Desi today oct 2017 web

Vol. 8

| Issue 5 | Oct - Nov 2017

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PUNJABI PAD:

REAL ESTATE BUBBLE BURST?

The very first interactive Punjabi Toy

JAGMEET SINGH:

ARJAN SINGH BHULLAR:

Battles racism with love

VER cOORy st siVE LU

Exc

The true Sultan of the Ring

Divyanka SMALL SCREEN’S GRAND FACE

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Features 10 Arjan Singh Bhullar: The true sultan of the ring 16 Cover Story: Divyanka Tripathi - Small Screen's grand face 40 Indians Shining: Indian Americans rising under Donald Trump 42 Adhaar card for NRI marriages?

46 Meet New Youtube sensations : Harjit Bhandal and Jaz Saini 50 Diwali celebration tips by expert 58 Punjabi pad : First ever interactive toy in Punjabi

Desi Today Politics 8

Ravi Kahlon's: From Hockey goals to Human Rights goals 24 New NDP leader Jagmeet Singh battles racism with love 52 Fighting Crime in Surrey 54 A love affair with politics

Divyanka SMALL SCREEN’S GRAND FACE

TRIPATHI DAHIYA

Travel 96 Tips for snowbird heading south 96 A perfect Canadian winter vacation

Beauty & Entertainment 36 38 74 76 80

Ethnic is the new sexy In pictures: Vancouver Fashion Week Know your star : Anushka Sharma The B-Town news Kangana: The queen of controversies

Business

Parenting

30 Where is real estate going?

34 The rise and rise of real estate 44 Indians Shining: Indian origin people featured in Fortune's 40 under 40 list

60 62 64 90

Health & Wellness

Auto

66 Gear up for winters 68 Is your fitness tracker putting your privacy at risk?

84 Ford F-150 Raptor: The king of off-road pick ups 86 2017 Genesis G90 : New Luxury Sedan

In the age of digital parenting Indian parents -- there are alternatives to spanking Guide to cyberbullying Make any space perfect for young adults

Publishers Sanjeev Katyal Rakesh Gupta Writers Surbhi Gogia Dhiraj Khatri Suresh Kurl Amrita Lit Gary Thandi Alex Sangha Anjum Chaudhry Nayyar Photos by Jay Mahi Photo Studio Surya Photo Studio

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Publisher’s Note October is the month of festivals for Indians across the world.

However, the celebrations in the Punjabi community of Canada kicked

HOME STAGING • INTERIOR DESIGN • COLOR CONSULTATION

in much earlier. On one hand ONTARIO MPP Jagmeet Singh (BramaleaGore-Malton), who is also Ontario NDP deputy leader, made history by winning the federal NDP leadership. Not only he becomes first turbaned Sikh but the first Sikh to head a federal party in Canada. But what is it that makes him so popular? A Simon Fraser University Professor connects his ethos of love with that of larger precepts of Sikhism. Read our article on Jagmeet Singh to know more about his love for humanity.

On the other hand, Arjan Singh Bhullar, has become the first ever player of Indian decent to compete and win a UFC fight. We bring to you his amazing journey from a wrestler to a UFC player. When Sultan movie was released it broke all the box office records because it hit the right cords with Indian audience who wanted to see an Indian wrestler in UFC. However it was a fiction. But Bhullar made this dream come true.

In our cover story, we bring to you the interview of small screen's most popular face Divyanka aka Ishita Bhalla. In an exclusive interview with Desi Today Divyanka talks about her struggle from a small town girl to the most popular face of the glamour industry. Read Small screen's grand face.

Desi Today, true to its name, always keeps its readers aware of achievements of Indo-Canadians. In this issue we also introduce you to two emerging stars of youtube Harjit Bhandal and Jaz Saini of the hit

First impression is the last impression You only have five seconds to make a first good impression on a buyer when selling your home.

YouTwoTV channel. Their channel has garnered over 120 million views.

Read their interview to know what is it that made them so popular.

Also keep scanning through our health, travel and fashion pages to stay informed about latest trends.

We wish our readers happy Diwali!

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Desi Reader’s 'BRAVE ENOUGH TO FLY' What an amazing act of organizing a show The serenity project for those women who have fought adversities.

These women endured through experiences of abuse, foster care, special needs, body dysmorphia and many other severe traumas in their lives. But still they came out with flying colours. They are such inspiration to us who have everything and still cry for more.

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THE YOUNG ACHIEVERS

I am so impressed with Dr Shawna Pandya. At such a young age she has achieved so much in life. I am especially glued and stuck with her one statement that we just need hard work and dedication to achieve our dreams and not super brains. "Hard work and time management – I was not born as someone who was gifted." Thank you Desi Today for sharing such inspirational stories.

I am working on a much larger scale global initiative to help 20,000 children in poverty in India receive vision testing, glasses, and surgeries for free.

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Thank you Desi today magazine, you made all of us so happy @ desi.today.magazine - RESHMI CHANDRA MISS CHARITY BC @RESHMICHANDRA

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7

FEATURE

we could communicated in one language. It was our way of bonding with the family. I would always go to the field with my father, grandfather, my brother and sister to play hockey.

M

eet Ravi Kahlon, a field hockey player who was recently elected as an NDP MLA from North Delta.

Kahlon is the Provincial Secretary for Sport and Multiculturalism in the recently form provincial government under Premier John Horgan. Fifteen years after it was dismantled by the B.C. Liberals, the new government has announced plans to reinstate the B.C. Human Rights Commission. Kahlon has been assigned an important role in the re-establishment of this Commission. In an interview with Desi Today, Kahlon talks about his journey from the hockey fields to the field of politics. He also elaborates on the importance of human rights commission and what people can expect from it. Kahlon is a certified coach and mentor to many youth in North Delta, and spends time coaching field hockey and soccer. He lives in North Delta with his wife Lily, and son Naven.

Currently there is much awareness and lots of field hockey teams.

But when you started playing how difficult was it and what were some of the problems that you faced?

When I started playing with my father in Victoria, there were no boys team playing there since there was a small community. But I really wanted to play so I played for one year in an all girls team who were couple of years older to me. And then slowly boys started signing up and it developed from there. But in early days there weren’t many boys playing. Some of the high schools on the Island did have boys team but not as many as compared to Vancouver.

Where did life take you from there?

I played on the national teams and competed in two Olympics for Canada. I went to school and university in Victoria and went into banking. I worked there for seven years and from banking I was hired into the legislature to do policy work for elected officials.

RAVI KAHLON

Hockey Goals TO Human Rights Goals FROM

BY SURBHI GOGIA

Please tell us something about your family and early life?

I was born and raised in Victoria. When I was fouryears-old my father lost his job and my parents went through a rough period. So me and sister went to live in India for some time. After completing my first year school in India and I returned to Victoria after few years and then did my schooling and education from there. I did my schooling and education from there. I moved to Delta in about 2004 and since then North Delta has been my home.

You have been a two time Olympian in sport 8

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A DESI View

for Canada’s field hockey team and have been inducted into the Delta Sports Hall of Fame.

How did you develop interest in this sport?

I was introduced to hockey by my grandfather and my father. They both were seasoned players.

My grandfather played for the Navy team in India. My father too was very competitive. As an immigrant family we all grew up with different life experiences. My grandfather grew up during world wars and partition time. My father saw both the lives as a Canadian and Indian and I was a kid born in Canada. But it was hockey that brought all of us on same page. Only through hockey

How did you get into politics?

I grew up seeing my family’s involvement in the community. My grandfather and his friends took the initiative to start the first ever senior centre for Punjabi community in Victoria. My grandfather would take me to get the petitions signed. I still remember dropping off flyers on doors as a young boy. That was my first introduction to politics as a little kid. Then I went to follow my career path. But I always had that calling in me.

It was during my days in the banking that it struck me hard. One day I received an application for a home loan. Six people from one family, were applying for one loan for a town house. And I had to tell them that they could not qualify. It hit me at that moment that we were supposed to be living in one of the best countries of the world. And at this place, 6 people cannot qualify for one mortgage.

It hit me hard. Then I started reading more about housing. I also went to attend a rally. I went to the Fraser Institute which is a think tank, to find out more about housing. They were debating about how economy’s growth should be linked to people’s growth. That got me more involved because I used to think on the same line. Then I met Harry Bains and Sue Hammel eventually started getting more involved.

what were some of the main ideologies of NDP that attracted you to join this party?

The biggest thing for me was the party’s believe that an economy can only do well if its people are happy and doing well. There are two school of thoughts here. The one school says when big companies make money, the money comes down to people and it helps in the growth of the economy. I came across this ideology when I was in the banking sector. I spent too much time in banking and the business community. But this ideology does not work. The truth is when wealthy people and big companies earn more money, they take it away.

The second school of thought, which I believe is when middle class and lower income groups make money, that money stays in the economy.

When people have more money the society starts becoming equal the money starts stimulating the economy. An economy that works for people and the society does better as a whole.

You have been appointed as the Parliamentary secretary for sport and multiculturalism under the new provincial government? could you elaborate more on your role?

I take care of sport and multiculturalism for the province. We have a budget of 22 million dollars for sports. My job is to make sure that we are doing best with this money allocated to us. At this point my main focus will be to develop strategies for involving more women to play sports. We have a problem in our society. At the age of 13, girls start dropping out of sport.

I would also like to involve more aboriginal youth into sports. My third priority is to work towards cost of pursuing a sport. More and more parents are finding it difficult to keep the kids in sport since they find the cost too high. So we are working to evolve a strategy, which will be ready in few months, with a group called KidSport Canada which a national not-for-profit organization that provides financial assistance to kids who just want to play some sports and supports school system.

any special plans for supporting field hockey?

Right now my focus is to support every kind of sport and to involve more and more people towards pursuing a sport. Recent studies have found out that when new immigrants come to Canada and play sport they are better integrated into the society.

the bc government has decided to reinstate b.c. human rights commission? can you tell us something about the decision?

B.C. is the only province without a human rights commission, and one is needed to address issues of systemic discrimination and inequality that are prevalent throughout the province. B.C. Attorney General David Eby has been assigned with the task of re-establishing the commission. I have been given the responsibility to make a report. www.desitoday.ca

Right now I am in the process of traveling in the province meeting community groups and listening to what they want the Commission to be like. I will be making a report and presenting it to the Premier and the Attorney General by the end of this year.

We have some major issues in our society that need to be addressed. For example studies suggest that women are not being paid anywhere closer to men for the same amount of work they do. We have been talking about these things for a long time. The Human Rights Commission’s role in such cases will be to do research and give advice to the business community on how to close that gap.

what has been your experience so far?

Since the day we have announced the decision to reinstate the Commission, we are getting a flood of messages As an immigrant and meeting requests into our family we all grew up with office. People want to talk about different life experiences. My the Commission’s focus and grandfather grew up during its priorities. I will be listening world wars and partition time. to all of those and brining that My father saw both the lives as a forward.

Canadian and Indian and I was a I met a group last week. kid born in Canada. But it was They brought up a recent study in which 7000 resumes hockey that brought all of were prepared to apply for the us on the same page. work to promote, protect job interview. Out of those 7000, half and advance human rights resumes were prepared under Anglo through research, education and sounding names and half with Asian sounding policy development.

The simple way to describe names including Chinese, Indian or Pakistani and is that when society gets sick tribunal works as the Indian names. They put these applications out. doctor.

What we want is a Commission to protect The study discovered that Anglo sounding names the society from getting sick. are 40 percent more likely to get a phone call back.

We face racism at different levels in everyday life but we don’t realise it. The Commission will look into some of such challenges and will try to resolve them.

bc is the only province not to have human rights commission. how are other provinces doing with its presence and how it is making a difference in the lives of people?

There is no doubt many provinces are doing better than B.C. Ontario, for example, is making huge advancement on addressing racism because they have anti-racism strategy on diversity in work force. There are also other issues. B.C. has got the widest income gaps, highest child poverty rate in the country. Aboriginal people 5 times more likely to overdose.

The previous commission was dismantled in 2002 in favour of a complaint-driven tribunal. The Tribunal is responsible for accepting, screening, mediating and adjudicating human rights complaints. The Tribunal offers the parties involved the opportunity to resolve the complaint through mediation. If the parties do not resolve a complaint and the complaint is not dismissed, the Tribunal holds a hearing. A human rights commission can

how can civilians participate in the process?

From Sept. 20 through Nov. 17, 2017, British Columbians are encouraged to share their experiences and ideas on how a human rights commission can promote and protect the principles of dignity and equality in the province.

Public engagement is being conducted through a dedicated website http://engage. gov.bc.ca/bchumanrights/.

Here weekly discussion questions will drive ongoing conversation and provide an outlet for written submissions. Additionally, I will be holding meetings throughout the province with various organizations and interested parties.

Some people who do not want to engage through meetings or website can just write the issue on a piece of paper, walk into their local MLA’s office. The respective MLA will deliver that paper to us on your behalf.

what is your message to our community?

This a valuable opportunity for our community to bring forward some of the issues that concern us and impact on coming generations and make future better for them.

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

9

FEATURE

ARJAN SINGH BHULLAR HAS BECOME THE FIRST EVER SOUTH ASIAN TO COMPETE IN THE UFC

ARJAN SINGH BHULLAR THE TRUE

SULTAN OF THE RING

W

hen Salman Khan's movie Sultan was released, it beat all the box office records at the time. This was perhaps for two reasons. First it starred Salman Khan, second it was a big hit with the South Asians around the world because the movie highlighted a popular dream of Indian wrestling fans to see one of their own fighting in the world of Mixed Martial Arts, which is the world fastest growing sport in the world.

Since the release of Sultan, Indian fans did not have to wait too long for this fiction to become a reality.

Arjan Singh Bhullar, the former Olympian who was the first South Asian to wrestle for Canada in the London 2012 Olympic games and is a Commonwealth Games gold medallist in the sport of freestyle wrestling, was born and raised in 10

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

Richmond, British Columbia. Arjan has now also become the first ever South Asian to compete in the UFC – which is the biggest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) company in the world.

It is to support his Punjabi roots that Bhullar has decided to fight under the Indian flag for the UFC. He said that I come from Sikh lineage and my ancestors are warriors. “My dad wrestled before me. This is all I have ever known since I was in diapers - to train and compete."

Wrestling has a rich history in the Bhullar family. Arjan’s father, Avtar Singh Bhullar was the first to excel in both the traditional Indian style of wrestling (Kushti) and Olympic style wrestling.

All ten of the Bhullar boys (Arjan’s brother and his cousins) were eventually put through the same rigorous training regimen at the Bhullar “Akhara“ (gym), which was built on the family farm where

Arjan lives with all of his extended family. Equipment was scarce and sympathy non-existent; while work ethic and a desire to become the best abundant.

This was the unofficial beginning for Team Bhullar, which is now taking the world of MMA by storm.

Having trained almost exclusively with the family through high school, he was able to win multiple provincial and national high school championships. He went on to wrestle for wrestling powerhouse Simon Fraser University on a scholarship, while pursuing a degree in Political Science. When he was competing for Simon Fraser, Bhullar made the Senior National Team and represented Canada around the world.

Building upon his success at the university level, he was able to have some early success while competing for Canada. He was named Wrestler of the Year in 2009 and followed that up with a www.desitoday.ca

OCT / NOV 2017

News With A Desi View

11

FEATURE Entering UFC was just the first record, Bhullar went on to make a history by winning his debut fight against Luis Henrique by a unanimous decision dramatic Gold Medal winning performance in Delhi at the 2010 Commonwealth Games over the hometown hero from India.

From the outset, his goal was always to become a world champion. That was always the mindset, and the ultimate goal. Wrestling at the 2012 London Olympic Games (as the first ever South Asian to represent Canada) in Freestyle Wrestling - the stage was set for the grand finale but he didn’t achieve overall what he wanted to there and the hunger to be a world champion still remains in Arjan.

Being a true competitor and a champion in wrestling is one part of Bhullar's story, living every aspect of his life as a champion, is something he continues to work towards. Knowing the world needs more than just athletes to help make it a better place, Arjan continues to be extremely passionate and devoted in the community. He has continually donates his time,

energy, and money towards various causes and non-profit organizations.

This heavyweight fighter wants to make a difference in the world, beyond sport. That’s why he says he plans to wear a turban to the ring for future fights.

“I want to empower people to be unique."

It is Arjan’s goal to represent his community and make a difference in it and this has made him very popular amongst his core fans around the world and people who don’t watch sports even.

“He is a great human being first and foremost” is how his close friend Satinder Dhillon describes him.

Arjan’s first fight at Roger's Place in Edmonton was a very historic event for the South Asian community and history was indeed made!

‘I don’t think anyone debuted like that before in his first fight out and a fight that was the second fight on the prelim card’ Bhullar said on Monday’s

BESIDE STATE BANK OF INDIA

edition of The MMA Hour.

“You saw the Indian flags, you felt the energy.

There was a chartered jet, 737, coming out of Vancouver filled with our people. We had people from the UK, California, Toronto and India fly out. We sold out Union Hall for the after-party.”

While the match was the highlight, there was such confidence behind him by his people, that a king size after party was already planned in advance by Dream Team Management and First Round Management (http://www.prweb.com/ releases/2017/05/prweb14348979.htm).

Industry biggies like Manj Musik, Jaz Dhami flew with Team Bhullar to Edmonton along with famous Youtuber AK AKAamazing from Toronto who also attended the fight and after party along with IMM artists, Sonny Brown, Jup Gill and actress and radio host Gurpreet Grewal.

They all raised the roof at the after party and cheered Arjan on during the fight. Bali Deol from Swaraj radio also flew with Team Bhullar and attended the after party and live streamed the fight (which has now been seen by over 95,000 times just from her Facebook wall alone). Millions around the world have now heard of Arjan Singh Bhullar and the phenomenon of ‘Big Bhullar’ is just beginning. Arjan could end up having as many or more fans than current UFC’s current king of cage and ratings these days – Connor ‘The Notorious’ Mcgregor.

Hip-Hop, R&B and Bhangra was in the house at the Union Hall for the after party and it was a show of South Asian pride and dedication all in one that night through sport and entertainment.

Edmonton has never seen something quite like this hit their city before! The ‘City of Champions’ as it is known just launched one of the biggest South Asian careers in mainstream sports history!

