Desi Today December - January 2014

Vol. 4 | Issue 6 | Dec-Jan 2014

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Notable Actors of Indian Descent in Hollywood

How Social Media Could Be Lowering Your Self-esteem

s s e n i s u B e Th of Being

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Features 10 The Business Of Being Sonya Gill 16 Why It’s Obvious The Rob Ford Story Doesn’t Matter 20 Nimmo, A short story by Suresh Kurl 22 The Failures of Government and Non-Profit Systems 24 Gang Prevention by Jag Khosa 30 Punjabi Society and Religion

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72 India’s Supreme Court Upholds a Law Criminalizing Gay Sex 74 Life Lessons You Can Learn from Olivia Pope 76 Travel Tips for the Holidays 77 Ways to Keep From Blowing Major $$$ Online 78 Celebrate a Stress Free Lohri 80 Pulitzer Prize Winners of Indian Origin 81 Auto Review 82 Desi Girl

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Editor Pardeep Sahota

Letters editor@desitoday.ca

Contributing Writers Jessy Dhillon Dr. Suresh Kurl Amrinder Sahota Rajinder Sahota Gary Thandi Jag Khosa Harprit Patel Sadhu Binning

Layout & Graphic Design Mohammed Ahmed

Photos by Surya Photo Studio Chandra Bodalia

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Editor’s Note

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There’s really no better feeling than a new year: the end of something good, beginning of something great. Everything is fresh and the possibilities are endless. I felt the same way when I took on the role of Desi Today editor in February. This community became my exciting future, and I became more and more intrigued by stories and news that affect the South Asian community with each passing issue.

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This issue we bring you an exciting interview of a rising star in the tech and social media industry, a real social media expert: Sonya Gill. Born in BC and raised in the Northwest Territories, Sonya now calls Toronto her home and within one year of launching her business, has secured over 80 high calibre clients worldwide.

With the recent media hype surrounding Toronto mayor Rob Ford, our writer Rajinder Sahota focuses on why it’s obvious that the Rob Ford story doesn’t matter. We also bring you another story for Jag Khosa who informs us about gang prevention, Gary Thandi who talks about the failures of government and non-profits, Sadhu Binning’s editorial on Punjabi society and religion, and one of our favorites this issue, Dr. Suresh Kurl has written a beautiful short story on cultural realities.

A new year is around the corner, take a look at some of our tips on setting personal goals, how to stay healthy during the holiday season, and some life lessons that can be learned from the fierce (and fictional) Olivia Pope from the popular show Scandal.

Thank you to our dedicated writers: Jessy Dhillon, Rina Gill, Dr. Suresh Kurl, Am Sahota, Rajinder Sahota and Gary Thandi. It has been a privilege being your editor. I’d also like to thank our readers; we look forward to connecting with you in the new year.

Have a safe and happy holiday season, and happy new year.

Until next time, Pardeep Sahota Editor-in-Chief

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DESI TODAY EXCLUSIVE

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The Business of Being

Sonya Gill Taking the tech industry by storm 10

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the interview

quick bio Sonya Gill has achieved the impossible: She is one of the first South Asian female entrepreneurs tackling a predominantly male field of tech and social media, has self-published a book and launched Canada’s first social media magazine and get this, she’s done it all before turning 33. Born in BC and raised in the Northwest Territories, Sonya is no stranger to the world of entertainment. From a young age Sonya’s parents, a retired electrical engineer and retired academic, fueled her passion for entertainment and ensured she found the spotlight she desired. Armed with nine years of experience in Journalism and Social Media, Sonya has worked for television and radio stations like: The Weather Network, ATN, India Abroad, BBC/Worldband Media, Sahara One, Jiggy TV, TV Asiana and The Food Network. The ex-radio host conquered television to publicize her personal brand and now is embarking on the next episode of her career with her social media agency Youzus, which now has 12 employees and clients from all over the globe. All this and she has time to write an e-book, too.

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How did you get started with Youzus? What motivated you to start your own company?

I was working another blog because starting Youzus, it was called ‘The Young and Sassy’ and was geared towards women, encouraging them to live their best lives. When I was in NYC I transitioned my old blog to Youzus, meaning ‘use us,’ as I found there were a lot of people contacting me to leverage my blog to review their products or write reviews. It was also during this time that I was well into my career in radio and television, so not only was I leveraging my blog, but I would leverage my Twitter account for brands that were looking for more exposure. I thought about it, everyone seemed to use me to help increase the profile of their brand, so it was natural progression to turn this into a business. In 2011, when I began teaching new media for television and radio at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Youzus took an even bigger life form as I was doing a lot of client facing. In 2012, I quit my job in television and decided to dive in feet first. I relocated to Toronto a year later to pursue a position with the Food Network, and soon after was cast on a new show produced by elleFactor where I am a coach and mentor. The rest is history. I think the motivation was creating a life for myself that I had control over, as most entrepreneurs will tell you. A life that I could live on my own terms and affect individuals in the way I envision society changing for the better.

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COVER

You chased your dream and moved to NYC. What was the experience like?

When I first moved to NYC it was right after my best friend had passed away. It was a really low time in my life, but also a time of deep reflection and definitely a time where I understood that life is not guaranteed to anyone. So I had a lot of fire under me during that time. I moved out to NYC with a mission to conquer the South Asian television industry as a TV host (yes, you can laugh, but don’t forget about that fire;)). And I almost did just that. Looking back on that journey still gives me goose bumps to this day. I think every person in their life time should travel abroad, and mine just happened to be NYC - the most exciting city in the world, in my opinion. I cannot even begin to describe the energy in that city. It’s just so electrifying, motivating and inspiring. It just keeps you go-

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ing every single day, non-stop. Everyone that lives in NYC is a ‘hustler’ - so to speak - and is there to achieve and accomplish a dream. It is truly a city of dreamers, but also a city of movers and shakers. When you want something and you go out to get it, you’ll actually meet someone who will know someone who will know someone else which leads to a process of unveiling your potential. But then again, I hear L.A. is like that as well, just with better weather!

What are some roadblocks that you encountered throughout the years?

You know what’s funny, now that I look back on everything I have to say that for every time I thought I was hitting a roadblock I was actually being re-directed to something better. And I know this sounds cliché, but it cannot be any truer. But trust me when I say that there were definitely a lot of them.

What is your motivation that keeps you going? Is there an end goal in mind?

My motivation is proving to myself that it can be done. The more I keep accomplishing goals and checking them off my list and my vision board, the more it motivates me to keep adding to that board and list. My team motivates me, because I know the places they see us going and it’s up to me to make sure those things happen. And of course my family motivates me, especially my parents. They are truly my biggest inspiration. I’ve seen where they’ve come from and what they’ve built, and so on days where I ‘don’t feel like it’ I think of my 65 year old mother, for example, who still gets up at 5am every morning because it’s what she does. As for an end goal, I can’t say I have one. But I do know I want to leave a legacy behind and until that happens, I can’t rest.

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COVER

What’s next for Sonya Gill?

quick facts Sonya was nominated as Emerging Entrepreneur of The Year by Toronto Board of Trade, and placed in the top 5.

She wrote and self-published her own publication called Keep It Super Simple for Social Media: How to build your brand online which is available for purchase on Amazon.

Was deemed a ‘woman to watch out for’ in 2012 by Advantage Magazine Nominated for RBC’s 2012 woman entrepreneur of the year award Launched Canada’s first ever social media magazine, called The Youzus Report

Well for starters, this next year is most likely going to be one of my biggest (and possibly toughest) years yet. Youzus has only been in business for a little over a year and already we have serviced close to 80 clients worldwide, published a book, created Canada’s first social media magazine and in a few weeks we are launching a tech project called SocialWu (www.socialwu.com). One of my goals in the coming years is for Youzus to be known as a global marketplace. A one stop shop for social media experts and brands combined. So to say there is a lot of work to be done would definitely be an understatement!

Who is the most impressive celebrity that you’ve met?

I have to say Bikram Choudhary - although it was just a phone interview.

But just to listen to his journey and how he established ‘Bikram’s Yoga’ and then turned around and patented an entire movement?! C’mon, that is just genius.

He was definitely thinking ahead of his time.

Where do you get your inspiration?

It really depends on the day. Sometimes it’s at the gym, sometimes it’s in the shower or when I’m talking to a friend.

But almost always it comes from a book, more specifically from biographies.

What led you to write your first book? Is there another book in the works?

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When I was first establishing the business, we were so new that it was tough to find clients to trust that we were going to deliver what we said we were going to deliver. So it was a very natural step in the growth of the company. It’s just something I knew I had to do to prove myself as an ‘expert’ in my field. As for other books, maybe down the road, but nothing is in the works yet.

What advice do you have for budding young entrepreneurs?

Don’t give up. There will be many sleepless nights and lots of anxiety as you launch your business, but keep persisting.

It gets better and when it does, it’s amazing.

