosti is a step in the right direction, carrying in its pages the powerful potential to inform, educate and empower.
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2021
Celebrating Excellence
The 11th Anniversary celebration of DARPAN’s Extraordinary Achievement Awards was an unforgettable night. With the entire South Asian community in attendance, DARPAN Magazine put together a great event that honoured the last 10 glorious years of the Awards and the growth of the community.
DARPAN’s Extraordinary Achievement Awards 2021 was a successful night. Held on October 15 at Aria Banquet & Convention Centre in Surrey, this year’s celebration, presented by RBC Royal Bank, was as exciting as it was different.
Last year, due to the pandemic and health regulations, DARPAN was unable to organize the prestigious event and recognize the hard work and achievements of the South Asian community in BC. The team was excited to present the Awards night this year which had many esteemed members of the South Asian community as well as Vancouver’s dignitaries in attendance. The gala welcomed over 500 people comprising of the top social and business elite in the South Asian community.
DARPAN Magazine, hosted its 11th Annual Awards in the company of esteemed social, business and political elites. Ten amazing individuals from the South Asian community were recognized for their extraordinary achievements and for reflecting their heritage in
a remarkable way. These 10 South Asians, identified as leaders, who embody the spirit of community and give back to greater Canadian society, were honoured with the prestigious Darpan Extraordinary Achievement Award.
Keeping everyone’s safety in mind, as well as following the health regulations, vaccination proof and temperatures were checked at the entry. After a successful check-in, guests were ushered in to the Preston Cadillac-sponsored Red Carpet reception, where they were welcomed with champagne, gorgeous ice sculptures depicting DARPAN’s journey of 17 years in publishing excellence, the latest luxury Cadillac Preston model on display, and live performances.
The red carpet was buzzing with prominent members of the South Asian community, political dignitaries and socialites. The media centre was busy – our Red Carpet hosts Ish Sharma and Nisha Khare interviewed our esteemed guests asking them their expectations for the evening; photographers were busy capturing beautiful moments; and a special history wall showcased DARPAN Magazine’s journey though magazine covers of the last 17 years.
BC Premier John Horgan mingled with esteemed guests on the red carpet
MartinThibodeau, the Regional President of RBC Royal Bank in BC gave a speech at the event The beautiful cocktail lounge sponsored by WBI Home Warranty had guests mingling and enjoying the hospitality. It was a magical night, and guests were excited for the evening to unfold.
Canadian actor and television personality Huse Madhavji, who flew in from Toronto, was the Master of Ceremonies for the event. Stage and screen actor Huse Madhavji is best known for his role on Saving Hope where he played a socially awkward neurosurgeon Dr. Shahir Hamza for five seasons. He was also in the Emmy award winning season of Schitt’s Creek and is seen on the Hulu’s teen sci-fi drama Utopia Falls and as the voice of Ram Sing Ji on Disney Junior’s Mira, Royal Detective. Prior to his acting career, Madhavji was a TV presenter where he hosted a daily entertainment show, interviewing some of the most famous and celebrated faces in the world.
The night began with a live performance by Folk Turbanators and Vishaljeet. MC Madhavji then took to the stage to welcome all attendees and our generous sponsors to DARPAN Awards 2021. Distinguished guests present at the event were BC Premier John Horgan; Bruce Ralston, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation; Harry Bains, BC Minister of Labour; and Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. MPs attending were Randeep Sarai, Sukh Dhaliwal, John Aldag, and Parm Bains, and MLAs Raj Chouhan - B.C.’s first South Asian speaker of the house, Rachna Singh, Jagrup Brar, Trevor Halford, Ellis Ross, and John Rustad. The City of Surrey was in full attendance including Surrey Mayor, Doug McCallum, and Surrey Councillors Jack Hundial, Brenda Locke, Mandeep Nagra,
Serge Corbeil, Director Government Relations - Local & Provincial, Air Canada shared a few words on stage
Doug Elford, and Allison Patton. Also at the event were Langley City Mayor, Val van den Broek and Mission City Councillor, Ken Herar. Other attendees included Consul General Mr. Manish, and Manjish Grover, Head of Chancery & Consul (Commerce), at Indian Consulate in Vancouver; Wally Oppal, Former Attorney General of BC and Supreme Court judge; Scott Lake, founder of Shopify; Dr. Angus Reid, founder of Angus Reid Institute, and Canada national soccer team forward and Vancouver Whitecaps FC player Tosaint Ricketts.