Desi Hip Hop, an online portal reported that "Team Bhullar and Dream Team Management booked the whole flight to fly down people in support of Arjan Singh Bhullar.

Furthermore, Canex Building Supplies was also a major sponsor along with Speedwash and ThugPun. This is certainly a huge statement showcasing the Desi power for the world to

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see. This gesture must have definitely been overwhelming for Arjan, who aims at bringing the UFC to India with the milestone he has achieved.

After the victory at Rogers Arena and after a long journey of many years by Arjan Singh Bhullar, he and his people from all walks of life painted the “town brown”, just as the after party poster suggested!"

And those that couldn’t attend in person sent out video messages to support Arjan.

Harbhajan Mann, Jazzy B, Preet Harpal, Lazarus, Nav Bajwa, Ashok Mastie and others sent out video messages to show their love and support of the Sikh warrior going into the cage for the first time.

Modern Day Revolutionary - Satinder Dhillon and Davinder Singh Deol aka Teflon Don of Dream Team Management are the people who made this big event after party possible.

Teflon is one of the co-founders of Dream Team Management. He has played a key role in shaping what is today known as the Desi rap scene. He practically played a big role in launching Yo! Yo! Honey Singh in the Indian music industry. Including Honey Singh’s hit track “Brown Rang”, which he funded. Deol launched IMM Entertainment in 2012 and released an album in collaboration with Universal Music.

Moreover, Deol has worked with many of the biggest and best artists in India and abroad. Such as Mika Singh, Diljit Dosanjh, Gippy Grewal, Ray J, G-Unit, C-BO, Tupac’s Outlaws, Yukmouth, Tech9ne, the late Chris Lighty, Hardik Dave (founder of Desi Hip-Hop), Shameer Tandon, Govinda, Rock Jacobs, Jup Gill, and many many others from Hollywood to Bollywood.

Satinder Dhillon co-founder of Dream Team Management the modern day revolutionary who is a good friend of Arjan Singh Bhullar connected many people to this historic event. Erwin Singh Braich, Canada’s first Sikh Billionaire who is a backer of Dream Team Management also supported Bhullar in his quest to make history.

Anup Kumar a very well known manager in the industry who has worked with Honey Singh and currently manages Harbhajan Mann among others is also a member Dream Team Management along

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Arjan Bhullar with Satinder Dhillon, co-founder, Dream Team Management

with International trader Roop Bhandher.

Dhillon, a very close friend of Bhullar, and is the one who made parallels between reel time Sultan and the real time Sultan Bhullar. In one of the articles, that Dhillon wrote for the Huffington post, he mentions, "Ironically the movie starring Salman Khan, even though it was fiction, is about a wrestler who goes on to become an MMA fighter.

Insofar as the transition from wrestling to MMA fighting goes, Sultan is very similar to the true life story of Arjan Singh Bhullar. There are many layers to the Bhullar family’s story and it would make for a perfect Bollywood movie. With Arjan’s current success in MMA fighting, I am sure that one day when all is said and done and Arjan has wrapped up his MMA career, his life and that of his family will be immortalized on screen and surely become a hit with audiences around the world."

Entering UFC was just the first record, Bhullar went on to make a history by winning his debut fight against Luis Henrique by a unanimous decision at UFC 215 at Rogers Place in Edmonton in September 2017.

“It was amazing, it’s something that you visualize,” Bhullar told reporters after the fight.

“From getting my hands taped, to the actual fight, the walk-in, walk-out.

Everything went according to how we foresaw it. The fight went good too."

But absent from the Canadian fighter’s walk• Express Entry Applications (FSW, FSTW, CEC) • Permanent Jobs Supporting Express Entry Applications • Provincial Nominee Applications (Workers, Investors) • Temporary Work Permit for Visitors/Students & For A Person with Expired Status in Canada • Married Spouse, Common Law & Conjugal • Parents/Grand Parents PR & Super Visa Applications • Partner Applications

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Wrestling has a huge history in India.

The founders of our religion practiced wrestling in was Jinder Mahal, the WWE star and friend of Bhullar. “He gave me a call, he was caught in [Hurricane Irma],” Bhullar explained. “He lives in Tampa, Florida and he’s like ‘you know what brother, I’ve got four different properties down here, I’ve got my dog down here, I just haven’t been able to make peace and leave this.’ So he decided to bunker down there.”

Bhullar went on to talk about his Sikh lineage and how wrestling was and still is a very popular sport in India. He talked about his dream to be the ambassador of Indians around the world.

"Wrestling has a huge history in India. The founders of our religion practiced wrestling." He said with him entering the UFC, more opportunities will open for Indo-Canadians and Indians across the world. "There are over one billion in India. We are everywhere. Every big sport wants to enter the Indian market but either there are no facilities or no talent. But wrestling for sure has great scope. And we want to crack that market."

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13

FEATURE

SURREY SCHOOL DRIVE 2017 Sikh Awareness Foundation recently concluded its first School Supply Drive, collecting over 2165 pounds of supplies.

Many schools in Surrey took part in the drive including Sikh Academy, Guru Angad Dev Elementary, Khalsa School, Gurmat Center, and Gobind Sarvar. Over the next six months, donated supplies will be shipped to India for underprivileged students to use. Many of these students, coming from poverty-ridden areas, do not have access to basic human necessities like clothing, clean water or shelter. This is just one of the many initiatives SAF Canada has taken since 2014 when the charity was founded

by Shamandeep Singh.

Impoverished families in India do not get adequate support from their government and therefore cannot afford to send their children to school. Without education children are destined to live in poverty, further perpetuating its cycle. SAF Canada

14

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

believes education can empower children to break this cycle of poverty. It was this thought that motivated, SAF’s founder to start the “EDUCATE A CHILD” program whereby anyone can sponsor the education of a child online. Since its conception, the program has seen substantial growth, from just 20 children sponsored in 2014 to over 350 today.

Sikhi Awareness Foundation or SAF is a Canadian charity from Surrey that operates under the premise of “Selfless service for all of humanity”. Currently, they primarily work in India providing aid to children, families, and individuals in need through various poverty relief programs. Over the past two years, SAF has built homes and provided meals for many underprivileged families.

For more information regarding SAF Canada, you can check them out online at safcanada.org or email them at info@ safcanada.org

www.desitoday.ca

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FEATURE

DESI TODAY

COVER STORY

SMALL SCREEN’S

GRAND FACE

Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya

BY SURBHI GOGIA

here was a time when small

right. But who is she in real life? Is Divyanka

She wrote, “For what must we vote? 70

screen actors never found the

as ideal and revolutionary real life as Ishita or

years of independence hasn’t set us free! All

popularity and attention in spite of

different from her alter ego. “In many ways

parties must WAKE UP NOW! Every woman

being equally or even more talented

Divyanka is Ishita and Ishita is Divyanka. Just

deserves security!”

than Bollywood actors. But with soap

like Ishita Bhalla tries to stand for what is

Divyanka hails from Bhopal, a city in the

operas becoming important part of Indian

right and fight for others, I too try to speak for

Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. She started

household, the small screen actors have

what is right without thinking about myself.”

her television career from Zee TV’s drama

finally arrived at the scene. Some of them

She proved this recently. She opened her

fiction Banoo Main Teri Dulhann. She has

have fan following and are earning even more

heart out after listening to the disturbing news

won so many awards for her performances

than big screen stars. One of them is Ishita

of a minor girl’s rape in Chandigarh on India’s

that one would take her to be a professionally

Bhalla, played by Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya

Independence Day. She was so disturbed by

trained actor. But surprisingly she is not.

in Hindi Soap Opera Ye Hai Mohabbatien

the gruesome act that she took to Twitter to

In fact she never dreamt of being an actor.

(YHM). Ishita is a household name for most

ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his

She is trained in mountaineering and riflery.

of the Indian families living in India or abroad.

‘Beti Bachao’ campaign which failed on the

She completed a mountaineering course

It would be rare to find someone who is not

day of Independence. She wrote: “Kya Beti

from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering

a follower of this popular drama and rarest

Bachao? Ab beti ko bachao. Bete ki chahat

in Uttarkashi and rifle shooting course

to find someone who is not smitten by the

nahin hai, par ab darti hoon beti paida karne

from Bhopal Rifle Academy. She holds gold

mesmerizing beauty of this multi talented

se. Kya Kahungi, kyu usey swarg se nark ki

medals in riflery. To be an army officer was

actor.

dehshat mein dhakela. (What about the beti

Divyanka’s first career choice.

Divyanka aka Ishita is usually seen in

bachao campaign. Now save the girl. I don’t

Then how did she end up in the world

YHM as a fierce bahu, mother and wife who is

desire to have a son, but now I fear having

of glitz? In an exclusive interview with Desi

most lovable but also a revolutionary ready

a daughter. What will I tell her that why did I

Today, Divyanka talks about her life , her tryst

to take up challenges and stand for what is

pushed her to hell from heaven?”

with acting and her future plans.

16

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

THE INTERVIEW Please tell us something about your family and childhood?

I was born and brought up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. I did all my schooling and higher education from there. I have a BA degree with psychology and geography as subjects. My parents still live in the same city.

I have a sister and brother. My sister Priyanka is settled in Banglore and brother is a pilot settled in Delhi.

My parents have been like my friends. I would not have been what I am today without their support. Of course every parent shapes up their child. But I am very lucky that my parents were not typical Indian parents who restrict their kids to education. They let me explore my Horizons. They motivated me to try everything new. Thankfully. My parents felt that I needed to know and explore everything so that when I grow up I could discover what I am good at.

It is because of their support I tried my hands in drawing, sketching, dancing, singing, mountaineering, skiing, horse riding, NCC cadet and acting. But then I realized I could be a good actress. So I joined this industry.

how did you discover your talent for acting?

I could not have dreamt of being an actor. It was a far-fetched dream. It was un imaginable for me. While growing up, TV was never part of my life. My parents rather sent me out to play, study or do something creative. But somehow acting became part of my life. I am from Bhopal, a city where theatre is very active. It nurtures a lot of stage talent. I too participated on stage shows at a very early age when I was only 8 years old. Then I started my career as an anchor on Akash Vani, Bhopal. I also started modeling for advertising agencies. I also did few telefilms on national TV while growing up. That is how I got exposed towards OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

17

COVE R STORY

EXCLUSIVE

exposed me towards acting. They taught me how to be spontaneous and inhibition free.

how difficult or easy was it to crack your first break?

“My parents rather sent me out to play, study or do something creative. But somehow acting became part of my life. I am from Bhopal, a city where theatre is very active. It nurtures a lot of stage talent. I too participated on stage shows at a very early age when I was only 8 years old.” acting. But this was not something I wanted to be. I wanted to be in the Army. But now I am very happy where I am today.

if you can tell us about your journey from your hometown to the city of glitz and glamour? Was your family supportive?

My parents always supported me for any activity I wanted to explore. It is not a solo work. It was not only me who was struggling to establish. But my parents struggled with me. They hampered their work for me and traveled with me to help me find the right 18

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

platform. I was living in a small town and offers don’t really fall in your lap. You really have to reach out to people. I used to travel a lot.

My journey started with international Zee Teen Queen contest. It was a Zee TV pageant for teenagers. I enrolled in it just to try my luck. I sent some random pictures which were not even professionally done. But luckily I got selected and was called in Delhi. I won the Miss Beautiful Skin in the show. That was my first exposure on any national or international platform. Later I participated in various reality shows like Zee Cinestar ki khoj, was declared winner from Bhopal Zone. These shows

I belonged to a small town. I was not very modern. I was very much Desi always clad in salwar suit. The International Teen contest was a very tough platform to be in. Every girl was hot. I was learning how to be hot, which I was not. But overall it was a nice experience. I never went there to be a winner or with any feeling of competition.

I went there to learn something new. I did not have any beautiful dresses. I was wearing my NCC khaki pants. But things become easier for me because I was not trying to compete.

At times things do become simple and easy when you are not trying to compete but trying to learn. It is not always about winning but learning. This is my policy all even in life. Even when I got my first show Banoo Main Teri Dulhann, I never thought about being the best. I told myself to try something new. I thought I would learn something and will be out of here after 6 months and get back to my exams for civil services or for army officer. And then I would be stable in life. But life had different plans for me. The show went on. And once Mumbai calls you, there is no going back. My first show went on for 3 years after that I just could not return to my home town.

You have won so many awards and accolades at such young age for your performances. You think the time has finally come to hit bigger screen? if not then when do your fans see you in movies? www.desitoday.ca

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COVE R STORY

“ Bollywood is essentially dominated by men, and I can’t just be a pretty glamorous face in a film. Women-centric films are something that I would love to do.”

Awards are morale boosters. They keep you going. I am always thankful to my followers who love me and support me. Also to my producers who have full faith in me. If these opportunities were not there, I would not have achieved all this.

I would love to do movies. Would just love to do them. But I want to do some special roles meant just for me. Right now I am not getting the right kind of offers. Still waiting for something beautiful to come up. Bollywood is essentially dominated by men, and I can’t just be a pretty glamorous face in a film. Womencentric films are something that I would love to do. Among the recent ones, I liked watching Sridevi in Mom. Such powerful roles are what I am looking at. I also enjoyed Queen (2014) and Pink (2016). I want this wait to be over 20

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

and something good to come up.

You also won Nach baliye show recently. how was your journey as a non dancer to the winner of the dance competition?

Nach Baliye was a beautiful journey instead of a competition for us. I would not say that it turned a non dancer in me into a seasoned dancer because I still feel I am a non-dancer.

But I worked really hard to try something I had not done before. The hardest part for me was to remember the steps especially after my long days of shoot for YHM. Every day I had pain in my body parts -- my fingers, back, shoulder, legs or knee -- everything hurt. The rehearsals made me realise I had so many

parts in my body. It made me feel alive.

I have only good memories of Nach Baliye.

We never entered the show to compete. We never thought or wanted to be winners. But by the 4th episode we realised that we were pushing our boundaries to give our best. So at least we should be in the finale.

Along with fan following, we got inspired by the other performers. Generally in reality shows contestants do get competitive and jealousy creeps in. But we were there to learn and live the moment.

Also reality shows create difference in the couples. We have even seen people falling apart after participating in reality shows.

But Vivek and I decided one thing whatever happens we would not fight. Our relation is way beyond and we should be growing together rather than fighting. We used to have differences but we worked on our difference.

Great relations are never there naturally, you have to work on it. We learned how to work on our relation. We explored what it is like to be partner in crime. www.desitoday.ca

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BUSINESS

COVE R STORY

I belonged to a small town. I was not very modern. I was very much Desi always clad in salwar suit.

The International Teen contest was a very tough platform to be in. Every girl was hot. I was learning how to be hot, which I was not.

if you can share how you and vivek fell in love? was it love at first sight?

It was not love at first sight. It was like an arranged set up for us. Vivek and me have been working together for quite some time but we never thought we could be life partners. At sets we would just say hello and part our ways. Our maximum conversation before we went out together was I remember once when I was sitting with him and I started laughing because I was getting messages about people wanted to go out for coffee with me. He smiled. And that was it. Months 22

AUG / sePT 2017 News With A Desi View

went by. In a group picture fans spotted us together. The it struck to one of our co actors Pankaj Bhatia who plays Bala Ji in the show, that we both make good couple.

He used to share room with Vivek. My mom told Pankaj to look for a suitable match for me. He thought of Vivek. He did a background check on Vivek. He did this spygiri and found that Vivek was a very nice person. So he proposed the idea of marriage to me and Vivek at the same time. We were shocked because we never looked at each other like that. A marriage was beyond imagination. We were not alike. Vivek was too modern for me and I was too desi for him.

So we shrugged the idea.

But after that when we had another scene together it was difficult to take our eyes of each other. Some feeling were gushing in. Then we decided to go on a date.

When he met me on our first date, he already knew there was something, but I realized it after our first meeting because our conversation was flowing.

It was easy to talk to him. We started going out for few months.

We did not rush into our decision to get married because marriage is forever. After we were sure, we disclosed the decision to get married to our parents.

Our parents met and then they agreed because our families were alike. The ideologies and thought process was same.

how is life treating you after marriage? Do you plan to enter the motherhood soon?

Life is great. But I don't plan to be a mother, at least now. May be sometime later.

Motherhood is very responsible to get into.

I don’t think I am ready for it yet. We will take time because right now we both are focusing on careers and Romantic getaways because we are still exploring our relation. It is just one year, SO let’s see. www.desitoday.ca

.. , en den.

2012 as be e bur d Since t Forex h rcome th combine e n f Basa eople ov years o iness.” bus as 17 ing p help r team h nce in the “Ou experie

talking about your most talked about role of ishita bhalla. are you saturated with your role or you are satisfied? Your fans want to know who is Divyanka tripathi as a normal girl? or how close is ishita bhalla’s character to your real life personality?

I am not saturated with the character yet.

Ishita is quite like Divyanka. In many ways Ishita talks like me when she is standing for the right cause or trying to solve other’s problems. I have been living like Ishita for 5 years now and when you live in a character for so many years somewhere your own personality does come in. I am quite like her and she is like Divyanaka. But there are some differences. Ishita is a revolutionary, in reality I am a shy girl. I take time to open up unlike Ishita who a detective, who solves cases of Bhalla family. Although even I do try to solve others problems.

Apart from this, in reality I am a girl next door who loves to go shopping, walking and sometimes just fool around. I love being natural and do not get to meet the expectations of maintaining a celebrity status.

But people do remind me when I am out. They come up want and take photographs with me or ask for my autograph and then I miss being a normal girl. I enjoy being natural. But I am really grateful to all my fans.

What is your message to your fans in North america who are celebrating Diwali away from their country?

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I wish all the readers of Desi Today a very happy Diwali. It is that time of the year to spend some quality time with family. So make most of it. I request you to make it a festival of light and not a festival of pollution. Have a fire cracker free Diwali this year. www.desitoday.ca

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23

DE S I T O DAY P O L I T I C S

FEATURE

NDP LEADER JAGMEET SINGH

battles racism with love

By Davina BhanDar

I

t will go down as the defining moment of Jagmeet Singh’s successful campaign for the leadership of the federal New Democratic Party.