Don’t do it for the money. Do it for the vision, the passion and the mark you want to leave on the world. Money will eventually follow, it always does.

Don’t listen to the naysayers, your parents who want you to get a ‘side job’, your friends who don’t see your vision, or society that tells you need to have your ducks in a row before pursuing your dreams.

Why aren’t there many South Asian women in the technology and social media sector?

To be honest, I don’t have an answer for this. But I do know that I really want to see more South Asian women kicking butt in the tech and online space. I want to see more South Asian women gracing the pages of Forbes or Inc. magazine with a new app they started or a new tech business they launched. There are just not enough of us. There are a lot of Indian males, but not enough females in this industry. www.desitoday.ca

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Why It’s Obvious The Rob Ford Story Doesn’t Matter

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Rob Ford’s personal proclivities and preferences are deserving of, at most, a minor back-page editorial comment from a community paper in Toronto. After all, wasn’t it Pierre Trudeau over four decades ago who proclaimed that “the Government has no business in the bedrooms of the nation”? By extension, the electorate has no business, and frankly is unaffected by, the personal drug habits of Mayor Rob Ford. There are no exceptions to this rule, at least not if we would like to live in an enlightenment-based society that values free will and choice.

After all, how many of us would like to have our personal choices examined under a microscope? Legality is not an indicator of relative moral value. There is no moral superiority from rendering alcohol manufacture, distribution and consumption legal while simultaneously rendering marijuana manufacture, distribution and consumption illegal; in fact, if we were to perform

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The only thing that matters, and specifically for Torontonians, is what sort of advocacy Rob Ford participates in and what policies he promotes. That is it.

And quite frankly, there is more than enough to write home about with respect to his policy positions, which neglect the majority of his constituents; the working class and working poor (not to mention the poor).

Focusing on his personal proclivities is not only a complete waste of everyone’s time, but is insulting to those who the “fourth estate” ought to represent; namely the majority of Toronto’s (and the World’s) population – the working class and the working poor (not to mention the poor).

This continued fixation on gutter politics, tabloid journalism, negative ad campaigns, is appealing for one reason; it draws a large audience to the mainstream media’s clients. And this is very revealing; the mainstream media sells a product – its audience – to other for-profit corporations – advertisers. As a result, what would one expect from the mainstream media other than the drivel (i.e. Rob Ford’s personal life) and propaganda (i.e. articles that will not be contrary to the interests of their clients) they produce.

By Rajinder Sahota Rajinder S. Sahota is a lawyer with an academic background in Public International Law. e. rajinder@sahota.org t. 250.858.4869 w. www.sahota.org www.desitoday.ca

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A short story by Suresh Kurl The following story is based on certain historical facts, cultural realities and my own imagination.

The year was 1939. I had no karmic credits to bank on and no destiny to guide me yet. I was not even born. But the upheaval and chaos of the Second World War were already defining my life. While bombs, bullets and fires were keeping all of Europe frightened, families far away in India were spending nights awake, worrying about the next meal.

In an attempt to maintain price stability, provide access to basic foods at reasonable cost and keep a check on private trade, speculators and black-marketers, our British rulers introduced ration cards. Then came 1941, the year I hit the planet earth. And abracadabra, a Ration Baby was born.

It was a morning of late spring. The sun was up, sharing its warmth. The Kurl residence in bicultural Moradabad, on the banks of the rivers Ram-Ganga and Gangan, inhabited by both Hindus and Muslims as neighbour, buzzed with activity, excitement and anxiety – the normal family traits.

There is this age old triangular relationship between mornings, the family kitchen and senior women. If they were not busy with their morning business, or praying in the family temple, they were in the kitchen cooking. Bhabho was in the kitchen, though her ears were at the door waiting for Nimmo. Then, not so suddenly, she heard Kanti gasping for breath and announcing, “Midwife Nimmo has arrived.”

“Bring her in and take her to your bhabhi’s room, but before you do that, offer Nimmo some water and soap to wash her hands,” instructed Bhabho.

“Take Nimmo to my bhabhi’s room?” Kanti repeated her mother’s instructions to make sure she had heard them right.

“Yes, to your bhabhi’s room. Are you deaf?”

“But she is a Muslim,’ said Kanti as though her mother was unaware of Nimmo’s religion.

“I know who she is. Today is not the first time Nimmo has come to this house. She delivered you and every other child in this family. So hurry up. Don’t waste my time or go find me a 20

DEC / JAN 2014

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Hindu midwife,” Bhabho reinforced her instructions, knowing she could not find a single Hindu midwife in the entire city. Delivering babies is dirty work; below Hindu dignity.

Kanti grudgingly returned to the main door to bring Nimmo in.

“Adaabarz, Bibiji,” Nimmo greeted Bhabho.

“Adaabarz Nimmo. Kaisi ho? How are you?”

Bhabho reciprocated.

“Khuda kaa raham hai. God is merciful,” Nimmo replied with fatigue in her voice.

After washing and disinfecting her hands Nimmo entered mom’s room. “How long have you been having these pains? Nimmo asked.

“For about two hours,” mom responded.

“Let me see.” Nimmo poked around mom’s belly to feel how far down had I slipped. I felt an unpleasant poke of her boney fingers.

After a few seconds she declared, “Bahuraani taiyaar hai. Madam is ready. Bring me eight brick to make a squatting seat, lots of warm water, clean rags and a pair of sharp scissors.”

As soon as Bhabho helped mom to squat on a seat, it did not take me long to drop like a fruit into Nimmo’s shaking hands. I recall being welcomed by four women congratulating each other. They were the ones who did all the running around for pots and pots of warm water and clean rags and praying for my safe delivery with all my body parts in perfect shape.

The truth is that in our culture a delivery room was an exclusive domain of women, where men were not allowed. For men to witness the secrets of child birth was a no-no.

Right after I came out of mom’s soft padded chamber, Nimmo cut off my umbilical cord and tied its leftover piece attached to my tummy with a piece of ordinary string. Traditionally, if any of my grandfathers were around, they would have leaped out of their beds at my first cry and performed the ritual of parting with a strand of their sacred threads (yaggyopavita) to tie around my umbilical cord. The next person entitled to perform that ceremony would have

been my dad. But none was around. My paternal grandfather had already moved to the spirit world. My maternal grandfather lived 130 miles away in the foothills of the Himalayas and my dad? Well, he too was away. He worked as a loan-collector for a desi banker. They conducted their business through a documentary system called “Hundi” based on honour, trust and reference (Hawala). As the collection of loans was a risky business, there was always a danger of being robbed, or even killed. Dad always traveled with sepoys employed by his employer.

While I was busy protesting my eviction from my private apartment, Nimmo was busy washing, wiping and wrapping me in mom’s soft cotton dhoti and preparing to hand me over to her. After all that was done, Bebe with great relief looked at mom and me and said humouredly, “Hold your “pait-ponchhna, the womb sweeper, the last baby and feed him.”

Bebe was a psychic perhaps. That condo where I had been fashioned, manufactured, developed and stored for nine months was never rented out ever again. This is how I earned my second nick-name. I know lots of women, who are named ‘Iti’ meaning the end.

Unlike first-time-moms, my mom was a pro. She knew how to hold me and how to feed me. She had perfected these skills on my elder siblings before she used them on me. As soon as mom brought her breast near my mouth and guided me to her nipple, I latched on to it but only for a few minutes. Sucking food from that pouch was tiring; very unlike that intra-umbilical feeding I had become used to. A little later, I licked my lips. They tasted sweet. Perhaps mom had put a tiny drop of honey on them to change the taste of my mouth. Then, she touched my lips with a small cotton ball dipped in warm spicy water. I remember some one calling that warm water ghutti.

As soon as Nimmo left, Bebe and Bhabho washed the delivery room with a white liquid.

I heard Bebe calling it phenol. It smelled much too strong for my tender nostrils. Then, they www.desitoday.ca

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mural painting

Dr. Suresh Kurl is a South Asian Community Activist, a retired Registrar of the BC Benefits Appeal Board and an Ex-Member of the National Parole Board.

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By Dr Suresh Kurl

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placed a clay pot filled with slow burning charcoal outside at the door, and sprinkled a pinch of some herbal powder on the fire. From then on, whoever entered our room had to throw a pinch of that powder on the fire. It too had a pungent smell. Occasionally I tried to express my displeasure about it by sneezing. God only knew how many times Bhabho or Bebe had to say, “chhatra-pate” something equivalent to bless you.”

And that pair of scissors, the one that Nimmo used to cut off my umbilical cord, Bebe placed them on open fire, purified them and then tossed them under our bed for protection against evil spirits. But I do not know to date where is that secret spot where Nimmo buried my umbilical chord to stake my claim to be my janmbhoomi (birth spot), as Hindus claim the piece of land to be Lord Rama’s birth spot, right below the Babri Mosque in Faizabad, India.