Celebrating 17 years of publishing excellence and 11 years of Awards, guests were shown a glimpse of the extraordinary achievers that have graced the event over the years, along with a special mention to the late Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany. After acknowledging the main sponsors, our honoured guest, Surrey Mayor, Doug McCallum, took the stage to share a few words with the audience, followed by Martin Thibodeau, the Regional President of RBC Royal Bank in BC; and Serge Corbeil, Director Government Relations - Local & Provincial, Air Canada.
The highlight of the evening was our Guest of Honour and Keynote
Speaker, Nav Bhatia – known worldwide as the Raptors Superfan. Bhatia’s journey began with his work as a car salesman, during which he proceeded to quickly break many records. Two years later, the salesman turned businessman and bought out the entire car dealership. Undoubtedly, climbing to the top was no small feat, but Bhatia has made the community proud with all that he has accomplished. Hardworking Bhatia remembers having no hobbies as he tirelessly worked morning to night. When he got home from work, he would watch basketball.
As time went on, Bhatia began attending basketball games in person – and just never stopped. In fact, as of the team’s inception in 1995, the Superfan has never missed a single Raptors home game. In 2019, when the Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors to win the National Basketball Association (NBA) Championship, Bhatia made history by becoming the firstever fan to receive an official NBA championship ring, adorned with 640 diamonds.
Bhatia has also founded the Nav Bhatia Superfan Foundation, which brings together diverse groups of people together, in Canada and around the world, through sport. The Foundation also works towards building washrooms for girls in Northern India’s schools. Aside from his community work in India, Bhatia is the face of the NBA in India as well. For Bhatia’s promotion of game and global philanthropic efforts, he was forever memorialized through his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Raptors Superfan is the first fan and turban-wearer to ever be given the honor, and his turban, displayed in his gallery, is the first turban in the Hall of Fame.
On stage, Bhatia shared with the audience his journey from being a struggling immigrant to now being called the Raptors Superfan and his how love and dedication towards basketball. Attendees gave him a standing ovation as his inspiring words touched the hearts of everyone present. Bhatia was a true celebrity at the event as there were guests lining up to meet him and take photos with him.
Guests from within and outside the community added glamour and style to the night with their attendance.
The awards session – the main element of the event – was all about achievements, excellence and community spirit. Ten amazing individuals from the South Asian community were recognized for their extraordinary achievements and for reflecting their heritage in a remarkable way. Among the list of the 2021 award winners was the BC Lions’ owner; President of Angus Reid Institute; a Schulich Scholar; the first Sikh and South Asian MMA World Champion; Whitecaps FC Coach; and award-winning actress and filmmaker. The never-ending applause by the guests, along with the inspiring thank you speeches by the winners generated a feeling of pride and unity at the event.
The atmosphere at the awards night was lively. There was music, food, glamour and beautiful
2021
people having a great time. The dinner was sponsored by ML Emporio Properties Ltd. and the entertainment sponsor was Thind Properties. This year at the awards, guests enjoyed a special performance by famous Punjabi singer and actor, Sharry Mann. His song ‘Yaar Anmulle’ broke all previous records for being an unsigned Punjabi singer on the Internet, swiftly becoming one of the most talked about names in the Punjabi music industry. Today, the singer is a popular name and appeals to all music-lovers worldwide. With his infectious energy and foot-tapping songs, he entertained and got guests fully immersed into enjoying the 2021 DARPAN Awards.
DARPAN thanks all attendees for making the Awards event an unforgettable evening.
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