Moments into a campaign event on Sept. 6, an angry white woman interrupted Singh and shouted Islamophobic and vitriolic statements at him, and physically gesticulated, demonstrating her feeling of entitlement — to space, voice and position — in relation to others at the event. A video of the incident went viral and has been viewed millions of times in Canada and around the world.

24

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

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25

FEATURE Singh seemed undeterred by the outburst. His response to her rant was to rally his audience to help him relay his campaign message. He asked his guests to chant: “Love and courage.”

He returned to those themes in his acceptance speech on Sunday.

“It takes an act of love to realize we are all in this together and an act of courage to demand better, to dream bigger and to fight for a more inclusive and just world,” Singh told his cheering supporters shortly after the results were announced.

What is the nature of Singh’s call for love? His political slogan is based on a message of universal love and courage.

Singh’s message — and chant that evening — is uniquely situated among the slogans of the three other candidates: Charlie Angus “Got your back,” Niki Ashton “Building a movement, together,” and Guy Caron, “Let’s Build a Progressive and Sustainable Economy.”

The dramatic events at the Sept. 6 meeting demonstrates something about Singh, as a person and as a candidate. It also points to new undercurrents of religion and spirituality and its role — not only in Canadian politics, but also in the leadership race for the NDP. Singh’s emergence as the new NDP leader arrives in a climate of increasing hatred, fear and division. His call for universal love is coherent with Sikhism, which challenges the division between daily life and a devotional love that guides all thought and action. How does the language of love and courage relate to a New Democratic Party trying to find its way in a shifting political landscape?

Singh’s outward appearance solicits 26

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

Singh’s campaign and potential leadership arrives in a climate of increasing hatred, fear and division. His call for universal love is coherent with Sikhism, which challenges the division between daily life and a devotional love that guides all thought and action.

questions from some Canadians — as in the case of the heckler — regarding his secular position: To what degree does Singh’s religion relate to his policy ideas or conduct?

CanaDa: JUDEO-ChriSTian vaLUES? Canadian political institutions and traditions are imbued with Judeo-Christian values and symbols. Yet the separation of church and state maintains religion does not dictate the making of policy and law. However, in the game of politics, courting ethno-racial, national and religious identified voters has become a central art of party campaign strategists.

Political parties of all persuasions have had to navigate this division in a variety of ways. In Canada, the left social democratic tradition, represented now by the NDP, has had less experience with faith-based movements and the religious identity of its leaders than their right-wing counterparts

and left-leaning parties elsewhere in the world. Singh’s leadership challenge will likely change that.

While Singh is positioned as a secular politician, his ethos, sense of justice and formation of his identity is connected to a Sikh practice. The very essence of the message of universal love and courage is embedded in a Sikh devotion, rather than a secular idea of loving all humankind.

Practising Sikhism defines a way of life — one that is contemplative, meditative and committed to spiritualism and positive actions.

ThE CLaSh OF CiviLiZaTiOnS To understand the contemporary role of religion in politics, we need to look at one of our turning points: 9/11. The attacks on New York City and the Pentagon served as a marker of the time foreign and domestic policy in North America was called upon to name Islamic terrorism as a universal enemy. www.desitoday.ca

www.desitoday.ca

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

27

FEATURE Once North America and other western governments embraced the rhetoric of a civilization divide, the psyche of liberal democratic nations split apart. The already tenuous divide between the religious and secular began to rupture further.

This reinforced a binary division and emboldened a powerful discourse of racism and Islamophobia. The basic premise is that Islam represents something universally distinct from Christian belief systems.

This discourse of racism and difference has gained strength and societal control through the election of conservative governments with moral platforms that build on fears and anxieties of susceptible citizens.

Sixteen years of corrosive discourses since 9/11 has led to: Us vs. Them, the Clash of Civilizations and racism. We are now at the point of the normalization of white supremacy. It is no longer an oddity or a left-wing conspiracy theory to discuss the presence of fascism and neo-Nazis — these are events widely circulated in our social media feeds and featured during the evening news.

rELiGiOUS DiSCriMinaTiOn in CanaDa Islamophobia and racism are often understood to be twinned structures of oppression. In many ways they are, but there are complex differences between them. They disseminate and exist in different political, cultural and social taxonomies.

Islamophobia operates through systems of stereotypes, often misunderstanding or misrepresenting the traditions, religious practices and customs of highly diverse ethno-national and racial communities.

Islamophobia has been manufactured in multiple ways in society through popular culture, media, policy and criminalizing targeting Islam and Muslims.

28

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

Racism is a larger systemic operation of power denigrating one race while validating or elevating another.

When the Harper Conservatives were in government, they attempted to map onto Canadian national values a form of social conservatism. This was articulated through a distinction between Canada and the “barbaric cultural practices” of others.

The clear lines that were being drawn between what Harper referred to as “old stock Canadians” during a 2015 federal leaders’ debate brought into discourse front and center the relationship between white supremacy and Islamophobia. It connected the dots between a normative white Christian Canadian identity that could stand against the racialized others.

Now the Conservative Party has a leader who proudly accepts the label: “Harper with a Smile.” Andrew Scheer has the support of social conservatives in the Conservative Party. He has steadfastly supported free speech over the condemnation of Islamophobia and was absent during the House of Commons vote for the Anti-Islamophobia Motion M-103, overwhelmingly passed in the House of Commons.

WhEn LOSinG yOUr COOL iS nOT an OPTiOn Singh said his ability to remain cool under pressure was largely owed to his

experience of being a brown, Sikh and turbaned man, growing up in the 1980s in Brampton, Ont., just northwest of Toronto.

His past experiences of religious and racist intolerance helped to fortify him against racist language and assault.

In the moment in which the racist woman yelled at him, she assumed he was a Muslim. Many wondered why Singh did not attempt to correct her misconceived perception; he is not a Muslim, but rather, a Sikh.

Suggesting such a distinction in the moment, he said, would only further the misunderstanding that somehow being Muslim means such treatment is considered justifiable. His reaction, he said, should not be to proclaim his religion. By not correcting this misconception, Singh was acting in solidarity against Islamophobia.

Sikhs have been affected throughout the post-9/11 discourses of Islamophobia, mainly because of this misunderstood identity. In the U.S., and elsewhere, there has been a rise in hate bias attacks against Sikhs, with the 2012 Oak Creek, Wis., shooting as a visible example.

While there are those who, in the similar vein as Singh, have sought to challenge Islamophobia by standing in solidarity, there have also been many instances where Sikhs in America, the U.K. and Canada

The day-today effects of Islamophobia have led to many Muslims living with heightened experiences of fear and not knowing what they might encounter on a walk to school, a day at work or even waiting for a bus.

www.desitoday.ca

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However, in countless examples, when Islamophobia is experienced in the public sphere against properly identified Muslims, there has been a lack of outcry.

In Canada, the shooting deaths in Quebec’s Sainte-Foy’s Mosque, in which Azzedine Soufiane, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubakar Thabthi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Mamadou Tanou Barry, and Ibrahim Barry were killed, was unmistakably an act of terrorism. Canadians across the country mourned this tragedy. And yet was it recognized as an act of terrorism against the citizens of this state?

The day-to-day effects of Islamophobia have led to many Muslims living with heightened experiences of fear and not knowing what they might encounter on a walk to school, a day at work or even waiting for a bus.

The left social-democrats of the NDP hold steadfastly to their conception of justice, fairness and equality in a secular world. The ways in which people are encountering the public today, however, is seemingly much murkier than these stark divisions.

The issues of racism, religious intolerance and social justice are not central issues for any federal political party.

These issues, however, should no longer be viewed as separate from major policy platforms including health, welfare reform, employment, national defense, national security, aboriginal relations and education.

Perhaps a political leader such as Jagmeet Singh will be able to navigate these debates with an alacrity and style we have yet to witness in the Canadian political world.

Davina Bhandar is Adjunct Professor in School of Communication and Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies, Simon Fraser University

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29

BUSINESS

REALTY'S REALITY

BY SURBHI GOGIA

W

hat is happening to the real estate market of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley? It is a million or quite literally more than a million dollar question that is bothering everyone from realtors to home buyers to sellers or even the foreign investors? Those who have their money invested in the market are trying to find out if the housing bubble will burst soon? Those who want to buy are curious to know when will there be a halt in the soaring prices of the properties?

If we go by the opinion of Realtors, as expected, they want to keep the hopes high for the market and would never like to comment or even think that the real estate market will slow down and this dream bubble would burst. On the other hand, those who want the market and the rising prices to rest, are optimistic enough that the Bank of Canada's increased lending rates and new provincial government's efforts to 30

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

solve housing affordability, would cool down this market.

Thomas DAVIDOFF, associate professor and Director at UBC's Centre for Economics and Real Estate, says a lot of people think they know exactly where the market is going but it is hard to predict since you have to collect viewpoints of all the participants in the market to talk about prices. "It is an awful lot of wisdom. So most of the economist will be reluctant to forecast anything except a good guess that prices will not be too far from where they are now -- which is where the market wants them to be." He says it is hard to know more than what the market does.

He is of the view that two main factors that might slow down the current market activity are interest rates and foreign demand. According to him interest rates are still low. "But those interest rates may not

be around forever. Banks around the world are talking about raising interest rates." He says it is also hard to predict where the foreign demand will go but given the tax environment and new government coming in, there is a possibility that it will cool down.

When it comes to prices, if the market cools down, will the prices of real estate still be rising or there will be a bubble burst. He says, "Vancouver is a great place where lots of people from around the world want to live and since it is hard to build new homes here, we could continue to see prices stabilized moderating growth."

So does it mean there is no reason to be concerned about a bubble burst? "I would not go that far. I think it is possible. If people saw rise in prices and they are convinced that prices can never fall and that it is sure thing to bed in Vancouver's real estate and part of that psychology is driving prices www.desitoday.ca

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

31

It is an awful lot of wisdom.

So most of the economist will be reluctant to forecast anything except a good guess that prices will not be too far from where they are now -- which is where the market wants them to be.

32

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

better place to live than it is now," said Board President Gopal Sahota. "Our communities are thriving, and there are still affordable options throughout our region. Also, it doesn’t hurt that removing the bridge tolls gives us even greater access to the Lower Mainland."

Local realtors sees nothing but price increases in Vancouver’s near future, even as sales in the city’s luxury segment have dropped. Some blame the drop in single family home sales on foreign buyers tax.

But Davidoff feels it is hard to pin down a reason. "Sales were slowing down for single family home even before this tax came in." Affordability is one of the major issues here. Most locals don't have the income to support single family homes particularly in

MLS® Home Price Index Benchmark Prices, Fraser Valley Detached

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Apartment

$1,000,000 $900,000 $800,000 $700,000 $600,000 $ $500,000 $400,000 $300,000 $200,000 $100,000

2017

2016

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$0

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further, then obviously things can go wrong.

If everybody is buying on the believe that things will always go the right way, eventually you get too many buildings and people start changing their mind. Prices will collapse.

That is a possible scenario I would not rule that out, but it is not a likely scenario."

But to say that prices are going to fall down 50%in the next year that is pretty unlikely. "Usually before you see a collapse in prices, you see a collapse in sales volume.

We certainly have seen single family home sales weaken, but condos are still selling very easily," Davidoff adds.

Even the recent sales number from Real Estate Boards of both Fraser Valley and Greater Vancouver, point towards an upward trend where there was a definite rise in residential properties sales in August 2017 as compared to August 2016 -- 10 percent in Fraser Valley and 22.3 percent in Greater Vancouver. But the demand for attached housing (condominium and townhouses) pushed the sales as compared to single family detached housing. “Conditions in our detached home market are distinct today from the dynamic in our condominium and townhome markets," Jill Oudil, REBGV president said. "Detached homes have entered a balanced market. This means there's less upward pressure on prices and that buyers have more selection to choose from and more time to make their decisions."

(For more in depth numbers see Box) According to the Real Estate Board of Fraser Valley, of the total sales processed 470 were townhouses and 548 were apartments, together representing 54% of market activity in August. "It's not surprising to see demand like this still so late into the summer; the Fraser Valley has never been a

Vancouver. May be in Fraser Valley it is still possible but to buy in Metro Vancouver you need to have a huge family income and lot of wealth."

Even a recent housing affordability report

by RBC pointed that the least-affordable place to purchase a home remains the Vancouver area. The Vancouver area was the least affordable in the latest quarter ended June 30, 2017 at 80.7 per cent, down 2.4 per cent year-on-year. The Toronto area was second-highest at 75.4 per cent, marking an increase of 12.7 per cent. Victoria came in third at 58.6 per cent, with a year-on-year increase of 7.3 per cent. Across Canada, RBC's housing affordability measure hit 46.7 per cent in the latest quarter, a level not seen since the end of 1990 and an increase of 3.7 per cent from a year earlier.

So what is it that made Vancouver so unaffordable on first place? Was it the foreign demand from Chinese buyers or some other unknown factor? Davidoff feels that it is easy to blame influx of money from China to have pushed the sales and prices but we read between the lines we would see that demand in general to live in Vancouver was on the rise. "The only problem with blaming China and foreign demand is that it should not really be impacting the rental market. We don't have a great data going back but there have been years where prices have risen without rental prices increasing.

But in 2016, rent started to rise as well. There seem to be almost 10 percent rental growth."

www.desitoday.ca

BUSINESS

I believe it has been such a long time since we have seen balanced market that the perception is the market has stalled, or is in for a big drop. The new norm may just be a balanced market where a house may not sell in 60 days or less...time will tell.

RISE

THE AND RISE OF REAL ESTATE ATTACHED HOUSING SALES DRIVE THIS YEAR’S ACTIVITY

BY HARVINDER SANDHU 2017 has been an interesting year so far for the real estate market.

After last year’s screeching halt to the market when the 15% sales tax was added to foreign buyers price in August, many people thought the real estate market will not bounce back, let alone that the prices will 34

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

continue to rises. Price did keep going up, but only properties below the $700,000.00 were selling fast now.

Majority of first-time buyers can’t afford single family homes anymore as prices for detached houses are much higher, instead these first-time buyers, with many being

eligible for the BC Liberal government’s Home Partnership Program, are now buying attached housing. Hence the spike in price for townhomes and condos, especially in Vancouver’s downtown core where 1 bedroom units were selling at more than $100,000.00 over listed price.

Attached properties started to soar, the price going up month after month to the point where now it was these attached homes going over asking and by the time summer rolled around, much older complexes were selling at the price of detached houses from 4 to5 years ago.

“I believe it has been such a long time since we have seen balanced market that the perception is the market has stalled, or is in for a big drop. The new norm may just be a balanced market where a house may not sell in 60 days or less...time will tell.” Trisha Callam of RE/MAX Performance.

Fraser Valley Real Estate Board’s numbers show that Fraser Valley led in the- second strongest August historically in terms of sales. The price hike in Vancouver pushed prices up in the valley, resulting in the first time in history sales in Fraser Valley outpaced sales in Vancouver.

Below is excerpt from the Fraser Valley Housing Market Statistics for August 2017.

The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 1,879 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in August, an increase of 10.9 per cent compared to the 1,694 sales in August of last year, and a 3 per cent decrease compared to the 1,937 sales in July 2017.

Of the total sales processed 470 were townhouses and 548 were apartments, together representing 54% of market activity www.desitoday.ca

in August.

Last month the total active inventory for the Fraser Valley was 5,712 listings. Active inventory decreased by 4.3 per cent monthover-month, and decreased 6.4 per cent when compared to August 2016.

The Board received 2,633 new listings in August, a 20.2 per cent decrease from July 2017, and a 7.3 per cent decrease compared to August 2016’s 2,840 new listings.

For the Fraser Valley region, the average number of days to sell an apartment in August was 17 days, notable when compared to 26 at this time last year.

Townhomes sold in an average of 16 days and single family detached took 25.

HPI® BencHmark PrIce actIvIty

SINGLE FAMILy DETAcHED: At $976,000, the Benchmark price for a single family detached home in the Valley increased 1 per cent compared to July 2017, and increased 10.2 per cent compared to August 2016.

TowNHoMES: At $491,900 the Benchmark price for a townhome in the Fraser Valley increased 1.2 per cent compared to July 2017, and increased 16.6 per cent compared to August 2016.

APARTMENTS: At $349,300, the Benchmark price for apartments/condos in the Fraser Valley increased 2.4 per cent compared to July 2017, and increased 32.8 per cent compared to August 2016.

The market in the attached housing category is still strong, but not as strong as it was 2, 3 months ago. Prior to the interest rate hike, multiple offers for attached housing were norm, in the last 2 months, there’s less of multiple offers unless the unit is unique.

The sudden increase of interest rates by Bank of Canada in September also added to the overall slowing down of home sales, especially in the detached housing category.

For those who can afford to buy detached houses, there is inventory that has been sitting for a while, the only challenge; many sellers believe they should still be able to get the same price as from spring to summer of 2016 during the red-hot crazy market we had. That time is gone, may come again but when, that’s anybody’s guess.

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BEAUTY & ENT Arzoo Couture (Abbotsford BC) This company has always been a dream of ours. So when we finally decided to pursue it a year ago what better name could we come up with than Arzoo Couture. We are an Indian Boutique based out of Abbotsford, BC. We carry a wide selection of couture pieces including lenghas, sarees, anarkalis, and suits. Our custom orders are also in high demand. We have designed amazing pieces for numerous customers.

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Stare by Aasha (Jewelry) Pam Brah began her venture as a Jewelry designer in 2013. Her inspiration stems from her twins that were born in 2012, Aasha and Armaan Brah, hence the name of her company Sitare by Aasha. She hopes to continue to grow her brand by bringing you the latest and most creative jewelry designs, whether it be from a western or indian perspective or some type of fusion that reaches the hearts of her customers. Currently Sitare by Aasha sells online at www.sitarebyaasha.com also available on all social media, facebook, instagram, google+ @sitarebyaasha. Her line is also featured in Payal Business Centre at the designer store of Raasleela by Parvesh Jai. 36

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

www.desitoday.ca

Envious Hair and MakEup rEcEntly coMplEtEd a pHoto sHoot in collaboration witH a variEty of local vEndors to display wHat's trEnding in indian wEddings for outfits, jEwEllEry, HairstylEs and MakE up.

Envious Hair and Makeup Maliha and Karen are certified artists that have been providing hair and makeup services since 2011. Specializing in beauty hair and makeup, they have had the opportunity to work with a variety of clients, as well as work on runways and music videos. Enhancing their clients beauty is what they aspire towards ensuring that each client is confident and content with their final look!