Everything except one crucial detail moved smoothly. The exact time of my birth was grossly neglected. I wish there had been at least one of my three uncles hanging around, or anyone of the ladies had instructed Auntie Kanti, who at the time was most probably playing hopscotch in the courtyard, to keep an eye on the clock and record the exact time of my birth to assist our priest with my astrological road map. Everyone knows that a child’s horoscope is the only documentary conventional chart that determines the crucial details of his or her life. It is consulted to determine the time and date of the major events of life. An accurately charted horoscope can even predict the day and time of death. So, whatever approximate time, about 10:45 a.m. the ladies could recall was passed on to Pundit Ram Swaroop. Thank God they did not mess up the date of my birth.

Actually, my birth was a relatively quiet affair. I never heard mom or anybody else telling me that within days after I was born a group of eunuchs arrived en masse to perform a ritual dance, sing songs for my longevity and collect rupees and saris as their customary reward.

Wartime must have been rough on those poor eunuchs as well.

In addition to be called a Ration Baby and Womb Sweeper, I also earned a third epithet, ‘Ariyal Tattoo’ a Stubborn Mule. I grew up a cranky, high-strung and a timid child with very low tolerance for frustration. As the youngest in the family, I was picked on and teased a lot. My brothers had fun at my expense. They had this habit of teasing me by saying that I was adopted. I began to believe them, and think that my mom was not my mom and my dad was theirs.

Only when I threatened to run away, they felt my grief.

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Our ethnic children and youth are not receiving culturally responsive services, as culturally responsive services would include involving family members like parents and grandparents – something ‘mainstream’ services for the most part don’t do because they don’t have the time or the language capacity.

The same government funding model for multicultural health and emotional health services has been in place for the past few decades – yet the population of ethnic communities has increased exponentially over the same time. Compounding this statistic is the fact that funding for Surrey schools and health services (Fraser Health) have not increased relative to its population growth, so per capita funding for Fraser Health residents is considerably lower than per capita funding for Vancouver Coastal Health residents.

Time and time again, when asked, government (the Ministry for Children and Families, Fraser Health, Ministry of Education, etc.) officials will acknowledge the discrepancies – but almost always have offered up the same response, “Unfortunately there is no new funding.” Efforts by many to have them reconsider the model, without changing the overall amount of funding, have been unsuccessful.

Governments are not the only ones to blame for this sorry state of affairs. The service providers themselves are often more concerned with funding than working together, and they often fail to collaborate to help their mutual clients – after all, collaborating means sharing of funding and some of these agencies have no interest in sharing money. Many have developed bureaucracies (managers, assistance managers and directors) and high levels of administrative expenses (like rent and equipment) so that whenever little pockets of funding are secured, a large portion of it doesn’t even go towards direct client services. This bureaucracy is not unlike government bureaucracy – although a big difference is that every so often governments will ac22

DEC / JAN 2014

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tually look at their bureaucracies and will hack and slash away to make them less top-heavy. Non-profits have to do with less funding but that doesn’t mean they are hacking and slashing away at their bureaucracies; often less money for them simply means a reduction in front-line services.

So what does all of this mean? It means that teachers, school-based counsellors and other counsellors are stretched so thin that they can only work with a handful of the cases in front of them, resulting in many of our children and youth and their families needing but not receiving much needed assistance. Many of these youth will experience mental health difficulties and/or potentially fall into dangerous (drugs, gangs, etc.) lifestyles. Consider all of the youth – including South Asian youth - who have died as a result of gangs/the drug trade – how many of them could have been saved if there were culturally responsive and appropriate services in place for them?

Our ethnic children and youth are not receiving culturally responsive services, as culturally responsive services would include involving family members like parents and grandparents – something ‘mainstream’ services for the most part don’t do because they don’t have the time or the language capacity. It also means that we have a one-year waitlist in Surrey for South Asian men who are required to take domestic violence programs, compared to little to no wait for English-speaking populations. How many of our children, youth and families are struggling, waiting for the men in their family to get the help they need?

There is one funded alcohol and drug counsellor for South Asian communities in Surrey, while there are about a dozen for English-speaking communities, despite Surrey’s population being 30-40% South Asian. Again, how many of our children are being impacted by alcohol and other drug abuse because the help isn’t available to

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them or their parents?

Few outreach/education services exist, yet we know that many ethnic community members are not going to access current services, and most ‘mainstream’ services do not engage in outreach, but simply say “we’re open, come see us but we don’t have the language capacity to work with ethnic communities.” The reality is that these agencies wouldn’t know what to do if ethno-cultural community members came to their door – other than refer them elsewhere.

The sad reality is that while our systems like government, schools, health and nonprofit are doing a poor job of meeting the needs of ALL vulnerable families, it’s much, much worse for South Asian and other ethnic communities. It’s important to note that what is failing us is not the workers, but those in charge of funding and how funding is distributed – who are, and this is no coincidence – separated from the ‘human’ aspect of the work.

South Asian communities are vibrant and strong, and like other communities, we are not immune to family dysfunction, addiction, mental health, domestic violence and other social issues. We could wait around for some of these governments and community service ‘systems’ to get their act together and actually serve our needs appropriately, but frankly that may never happen. So maybe we all need to look from within and come up with the answers. After all, within our communities we have the strength, the talent, the compassion and the commitment to help each other.

So while one should look at the needs of the community-at-large and try to help out where help is needed, do not forget to also look closer to home. Is there something you can do to help someone in your family or extended family deal with addiction, mental health, family difficulties – or the stigma that they may feel from those issues? Or is there an elder relative or a relative who is a new immigrant struggling with social isolation that you can visit, in order to ease their struggles? Would speaking out and taking a stand against violence or gender bias help someone struggling with those issues? Or perhaps there is a charity or non-profit that you can donate to, one that actually spends most or all of its funds towards a service that helps those in need in our or other ethnic communities? Maybe it’s time we did what we no longer can entrust our governments and non-profits to do.

Gary Thandi Genesis Family Empowerment www.desitoday.ca

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By Det. Jag Khosa Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit - BC

g N A G n o i t n e Prev A group of like-minded people who exhibit anti-social and criminal behavior illustrates a dark image of the term “Gang.” Since the day gangs were defined, they have gathered endless media glorification shining through newspapers and television reports to the average citizen. Scattered violence, random mass shootings, gruesome murders; unpredictable victim profiles all evoke fear in the eyes of our society. The presence of open gunfire plants a seed of terror in the minds of young children, adolescents and worrisome parents. Hence, the association of gangs and children is a 24

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nightmare every parent avoids to witness.

Gangs are no longer restricted to urban or suburban areas, nor are they predominant in any particular race and culture.

Members of gangs range across a variety of ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, gender, and geographic backgrounds. Local institutions, communal settings, neighborhoods have all been utilized as a backdrop for drug trafficking, recruiting youth and vandalism. Gangs have carried the ability to lure teens and distance them from their homes inviting them to a life of brutality.

Gang-related tragedies have destroyed

the trust of close family and friends of the victims along with shattering peace of a hopeful community.

What is a gang?

The prevalence of gangs exists across the globe however, the term “gang,” may hold distinct meaning for a variety of cultures and different people. The Criminal Code of Canada defines a gang or a criminal organization as the following:

A criminal organization refers www.desitoday.ca

to a group, however organized, that; is composed of three or more persons in or outside Canada; and has as one of its main purposes or main activities the facilitation or commission of one or more serious offences that, if committed would likely result in the direct or indirect receipt of a material benefit, including financial benefit, by the group or by any of the persons who constitute the group.

In other words, a gang is a group of people who form an allegiance for a common purpose and engage in violent, unlawful and/or criminal activity.

From an early age, children are instilled with values provided by each loving parent, guardian, family member, teacher, mentor and every positive role model throughout their lives. Why do those innocent faces turn to gangs for association in the years to come? In adolescence, the prime age for gang recruitment, many teens are in search for their identity. Some closely follow the paths of those positive role models close to them but some choose a darker path – gangs. There are many myths associated to gangs and what they provide and it is very important that everyone recognize them so we can all prevent gangs from stealing our youth. Some of the more common myths include: •

•

Identity: Gang members may have certain clothing, jewellery, or tattoos that identify them and that may hold some allure, but it also allows the police or rival gang members to identify them.

Rival gangsters will often target those they see wearing their competitions identifiers with generally tragic results.

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Power: It’s a myth that you’ll make lots of money, have expensive cars, lots of “stuff”, and be powerful. The truth is you’ll either be arrested, injured, or killed and your cars, property, drugs, and money will all be taken away by other gang members or seized by the police when you’re caught. You’ll still owe debts for everything. Most gang members don’t “own” anything. They rent where they live and drive leased vehicles in the names of girlfriends or unsuspecting family members because no bank or leasing company will do

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FEATURES

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police of British Columbia list common myths about gangs:

business with them.

•

you’ll make lots of money, have expensive cars, lots of “stuff”, and be powerful. The truth is you’ll either be arrested, injured, or killed and your cars, property, drugs, and money will all be taken away by other gang members or seized by the police when you’re caught. You’ll still owe debts for everything. Most gang members don’t “own” anything. They rent where they live and drive leased vehicles in the names of girlfriends or unsuspecting family members because no bank or leasing company will do business with them.