Prem Saran Photography Prem Saran Photography is run by Prem Saran., a freelance photographer who is trying to capture memorable moments of people and their families. "I run my business out of my own home as a side job and like capturing the finer details and want to help people see my prospective thru my lens. I have been running for about 2 years now and would like to explore different fields and be open to everything. Images can be so powerful and have soo much emotion behind them if we just stop to see the beauty that is all around us." he says.

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

37

BEAUTY & ENT

1

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the FashioN eXtravaGaNZa

Jamal Abdourahman helped found Vancouver Fashion week in 2001, it was to take local designs to the world by giving them a place to showcase their creations. Now, the world is coming to Vancouver to be part of a show and a program that has a reputation for pushing boundaries and embracing the many cultures that make up the city. Hosted at the chinese cultural centre, Vancouver Fashion week welcomed over 100 local and international designers to showcase their lines this September.

From eco-friendly designs to avant-garde street wear and haute couture collections to contemporary leisurewear, Vancouver Fashion week proved itself as the perfect platform for both established and emerging designers to debut their up-and-coming fall/winter collection. From vibrant colourful polka dot patterns to all black textured layers, the cross section was anything but standard. Here is a sneak peek into what was on the ramp:

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OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

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www.desitoday.ca

7 8

PIC 1 & 2: Shrishti Kaur’s bridal collection exuded elegance and femininity. A strapless boned corseted dress in white with a trailing hemline, worn with a short choppy veil gave a modern twist. White floral embroidery across transparent fabric created an embellished collarbone, white petals almost suspended above the skin. Flared cuff sleeves, A-line cuts, and tightly tailored waists celebrated the female form. The bridal colour palette developed into dark blues and deep reds with gold baroque style embroidery.

PIC 3: A model walks the runway wearing Elham Safaei PIC 4: The colours of the sea were a distinct inspiration behind Charly Thorn’s Spring Summer 2018 collection. Tropical prints of green palms were highlighted on white canvas, accented with polished metallic espadrille shoes. A resort collection perfect for your next holiday.

PIC 5: Fashion designer Mary Ebra walks the runway at 2017 Vancouver PIC 6: A model walks the runway wearing Marisa P. Clark Designs PIC 7 & 8: Alex S Yu’s unisex collection was presented in front of a digital screen featuring green school lockers. A grey and white chequered dress with frilled hem, under a layer of shiny plastic, added a fresh twist to a preppy look. Pin stripes, pleats, and denim rendered a youthful vibe.

PIC 9: Vancouver Kids Fashion Week designers first day debuting the latest collections from Vonbon, Cabriolle, Wildswan and Hugland just to name a few. Vonbon, casual and comfy wear in soft greys and blush pinks, with stripes and floral accents, perfect for the active little ones.

PIC 10: Cabriolle, a Ballerina and Fairytale themed collection, featuring princess inspired gowns and dresses sprinkled with fairy dust and intricate details of butterflies and garden flowers.

PIC 11 & 12: Lil Haven Co. featuring their latest collection for the little ones, comfortable and stylish wear made from organic bamboo materials, perfectly suited for kids at play.

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Photos by Arun Nevader/Getty Images for VFW Management Inc.

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DESI TODAY

FEATURE

IND IANS SHINI N G

INDIAN AMERICANS

Rising Under Trump While the Indian-American community has been the wealthiest, most-educated minority in the U.S. for some time now, they're only more recently experiencing widescale recognition in public life. Here are eight key IndianAmerican administrators rising through the ranks under President Donald Trump.

RAJ SHAH

Principal Deputy Press Secretary Indian-American Raj Shah, a well known aide of Donald Trump, has been appointed to a key position by the US President in his communications team, the White House has said.

Shah, 32, was one of the few handful aides of Trump who landed in the White House within hours of the billionaire tycoon's swearing in as the 45th US President on January 20.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Shah's parents are from Gujarat and had migrated to the US in 1980s.

His father, an engineer by profession, moved to Mumbai at a young age while his mother hails from Bhujpur in Kutch.

He formerly served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Communications Director. In April, Shah was identified as one of the three West Wing Power Players in the White House along with 40

AUG / SEPT 2017 News With A DESI View

Hope Hicks and Eli Miller.

Shah was head of the Opposition Research in the Republican National Committeebefore he moved to the White House. He had led a team of experts to carry out research against Trump's presidential rival Hillary Clinton. He was behind all the anti-Clinton campaign during the presidential polls.

NIKKI HALEY

United Nations U.S. Ambassador As U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Haley is arguably the most visible Indian American in the Trump administration.

Elected governor of South Carolina in 2010, Haley was the first Indian American woman ever to become a U.S. governor, and was both the first female governor and the first governor from an ethnic minority South Carolina had ever seen. She was also the youngest governor in the country during her tenure: She served

two terms, from January 2011 to January 2017.

She's been lauded as one of the most powerful and influential woman leaders in the U.S. Her name was dropped as a potential vice presidential candidate during more than one election season, and she’s even elicited media speculation that she could one day be the country’s first female president. But criticism around whether she is appropriately qualified for her role as UN Ambassador is also routinely leveled against her.

Born Nimrata "Nikki" Randhawa to a Sikh family, Haley, 45, was raised in Bamberg, South Carolina, and has often spoken about how hers was the only Sikh family in the area at the time. Married to a Methodist, she converted to Christianity.

AJIT PAI

Chairman, Federal Communications Commission As the chairman of the United States Federal Communications Commission, accomplished attorney Ajit Pai works on a wide variety of regulatory and transactional matters involving the cable, internet, TV, radio and satellite industries. He has served in various positions at the FCC since being appointed a commissioner by former President Barack Obama in May 2012, but it was Trump who made Pai FCC chief early this year, granting him full control over the agency.

Pai has been in the eye of the net neutrality storm given the FCC's plans to roll back Obama-era regulations of high-speed internet providers, which were established to ensure an open internet where content is delivered to consumers at the same speed regardless of which company or website it is from. Tech giants including Amazon, Facebook, Google and Twitter even led protests against Pai's plans.

The son of Konkani immigrants from India, Pai, 44, was born in Buffalo, New York. He grew up in rural Parsons, Kansas, where both of his parents were doctors at the county hospital. He earned a B.A. from www.desitoday.ca

Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Seema Verma is the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). She took over the agency amid immense uncertainty surrounding the U.S. healthcare industry as Republicans sought to dismantle Obamacare. Her job: walking lawmakers through the changes to Medicaid and providing state-specific data detailing how CMS can ease the transition.

In 2001, Verma founded SVC, a health policy consulting firm, which worked with state insurance agencies and public health agencies to prepare for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. It also assisted Indiana and Kentucky, among other states, in the design of Medicaid expansion programs under the ACA. Verma thus emerged as a leading conservative healthcare policy thinker under former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, remaining a crucial part of Daniels' successor Mike Pence's administration. Now she's at the center of the GOP's efforts to use executive power to steer healthcare policy.

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VISHAL AMIN

Intellectual property enforcement coordinator Vishal Amin is Trump's intellectual property enforcement coordinator. The position, sometimes dubbed “IP czar,” was created by Congress in 2008 to better organize the government’s effort to combat piracy -working for example, to facilitate agreements between major studios, record labels and internet players such as ad sales networks to curb online copyright infringement at the source.

Amin served in the administration of George W. Bush as associate director for domestic policy, and at the U.S. Department www.desitoday.ca

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of Commerce as special assistant and associate director for policy in the Office of the Secretary. He received a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University and a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

NEOMI RAO

Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs A respected legal scholar, Neomi Rao is administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the White House. While it may sound like an obscure office to some, when it comes to policy, the OIRA administrator can be one of the most

influential positions in government.

Established during the Carter administration in 1980, the office approves government data collections and determines whether agencies have sufficiently addressed problems during rule-making.

The administrator can accept regulations or ask that they be reworked, thereby effectively either expediting rules or neutralizing them by imposing indefinite delays. Rao is thus at the heart of Trump’s contentious agenda to overhaul existing government rules and regulations.

An associate professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School, where she founded and directs the Center for the Study of the Administrative State, Rao, 44, has experience in all three branches of government. The daughter of immigrant doctors from India who settled in suburban Detroit, she graduated from Yale and earned a law degree at the University of Chicago.

NEIL CHATTERJEE

Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Appointed by Trump last month, Neil Chatterjee is chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The FERC is tasked primarily with regulating the transmission and sale of electricity, oil and natural gas.

Prior to assuming his current role, he was an energy policy advisor to United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Chatterjee also previously worked for the United States House Committee on Ways and Means, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Deborah Pryce.

Aadhaar should be made mandatory for the registration of NRI marriages in India to tackle desertion and other marital issues, an inter-ministerial committee has recommended to the Ministry of External Affairs.

The proposal by the special

ADHAAR CARD FOR NRI MARRIAGES? Make Aadhaar mandatory for NRI marriages: Expert panel to MEA

committee on Indian passport holders getting married in India is aimed at protecting the rights of women who are deserted by their NRI husbands or become victims of domestic violence and dowry harassment abroad.

"It has been proposed that Aadhaar be a must-have for registration of NRI marriages (in 42

OCT // SEPT AUG NOV 2017 News With A DESI View

India)," said a source privy to the contents of the report submitted to the MEA on August 30.

The Unique Identification Authority of India is working on a policy for the Aadhaar enrolment of NRIs, Overseas Citizens of India and Persons of Indian Origin. At present, all residents including Indian nationals and foreigners with valid visas can enrol for an Aadhaar number.

The panel also recommended that India amend its extradition treaties with various countries to include domestic violence as a criterion for seeking the custody of an accused.

An official in the ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) said tracking an offender in NRI marriages was often difficult.

"The main issue is that serving of notice is difficult because you don't have the address," he said.

The report is only limited to NRIs and not anybody else of Indian origin living abroad, the source said.

"We are only dealing with those who hold an Indian passport," the source added.

The committee also suggested that the National Commission for www.desitoday.ca

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The Unique Identification Authority of India is working on a policy for the Aadhaar enrolment of NRIs, Overseas Citizens of India and Persons of Indian Origin.

Women (NCW) be made the nodal authority for looking into disputes arising out of such marriages.

According to an NCW report, about 1300 such cases were registered by its NRI cell between 2005 and 2012.

The panel mooted that special teams consisting of officials of the MEA, Home Affairs and WCD be deputed in "10-15 countries" from where such cases emanate.

Apart from the UK, US, Canada and Australia, teams should also be posted to African and West Asian nations, it said.

The expert panel on NRI marriages was constituted last year under the chairmanship of retired Justice Arvind Goel, former chairman of the NRI Commission of Punjab, and comprises officials of the ministries of WCD, Home Affairs, MEA and the department of Telecommunications. www.desitoday.ca

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BUSINESS

D E S I T O DAY

I N DI AN S S HINING LEO VARADKAR, 38 Prime Minister of Ireland.

Ireland has long defined mass emigration. Yet remarkably, its new Prime Minister is the son of a Hindu immigrant from Mumbai. This former doctor is Ireland’s youngest leader in centuries, not to mention its first-ever openly gay one—no small detail in his devoutly Catholic country. Varadkar dismisses all that as irrelevant. Far more crucial is his ability to protect the Celtic Tiger against economic disaster when Britain exits the E.U. in 2019, and guarding Ireland’s low-tax deals with tech giants. Many are rooting for his success.

LEILA JANAH, 34

CEO and founder, Samasource

Five Indian-origin persons, including Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, have featured in Fortune's annual list of 40 young and influential people in the field of business inspiring others with their work.

Fortune's 2017 '40 Under 40' list is an annual ranking of the most influential young people who are under 40 in business, whom

the magazine termed as "disruptors, innovators, rebels and artists" inspiring others.

The list has been topped by 39-yearold French President Emmanuel Macron "France's youngest leader since Napoleon" who swept the presidential elections in May "obliterating the two-party system that had governed the country for generations."

Janah’s Samasource is on track to pull in $15 million in revenue this year by setting up workers in Kenya, Uganda, India, and other underprivileged parts of the world as remote freelancers for the tech sector, an arrangement that boosts their average wages from less than $2.50 a day to more than $8. Janah, who also founded a skincare line that employs women in Uganda, stresses the importance of work — not charity — in fighting global poverty. Her new book, Give Work, which outlines that philosophy, comes out this fall.

DIVYA NAG, 26 Special projects, responsible for CareKit and ResearchKit, Apple

RISHI SHAH, 31 and SHRADHA CEO; President, Outcome Health

AGARWAL, 32

This more than 10-year-old health-tech firm, helmed by CEO Shah — a college dropout (pictured right) — and president Agarwal, raised the kind of money that unicorns dream about earlier this year, bringing in over $500 million at a valuation of more than $5 billion. Outcome says it has already outfitted more than 40,000 doctor’s offices with touch screens and tablets that can deliver meditation apps, relevant medical information, and (of course) advertising to patients.

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By the time Nag had joined Apple, at age 23, she had dropped out of Stanford, founded a stem-cell research startup, and begun a medical investment accelerator.

Now she oversees Apple’s ambitious ResearchKit and CareKit programs that encourage developers to build health-related apps. If Apple succeeds, it could transform clinical trials from isolated events at hospitals to ongoing studies that capture vital signs from omnipresent sensors.

Nag’s personal goal is no less ambitious. “I want to put people in charge of their health,” she says.

“It’s not about living with a specific disease or condition. It’s about living. Full stop.”

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FEATURE

Taking over the world

BY SURBHI GOGIA Social media sensations Harjit Bhandal and Jaz Saini of the hit YouTwoTV channel have officially taken home the “Fan Fave Much Creator” award at the 2017 iHeartRadio MMVAs. YouTwoTV was created out of Jaz and Harjit’s passion for producing unique content and making people laugh. Since its official launch on February 8, 2016, the channel has garnered over 120 million views and 550,000 subscribers from all around the world building consistent viewership in India, Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. YouTwoTV provides weekly that touches on everything from relationships and education to work-related comedy.

In conjunction with YouTwoTV, Harjit and Jaz also produce videos for their other channel YouTwoVlogs where viewers have a chance to get to follow their day to day lives and get to know the real duo as they freely express their opinions, likes and dislikes.

The Brampton born and raised pair have also become in-demand brand 46

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

ambassadors and have partnered with major companies on several campaigns including Google Canada, Subway Canada, McDonald’s Canada, Bell Canada and Nestle Canada, among others. Most recently, Harjit and Jaz were recognized by the City of Brampton with the Citizens Awards Arts Acclaim Award.

Harjit Bhandal was born and raised in Brampton, Ontario and is a graduate of Harold Brathwaite Secondary School. With no post-secondary education, he used his love for film to start his own production company and shot everything from short films to weddings. When he’s not trying to take over the world with Jaz, you can find him playing basketball or playing Zelda.

Jaz Saini was born and raised in Brampton, Ontario. She has a diploma in Marketing and a certificate in Marketing Design Applications.

She started her career as a Social Media Strategist both in and out of the entertainment industry, but knew she was meant to be on camera. Other www.desitoday.ca

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FEATURE

We’re really great with communication and I think that’s where a lot of couples go wrong. Our advice would be to share everything and be honest from the past, present and future.

H: We like to drop a lot of back to school videos in the Fall because we know a lot of our viewers are students!

than her love for creating content, Jaz is a huge foodie and also loves playing Zelda.

In an interview with Desi Today, Harjit and Jaz come together to to talk about their passion and how they got together to create this successful channel.

Congratulations on winning the award. How do you feel?

J: We just wanted to say thank you to all the homies (fans) for all the love and support!

Without them, we wouldn’t be here right now.

H: This is honestly a dream come true.

Where and how you two got together?

J: We met at the airport! Harjit and I were both going on the same business trip to

India and we just really hit it off!

H: We hung out a lot while in India and then when we came back we were kind of inseparable When and how did you decide to start the channel?

J: We started the channel February 8th 2016 and we decided to start the channel literally a week before!

H: We both had our own channels that

were kind of at a standstill and we were both constantly helping each other and working together that it just made sense to start a channel together!

Are you guys actually living together?

J: Currently we are not living together H: However, we are planning to make the move to LA so we’ll be living together real soon!

Where do you get the inspiration to select the theme of your skits?

J: Our skits are based on everyday lives, we like say that we just make real life situations funny

H: Our inspiration comes from anywhere, depending on time of the year it is, who we’re hanging around with or even things going on around the world.

What age group is your followers?

J: It’s a wide range of people aged 13-35

What according to you relates to the viewers?

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J: I feel like anything to do with relationships or parents relates a lot to our viewers

Which skit got the maximum number of views till now and why?

J: “Back To School : Types Of Students” which has about 27.4 Million views

H: I think it got a lot of views because it was just super relatable to everyone that’s going back to school or has been to school.

We tried to hit every type of student and make it as humorous as we could.

What are your future plans?

J: We have some big dreams. Moving to LA is first on the list and then maybe going on tour, writing a show, writing a book.. The list goes on!

What do you think are major issues that can take a toll on a your relationship? What's your advice?

J: We hardly EVER argue, so if we do its disagreeing on something about the business and we usually resolve that pretty quick.

H: We’re really great with communication and I think that’s where a lot of couples go wrong. Our advice would be to share everything and be honest from the past, present and future.

How are your families reacting to your success and videos?

J: My dad is still a little confused on what I

do, but I think deep down he’s super proud of me!

H: My parents are finally starting to get really happy for me! They’ve always preached for me to get a “real job” but they realize our success now and that this is what makes me happy! www.desitoday.ca

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FEATURE

JOIN IN THE

Diwali celebration THIS YEAR

GET COOKING A meatless celebration, Diwali is known for its sweets, snacks and savoury treats. Mithai and samosas are among the many food items that are typically prepared, along with sweets such as mohanthal and patishapta.

These may sound difficult to make, but finding the ingredients is as easy as visiting your local Real Canadian Superstore or No Frills locations where you can pick up authentic South Asian brands along with the rest of your groceries at low prices.

Anjum Choudhry Nayyar

(NC) Known as the Festival of Lights, Diwali unites people from around the world in a celebration of the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and hope over despair. Many South Asians celebrate and this year it is on October 19. No matter your faith, everyone can share in the joy of Diwali by coming together with family and friends. Here, Anjum Choudhry Nayyar, award-winning journalist and editor-in-chief of Masalamommas.com, gives her advice and tips for those celebrating for the first time this year.

PREPARE YOUR HOME The lead up to Diwali includes a thorough cleansing of the home, so why not use it as an opportunity for a fall cleaning? Take inventory of what you need and what you can part with. It’s a Diwali ritual to clean and decorate with flowers and candles or even fresh paint. During Diwali, celebrants pay particular attention to the rangoli, which is the entrance to a home, and often decorate it with vibrant colours or flowers. A bright potted plant at your front door is the perfect Diwali addition.

SHARING THE LIGHT True to its name, Diwali is a time when those celebrating the occasion decorate their homes with lit diyas and other festive lights.

Light is a symbol of unity and an invitation for everyone to share in the joy of the festival.

If you’re attending a Diwali celebration, consider taking a personally designed diya or another light source as a gift to the host. It is also customary to celebrate with neighbours with some backyard fireworks.

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51

FEATURE I have not decided whether or not I am going to throw my hat in the ring to run for Surrey City Council yet, however, I have started to explore some of the major issues and ideas facing the city and their potential solutions.

I live in the heart of Surrey City Centre and one of my biggest concerns is crime. I feel as the city is growing that crime is rapidly becoming a complex social problem that needs a multiple layer approach.

I am proposing more police, more patrol, and more prevention as the cornerstones of this three-pillar approach.

I am open to new ideas and feedback of course, but I would like to see a “no call is to small� philosophy put into practice.

I feel safer streets are the foundation to build a stronger community.

Fighting crime in Surrey

By ALEX SANGHA

with the population.

Surrey needs to compare the number of police officers per capita with other comparable cities in Canada and around the world. An analysis of cities that have low crime rates needs to be completed and similar strategies can be applied in Surrey.

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Hire new Surrey RCMP police officers to keep pace with population growth and the needs of the city.

Create a 2500-person strong community police force to patrol the streets. This would be a volunteer reserve force. Surrey RCMP police officers and city bylaw officers could be recruited from this reserve force as a priority. These volunteers would also gain valuable experience to work in corrections, border security, and the Canadian forces.

The Surrey RCMP force needs to be diverse and representative of the community it serves to build trust and integrity

Enhance the victim assistance program where criminals convicted of serious crimes would be forced to pay 15% of their

Below is what I believe to be a common sense 15-point plan to fight crime.

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4

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gross income for up to 15 years after release to the victim assistance fund. This is designed to be a financial deterrent to prevent them from relapse.

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Install cameras and better street lighting in all high crime areas of the city.

Establish a community court at the old City Hall in Newton to rehabilitate minor offenders, especially youth, to give them a second chance at life.

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Liaise with various stakeholders including higher levels of government to reduce social problems linked to crime such as poverty, homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction, and mental illness. Develop a strategic plan to eliminate, reduce, or prevent crime before it even happens. The city can expand the social planning department

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significantly with more social workers and researchers to develop the social and economic case for higher levels of government to provide financial resources to resolve Surrey’s growing social problems.

Develop and fund recreational, leisure, and sporting programs for residents in the community, especially youth, to participate in to deter them from a life of crime including gangs.

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10 Increase funding to the Surrey Crime

Prevention Society and the Block Watch program to keep pace with population growth and to meet the needs of the city.

11 Enhance services and supports to

victims of domestic violence so they have real choices and safe options and are not forced to live in dangerous, fearful situations.

12 Keep Surrey clean and well-maintained to reduce graffiti and vandalism so that residents take pride in their city.

13 Have the Surrey School District hire

more security and police liaisons for all schools to ensure kids are safe and not at-risk of criminal activity such as getting involved in gangs, and drugs.

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14 Have the Surrey School District develop

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courses and workshops on antibullying, racism, and other forms of discrimination, as well as educate the students on how to stay safe.

Last, I feel specific cultural and ethnic communities may need a custom-tailored response to address crime within their communities. This includes my own South Asian community where I feel the families and community at-large needs to play a bigger role in terms of addressing male privilege and entitlement and how it impacts the paths our youth find themselves on and their social outcomes.

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POLITICS

My Love Affair WITH

POLITICS

DR. SURESH KURL, IN A TWO PART SERIES TAKES YOU DOWN THE MEMORY LANE ABOUT CANADIAN POLITICS 50 YEARS AGO During the summer of 1972 while enjoying a roadside greek Festival in the Kitsilano community, where we lived, we ran into Hon. Ron Basford, the Justice Minister in Pierre Trudeau government. He was milling around, glad-handing. He spotted us, approached, introduced himself and asked who we were.

We knew that if we were in India, we would have never been allowed to get that close and stand face to face to a Cabinet Minister. We were impressed by his informal demeanour.

Actually, we felt so impressed that we decided to join the Liberal Party. Those were the days when any Common Wealth citizen could vote in Federal Elections.

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Though we had been living in Canada for almost two years we did not know very many people in Vancouver. We thought becoming a member of a national party would give us an outlet to meet with people and learn about the political system of this country. Later when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau resigned and John Turner took over the party leadership we started attending the party events and contributing to political campaigns. For my family and I, these experiences were invaluable.

I remember attending one of the Party’s fund raising-dinners. It was held at the Hotel Vancouver. As a vegetarian I was served a

piece of bread, a few green peas, two small baby carrots, half a potato, a little piece of chocolate cake and a glass of wine. When I heard the price of that meal was $250.00 paid on my behalf I felt shocked and guilty to waste so much money on a simple meal. I spent most of the first half of that night turning calculating how much $250 will be in Indian rupees and thinking that a poor Indian villager could have arranged a simple wedding of his daughter for that kind of money! After only four months at the helm, Mr. Turner called general elections and lost to Brian Mulrony, the Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party. www.desitoday.ca

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POLITICS

Brian’s era was rather unpleasant and disturbing to lots of Canadians. He introduced the goods and Service Tax, which many people opposed, signed the Free Trade Agreement with the United States of America, which both Liberals and the New Democrats criticized brutally, and hard working, blood sweating, ordinary Canadians absolutely hated. He also made patronage appoints to Boards and Commissions by appointing every “living breathing Tory”.

He jinxed a critical constitutional agreement known as the “Meech Lake Accord” creating a crisis of national confidence and planting hostility throughout the nation. Brian developed a very close friendship with Ronald Reagan, the President of the United States. Some Canadians found this to be embarrassing and demeaning and that Mulrony’s behaviour was self-serving while trivializing Canada. When he stood up, linking arms with the President and sang, “When Irish Eyes are Smiling…” some Canadians felt it was ingratiating, as though he was singing for his supper.

Then in June 1985, following the bombing of Air India flight 182, I, along with thousands of Canadians of South Asian heritage, found Mr. Mulrony’s behaviour and actions extremely hurtful and distasteful. Instead of contacting the surviving families of the 331 Air India bombing victims in Canada, where the flight had originated, he instead preferred to call Rajiv gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, to express his condolences on behalf of Canada and Canadians. We were shocked by the distance he immediately placed between himself and the tragedy’s victims. It was incomprehensible to us that he never considered us, Indo-Canadians, even for a second. We were not Canadian enough from him to link to the victims of Air India to Canada, or to deserve his sympathy for our loss. Not only that, it felt to us that his investigative agencies – CSIS and the RCMP - continued to undermine the importance of Canada’s largest aviation tragedy and mass murder as they treated the bombing of flight 182 as a “brown” issue divorced from “white” Canada.

In 1990, a vigorous contest for the leadership of the Liberal Party took place.

Five candidates: Jean Chretien, Paul Martin, John Nunziata, Sheila Copps and Tom Wappel threw their names in the ring. It was Jean Chretien’s second attempt for the party leadership. Between his first and the second 56

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

I, along with thousands of Canadians of South Asian heritage, found Mr. Mulrony’s behaviour and actions extremely hurtful and distasteful. Instead of contacting the surviving families of the 331 Air India bombing victims in Canada, where the flight had originated, he instead preferred to call Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, to express his condolences on behalf of Canada and Canadians. We were shocked by the distance he immediately placed between himself and the tragedy’s victims. attempts he wrote “Straight from the heart”.

It had an intense emotional appeal for me. I read it twice and decided to become involved in his campaign hoping to gain access to some important liberal politicians and keep the impact of Air India tragedy alive.

That was also the era when the Reform Party was ascending its zenith and in the prime of its youth, raging a political storm, especially in Western Canada. Its leader, Preston Manning, was running a well-oiled campaign. Many Progressive Conservatives party members were rushing to join the Reform Party in the hope of retaining their power base. Mr. Manning’s efforts were showing solid results. Right wing conservatives found his party platform--Free-Trade, “Triple-E Senate” (Elected, Effective and with Equal representation) and Reduction of the size, scope and cost of government and opposition to Quebec’s demand for special status within Confederation--very alluring.

After the decimation of the Progressive Conservative standing in Parliament in 1992, the Reform Party looked and felt like a messiah to those who had been displaced.

The Reformers seemed strong everywhere in British Columbia except in the Lower Mainland (today referred to as Metro Vancouver). The Lower Mainland’s visible minorities were quite skeptical about Mr. Manning and his political philosophy.

His proposal to reduce funding for cultural programs, reduce the immigration target to 150,000 a year and enforce its Christian fundamentalist values evoked serious concerns among visible minorities. One of my co-workers attempted to persuade me to join the Reform Party but I was too alarmed by what I had observed to get mixed up with her brand of politics.

Some members of the Reform Party were racist and so short sighted that they were

almost blind. They went out and nominated Doug Collins, a journalist who was well known for his anti-ethnic views. He genuinely believed that “governments at all levels are easy touches as far as giving tax dollars away to minorities and other pressure groups.

Such beggars have only to whisper that they are fighting racism and they go away dancing on dollars.” But Collins’ comments were too inflammatory and racist for Mr. Manning, and he refused to sign Collins’ nomination papers.

After the 1993 election, the Reform Party elected 52 Members to Parliament. One of them was Ted White from North Vancouver.

According to Doug Collins, Ted scored a “first” in the House of Commons.

Ted protested the Liberal government’s “affirmative action” and called it “the road to tyranny…paved with human rights.”

Once, Doug Collins and his types made me feel so outraged that I wrote to Jean Chretien about my feelings and offered him my services as volunteer. Within a period of three short of weeks I received a call from Norman Morrison who had already been working on his campaign. He asked me if I would like to help the party organize Richmond Liberal delegates and Co-Chair Mr. Chretien’s Leadership Campaign. He came to my house and explained to me the role of an organizer on a campaign team. He asked to make new members for the party and promote Jean Chretien as the next leader. I found the job challenging yet interesting.

[To be continued...]

BY DR SURESH KURL Dr. Suresh Kurl is a South Asian Community Activist, a former university professor, retired Registrar of the BC Benefits Appeal Board (Govt. of B.C.) a former-Member of the National Parole Board (Govt. of Canada), a writer and public speaker.

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FEATURE

PA R

ENTING SPECIA

PUNJABI PAD: VERY FIRST INTERACTIVE

Talking Punjabi Toy

L

Punjabi Pad Co-founders Alex & Milan Rana

By SUrBHi GOGiA

t

here are numerous toys that impart English language skills. However, few that teach Punjabi language. A couple based in US have invented the very first talking interactive Punjabi Pad. LINgODODO teaches the Punjabi Alphabets, numbers, colors, fun beats and also quizzes you on what you've learned. "Basically Leapfrog just strictly in Punjabi," says Milan Rana, co-founder of Lingododo.

Milan and her Husband, currently based in California, invented the pad out of their personal need and their passion for creativity, learning and entrepreneurship. The have two kids 9 and 4 years old who became their initial source of inspiration when they encountered difficulty in teaching them the native languages, Hindi and Punjabi.

"We sent our daughter to Sunday school at the local temple; however, she felt left behind in the classes. The problem was not the school, but rather ourselves, as we didn’t teach her

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the basics of the language because of hectic work schedule, busy days and general lack of time. We started looking for other solutions and were frustrated to discover that a lot of toys and tools were available in the market, but only in English," says Milan.

The couple did not want the kids to grow up without knowing their roots, culture, and language. "Our second kid received a gift from a friend that was an electronic alphabet (English) learning tablet. We said to ourselves -- Only if this tablet could teach our son Punjabi." And Voila! the idea for LingoDodo was born.

We at LingoDodo, know and understand that as a parent your deepest desire is that your child learns your native language and understands your culture, but we also realize the time commitment and effort it requires. We have www.desitoday.ca

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Born and raised in Seattle, WA USA Milan worked for The Boeing Company for 4 years prior to opening her company LingoDodo and launching Punjabi Pad. She had always been in love with the Punjabi culture. She grew up going to every gurmat Camp in Seattle, did gatka and Kirtan at our local gurdwara.

Milan’s husband Alex aka Pali is born and raised in Copenhagen Denmark and also had a high position in The Boeing Company for 5 years. He taught himself to read and write in Punjabi.

How Punjabi Pad works?

The Punjabi Pad teaches gurmukhi letters (alphabets), numbers in Punjabi, colors in Punjabi, music (Punjabi rhythms/instruments) and everyone’s favorite Quiz Mode that quizes you on what you have learned in Punjabi.

Punjabi Pad is strictly in Punjabi and makes it fun for kids and even adults to learn our language.

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How can people benefit from Punjabi Pad?

Children as young as 1 years old, start interacting with learning toys. They can push the buttons and learn Punjabi sounds and pronunciation of the alphabets, numbers and colors.

It is a great gift for all ages: for children, parents, and teachers. The Punjabi Pad offers a beautiful and fun way to create interest in learning the Punjabi language. The Punjabi Pad could greatly enhance community efforts in Sikh Diaspora to introduce and inspire children to learn Punjabi language, culture and spirit at a very young age. The response of young children to the fascinating music and joyful rhythms of Bhangra dance stored in the Punjabi Pad has attracted children’s attention and spontaneous response, and move them to interact with a colorful educational “friend” with the click of a button. This is when learning becomes fun and may begin a lifelong interest.

To order your Punjabi Pad visit : www. lingododo.com www.desitoday.ca

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

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FEATURE

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THE AGE OF

digital PARENTING

Being a parent is a tough job, one that only gets more complicated when your kids start to go online and use smart devices. and with children as young as toddlers hopping onto their mom or dad’s tablets, the earlier you start the conversation about using the internet responsibly, the better. Use these tips to prepare for when your child is a toddler or a teenager and every age in between.

don’t worry about the latest apps Even if you’re not up-to-date on the latest platforms, you play an important role in your kids’ digital lives. Your kids will probably school you on new technology, but from you they need guidance, support and an understanding of online safety, which applies to everything from trying out a new filter to posting on social media.

Be part of your kids’ media lives What your kids are watching, playing, reading and listening to is a big part of their real world. Younger kids are usually glad when their parents show an interest in things they like, so get them to show you how their new favourite game works or why they’re so excited about joining a new social network. You can also use media to talk about sensitive issues like bullying or racism.

ask questions Do you remember responding well to lectures and rules from your parents when you were a kid? Probably not. Instead, 60

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ask lots of age-appropriate, openended questions to let them guide the conversation.

Communicate values Teach your kids that playground rules and online rules are often the same — respect for people’s feelings, privacy and property will go a long way. Respect is a great starting point for talking about heavier topics like cyberbullying, sexting and illegal downloading.

Become their trusted go-to Many kids don’t go to their parents when things go wrong because they’re scared of getting in trouble. When your kids start going online, make sure they know clear procedures on what to do if things go wrong, like if they can’t figure out a game or they accidentally access something unpleasant. If they get into the habit of coming to you about the little things, they’ll be a lot more likely to talk to you about bigger problems.

More info online at www.getCyberSafe.ca.

faCtS to know ahead of mariJUana leGaliZation (NC) With the federal government intending to legalize cannabis in Canada soon, many parents are wondering what this means for kids, especially for their teens. If you’re worried about the coming changes or simply want to start a conversation with your child about marijuana, here are five facts to know and share.

1. Legal weed is only for adults. Access will be restricted to anyone under the age of 18. This means no one can sell or provide cannabis to youth.

2. Marijuana slows you down. This is crucial for young drivers to understand. When you drive a vehicle, your brain needs to be alert and focused. Even small amounts of marijuana can affect your attention, judgment, motor skills, reaction time, decision-making, balance and coordination. Marijuana is second only to alcohol as the most commonly detected substance among drivers who die in traffic crashes in Canada.

3. Drug impaired driving is illegal. Driving under the influence of any drug, including marijuana, is illegal and dangerous. But a whopping 24 per cent of young adults believe it’s safe to drive a vehicle only a couple of hours or less after using marijuana. This isn’t true, and neither is the myth that driving after using cannabis is safer than drunk driving.

4. Pot and alcohol don’t mix. Combining drugs, such as cannabis, with alcohol doesn’t work to “balance out” the effects — it only worsens driving performance. Many car crashes involving teenagers are caused by inexperience and poor judgment. When these factors are combined with alcohol, cannabis or other drugs, the results can be tragic.

5. Kids shouldn’t accept rides from friends who are high. According to the most recent Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 15 percent of students in grades seven to 12 reported being a passenger in a motor vehicle driven by someone who had used cannabis in the previous two hours.

Teach your kids about ways to get home safe, like calling you, taking public transit or using a ridesharing service.

Find more information online at canada.ca/ cannabis. www.desitoday.ca

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FEATURE

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AlternAtives to

spAnking

By GAry THANdi, MSW rSW

So your child continues to disobey your instructions, or does something so dangerous that you need for them to understand that what they did is not acceptable? Thinking about physically disciplining your child? Well, if you are, there are some things you should consider first: • The law in Canada regarding physically disciplining of children is somewhat unclear. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that spanking is not illegal as long as it “is part of a genuine effort to educate the child, poses no reasonable risk of harm that is more than transitory and trifling, and is reasonable under the circumstances.” A slight smack to the hand or bottom is generally not considered against the law, but any substantial use of force – including any kind of physical contact against very young children or teenagers and any physical contact on the head or face – may very well be (this means, in our community, thapars or chapades to the face may very well be considered child abuse) 62

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

• Children learn from what they see and experience. If you physically discipline your children, the message you may be sending – without even necessarily meaning to - is that it is okay to hit. For example, if someone else comes and plays with a toy that your child was playing with, they may hit in order to get that toy back.