Gang Myth #1: Does the media portray gangs as glamourous?

To quite an extent, evidence does support that the media distorts the truth behind street gangs and violence. What is read on the front page of a newspaper may be exaggerated or chooses report only a portion of the story to its audience.

Gang Myth #2: A gang will protect you.

This belief solely depends on the individual status and importance to a particular gang. Being a great asset to a gang compared to mere involvement at the street level may increase some protection but not enough to keep oneself sheltered and safe. Gang lifestyle is one that consists of heightened physical risk of danger resulting in death.

Gang Myth # 3: A gang is like a family.

As a matter of fact, gangs defeat all meaning of the word, “family.” Failure to fulfill expectations as a gang member such as poor conduct, incorrect attire, carelessness and lack of willingness to sacrifice one’s life for the gang can result in harmful implications. A true family member will always be there for you and would never carry the expectation of you risking your life for them. In fact, close family members won’t hesitate putting their own life at stake for you.

Gang Myth #4: The community respects gangs.

The deviants of our society have switched fear with respect. The average citizen has lost respect and developed everlasting fear of gang members for the disruption of morals that each society looks upon and enforces upon the children of tomorrow.

26

DEC / JAN 2014

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Power and Status: It’s a myth that

Respect: Your friends and family will be too scared, embarrassed, or ashamed to spend time with you. Many businesses are part of associations that ban gang members and their associates. In these establishments, with the co-operation of the local police, you will be immediately removed or simply denied entry. You can also be removed under provincial or federal legislations.

This can become very embarrassing when you try to go out with your family or non-gang involved friends and you’ll have to live with the stigma of being a ‘gangster’.

The gang lifestyle is often short lived. It is a world of revenge, violence, debts, and substance abuse. Don’t let the temptations and false promises fool others into thinking that there are any positives involved with joining a gang.

Lastly, peer pressure plays a role in gang recruitment. Insecurities of identity, power, status and finances are used to identify target individuals. Gang leaders may use these insecurities to their own advantage by tempting that particular target by the •

riches of this delinquent lifestyle.

How do Gangs Function?

Gangs are a major operation across the nation. A source of functionality for many but defined by their own terms. Gangs thrive by creating fear through display of intimidation and notoriety.

They often perceive violence as prestigious and necessary to maintain individual and gang status. As with any operation, gangs also rely heavily on individual participation in order to allow the group to function as a whole. People may believe that gangs are organized and structured but it isn’t necessarily true. A fundamental criterion of required profiles does not exist for gangs; instead a range of individuals varying in age, gender, socio-economic status, race and region represents them. A division of roles may exist by identifying leaders of the gang and members of the gang who aim to increase benefits. The life of a gangster hauls immense costs and shortlived benefits. There are numerous risks involved which include but are not limited to: untimely death, imprisonment, financial loss, psychological distress (paranoia, fear, depression), substance abuse and loss of true loved ones.

Early Intervention As active members of society or devoted parents of young children, it is equally important to become aware of early signs of gang involvement. To detect and identify deviant association, one must start by asking the following questions: •

Does your child possess unexplained abundance of cash, expensive jewelry or clothing?

According to recent statistics, there have been 126 gang-related homicides in the lower mainland from the year 2006 to 2011. The average age is 30 and 95% of the victims are male. While the gangmurder rate and ensuing violence is declining, many of these murders took place in highdensity areas putting the public at risk.

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FEATURES

Gang life is a Dead END!

He sees it in the juvenile street gangs, who live in fear of death and who propagate fear by inflicting death to banish fear. And he sees it at its worst, as the result of violent emotions bursting into the mind and erupting from the hands” - Ed McBain 28

DEC / JAN 2014

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• •

• • •

•

Is there a sudden change in close friends?

Have you mentioned but your child avoids introducing his/her friends to you?

Are there short frequent trips being made during odd hours?

Have you seen presence of any firearms, knives or other weapons?

Has there been a shift in attitude or behaviour (anger issues, low tolerance, coarse language)?

Have you noticed a decline in school performance?

If you answered, “yes” to a few or more of these questions, there is a chance of your child being involved in corrupt alliances, however; none of these indicators prove that your child is a part of a gang. Being a parent, it is vital for you to look for a combination of these factors and then take action. It is important to engage yourself in your child’s development whether it’s regarding their struggles, achievements, morals, belief system etc. There are many skills that important to teach your children for them to develop into self-confident

individuals.

•

Communication. Children and parents need to have a strong bridge of communication where the child feels free to express any thought or emotion. Their opinions, values and beliefs need to be accepted at home.

Encourage them to critically think, discuss and raise any questions or concerns that they might have. This will assist in better communication and will allow you to understand your child and help them develop into a self-thinking individual.

•

Spend time as a family. Planning weekend trips, dinners and vacations will help create a sense of belonging.

Children need to value the concept of family and feel secure to be a part of it.

•

Set boundaries. It’s always important to keep a fine balance between full restriction and full liberty.

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At CFSEU, he had an opportunity be part of many major case investigations relating to homicides, international drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and other activities of organized crime groups. These projects were aimed at disrupting and suppressing gangs and organized crime groups across Canada. On the enforcement side, CFSEU-BC has been doing a great job in investigating and hindering movement of these violent Organized Gangs however there has been a void in raising awareness against gang lifestyle. Now he feels this is the right time to raise public awareness and educate parents and youth with knowledge and the appropriate skills that they could use in their own journey towards happy families and safer communities.

He believes that it is imperative to spread the message that we as a community can take an active role at a preventative stage and no one has to fight this battle alone. Turning around a misguided young person starts with one-on-one intervention. Parents who become involved with their child’s life from an early age had a higher chance of keeping their young ones away from negative influence of gangs. This article is his attempt to initiate a dialogue on a subject that has not been widely discussed.

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) unveiled a province-wide gang prevention public service announcement media campaign called “End Gang Life.”

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FEATURES

society and At an individual level everyone should have the absolute freedom to accept or reject any idea or belief, including the belief in God. When an idea or belief is forced upon people with the help of social, political and economic power, it is an attack on the freedom of the individual and at the same time it is harmful to the society at large. However, to see it as such is only possible when members of a society are able to think freely.

After the British left India, people who thought rationally on the lines of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and others like Nehru, may have had the conscious desire to keep religion and state separate. According to Nehru: “The spectacle of what is called religion, or at any rate organized religion, in India and elsewhere, has filled us with horror,

30

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and I have frequently condemned it and wished to make a clean sweep of it.”

However, in free India, the opposite has happened. At this time in India and particularly in Punjab, it is impossible to find any separation between religion and state. Religions are so powerful and influential in political matters that to view it critically is to invite danger. As a consequence the Punjabis have, so it seems, lost the ability and desire to see religion and politics separately. Religion is inclusively discussed from a perspective on how it can be improved rather than examining its usefulness or to lessen its influence.

For various reasons writers and intellectuals from the Sikh background display this tendency more than others. Most of these people do see the negative role played by religion in

general but they feel differently when it comes to the Sikh religion. Granted, it is comparatively a new religion and it offers some useful social advice. Originating as a criticism of Islam and Hinduism, Sikhism rejects many practices and superstitions of the former two religions. It criticizes casteism and talks about social equality to a certain extent. Based on this criticism Sikh thinkers believe, or rather want to believe that things like social equality, gender equality and a scientific approach to life are already contained in the Gurbani. They feel that there is nothing wrong with the religion itself, the only difficulty is to convince its followers to live their lives accordingly. A critical analysis of the Sikh scripture may prove otherwise. Even if it were true, they fail to pay attention to simple fact that followers of Sikh religion are only a very small part of the total population of the world as well as that of India and Canada. If all followers were to live their lives according to the holy granth, which doesn’t seem possible in the contemporary economic order, how would they convince the other 98%? Would they use the same tactics used by other religions in the past to increase their influence?

The control of religion in the Punjabi community, like many other communities, is so complete that the word used for an atheist nastik - is equivalent to a swear word. It is no surprise that from the morning loud speakers in every village of Punjab to the large gatherings of religious folks in Surrey or Yuba City, the environment thunders with the sounds of believers but you only hear once-in-a-while a small murmur of the atheists and that from organized groups such as the rationalists. Sikhism is a religion that is visible everywhere, including the Punjabi media. Interestingly, it wasn’t always like this. The tradition of rejecting God is very old in the Indian thinking. According to Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya: “Of all our major philosophies, only the Vedanta (with some reservation) and specifically the later version of the Nyaya-Vaiseshika were theistic. By contrast, Buddhism, Jainism, Purva-mimamsa, Samkhya, Lokayata and Nyaya-Vaisesika in its original form were philosophies of

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committed atheism. Thus the stupendous importance of atheism in Indian wisdom can be questioned only by disallowing the largest majority of the significant Indian philosophers representing it.”