• Research shows that children that are physically disciplined are more aggressive than children who are not spanked. This again is likely related to the fact that they see aggression as an acceptable way to act because that again is what they’ve learned.

• Often when a parent physically disciplines their child, it’s more a reflection of the parent being angry and not being able to handle their anger well – rather than having to do with anything the child did.

• The more physically disciplined a child is, the less likely they will respond to such discipline. The less likely they are to respond, the more frequent and severe

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the discipline may become. It’s a vicious cycle, one that destroys the bond that should exist between a parent and child.

Adults that were frequently physically disciplined as children often have little to no relationship with their parents because that bond was destroyed earlier in their lives.

• Children often perceive physical discipline against them as a message that they are bad – rather than what they did was bad – and that leads to low self-esteem.

• Children who were physically disciplined are more likely to grow up to be adults who suffer from depression, alcoholism and thoughts of suicide.

If you want to strengthen the bond between you and your child, consider discipline techniques that are more positive. For example, consider giving the child a timeout when they are misbehaving. A time-out involves putting the child in a safe place by themselves, where they have an opportunity to calm down, think about what they did, and try to understand it. After a couple of minutes (the time out should equal their age, so that a five-year old would be in a time-out for five minutes) you calmly go and speak to the child, and ask them why they think they were placed in a time-out. Chances are they know and will tell you – but if not, be prepared to calmly tell them why they were disciplined.

Also tell them some ways they could have behaved more appropriately. Chances are they will try to run out of a time-out the first time you try it, but if you continue to calmly put them back, eventually they will remain. A time-out keeps the focus on their behaviour and helps maintain trust between you and your child. Consider it the next time you are considering disciplining your child.

BY gARY THANDI Gary Thandi is head of Moving Forward Family Services that provides counselling and support services to anyone who wants it – without any waits.

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A pArent’s guide to

cyberbullying the law applies (NC) With a new school year in full swing, it’s a good idea for parents to stay vigilant against online problems kids can face. Cyberbullying is one concern many parents have, and with good reason — it’s becoming a more common and threatening event.

“There’s an increased danger for rapid escalation of cyberbullying, with participants and their victims growing exponentially,” explains Nimmi Kanji, director of Telus Wise Internet and Smartphone Education.

The more you know about cyberbullying, the easier it is to prevent it. Here are four things that’ll help you keep it from happening to your kids this year, or teach you what to do if it does.

it’s more common than you think Almost one in five Canadian children have been the victim of cyberbullying, while one in four admit they have said something mean online. That means that many more have witnessed it. Your children are not immune.

Have you spoken to them about it?

Cyberbullying and bullying are very different It may be tempting to consider cyberbullying as an online version of traditional schoolyard bullying, but there are a number of differences. Real-world bullying tends to target those who are less popular, while everyone’s a potential target online. Similarly, physical strength does not play a central role in cyberbullying.

keyboard wars make it worse Because of the nature of digital communication, accurately assessing tone of voice can 64

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

be difficult, while the inability to see and read body language can mask the effects of what’s been written. “These are what we call empathy traps, factors that make it difficult to feel empathy in cyberbullying situations,” says Kanji. “They can drive and intensify bullying situations rather quickly.”

With cyberbullying, “just kids being kids” is not a viable defense. In fact, cyberbullying can have legal consequences both from a civil and criminal perspective. Some provinces mandate school boards have their own anti-bullying plans and penalties for violations.

Learn more about cyberbullying online at telus.com/wise.

Cyberbullying:

Help your child (NC) Did you know that 20 per cent of Canadian teens have experienced cyberbullying directly, while many more have witnessed it? While your children may never become cyberbullies or victims, they will most likely witness this type of behaviour and remaining silent or joining in can make matters worse. These tips can help guide their actions in these situations.

1. use the right lingo.

Most teens don’t use the word “cyberbullying.” Instead, kids tend to dismiss this type of behaviour as “drama.”

So, start there — ask if they see online drama between their friends and peers.

Then you can have a broader conversation about social media conduct, dos and don’ts, and so on.

2. recognize the personal nature of the online world.

Being behind screens creates a great divide between bully and victim, and bystanders can fall prey to this, too. “For witnesses, the volume of noise on the internet or while

playing video games can be overwhelming and they can simply tune it out,” explains Nimmi Kanji, director of Telus Wise Internet and Smartphone Education. “In order to recognize bullying and do their part to mitigate it, remind your children that online words make an offline impact. These are real people and they deserve respect.”

3. take a break.

By age 16, one in three kids say they regret at least one thing they’ve said online.

“Witnesses can easily become participants and can quickly escalate a situation,” notes Kanji. “To help your children avoid making poor decisions, encourage them to step back before contributing. Start by taking five seconds before engaging; it can make a world of difference.” www.desitoday.ca

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Carry a small amount of food and water with you when you exercise, so you will have some nourishment if you need it.

Exercising in the cold increases your appetite as your body temperature drops so your preworkout meal is very important.

Gear up for winter

EXERCISES TO KEEP YOU FIT, THIS WINTER By dHirAJ KHATri Say bye-bye to shiny Summers and welcome to winters. The days are now getting shorter and darker, so the option to go out and walk or jog or do some physical activity is less.

It becomes hard to maintain optimal fitness routine in this harsh season. Exercise should be an important part of life regardless of any season. It is optimal to exercise 30 minutes a day and minimum thrice a week to be in shape and maintain health.

Why is exercise much more important in winters?

Answer is the demand of body increase in winters to maintain its thermostat (temperature) so we consume more calories which is stored as layer of adipose tissue which helps us to fight against the cold and leads to gain weight. But we are not caveman anymore so as to store food for winters, hence we should workout and stay fit.

It’s a big hurdle to exercise in winters as temperature doesn’t allow us to go in open, so the indoor workout are the best way to keep your spirits high. We have many good 66

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

gyms in our locality where we can enjoy our winter workout sessions, and yes they are available any time for us.

WINTER EXERCISE TIPS Warm Up : In winters you should do adequate warm ups as body takes more time to increase

temperature also muscles get tighten in winters. The warm up should be started with light cardio followed by some active stretches to increase the mobility of your joints. So a good warm up makes you ready for a fantastic workout.

Cardio or Strength training? : Both are the different forms of exercises and have significant benefits. Strength training helps you to increase your muscle mass which ultimately increases your BMR (Basal metabolic rate) and doing circuit training twice a week helps you to tone up your body.

Cardio or cardio respiratory exercises help to make your heart healthy as well as burn those extra consumed calories during the day. A session which burns minimum 250 calories helps you to maintain a healthy weight and active body.

I prefer full body conditioning like circuit trainings or HIIT for those who have time constraint also it’s a good approach to give a metabolic stimulus to body to meet the caloric demand for the winters. Also a quick session will allow you to reach back home on time as the short days are demotivating and everybody wants to go back to their cozy homes as soon as possible.

Here is an example of a quick full body workout :

Warm up : • 5 mins of cycling or brisk walk • Butt kicks 15 rep each leg www.desitoday.ca

• Stationary lunges 10 reps each leg • Quadruped thoracic rotations 15 reps each side • Cobra extension 10 times

Workout : (2-3 rounds ) • Overhead dumbbell press 10 reps • Front Kettlebell Squats / bodyweight squats 10 reps • Full push up or knee push up 10 reps • Plank hold 30-50 secs • Kettle bell Hip thrust / floor hip bridges 10 reps • Side to side run 20-30 steps

Cool down : (hold each pose for 2030 sec and breathe deep ) • • • •

5 -10 min of slow steady walk or cycling Child pose Pigeon stretch Downward Dog

Wear proper clothing: If you workout outdoor it is necessary to wear proper clothing or should wear different layers of clothes to maintain body temperature as well as save your body from hypothermia.

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Adequate Nutrition: According to the American College of Sports Medicine, drinking an adequate amount of fluid and fueling your body is as important in the winter as it is during the summer. In the winter, the cold weather “blunts the thirst mechanism,” and you may not notice that you are thirsty. Carry a small amount of food and water with you when you exercise, so you will have some nourishment if you need it. Exercising in the cold increases your appetite as your body temperature drops so your pre-workout meal is very important. A combination of carb-protein like a slice of whole wheat bread and two eggs or 1 cup oat with yoghurt 1 hour before the workout will be good to fuel you for your workout. Eating and digesting food warms your body.

So get the entry in your neighborhood gym, gear up and start your workout to stay fit.

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HEALTH

HEALTH

IS YOUR

fitneSS traCker PUTTING YOUR PrivaCy at riSk? The growing popularity of fitness trackers, wearables and internet-enabled devices means you can automatically share your running stats from that 5K sprint on social media and adjust your thermostat from anywhere using your smartphone. But these convenient new technologies can provide an easily accessible way for attackers to intercept your personal data.

You can still enjoy the benefits of smart devices, smart homes and smart cars, and even connected healthcare devices; just be sure to do so in safe and secure ways. Since many of these devices connect to the internet through your home network, here are some simple steps that you can take to help keep it and your other devices secure:

Create a strong password Always follow guidelines for establishing strong passwords, like using a combination of at least eight characters. Your router’s administrator password should be different from the one you use to access your network.

Information on how to change your router’s administrator password can usually be obtained from the manufacturer of your router or your internet service provider.

Choose a secure name

Stay up-to-date

Consider changing your Wi-Fi network’s default name. Don’t use anything that could be associated with your name, address or phone number.

Ensure that every device on your network, including your router, is kept up-to-date to keep your entire network protected. Install updates to your operating system, apps and antivirus and firewall software as soon as they become available and select auto-updates if available.

Change the default setting Make sure that you change the default name and password on your new smart device to a unique name and strong password. Default names and passwords could be easily hacked.

Safeguard your info Be careful what kind of information your smart devices are storing and sending, and how secure it is. Personal details like what time you and your family usually leave the house in the morning, health history and financial information could be valuable to cyber criminals and should be kept safe.

Ultimately, information being transmitted over Wi-Fi is vulnerable to being stolen.

Find more information online at www. getCyberSafe.ca

ConCerns Social sensor networks collect massive personal data.

Source of privacy and security concerns: • Locations visited • Times of user fitness activities • Times when the user is not at home [PRM] • Company organizational profiles [TKS13]

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OCT / NOV 2017

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BEAUTY, ENT.

UPCOMING RUKH | October 27, 2017 Atanu Mukherjee directed Rukh is a thriller family drama stars Manoj Bajpayee, Smita Tambe and Adarsh Gourav in lead roles.

Rukh is about the journey of a boy rediscovering his lost connections and familial ties, through the secrets and memories he must confront on his way. Rukh is an intimate portrait of a family in flux, inspired from a few real life events and characters. It deals with themes we can all relate to.

The movie is inspired by Japanese thriller movie ‘Rashomon’.

SECRET SUPERSTAR 11 August, 2017 The actor Aamir Khan returns with his Dangal co-star Zaira Wasim in Advait Chandan’s directorial debut.

Secret Superstar tells the story of a Muslim school girl who dreams of becoming the country’s star singer.

Insu struggles as she battles her father’s conservatism at home who is an alcoholic and the chicanery of the singing world. Aamir plays loud music director Shakti Kumaar who mentors Insu in her singing career.

Insu makes use of YouTube wearing a burka and becomes a sensation overnight, as her first anonymous video breaks the Internet. Will Insu be able to achieve her mother’s dream and become a superstar?

CHEF |

4

RIBBON |

November 3, 2017

October 6, 2017

Roshan Kalra (Saif Ali Khan) is a chef by profession, and for him, food, love, and work all go together. His passion towards his career supersedes everything in his life, even his family. He lives away from his wife Radha Menon (Padmapriya) and son Aari (Svar Kamble). After a long time, he decides to visit his son in Cochin and they have a good time together. But soon a realization sinks in him when it is time to go back to work. He feels amidst chasing his passion and ambition, he has lost out on a lot of time with Aari. The film is a unique tale of a journey that Roshan undertakes to find out his true priorities and source of happiness.

It’s a story of food and love and family and togetherness. And that of a father’s rediscovery of the bond with his son.

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OLMAAL | October 20, 2017 In the fourth installment of ‘Golmaal’, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor and Kunal Kemmu will play the three broke friends, while Ajay Devgn plays the protagonist Das. Says the source, ‘the female lead (Shalu) will play Devgon’s romantic interest. This role was ideal for Kareena, but she can’t be a part of ‘G4’ as she’s due this December 2017. The scenes involving Shalu and Das have certain comic elements to it and form one of the highlights of the film.’

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A DESI View

Ribbon, Indian drama film directed by Rakhee Sandilya in feature film debut. It stars Kalki Koechlin and Sumeet Vyas in lead roles. A young working urban couple is overwhelmed with the birth of a baby girl but parenthood has its own challenges. www.desitoday.ca

MOVIES A BAD MOM’S CHRISTMAS | Nov. 3, 2017 Under-appreciated and overburdened moms Amy, Kiki and Carla rebel against the challenges and expectations of the Super Bowl for moms: Christmas. As if creating the perfect holiday for their families isn’t hard enough, they’ll have to do it while hosting and entertaining their own respective mothers when they come to visit. The film stars Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn reprising their roles from the first film, with Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines and Susan Sarandon joining the cast.

BOO! 2: A MADEA HALLOWEEN October 20, 2017 Madea will never die. The fact that this is the second Halloween-themed Madea movie is only proof that she is an invincible demon sworn to re-emerge every year with a new movie that has somehow been made in only a few months.

So now Madea and the gang are back for this hilarious sequel. Madea, Bam and Hattie venture to a haunted campground and the group must literally run for their lives when monsters, goblins and the bogeyman are unleashed. www.desitoday.ca

THE FOREIGNER October 13, 2017 Quan is a humble London businessman whose long-buried past erupts in a revenge-fueled vendetta when the only person left for him to love -- his teenage daughter -- dies in a senseless act of politically motivated terrorism. His relentless search to find the terrorists leads to a cat-and-mouse conflict with a British government official whose own past may hold the clues to the identities of the elusive killers.

THOR: RAGNAROK | Nov 3, 2017 Ragnarok, Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk!

JUSTICE LEAGUE November 17, 2017 Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy.

Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

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BEAUTY, ENT.

DESI TODAY

nushka Sharma’s on-screen journey, from the girl-next-door in her first film ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’, to Band Baaja Baaraat’s Shruti Kakkar and Jagat Janani in ‘PK’, has been a delight for her fans. Her place in the Bollywood popularity charts further strengthened with films like ‘Sultan’ and ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’. Let us know what this fantastic actor early life was.

Anushka Sharma was born on May 1, 1988.

Her father, Ajay Kumar Sharma, is an army officer.

Anushka Sharma was a successful model before entering Bollywood. “The only similarity between both these professions is that you need to look presentable in both. The hair, makeup, etc. The difference is that out there you’re presenting it for the designer and here you’re doing it for your director. Secondly, there

KNOW YO UR STA R is a lot more pleasure when you are a part of the film fraternity,” Anushka Sharma told Bollywood Hungama.

Anushka made her debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’. gushing about her favourite Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka told Hindustan Times: “I’m Shah Rukh’s true-blue admirer. I always loved the way he conducted himself.

Now after having worked with him I love him even more. ‘Rab Ne...’ was like my school where Shah Rukh and Adi were my teachers.”

She won the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for her performance in ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’. Her others films include ‘Badmaash Company’, ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’, ‘Patiala House’, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ and ‘Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola’. in 2014, Anushka was seen in mega hit ‘PK’. She told PTI: “I had a lovely time shooting ‘PK’ with Rajkumar Hirani. His passion for cinema encourages you to give your best shot. I must be doing something right to get such good directors so early in my career.”

Anushka Turns Producer: In

2015, Anushka Sharma turned producer with road film ‘NH10’. “I’m thrilled to get a chance to do this so early on in my career. And I

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couldn’t have found a better project than ‘NH10’ to kick-start this new phase in my film journey,” Anushka said in a statement.

In an interview with Indian Express, Anushka Sharma said: “In the film we do have some action scenes, but the rest of it is very organic.

It’s a real film. I really enjoyed and it was something new to do. I always feel happy when I do new things.”

Anushka Sharma played a jazz singer in one of the biggest flops of 2015, Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Bombay Velvet’.

On Sultan: In an interview with The Indian Express, Anushka Sharma said: “This film is a sports drama and follows the journey of very real people. It is the first time you will see a female wrestler on the big screen. Aarfa represents a modern Indian woman. Women in sports can’t ignore their duties at home even as they push themselves, working doubly hard to realise their professional dreams.”

The love life: She reportedly dated cricketer Virat Kohli. They fell in love during the shoot of a shampoo ad. In an interview with IANS, Anushka Sharma said, “Nobody is hiding anything. We are living our life very normally. It’s just that we don’t want to talk about our relationship. We can’t subject it to entertainment news. We will not hide if you guys see us together, but we will not talk about it.” But now they are no longer together.

“I just say whatever comes to my mind. I am never on guard. I don’t need to be because I’m heading the right way. I’ve got nothing to hide. I’m just too cool and love myself. I’m too straight-forward and people don’t get that.

Sometimes I get in trouble too,” she said.

“As an actor, we all are looking out for good cinema and want to leave a mark with the kind of work we do. Films like NH10 add to the shelf life of the actors associated with it,” said Anushka Sharma.

She says on women centric films: like Queen and Mary Kom did wonderfully at the box office and were remembered for the value that they added to our industry. Both films were led by female stars and I think those kind of films are changing trends,” Anushka Sharma told IANS. In an interview with Reuters, Anushka said: “I think what we see is that there are two Indias.

There is us – educated, have travelled abroad, www.desitoday.ca

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I just say whatever comes to my mind. I am never on guard.

I don’t need to be because I’m heading the right way. I’ve got nothing to hide. I’m just too cool and love myself. I’m too straight-forward and people don’t get that. Sometimes I get in trouble too

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and we have an opinion on manners. And then there are the heartlands of our country, and that is the larger part of India. These two Indias cannot connect with each other – their language, their life. The dichotomy is so heavy, so apparent.”

On Being Size Zero: “I have been like this only. This size zero thing is a big myth because the size is actually meant for babies. How will I fit into a baby’s attire?,” says Anushka Sharma.

The Attention Seeker: “I am not spoilt as I was brought up in an army background. But every actor is an attentionseeker. It is an occupational hazard for us. If I don’t seek attention, I will not be doing my work well,” said Anushka.

On Being A Tomboy: “I don’t know if this makes sense, but I have always been one of the boys. I always get along better with the guys. They have a lot more in their conversations and I like that. I am not judging anyone, just stating what I am comfortable with,” said the ‘NH10’ actress.

She is last seen in her latest release: When Harry Met Sejal. www.desitoday.ca

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BEAUTY, ENT.

Priyanka at Un

Srk wantS to retain Childhood of hiS kidS Shah Rukh Khan has put up an interesting post on Twitter in relation to his three kids, Suhana, AbRam and Aryan and it will just melt your heart. He wrote, “19Sept. Like my dad(RIP), my only duty 2 my kids is 2 delay the onset of their adulthood as much as possible. Retain purity of their childhood.”

It is quite understandable why a father would say something like this. Because he always wants his kids to be just that, kids. And Shah Rukh Khan posting this makes us believe in the saying all the more. Only recently, doting dad Shah Rukh had posted a picture with Suhana and expressed how much he misses her while she is off to London to study. Is this in continuation of the same tweet?

Looks like, SRK doesn’t want Suhana to grow up so quickly and move abroad to study, he wants her to be his little girl always.

Or maybe, he is thinking of AbRam, who is also growing up quickly. The two were last seen together on the occasion of Eid and time and again, SRK has 76

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talked about the efforts he makes to spend adequate time with his little ones. Even Shah Rukh’s eldest son Aryan is currently studying in Southern California and is expected to soon enter Bollywood. Well, whoever Shah Rukh is missing, we hope that SRK is able to fulfill his duties like he said.

OVER 28 MILLION TWITTER FOLLOWERS Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has crossed the 28 million mark on microblogging site Twitter.

The 51-year-old actor, who is an avid user of social media where he updates about his personal and professional life, often interacts with fans from across the globe on his Twitter handle.

The actor still trails behind megastar Amitabh Bachchan who earlier this month had crossed 29 million followers.

SRK, however, is ahead of Salman Khan who has 25.6 million followers, Aamir Khan (21.9 million) and Akshay Kumar who has 20.2 million followers on the social media platform.

Actor Priyanka Chopra said that global leaders need to come together to create a better, brave and safe new world.

The 35-year-old actor was speaking at the UN global goals Awards at the UN general Assembly.

Priyanka took to Instagram where she posted a few pictures from the event and said that it was an honour for her to address leaders of world importance on empowering young girls.

“We all need to come together and work to empower, educate, create opportunities and impart skill sets so that we can be their catalysts for change and to help them build their brave new world. If possible, a safe one where they can live their dreams and laugh together as one,” she wrote.

The National Award-winning actor also said that she had the opportunity to meet Muzoon Almellehan, UNICEF’s youngest goodwill Ambassador, who is working to advocate education for Syrian girls.

Priyanka, who is a UNICEF global goodwill Ambassador, also presented the Leadership Award to Ria Sharma from India, for her work for acid attack survivors through her organisation Make Love Not Scars (MLNS).

The “Quantico” actor wrote that such award ceremonies “highlight the role girls play in changing their lives and in making progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development goals (SDgs)”.

We all need to come together and work to empower, educate, create opportunities and impart skill sets so that we can be their catalysts for change and to help them build their brave new world.

www.desitoday.ca

i Pray my Son iS not like me: SanJay dUtt From drug addiction to legal troubles Sanjay Dutt has seen a lot in his life and the actor hopes his son does not become like him.

Dutt, who is the son of veteran actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt, had a tough time getting over his drug addiction.

He was arrested for illegal possession of arms in a case related to the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.

Last year he was released from the Yerawada Jail where he served 42 months as a part of his five-year sentence.

At the ‘India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit’, Dutt said he cannot afford to bear the pain his father went through because of his tumultuous life.

“My father raised us as normal children.

I was sent to a boarding school, I went through the grind. And I am the same way with my children.

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“I try to teach them the values of life, give them ‘sanskaar’, and teach them (that) respect for elders is very important even if they are your servants. And that you have got to value life. I only pray my son is not like me.

Because what my dad went through, I don’t want to go through that,” Dutt said.

The actor has three-year-old son Shahraan and daughter Iqra with wife Maanayata Dutt. He also has a daughter, Trishala, from his first wife Richa Sharma.

Dutt, 58, also opened up about his struggle with drug addiction and said now when he is over it, he advises youngsters to stay way from it and get high “on life”.

“I got into drugs in college. It used to be like if you’re not into it, you’re not in the scene. So, I started it, but I got so hooked on to it that it took me about 10 years to get out.

“But I was lucky that I had the means and the provisions to get out of it. I saw life differently without drugs and I want to tell the young guys that please stay high on your life, on your family, or your work. There’s no substance which can make you high.”

The actor will be seen next in “Bhoomi”. The movie marks his first after his release from prison last year.

new Book on GUlZar’S Partition mUSinGS

Legendary poet-lyricist gulzar, who had witnessed the horrors of Partition first-hand and has often written on it, has come with a collection of prose and poetry on the subject.

“Footprints on Zero Line: Writings on the Partition”, however, does not stop at the events of 1947 but looks at how these continue to affect our lives to this day.

Partition is a theme that gulzar has gone back to again and again in his writings, publishers HarperCollins India said.

“It is not only a collection on a cataclysmic event in the history of our nation by one of our best contemporary writers but also a timely reminder that those who forget the errors of the past are doomed to repeat them,” a HCI statement said.

Translated by Rakhshanda Jalil, this compilation marks 70 years of India’s Independence.

Born in Dina (now in Pakistan), gulzar writes in the poem ‘Zero Line’: “... I am back at the Zero Line/My shadow whispers from behind me,/’When you give up this body/ Come back to your home/Your birthplace, your motherland’.”

A stalwart of Indian literature and one of the finest poets, gulzar has a number of poetry and short-story collections to his credit.

He has published two volumes of his translations of Rabindranath Tagore’s poems - “Baaghbaan” and “Nindiya Chor”.

He is a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Padma Bhushan.

In 2008, he was awarded an Oscar for his song ‘Jai ho’ in “Slumdog Millionaire”.

He received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2014.

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BEAUTY, ENT.

SGPC in row with ‘tarak mehta ka Ulta ChaShma’

$20 million for environment Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has awarded USD 20 million in grants through his environmental foundation. The Academy Award-winning actor – who founded The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998 – has announced that the huge sum is to be spread across more than 100 organisations that are committed to environmental sustainability, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Speaking at a climate change conference at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, DiCaprio said, “We are proud to support the work of over 100 organisations at home and abroad.” These grantees are active on the ground, protecting our oceans, forests and endangered species for future generations and tackling the urgent, existential challenges of climate change.” The long-time environmentalist observed that investments in these organisations can help to build towards a “brighter future for all of us.”

The Shiromani gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SgPC) today demanded an immediate ban on TV serial “Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma”, alleging that it has hurt the sentiments of Sikh community by portraying a series of blasphemous acts.

In a statement to the media, SgPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar said the serial had hurt the community by depicting a living character of tenth Sikh guru gobind Singh, which was “against the Sikh tenets”.

“No actor or any character can equate himself with the tenth Sikh guru gobind Singh. Such an act is unpardonable,” he said.

The apex religious body of the Sikh warned the channel and the director of the show from showing “blasphemous” content on small screen.

Parineeti ChoPra trolled for her PiCtUre CUddlinG a koala Parineeti Chopra is no stranger to social media trolls. The Bollywood starlet has often found herself in a war of words against these trolls and coming out victorious. All seemed quiet until recently when the ‘golmaal Again’ star shared a number of pictures from her visit to Australia.

Parineeti took to her Instagram account to share a few pictures from her holiday. One click, which saw the actress cuddle up to a Koala, had online trolls poking fun at her. While some tried to ridicule her pout expression saying, “Omg siblings met again m so glad”, others tried body shaming her by saying, “Your face looks like a koala. Stop Dieting.”

This is not the first time that the actor has been a victim of internet trolls.

Earlier too Parineeti has spoken about her struggles of dealing with bodyimage issues. Opening up about her weight loss journey, Pari had written, “I was constantly made fun of, but the person I was, I generously laughed with them. Today, many people ask me what triggered the weight loss, did I give in to the “Bollywood pressure”? To that I say - thank god I became an actor and had that pressure!”

Parineeti is currently shooting for ‘golmaal Again’ alongside Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi and Tusshar Kapoor which is being helmed by Rohit Shetty.

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BEAUTY, ENT. angana Ranaut has been controversy’s favorite child for quite some time now. The controversies might be all over the internet but the actress has never gone into a shell and hid from it all. In fact, she has faced it all with her head held high!

In a recent interview with Rajat Sharma in Aap ki Adalat, Kangana discussed her life like never before.

She spoke about her struggling days and her stubbornness to make an identity for herself. She also discussed the time when she had an affair with Aditya Pancholi and how it was the police who saved from the physical abuse that she had to face.

Kangana also discussed her relationship with Hrithik Roshan and did not spare any detail. Be it the nepotism debate or her upcoming films, Kangana bared it all in this interview.

Hrithik Roshan was having an affair with his co-star This revelation did make us raise our eyebrows as we never 80

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expected it. When Rajat Sharma asked Kangana about her alleged relationship with Hrithik Roshan, she didn’t know where to stop. Right from confessing that he always wanted to marry her to his hush hush affair with another actress, she just went on and on. According to Kangana, HR was dating his co-star while shooting in Manali in 2014 and that was the major reason why he started ignoring her suddenly.

He apparently didn’t even wish her on Valentine’s Day.

During the shoot of Revolver Rani, she was held at gunpoint

by Chambal dacoits This comes from a fact that she’s a perfectionist and likes to shoot in real locations. So when the actress was offered the role of Revolver Rani, she requested the director to shoot the movie in actual locations of Chambal. It was during one such scene which was being shot in the forest of Chambal that the crew was held at a gunpoint by the dacoits but luckily they escaped unharmed. www.desitoday.ca

QUEEN

the of controversies FrOM HrITHIK rOSHaN TO NePOTISM, KaNGaNa SPOKe Her HearT OUT ON INDIaN TV SHOW aaP KI aDalaT

credit

Apurva Asrani was aware of all the details about writing

Apurva Asrani’s name was highlighted when he expressed his dissatisfaction after Hansal Mehta credited Kangana Ranaut as the cowriter for Simran. The writer feels it was not fair for him to share the credit with the actress as she has hardly suggested anything. But Kangana didn’t feel so. According to her he was aware of all the details and calling her out suddenly was a mere publicity stunt.

Also read: Kangana Ranaut hints that Hrithik Roshan had an affair with this actress while shooting in Manali – watch video

Ketan Mehta’s script about Rani Laxmibai was rubbish and I told him that Kangana Ranaut and controversies go hand in hand. If Hrithik Roshan and Karan Johar weren’t enough, the actress found herself in the soup once again when filmmaker Ketan Mehta sent her a legal notice for ‘hijacking’ his film based on the life of Rani Laxmibai.

According to him, Kangana was in contact with him for this project since 2015 and he was sharing research material and several drafts of the script with her as she was actively participating. But later he was shocked to learn that she announced the same project with another director and it all happened so suddenly. However, Kangana refused to even be a part of his film as she found his script www.desitoday.ca

utter rubbish.

All the award shows are fraud. There is groupism and favouritism And here comes the current hot topic in Bollywood – Nepotism. And Kangana Ranaut should be applauded for giving birth to it.

It was Kangana who actually highlighted the issue and made us friendly with the ‘N’ word. And today the actress is so done with this industry that favours nepotism. There is a reason she doesn’t attend award shows as she feels they are biased. According to her, “If I don’t go to award shows, bigwigs of Bollywood have threatened me that you’ll be banned. Even if I’ll win an Oscar in future, I won’t attend it.” Also read: Kangana Ranaut on the allegations of using her tiff with Hrithik Roshan and Karan Johar for publicity: If I am asked a question, I will answer

Karan Johar’s Ungli, was the biggest flop of my career Karan Johar and Kangana Ranaut share a mutual hatred towards each other. While she blames him for supporting nepotism, he believes she likes to live in her own bubble.

And though she has appeared on his talk show Koffee with Karan this year, the cold war still prevails. In fact, Kangana who has so far done just one movie under his Dharma Productions blames the producer for giving

her the biggest flop of her career. And this is the reason why she isn’t interested in working with him in future.

Kangana Ranaut was offered Sultan Now that’s a revelation we never saw coming.

Yes we agree any actress would die to work with Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma was very lucky to bag a role opposite him but Kangana was the initial choice by the makers.

Kangana revealed that she was offered Salman Khan’s Sultan but it was Aditya Chopra who thought she wouldn’t make it.

Later the producer even admitted his mistake.

No hard feelings for Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan was trolled for his nepotism jokes he made with Karan Johar at IIFA Awards this year. And when a star kid like Saif jokes about nepotism, it has to irk someone like Kangana who doesn’t belong to any filmy family. And though she holds her personal grudge against Karan Johar, she has no hard feelings for Saif. He was her co-star in Rangoon and they share a great bond which remains unchanged.

Hrithik Roshan used to dance like crazy on my birthdays Here’s some more information on Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut’s fiasco.

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

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According to the actress if Hrithik was so unaffected and wanted her to stay away from him, why would he dance like crazy on her birthdays? Now we don’t really know the story behind these birthdays but the revelation was a major one.

Hrithik Roshan and Rakesh Roshan made her life a hell Apparently, Hrithik Roshan and Rakesh Roshan gave Kangana Ranaut a tough time when she tried to open the secret chapter of their affair. She believed her life was in danger

then as they had even conspired with the cops. Her family got few panic attacks, thanks to them. Cops randomly came to her place and took away her laptop and phone. They even tried to manipulate her ex-boyfriend Adhyayan Suman who accused her at the same time.

HOW THE B-TOWN REACTED Sussanne Khan A day after the episode of Aap Ki Adalat with Kangana Ranaut as a guest aired on national television, Hrithik’s ex-wife, Sussanne came out in his support and shared a selfie with the actor.

Taking a dig at what Kangana claimed on the show, Sussanne captioned the image, “There is no allegation or a sad evil plot that can have the weight to triumph over a good soul. #mafamilia #powerofthetruth #pureheart

Apurva Asrani Apurva Asrani who had a public feud with Kangana over writing credits of Simran came out in public to vent out his anger on what Kangana said about him on the talk show. The writer wrote a long post on his social media account and later when indianexpress.com got in touch with him, Apurva said, “It was done and dusted for me.

Clearly, she wants to give me more publicity. I’d much rather we focus on the wonderful story that Simran is and not on all these conflicts one has with various people.”

Karan Johar Karan Johar posted a cryptic tweet after Kangana’s comment that she doesn’t wish to work with Karan as her career’s only flop film Ungli in which she had a 10-minute role was given to her by K Jo. As Kangana’s statement went viral, Karan without mentioning her name wrote, “Ungrateful people need a reality check!!!!!!!!”

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Aditya Pancholi Kangana was in a relationship with Aditya Pancholi during her struggling days.

In her interview with Rajat Sharma, Kangana accused him of holding her under house arrest and exploiting her. A furious Aditya reacted on the accusations in strong words as he told Bollywoodlife.com, “She is a mad girl, what to do, did you see the interview? Didn’t you feel like some mad person was talking?

Who talks like that? We have been in the industry for so long, nobody has ever spoken anything so evil about anyone. What should I say, she’s a mad girl. If you throw stones in mud, it will only spoil your clothes.” Adding to it he said, “She is lying that’s why I am taking legal action against her.”

Women’s Commission A day after the episode was aired on television, the chief of Maharashtra State Commission for Women, Vijaya Rahatkar clarified that Kangana’s claims are false and she never asked for help from the Women’s Commission.

Denying the claims, Vijaya Rahatkar in a series of tweets wrote, “Deeply disturbed by Ms.Kangana Ranaut’s irresponsible statement where she has made grave allegations against the Women’s Commission. Neither has Ms.Kangana Ranaut ever approached Women’s Commission nor is gurmeet Chadda associated with MSCW in any way.” In her last tweet, the chairperson added, “MSCW is fully committed to the cause of women in distress. Unfortunate that Ms.Ranaut has chosen to project us wrongly.” www.desitoday.ca

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Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby presents a curated art exhibition of the works of 13 local artists as part of the 2017 celebration of culture days. The diverse group of artists share stories of immigration that started decades ago and some even centuries, journeys that crossed several continents before arriving in Canada.

Their roots trace back to England, Ireland, France, East, West and South Africa, Middle East, South Asia from gujrat, Punjab and Bangladesh.

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Canada’s cultural mosaic is constantly changing and people from all over the globe call Canada home.”

The exhibition opened on September 14th, 2017 and runs till October 23rd, 2017.

This interdisciplinary presentation offers a variety of expressions and includes an interactive piece that compares the migration patterns of 8 international bird populations with the migration routes of local residents and their families to Burnaby. www.desitoday.ca

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DE S I T O DAY AU T O

FORD F-150 RAPTOR

THE KING OF OFF-ROAD PICK-UPS

HIgHLIgHTS

The Ford F-150 Raptor is a limited edition high-performance, all-terrain, four-season pickup that has true off –roadies salivating every time they see one. Built on the F-150 SuperCrew pickup, the Raptor is comfortable and spacious enough for four or five adults.

Biggest change for 2017 is the new second-generation, twin-turbo EcoBoost V6.

This 3.5-litre unit delivers an impressive 450 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque. The new transmission is a more modern, 10-speed unit that allows the driver to change gears using magnesium paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel.

The new F-150 Raptor is about 230 kilograms lighter, but with a stronger body and frame. Also new is also a front-view camera mounted in the grille, with a couple of view modes?

Exterior wise, the Raptor has a wider more aggressive looking body – all-aluminum of course with an oversized grille, unique front fascia, and huge off-road tires that are spaced wider than normal. In fact, the 2017 Raptor is 6 inches (15 cm) wider than the average F-150. Our test Raptor featured special hood louvres, side vents, and black Raptor badging and detailing.