Punjabi writers and thinkers are aware of this tradition but in the face of harsh opposition they downplay its importance. At this time the largest number of Punjabis not only ignore this issue, they simply like to believe that there is no such issue. Perhaps something like the Japanese proverb has happened to them: ‘if you can’t beat them, join them.’ The real possibility is that most Punjabi writers and intellectuals neither believe in God nor think that religion is beneficial for society but they don’t share their views for the fear of social isolation. It seems to reflect what 19th century British philosopher and economist John Stuart Mill said about his society at the time: “The world would be astonished if it knew how great a proportion of its brightest ornaments, of those most distinguished even in popular estimation for wisdom and virtue, are complete sceptics in religion.”

In this regard, still the best-known document is Bhagat Singh’s article written in October 1930, few months before he was hanged - Why I Am An Atheist. The popularity of this article maybe due to the high regard for Bhagat Singh, but it is hard to find another piece by a Punjabi written with a clear, direct and scientific approach. In 1927, the British philosopher Bertrand Russell gave a lecture “Why I am not a Christian’, which was later published under the same title. To this day Christianity has not recovered from the blow delivered by Russell.

Similarly, this one article of Bhagat Singh has given more trouble to the religious people in Punjab than anything else. Every effort is made to erase the memory of this writing and lessen the sharp pain continuously caused by it.

There are many people who would like to permanently erase the views presented by Bhagat Singh in this article. All kinds of misinformation are doled out year after year about it.

More often than not, the matter related to Bhai

Randhir Singh and Bhagat Singh’s meeting in jail is raised to sow seeds of doubt in people’s minds that Bhagat Singh changed his views after the meeting. The reality is that he actually wrote the article in response to suggestions by many people, including Randhir Singh that he should pray in his remaining life on this earth.

Even the people from the left keep silent about Bhagat Singh’s ideas on religion in order to remain in the good books of people.

It will be wrong to suggest that no one else has written on the issue of god and religion in Punjabi. Thinkers aligned with the left movement and especially the rationalist movement in Punjab and those connected with the Dalit

movement have written and are actively writing on the issue. But for different reasons, these writings shy away from directly dealing critically with God and religion; in fact in some instances they create the sense that religion is a good thing for society. Most of their attention, and rightly so, is focused on the superstition, blind faith and problems related with the caste system. Hope is that solutions can found to these problems without tackling the question of faith.

Willingly or unwillingly the blame is placed on the shoulders of people instead of in the thought and life philosophy taught by religion.

Sadhu Binning, a bilingual author, has published more than fifteens books of poetry, fic-

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tion, plays, translations and research. His works is included in more than fourty five Punjabi and English anthologies. He edited a literary Punjabi monthly Watno Dur and now co-edits a quarterly, Watan. He is a founding member of Vancouver Sath, a theatre collective, Ankur and various other literary and cultural organizations.

He sat on the BC Arts Board from 1993 to 1995.

The tone of Punjabi literature since the beginning of 20th century has been very progressive and global in its approach. It has shown concern not only for its own people and their problems but the problems faced by the whole of humanity. This influenced came from the movements like the Ghadar originated on the West Coast of North America based on the experience of Punjabi immigrants who came here to better their lives like everyone else. However, during the 1980s the struggle of Punjabi people against the federal government in Delhi was turned into a religious fight. Additionally, the big global events like the fall of Soviet Russia caused the progressive movement in Punjab to loose ground. As a result the contemporary Punjabi literature is more concerned with the havoc caused in personal relations due to the pressures created by the capitalist system than looking at the actual causes. In itself it is a good thing that proves that Punjabi writers are not alienated from their community, but it does show the limits of current Punjabi literature.

Someone just reading Punjabi literature has a small chance of improving one’s knowledge about the evolution of humans and society.

Yes, there may exist many books in Punjabi to obtain information about natural and social sciences. However, to create a desire in readers to know about their environment or to see things in a more critical manner is the responsibility or should be of creative literature. Punjabi literature has not imagined any heroes or created any dreams for its readers, especially young readers, outside religion, politics and economics. Much more can be said in this regard, the main point being that Punjabi litera32

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ture is limited to depicting the problems faced in personal relationships. It seems that not only average Punjabi readers, even Punjabi writers do not read consciously to gain knowledge and to learn about science. Writers who do not read are much more harmful to a society than readers who do not read.

Numerous things in Punjabi society stop an average individual or a writer from expressing the idea of not believing in god. For example, Punjabi wisdom tells us that one should not mettle in other people’s matters, especially related with one’s faith. In every walk of life including and especially education, much more emphasis is placed on showing the utmost respect for religion. Being respectful to religion and to elders is considered the best quality one can have. Included in this quality is the unwritten yet must follow rule of never to question either religious beliefs or one’s elders for anything. The evolution of humans up to now tells us that no development is possible without raising questions. But in Punjabi society one is strictly taught from the early childhood never to question one’s elders, religion or religious leaders.

In addition to the above education concerning the sanctity of faith, Punjabi mind is also under constant pressure from the historical events like 1947 and 1980s where much suffering was caused by religious conflict. The influence and the memory of pain of these horrible events is such that Punjabis unconsciously as well as consciously refrain from discussing anything controversial related to religion or god. This is not a very healthy situation. While each religion constantly repeats that all religions should be respected, at the same time it is drilled into each believer that their religion is the supreme in every aspect and for that reason it is forever in danger from others. Every religion is always in the process of fortification to protect against this self imagined relentless danger.

Rationalist voices are also seen as part of this outer peril. Those forever waving the flag of

‘dangers to Sikhism’ see the free thinkers as the main enemy. During 1980s the Sikh extremists killed a considerable number of left activists and writers. As a result few writers and intellectuals who are otherwise free thinkers and rationalists dare to say anything related to god and religion.

The same is expected from the people involved in the ‘popular culture’ to inject new ideas into community’s ethos using their creative talents. But the opposite is the case. Punjabi newspapers are filled with material that sings the praises of god, religion and religious leaders. They are always critical of people for not following the scripts as they are supposed to. There is hardly any criticism of religion and questioning the faith in super natural powers.

One can especially see this behaviour among people active in the Punjabi film and music industry. Popular singers and actors not only display non-stop devotion to the almighty god in their films and songs but in their casual conversations as well. All big-ticket singers start their concerts with one or two religious songs.

Many have issued cds and dvds of their religious songs and display huge posters made in different religious costumes. This is especially the case with those entertainers that are otherwise considered vulgar and salacious. Almost all Punjabi radio and television programs in Canada start with religious shabads hymns. Where in other societies, we see that creative artists often either lead or become strong part of the infusion of new ideas into their cultural communities, in Punjabi there is a total lack of this tendency at this time and the only object of the creative activity is personal fame and money.

Whenever we do hear something resembling criticism in their songs and films it is directed towards people who veer away from their religious traditions. All Punjabi artists including the Bhangra players follow tradition of touching or bowing to the ‘earth’ before entering a performance or the performing area. Even the Kabbadi players do this ritual before a match and sing praises of the guru in the case they are the winners. Interestingly, many Punjabis, seriously or non-seriously sprinkle a bit of liquor to the earth before drinking.

Like most other cultures Punjabis consider the fear of god the most essential part for being ethical and moral. The possibility of being good does not exist without the fear of god.

Many thinkers, especially in the West, such as Bertrand Russell, Einstein, Richard Dawkins and others have rejected this view from a scientific approach. According to this line of thinking, humans are naturally good and they need to be in order to survive in a group setting. Religion and god actually make it harder for humans to be noble. Every religious person believes that his or her god is the true one and above others.

A person who dislike or see others below him or herself cannot be considered a truly good person. In each religion, along with the mainstream, there are numerous smaller groups holding slightly different views about god and www.desitoday.ca

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how to please him. For instance, according to one estimate there are 34,000 different groups in Christianity and they all consider others to be on the wrong path. Similar situation exist in other religions. These groups are seen as cults by the mainstream that holds more political and economic power. All groups do their best to achieve the ultimate political and economic power. Seen from these perspectives, religion does not help people become good and more understanding towards other human beings.

Why Talk about Atheism?

For centuries Indians/Punjabis have lived with economic and social insecurity and have often been ruled by foreign powers. These conditions have shaped a distinctive characteristic that would like to ‘solve one’s problem’ using ‘any means’ necessary. Consequently, corruption has become an inseparable part of life. There is corruption and hypocrisy in every aspect of the society. Even people who are genuinely conscious of these phenomena and clearly see this as a very negative and destructive attitude are not bothered by it to the extent that they will actively try to do something about it. In other words they tolerate it. There is little evidence of real social responsibility among Punjabis. Continuous religious preaching in all religions does little to remedy this social illness. However, it does lessen the guilt one feels for not being able to do something when demanded by the situation. One can easily see the function religion play in order to keep the system going.

In contrast, when we look at those societies where people take responsibility and religion is kept out and away from institutions like politics and education, those societies, without a doubt present better living conditions for all humans.