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A huge Raptor graphic adorns the side of the pickup bed, and the front grille is a special Raptor issue with “Ford” in big black letters. The 5.5 feet rear bed offers an optional bed divider or stowable loading ramps. What makes the Raptor really special is the plethora of high performance specialized equipment and upgrades. It starts with a stronger high strength steel frame to handle the heavy duty suspension – Raptor exclusive double Aarms, coil springs and cast aluminum lower struts up front and high-spec Fox Racing Shox on all four corners for longer suspension travel. The rear differential features a 4.10:1 ratio with High-low locking rear mode, while the front differential features Torsen limited-slip front capability.

The tires are also specialized big 35 inch LT315/70 BFgoodrich T/A KO2 tires, with a special All-Terrain design. The tires can also be fitted to optional forged aluminum wheels with a proper off-road beadlock feature for maximum performance. It is expensive, but first generation Raptors are already collector items and hold their value extremely well. If you want the ultimate factory off-road pickup truck this is it, Fords halo truck and deservedly so!

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2017 GENESIS G90

NEW LUXURY SEDAN AIMS STRAIGHT FOR THE TOP

G

enesis is a luxury arm of Hyundai that is now due for a major expansion in Canada with a range of slew of sedans, SUVs, and a luxury coupe on the way.

The Genesis new car range for now, starts in Canada with the Genesis G80 starting at $55,000, while the G90 starts at $84,000.

The G90 that came our way recently was an impressively big car. Long, sleek and imposing, it has a unique look thanks to the strong-featured grille with the cool winged Genesis emblem. The side profile is handsome and classically conservative in profile. The Genesis arrives with two engines – a base V6 and a V8. The V6 as on our tester is a new, twin turbocharged 3.3-litre engine sporting 365 horsepower with an impressive 376 lb.-ft. of torque. The 5.0 litre V-8 engine 86

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A DESI View

It’s one thing to build a luxury car, another entirely to spin off a luxury marque from a mainstream brand. delivers 420 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque.

Transmission is via an 8-speed automatics unit with SHIFTRONIC® & paddle shifters and a choice of rear or all-wheel drive. The G90 also offers Intelligent Drive Mode – Smart, Eco, Sport & Individual drive modes and a Shift-By-Wire (SBW) system Make no mistake, with faultless body shut lines, incredible detailing and finishing inside www.desitoday.ca

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All-wheel drive is an option • No options are offered. Take the 3.3T Premium or the 5.0 Ultimate • Standard Genesis Experience benefits package good for three years or 36,000 miles. After that, schlep your g90 to the Hyundai dealership with the rest of the hoi polloi

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and out, this is a luxury car par excellence.

The super-premium looks and high value execution also extend to the inside. It is an interior trimmed in the finest feeling Nappa leather, gleaming real walnut and ash wood trim, and detailed with beautifully finished chrome and metal switchgear.

Wonderfully precise attention to detail dominates throughout the cabin and is evident, from the double stitched seat trim to the soft microfiber headliner. The large expansive dash features: a huge LCD highdefinition 12.3-inch touchscreen and a 9.7-inch head-up display, a premium 900 watt Lexicon 17-speaker surround-sound system, HD navigation, and three-zone climate control.

The car also comes with three years of free enhanced roadside assistance, satellite radio, traffic links, map care, and connected services. genesis will also offer a 10-year/ 161,000-km powertrain warranty and fiveyear/ 97,000 km comprehensive coverage.

The present competition should be wary as the new genesis is way up there with the top german premium brands when it comes to fit, finish, luxury equipment, and safety and onroad performance.

With the genesis destined to be sold at a very attractive price offering truly affordable super-luxury, there is every reason to take a test drive and see what all the fuss is about.

Highly recommended. www.desitoday.ca

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ART & ENT.

Beginnings This painting shows us that even in times of distress we must hold onto that which brings meaning to our lives.

Wherever we are, whoever we are with, we must acknowledge what we have...”

Acrylic on Canvas 24”x 18” TSM Gallery 9353 120th Street Delta, B.C. For Gallery visiting hours 778 885-2197 www.tsmgallery.ca

This painting takes us back to the beginning, where we celebrate the start of something new.

Here a man and woman enjoy each other’s company. With the hard rock surface beneath them, they get lost in the soft brilliance of their surroundings. Fireworks fill the sky with a burst of color, contrasting with the inherent stillness of the moment.

A man consoles a woman. She puts 88

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

her head on his shoulder, leaning against him. They watch as boats drift away, rippled reflections floating in the waves.

The lights of a distant city can be seen in the background.

Amidst the city landscape, nature heals.

This painting shows us that even in times of distress we must hold onto that which brings meaning to our lives. Wherever we are, whoever we are with, we must

acknowledge what we have. We must focus on the now and let go of past. No matter how difficult it is. This moment will never come back. Right now is someone else’s beginning, so celebrate it in your own unique way.

The start of a new relationship? A new job? A new year? It’s time to celebrate and bring more shades of color to your life.

Fill your heart with love and gratitude and ask yourself: What takes me back to the beginning?

Sherry Duggal would like to congratulate Tejpal Singh Mann on his ability to evoke mood through his paintings. The details in this painting are no less than a photographer’s dream. www.desitoday.ca

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FEATURE

and select accessories with pops of color you can swap out as their tastes or trends change.

inCorPorate Creativity giving teens access to items like art supplies, camera equipment and musical instruments encourages them to tap into their passions. Pay attention to what they’re interested in and make sure it has a place in their new space.

teChnoloGy iS key

TeenTasTic Make any space perfect for young adults (BPT) - Teenagers are at a point in their life where they are looking to make their own mark and find their own space. You want to give it to them, but as you start considering renovation ideas, how do you create a space your teen will appreciate?

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America knows all about satisfying the needs of teenagers

from all walks of life, and since 2009, they have partnered with Lowe’s to renovate clubs to ensure they are safe and inspiring places for youth.

Many clubs that receive this money use it to update their facilities for today’s teens so they have a desirable place to spend time after school. As they plan for the renovations, they get input from teen members and have learned some helpful insights about what teens look for in their own space. You can use these tips as well in your own home renovation project to create a space your teen will love.

make it a ColorfUl, diStinCt area Teens desire their own space where they can retreat and feel inspired. Paint the room with bright, vibrant colors that add a youthful vibe 90

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Teens are used to having technology at their fingertips. Flat screens, charging stations and computers are tools that help them explore the future and are key to inspiring innovation.

Find ways to infuse new technology, such as mood lighting, into the space to make it feel extra comfortable and cool for your teen.

Create an environment for StUdyinG Teens need a space that helps them focus on studying. Warm lighting and comfy chairs or bean bags help create a quiet, welcoming space for them to relax and learn. Create a homework station and your teen will have everything they need to stay organized and focused on their studies.

deSiGn a SPaCe they’ll want to Share with friendS As you’re designing your space for your teen, be mindful of them inviting other teens over as well. If the space can easily handle multiple teenagers, it will be a place that can help them build new friendships or strengthen existing ones.

At Boys & Girls Clubs, long tables encourage group activities, but in your teen’s space it could be as simple as extra seating for their friends.

Creating a great space for your teen is possible by focusing on what makes them unique. Make the space personal and functional with these five tips, and you’ll create a space that your teenager, and their friends, can’t wait to enjoy. www.desitoday.ca

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Declutter YOUR CLOSET

(NC) Each year, we declutter our lives through a crusade called spring cleaning. It marks the transition from wearing our winter garb to our summer digs, but no such milestone is allotted to the seasonal transition during fall.

This time of year is an equally important opportunity for simplification, especially when it comes to cleaning out your closet and creating the perfect capsule wardrobe.

In theory, capsule wardrobes are a minimalist selection of items that can be easily mixed and matched, creating a multitude of combinations. Saving you time and money, this is a strategy designed to streamline your daily clothing choices.

In practice, capsule wardrobes are more easily said than done. If downsizing to 30 items sounds impossible, there are other methods for making more closet space:

• Add budget-friendly trendy or seasonal pieces that refresh your style throughout the year but invest in high-quality items you can wear in countless ways.

• Put items you aren’t ready to purge into a box and out of sight. The next time you revisit the box you’ll see what clothing you haven’t touched since last season.

• Focus on a few wardrobe staples that will carry you from season to season, such as external wear, accessories and shoes.

These should be timeless, modern and adaptable, much like the design behind Daniel Wellington watches that have interchangeable straps to complement almost any outfit.

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OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

(NC) Transitioning your closet from summer to fall can be seamless with a few go-to pieces. Since the warm weather doesn’t disappear all at once, neither should your summer clothing. By swapping in strategic items, you can comfortably freshen up your wardrobe without saying goodbye to the tried and true summer styles you love.

mID-LengTh sKIrTs Dressing for colder weather can be as simple as extending the length of your sleeve or skirt.

Trending this fall are mid-length skirts with a flattering hem at the calf that add fullness and movement to your look. Extending the length of your skirt means you can pair it with that summer top you aren’t ready to put away yet.

nyLon CoaTs Popular on the runway this season, nylon coats are the perfect transitional outerwear. Easily packed away without fear of wrinkling, you will have no problems taking off and putting away your jacket when those unexpectedly warm autumn days surprise you. This lightweight fabric can be layered as the weather gradually becomes colder.

• Set aside regular times of the year to reassess your closet. Spring isn’t the only season that cleaning can be cathartic.

• Ask yourself some simple questions: Does it fit me right now? Do I remember the last time I wore it? If the answer is no, chances are you shouldn’t keep it.

SeaSonal wardroBe SwitCh made eaSy

By swapping in strategic items, you can comfortably freshen up your wardrobe without saying goodbye to the tried and true summer styles you love.

PersonaLIZeD aCCessorIes Most accessories are easy to transition through the seasons, but some are smarter choices than others. Find items that can be easily modified with small changes, like reversible belts or interchangeable watch straps. Change your look from summer to fall or even day to night by switching the bands on a Daniel Wellington watch from the new Classic Petite collection. Choose classic yet contemporary items that let you easily adapt to whatever the season has in store.

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DESI AROUND TOWN Daljit Thind of Thind Properties with Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, MLA Raj Chouhan and Burnaby Councillor Sav Dhaliwal and other distinguished guests attended the Starling pre-launch of Lumina’s highly anticipated second tower at Burnaby’s Lumina Brentwood on September 9.

Wadali Brothers - Live In Concert : The scintillating performance by the Wadali Brothers at their Live in Concert show presented by Gurjit Bal at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver thrilled the audience. The brothers were honoured by Surrey MPs Sukh Dhaliwal and Randeep Sarai at the show. Photos by Aziz Ladha The Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society held their highly successful 30th Anniversary Gala on September 16 at Vancouver’s Fraserview Banquet Hall. MPs John Aldag and Sukh Dhaliwal, Ministers Harry Bains, Jinny Sims and Adrian Dix, Minister of State George Chow, and MLAs Jagrup Brar, and Rachna Singh along with a host of other prominent members of the community came out to show their support. PICS CEO Satbir Cheema and PICS Board President Bobby Pawar hosted the gala.

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OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

Author and journalist Rana Ayyub, who exposed the involvement of Indian officials in the systematic killings of Muslims in Gujarat, was honoured at an event organized by Radical Desi and Indians Abroad for Pluralist India in Dr. Ambedkar Room of the Surrey Central Library. She was presented with the Courage in Journalism Award by lawyer and a human rights activist Amandeep Singh as well as Radical Desi founders Parshottam Dosanjh and Sahib Thind, leader of the Prof.

Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation.

www.desitoday.ca

BC Oral Cancer Prevention Program: Dr Harinder Dhanju held a Free screening health camp with collboration of Rotary Club of Surrey-Newton in Surrey helps to detect oral cancer.

At the Grand opening of the full service law firm Shawn Sidhu Law Corporation at Suite #1104 - 13737 96th Avenue in Surrey.

The BC-India Business Network’s 3rd Annual Grand Diwali Gala at Fairmont Waterfront Hotel attracted a host of political and business luminaries. Carla Qualtrough, federal Minister of Civil Supplies and Procurement, and Abhilasha Joshi, Consul General of India, unveiled a special stamp jointly released by Canada Post and India Post on the occasion of Diwali. (Photos by Midda Photography) Kidsplay CEO/President Kal Dosanjh with Kids Play Karate Program participants run at JT Brown Elementary

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Padma Shree awardee, Surjit Patar (2nd from left) was in Surrey to attend the PunjabI Literary and Cultural Summit of North America at Punjab Bhawan, Surrey BC. This summit’s main objective was to establish awareness about the present situation of Punjabi literature ad Culture in our community. Punjab Bhawan was founded by philanthropist Sukhi Bath in 2016.

Kids Play Kabaddi Program players got the opportunity to play at then Kabaddi World Cup held in Toronto this year.

OCT / NOV 2017 News With A Desi View

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LIFE & ETC.

2017 will influence your basic outlook and your idea of self.

You may indulge in detoxification of the body to get rid of impurities. Leo personalities pursuing academic career may have to switch over to a different subject or a different institution. Others may be drawn towards higher studies or intellectual faculties. The Lunar Eclipse of the 17th of October 2017 will question your spiritual understanding.

Know what your star says

HOROSCOPE OCT-2017 With Pandit Sai Hanuman Surrey Wale

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19) Capricorn October 2017 Horoscope predicts that this month your professional and family lives are strongly impacted by the two eclipses. Your life will undergo changes that will be long- standing. Movement of Jupiter will also influence your career prospects this month.

It is essential to reduce the pace of your activities during the period of eclipses. The Capricorn zodiac people should avoid taking risks. All voluntary activities can be postponed to a future date.

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18) October 2017 Horoscope forecasts that the majority of planets are in the Northern sector of the horoscope this month and the House of career will become more powerful after the 23rd. Hence professional issues for the Aquarians will dominate over domestic and emotional matters. You should not neglect family matters and must pay enough attention whenever required. Family will be happier with your career growth and will be supportive of your professional ambitions. Aquarius, your life will shed old things and a new way of life will emerge because of the impact of the two eclipses.

Pisces (Feb 19-Mar 20) Pisces October 2017 Horoscope foretells that astrologically this month is quite turbulent and things look bizarre. You are affected by the significant transformations happening in the world around you because of the planetary influences. The Solar Eclipse of the 3rd and the Lunar Eclipse of the 17th of October 2017 will also contribute to the confusion. In addition movement of Jupiter will also affect the destiny of the Pisces zodiac. All these changes are benevolent to you in the end of month.

Aries (Mar 21-Apr 19) October 2017 Aries Horoscope forecasts that the House of Self is not powerful this month. Mars is also not favorable for your personal ambitions. Interest of others comes first and you have to keep aside your initiative and enterprise for the present. The Aries zodiac should give way to compromise and collaboration to accomplish their goals in October 2017. The Aries personality will be highly aggressive. You should control your

Virgo (Aug 23-Sept 22)

irritability. You should avoid fights with others as arguments can lead to disastrous consequences. Before the end of this month you would have achieved your social objectives.

Taurus (Apr 20-May 20) Taurus October 2017 Horoscope forecasts that the planetary strength is located in the Northern hemisphere of the horoscope towards your nadir sign. Family and emotional concerns will be in the background while career and worldly ambitions will be predominant for the Taurus zodiac. Taurus, your concept of spirituality will be under-go a change because of the effect of the Lunar Eclipse of the 17th. You may change your spiritual guides and there may be long term alterations to your spiritual thinking.

Gemini (May 21-June 21) Gemini October 2017 Horoscope forecasts that the two eclipses this month will have far reaching consequences. Movement of Jupiter will alter your romantic life extensively. The Solar Eclipse of the 3rd of October 2017 will keep a present Gemini love affair on trial and may even endanger it. Dealings with your children may undergo radical changes and their lives will become different.

The Lunar Eclipse of the 17th of October 2017 will impact a Gemini zodiac friendship. This may affect your relationship with social associations of which you are a member.

Cancer (June 22-July 22) Cancer October 2017 Horoscope predicts that you will face significant changes in your lives this month. You are influenced by the planets Jupiter and Mars, while the Solar and the Lunar Eclipses also impact your lives for the better. The Lunar Eclipse of October 2017 changes the basic Cancer personality and you emerge as a new identity. The way you present yourself to the outside world will change radically. There will be many conflicting areas of interest for the Cancer star sign. You will require all the energy at your disposal to overcome these challenges in the month of October 2017.

Leo (July 23-Aug 22) The 2017 October astrology forecasts predict that events will be affected by the two eclipses this month. The Solar Eclipse of the 3rd of October

Virgo October 2017 Horoscope foretells that this month you are deeply influenced by the two eclipses and the results are quite positive. You should reduce your activities during the period of eclipses. The Solar Eclipse will force the Virgo zodiac to deal with death on an emotional plane. This will also resolve any issues regarding property and insurance, and the results are likely to be profitable. Virgo, Jupiter will influence your intellectual habits. You will be deeply interested in expanding your knowledge as well as spreading your understanding of subjects to others by means of teaching or communication.

Libra (Sept 23-Oct 22) It is advisable to cut down your activities during those periods. You should only do important things. Postpone minor things to a later date. Libra, your ruling planet Venus will influence various aspects of your life this month, especially career and health.

The Solar Eclipse of the 3rd of October 2017 will give the Libra zodiac an opportunity to change their traits and beliefs which will be beneficial in the long run. You will make changes in your personal outlook and the way you present yourself to the world. Here are a few Libra personality traits.

Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21) Scorpio October 2017 Horoscope forecasts that most of the planets are in the Eastern sector of the horoscope this month towards your rising sign.

The House of Self is also powerful. You can use your autonomy and enterprise to attain your goals the way you want.

There is no need for depending on others or compromising to their whims. Scorpio, your way is the best way. Though the eclipses are beneficial to you, it is advisable to reduce your activities during the period of eclipses. You should focus on major issues in October 2017 and leave minor issues for the future.

Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 21) October 2017 foretells that your destiny is affected by the two eclipses and the movement of Jupiter. The Solar Eclipse of the 3rd October 2017 takes place in the House of Friends. This will influence the Sagittarius compatibility in friendships and will examine the status of present friendships. The situation will improve after the 20th of October 2017 due to the favorable aspects of various planets. The Solar Eclipse will put the Sagittarians’ spiritual and religious ideas on trial.

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