In the last few centuries science has played a leading role in the development of human societies, though not all development is positive.

Religion has tried to block the advancement of science at every stage. According to Bertrand Russell: “Throughout the last 400 years, during which the growth of science had gradually shown men how to acquire knowledge of the ways of nature and mastery over natural forces, the clergy have fought a losing battle against science, in astronomy and geology, in anatomy and physiology, in biology and psychology and sociology. Ousted from one position they have taken up another.

After being worsted out in astronomy, they did their best to prevent the rise of geology; they fought against Darwin in biology, and at the present time they fight against scientific theories of psychology and education. At each stage, they try to make the public forget their earlier obscurantism, in order that their present obscurantism may not be recognized for it is.”

The Roman Catholic pope has recently, in 1992, offered an apology from the Church to 34

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Galileo who claimed that earth revolved around the sun. Though this battle between religion and science has been fought mainly in Europe, the whole of humanity has benefitted and is benefitting from it, including Punjabi society. Like everyone else, Punjabis eagerly use conveniences provided by science, scientific approach to life is rejected with the same eagerness. Majority of Punjabis including writers feel comfortable with religion and god. In their views, there are many other issues that should be written and talked about. Why get into these complicated and ‘risky’ areas? Can’t we do without it? There are already so many divisions in the society, why add another one by introducing whether god exist or not. There is some merit in these views; however, the difficulty is that many of the problems faced by the Punjabi community are connected with this issue. If there is serious desire to see Punjabi society become a healthy and just society then these issues cannot and must not be ignored any longer.

One cannot describe contemporary Punjabi society as a developed modern industrial society; still it differs from many other societies in the third world. Sikh religion is comparatively new and the influence of myths and superstitions is not as strong. Punjabis living in the diaspora since the beginning of the last century had considerable influence on the economic and intellectual life of their people. This influence was most visible in the modern Punjabi literature. However, for the last few decades this trend has changed. Now more and more people have gone back to writing religious poetry and fiction related to religious issues. There have been efforts to even rewrite the history.

For example, arguments have been forwarded to claim that the Ghadar movement was actually a movement for the Sikh homeland and the left forces hijacked it. In many aspects of life, Punjabi community stands shoulder to shoulder with other communities of the world but its poverty is self-evident as far as intellectual activity is concerned and main cause seem to be unnecessary and excessive focus on religion.

Before the explanation provided by science about nature, the diseases and so on, humans needed to make sense of these phenomena.

The concept of some invisible superpower was one answer. Humans could only think in terms of their own reality and as a result their imagined super power - god - resembled what was the most desirable and most feared qualities of humans. They imagined that they could change the mood of this entity by praying or by offering sacrifices. These explanations and practices eventually became organized religion that we see all around us. It has been the most essential aspect of any organized society and part of the ruling establishment.

Before the industrial revolution, whenever the rulers became too oppressive or religions didn’t provide the security to people a change was needed which came in the form of a new religion that promised to right the wrongs done to the people. The Protestant movement and

the Sikh religion can be sighted as two main examples of this. We can see this process continue in societies that are not yet fully industrialized. The protest in these societies often takes the shape of a religious protest. It is either in the shape of a conflict within an established religion or the disadvantage population going towards something totally different. For example, the struggles by the Dalits, the most oppressed people under the Indian caste system in place for centuries, is still being waged on religious lines. In some places Dalits are fighting within the Hindu and Sikh folds that they are part of and at other places they are converting to Buddhism or Christianity. More often than not people’s genuine protests for better economic and social conditions are turned into religious fights as it happened in Punjab during the 1980s.

Huge amount of energy and time is wasted on these issues without any real achievement.

Religion can be useful to provide momentary security and comfort at a personal level but history shows us that at the societal level it has been comparatively more harmful. Contrary to the popularly held belief, religions do not unite people from different parts of a society but set them up against each other. People who hide behind god and religion exploit people economically, sexually and in numerous other forms. This situation should be of concern to caring people in all societies, especially, it is a serious situation in the contemporary Punjabi community. One casual look at community’s any weekly newspaper in Vancouver or Toronto will give you enough evidence of how widely people are exploited by the mystics and faith healers of all kinds. This is only possible because people have been told to believe and not to question from day one of their lives. This needs to change.

Should a conscious individual, especially a writer, have any responsibility towards its society in a time like this? Should writers and intellectuals keep quiet in order to be respected and loved by the people instead of coming out with what they know and feel should happen? John Stuart Mill in the middle of the 19th century gave a call to his countrymen: “On religion in particular, the time appears to me to have come, when it is a duty of all who, being qualified in point of knowledge, have, on mature consideration, satisfied themselves that the current opinions are not only false, but hurtful, to make their dissent known.”

By Sadhu Binning Sadhu Binning, a bilingual author, has published more than fifteens books of poetry, fiction, plays, translations and research. His works is included in more than fourty five Punjabi and English anthologies. He edited a literary Punjabi monthly Watno Dur and now co-edits a quarterly, Watan. He is a founding member of Vancouver Sath, a theatre collective, Ankur and various other literary and cultural organizations. He sat on the BC Arts Board from 1993 to 1995.

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LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS

n a C y a d i l o H c o the v

a H k a r e u r o W on y nship

How

o i t a Rel

Unless you and your partner are jetting off to Bora Bora for the holidays, it’s over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house you go. Spending the holiday season with each other’s families can put you on the fast track to a closer connection, or create some serious holiday drama.

Both families want face time Both families want face time, at the same time. If your family’s must-not-be-missed holiday party takes part on the same night as your partner’s annual temple service, it’s time to start the negotiations. Where

36

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you spend your holidays can be a point of contention, especially for new couples. Establish a tradition early on. Agree to spend Christmas Eve with one family and Christmas Day at another. This will reduce the need to have the same conversation year after year. If your families live far from each other, spend one year with your family and the next with your partner’s family.

Rude family members Everyone has those less-than-wonderful family members that seem to shine the brightest this time of year. Hearing your snobby sister-in-law lambast you for not

having children yet or listening to your ultra-conservative cousin preach about his values doesn’t evoke the holiday spirit. If it’s your family that is slinging the insults, take the offender aside and tell them that their comments are hurting you. If it’s your partner’s kin that is slamming you, a straightforward “We’ll have to disagree on this one” should do the trick, then try to get out of the conversation and thank your lucky stars that you don’t have to see these people every day. Try to steer clear of subjects like politics, religion and money, and before you leave home, talk to your partner about an exit-plan strategy to save each other from awkward conversations.

Gi -giving Giving gifts can be a relationship minefield of potential misinterpretation. Communicate with your partner about the type of gifts they give/receive in the family and follow suit. If your partner’s family bestows lavish gifts during the holidays, giving them a $25 gift card to Starbucks is probably not the wisest gift choice.

Di erent eating habits Different eating habits may not affect your day-to-day relationship but throw in family traditions, hurt feelings and it’s enough to make a lactose-intolerant guest chug a mug of milk. You might get off easy with a family style meal that allows you to pick and choose, if you’re not so lucky, eat what you can and if someone asks if you’re enjoying the food, say it’s delicious!

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self-esteem

According to Nielsen Media Research, on average we spend upwards of 7 hours per month on Facebook.

With my cursor hovering over the delete my account button, I break into a sweat and close my browser before I can pull the trigger. Much like trying to leave a bad relationship, I can’t seem to break it off.

In 2004 when Facebook first debuted, like the honeymoon phase of a new relationship, I wanted to spend every minute together; it was exciting. I loved seeing old faces from high school and other long lost friends that had passed through my life. It was satisfying and warming to see where the world had scattered us all. But now, nearly 10 years later, the honeymoon phase is definitely over and what’s left is a dysfunctional and stressful relationship.

We all know social media can make us feel bad about ourselves. There are countless articles and even scientific studies proving that sites likes Facebook are both dangerous and beautiful, bordering on the edge of voyeuristic. We can creep the site to check the goings-on of people who we

may not normally give two shakes about, but when confronted with an unexpected photo or update, it can strike a nerve, unleashing our inner stalker. Curious cruising or creeping becomes an unhealthy obsession and leaving us feeling less happy with our lives. The reason: Much of how we judge our success in life is based on how we stack up against our peers. The problem is that Facebook gives us a limited view of our friends’ lives, and that view tends to be unrealistically positive. The more friends you have, the more likely you are to spend your day enviously reading about someone’s paradise vacation, new girlfriend, or job promotion.

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logical peak or your ex-boyfriend inviting you to dinner with his new girlfriend, weren’t enough. Signing on to Facebook or checking your Instagram can really drive the point home that other people are better than you at, well, anything you can think of. The kid you used to babysit now owns a chain of pharmacies. Your college roommate who was playfully nicknamed “Slutmuffin” now has a charming ex-model husband and two gorgeous children. You didn’t compete in a marathon or hike up some elusive mountain, so you’re unable to post that the only marathon you’ve recently competed is two days of Homeland, while stuffing your face with merlot and cheese. Oh, and your ex just bought your dream house in your dream suburb, meanwhile you’re still stuck living with a roommate who is constantly late with their portion of rent.

Facebook is the perfect platform for people to create an idealized view of themselves. They control their image, and through Facebook make their lives look better than they actually are. This is

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why you should always view everything over social media sites with a grain of salt, and understand that it isn’t necessarily the whole story. Nobody lives a perfect life.

If deactivating your Facebook account isn’t an option, try unsubscribing from your most prolific braggarts and fine-tuning your news feed. You can choose to read all updates from a friend or downgrade to a smaller portion of their updates. Another option, cut ties with excess acquaintances to reduce your news feed updates to your real friends. This means your co-worker from five years ago, university roommate and overbearing ex can all get the axe. When you have a comfortable count, learning about the success of people you actually care about can make you happier. www.desitoday.ca

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

: r a i L r Liahat You’re Being Lied To Signs T

It’s unlikely that you’ve never told a little white like, or an outright fib. Maybe you got away with it, maybe you didn’t. Maybe it was a harmless white like that protected another person’s feelings, or maybe it was a serious deception. We’re not here to ask questions, we’re here to protect you from getting burned on the other end of that equation.

Turns out, there are some pretty telling ways to figure out if a person is lying to you – and it’s not all about eye contact.

According to Dr. Carol Kinsey Goman, a body-language pro and the author of The Truth About Lies in the Workplace, “many liars, especially the most brazen, may actually overcompensate by making too much eye contact and holding it too long.” So, if you can’t spot a liar based on darting eyes, what do you do?

As it goes, it’s ultimately about figuring out what normal looks like on a person and then noticing when you’re getting something else from them. But, it’s important to note that none of the signs below are sure fire indicators of a lie. Goman says it’s important to “look for clusters of behaviors” combining the signs from her list below.

ceivers start their answers more quickly than truth-tellers. If taken by surprise, however, the liar takes longer to respond — since the process of inhibiting the truth and creating a lie takes extra time.

A fake smile.

Face touching.

It’s hard for liars to muster a real smile while deceiving you. Here’s how to tell one from the other: Real smiles crinkle the corners of the eyes and change the entire face. Fake smiles involve the mouth only.

Dilated pupils.

One nonverbal signal that is almost impossible to fake is pupil dilation. The larger pupil size that most people experience when telling a lie can be attributed to an increased amount of tension and concentration.

Change in blink rate.

A person’s blink rate slows down as they decide to lie — and it stays low throughout the telling of the lie. Then, it increases rapidly (sometimes up to eight times the normal rate) after the lie.

Unusual response time.

When a lie is planned (and rehearsed), de42

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Verbal cues.

When lying, a person’s vocal tone will rise to a higher pitch. Other verbal cues include rambling, selective wording (in which a person avoids answering the question exactly as asked), stammering, and the use of qualifiers (“To the best of my knowledge...” “I could be wrong, but...”). It’s also been noted that liars use fewer contractions: “I did not have sex with that woman...” rather than “I didn’t...”

Foot movements.

When lying, people will often display nervousness and anxiety through increased foot movements. Feet will fidget, shuffle, and wind around each other or around the furniture. They will stretch and curl to relieve tension, or even kick out in a miniaturized attempt to run away.

and staring at the ground while telling you they are happy, it’s a sign of deceit or at least an inner conflict between what that person is thinking and saying.

Changes in gestures.

Often, in an effort not to let their gestures “give away” the lie, deceivers will hold their bodies unnaturally still. But, be careful, because in other instances, especially after being asked a searching question, you may notice liars accelerate pacifying gestures — like biting their lips, rubbing their hands together, fidgeting with jewelry, touching their hair.

Micro-expressions.

These are difficult to catch, but if you ever spot a fleeting expression that contradicts a verbal statement, believe what you see and not what you hear.

A person’s nose may not grow when they tell a lie, but watch closely and you’ll notice that when someone is about to lie or make an outrageous statement, they’ll often unconsciously rub their nose. (This is most likely because a rush of adrenaline opens the capillaries and legitimately makes their nose itch.) Mouth covering is another common gesture of people who are being untruthful, as is covering the eyes.

Incongruence.

When a person believes what they are saying, their gestures and expressions are in alignment with their words. When you see a mismatch — where gestures contradict words — such as a side-to-side head shake accompanying a “yes” or a person frowning www.desitoday.ca

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

If you’re like me, your favorite part of holiday get-togethers is snacks. Couple rich, indulgent appetizers with the calorie-laden meals that follow, and things can get out of hand pretty quickly. I’m not advocating cutting back on any of your favorite dishes this season. Instead, here are healthy tips so you can snack smarter without missing out on holiday joy.

Swap your potatoes for cauliflower. A delicious alternative to potatoes is cauliflower. You can find yummy recipes for cauliflower mash, cauliflower tots, and even baked cauliflower topped with all the fixings of a regular baked potato. If you’re going to a friend’s place for dinner, offer to bring your own cauliflower speciality along.

Eat a snack before going to a party. Have yogurt

or fruit, a few crackers with low-fat cheese (trying Laughing Cow), vegetables or a skim-milk latte with sugar-free caramel. If you’re ravenously hungry, have a low-carb protein bar with your latte.

Let your eyes feast first. Before eating, see what is being served. If there are raw vegetables or

‘Tis the y h t l a e H e b Season to

plain seafood with no cocktail sauces, start with those to take the edge off your appetite.

Avoid guilty pleasures you can have anytime.

Chips, chocolates and cupcakes are something you can eat year round. If you’re indulging this holiday season, go with seasonal favourites such as rum-drenched fruitcake or gingerbread. Enjoy, but keep your portions small.

Be the designated driver. Have one alcoholic beverage, and for the rest of the evening choose drinks like sparkling water or a diet soda. If you do choose to drink, stick to lighter colored alcoholic beverages with water or sparkling water. Remember, an eight-ounce serving of eggnog has about 362 calories, juice and pop can contain anywhere between 110-150 calories, whereas soda water and diet drinks have no calories.

Stop mindless nibbling. When you’re cooking,

or helping with the cooking, chew a piece of minty sugar-free gum. When you chew gum you’re less likely to put something else in your mouth.

Swap full-fat for low-fat. Include some low-

er-fat varieties with 15% of less M.F., like goat cheese, Cantenaar or low-fat cheddar or havarti. Serve them with mini-crackers like Bretons instead of French bread or baguettes. Make a delicious creamy spinach dip by using low-fat cream cheese instead of full-fat.

By Am Sahota Training Day Cafe

Plan ahead with tempting and health substitutions. Fresh veggies with low-fat dips rather

than nachos; salsa instead of a creamy dip; lettuce wraps versus egg rolls; chicken satay, not wings; gingerbread instead of buttery shortbread; sushi, not sausage rolls.

Lighten up your favorite recipes. Use skim milk instead of whole milk in mashed potatoes; use herbs and lemon to flavor food instead of gravy and butter; cut the carbs from stuffing by using less bread and more vegetables.

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STYLE, BEAUTY, CULTURE

Holiday Tips Next to the wedding season, the holidays are the only time of the year when we get dressed to impress at lavish office parties, Christmas get-togethers and come January, lohri parties. While there is no formula for looking fabulous, and I am a believer that nothing looks sexier or more elegant than being comfortable and confident with what you’re wearing, there are some general fashion tips to keep in mind this season.

Don’t compete with the Christmas tree.

Being dressed up and glamorous doesn’t mean you need to be lit up like a Christmas tree. Simplicity and elegance goes a long way.

Stick to solids. Solid gem colors are elegant in the winter season. You can never go wrong with dark greens, reds, dark blues, a raspberry color or even white.

Winter white is beautiful and stands out in a sea of color traditional to Indian wear.

Don’t compete with yourself. Wearing a dazzling items like a piece of statement jewellery or a gorgeous anarkhali suit can be gorgeous, but be weary to not let the clothes and jewels compete. Understated makes more of a statement. Wear the outfit, don’t let the outfit wear you. Pair a simple light pink suit with a diamond neck-

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DEC / JAN 2014 News With A DEsi View

ill, Pamela G signer of d head de n a r owne que.

Pipili Bouti

lace set in yellow gold and pair it with a matching elegant diamond cuff.

Take pride in your clothing. The holidays are a time to decorate your home with eclectic pieces collected from vintage shops to flea markets. Don’t let your outfit show like a flea market piece, but invest for the future in something that can be worn with pride just like Chanel, Jimmy Choo and western labels. Take pride in Indian clothing and accessories, and be confident when you wear them.

Take note. A simple Google search will show you what Indian celebrities are wearing. While Bollywood films highlight the glitz and glam of Indian wear, most Indian film stars wear timeless and classic pieces showcasing the roots of the beauty Indian culture has to offer.

Not all that glitters is gold. Traditional embroidery techniques like gotta puthi and kundan work are timeless and cross-generational. When you’re investing in Indian fashion, stick to a solid color with traditional embroidery techniques. This will allow you more wear out of the piece as the months pass.

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STYLE, BEAUTY, CULTURE

WINTER The temperature drops, the number of layers increases; the inversely proportional relationship threatens to destroy any hope of you feeling your sexiest as you struggle to fend off the chill.

As summer turns to autumn turns to winter, how do you evolve your style to be weather-appropriate and yet headturningly appealing?

APPEAL

Plunging layers

Layering light with heavy

To foster an even more practical approach, go for layers – without covering the dipping neckline that keeps the whole thing looking high-impact.

A long, heavy, relaxed winter coat worn open over the top of another plunging jacket makes for a chic wintery look.

Photocredit: Plunging neckline at Thyeskens Theory, F/W ’13.

Throwing a heavy coat over any short little nothing is the party girl’s go to process in winter. That much you know. But each new season brings freshly trending ways of interpreting this winter ritual, and for this winter, it’s all about maximum contrast.

Photocredit: Sexy winter layering at Pucci, F/W ’13.

Sheer vs heavy: noir The mysterious, film noir theme running through this year’s trends means the runways were splashed with femme fatale sleepwear inspired slip dresses and sheer lace boudoir gowns. In themselves, these are not particularly winter-ready, but with the addition of a heavy wool or fur coat, the whole look takes on a wintery charm. Imagine you’re sneaking out at midnight to catch a (steam) train to a new life, throwing on a pair of heels and overcoat as you run out the door. Vintage inspired sheer, lace or silk slips work best for the noir theme. Add beading embellishments for a more glamorously evening take. To keep this look from feeling stuck in the past and instead giving it that modern edge, add dishevelled wet look hair.

The new noir vixen isn’t too polished. Fur (or faux fur) coats work perfectly, as do heavy wool coats with slightly masculine shoulders.

Photocredit: Sheer dresses and heavy coats at Louis Vuitton, F/W ’13.

Dare factor: plunging jackets If you wanted a simple guideline for sexy winter dressing it’s probably this: choose one thing to expose and cover all else. That’s where you’ll find balance between comfort and suffering, looking appropriate and looking hot. A peep of midriff in between heavy wool pants, a cropped knit and a jacket. A hint of thigh between a skirt and high-high boots. A jacket worn shirtless exposing a sweep of décolletage. The latter was one of the most popular examples to grace the fall runways. It’s not great for the office, but can be perfectly elegant yet sexy after hours, or viable during the day with an invisibly lowplunging top underneath.

Photocredit: Plunging jackets at Max Mara, F/W ’13.

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Sheer vs heavy: grunge An alternative mood to indulge in is to go full grunge.

The messy hair and smudged eyes are still present, but so is the soul of the ’90s. Saint Laurent did it best with spider web lace layered under long coats.

For the grungy mood, look for slips in satin or abstracted lace, paired with coats in leather, fur, or plaid. Saint Laurent added fishnets and boots. You can also smarten the look up with a pair of pumps.

Be wary of vintage pieces that are too worn or that lack quality, you’re best looking for those still in great condition. Modern grunge has some glamour and a bit of polish. Some smudgy kohl eyeliner is the perfect accompaniment.

Photocredit: Sheer dresses and heavy coats gone grunge at Saint Laurent, F/W ’13.

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An invention of the Prada mind, anything with buttons and enough of a wide neckline can be partially undone and worn off-shoulder. Prada did it with layers of wool waistcoats and knits, but you can experiment with anything from cardigans to heavy knit dresses for your own sensual dishevelment.

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Light vs heavy: open weave Another option for mixing light and heavy is with an open-weave knit under a warm coat. As with the options above, the warmth of the coat negates the icy wind creeping in through the holes of the knit, and you can wrap it tight around yourself as you stride from taxi to venue.

Photocredit: Open weave knit and heavy jacket at Missoni, F/W ’13.

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STYLE, BEAUTY, CULTURE

Winter Trends for Men to Invest in Now

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Whether it’s a statement making accessory you can carry all year round, or a piece that’s versatile enough to transcend the seasons, there are numerous ways to be trendy for winter 2013/2014.

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Outdoor adventur e gear The autumn

/ winter collections too k menswear up mountains, across pla ins, through the maels trom of white water rapids and to the deepest depths of icefilled caverns. At least, in spirit. Compasses, bac kpacks, hiking boots and weath er-proof outerwear wil l give you the look of a man who isn’t afraid to face the outdoors, a man who can hold his own.

Photocredit: On the runw ay at Louis Vuitton and Topman, FW13.

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DEC / JAN 2014 News With A DEsi View

Westw

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STYLE, BEAUTY, CULTURE

Dolce & Gabbana appeals to aspirational consumers with crowdsourced photo album Italian fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana is allowing users to submit their own family photos to its Web site to further fan interaction with the brand online. The #DGFamily project has created an online photo album of family photos that visitors can view. By creating an interactive, personal digital collage of photos, Dolce & Gabbana will likely increase user engagement on its Web site and endear itself to aspirational consumers.

Nordstrom Now Allowing Pinterest Users to Determine What Merchandise is Displayed in Stores Pinterest was recently named the fastestgrowing content sharing platform, and retailers are taking notice. Nordstrom is now using Pinterest to decide what items it will display in stores and is allowing the sharing service’s community to help influence these decisions. Nordstrom, which has almost 4.5 million users on the social network, began testing this new approach earlier this year and has finally put it into action.

The most popular items on Pinterest are now being marked with a red tag to identify them as popular items in the

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y t u a e B re u t l u C

Condé Nast intern: ‘I cried myself to sleep’

They work until 11 at night, lug 40-pound garment bags throughout the city and get scolded for not adhering tape to mood boards correctly. And yet being a Condé Nast intern remains one of the most coveted, sought-after unpaid jobs in town. So you can imagine the surprise when, last month, Condé Nast announced it was terminating its internship program. Starting in 2014, Condé publications including Vogue, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair will no longer give students the opportunity to toil — and learn — in their hallowed halls.

The bold decision came on the heels of a lawsuit filed in June 2012 by two former Condé interns: Matthew Leib, who interned at The New Yorker in 2009 and 2010, and Lauren Ballinger, who worked at W magazine in 2009. The two sued the media conglomerate for failing to pay them minimum wage — claiming that their measly stipend amounted to less than $1 an hour for their unpaid internships.

Still, Condé’s decision to abolish its internship program is undoubtedly an indus-

Barneys New York to Debut Holiday Windows on Instagram

women’s shoe and handbag departments of Nordstrom’s 117 stores. Some of the items that are currently popular on Pinterest include a brown faux leather moto jacket, a nude and gold Burberry watch, a Kate Spade statement necklace and a pair of black and white Dolce Vita pumps.

Typically, New York City department stores unveil their holiday window displays with a lot of fanfare. Girl group Fifth Harmony performed for Lord & Taylor’s window debut, and Bravo’s Andy Cohen hosted the unveiling at Bergdorf Goodman’s. But Barneys New York took a different approach

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Ex Vogue intern Lisa Denmark found her position “belittling”

try game changer. Optimists say it will only open up more entry-level positions down the road, since someone, after all, needs to fetch Condé Nast editors’ coffee.

Hearst Publishing may not be so far away from killing its own internship program, or at least revamping it. After all, they were the first ones hit with a lawsuit — in February 2012 by Diana Wang, a former Harper’s Bazaar intern who complained that she was working up to 55 hours a week sans payment. Other media entities have come under fire recently, too, for their unpaid internship programs, including “The Charlie Rose Show,” which settled early on in the case, and Fox Searchlight Pictures, which was found guilty of violating minimum wage laws by failing to pay two interns who worked on the film “Black Swan.”

And while many people would say the experience is payment enough (or college credits, if you’re able to get them), some past interns say the experience is just a bunch of disappointment and missed opportunity. this year.

The NYC staple debuted its windows via its Instagram channel, @barneysnyofficial. Barneys released 10-second clips of each holiday window to highlight the interactive features. Many fashion brands of late have taken to social media channels to debut ad campaigns, Oscar de la Renta and Juicy Couture among them. This is the first time a major retailer has done so.

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53

STYLE, BEAUTY, CULTURE

And What to do About It

The Luxury Oil

The Natural Plumper

The Multitasking Gloss

Playing off the popularity of oils in skin care, this super luxe lip treatment fuses essential oils, vitamins and botanical actives, which, according to the company, improves the appearance of lip shape, volume, softness and hydration.

This subtle interpretation of a lip plumper (there’s no burning; no hard-to-pronounce ingredients) relies on natural extracts to immediately volumize. It incorporates antioxidantrich green tea to help protect lips from damage.

Available in 12 intense shades, this doit-all gloss shapes, defines, enhances and protects lips while imparting longlasting color.

Hourglass N° 28 Lip Treatment Oil, $42

BITE Beauty Lush Fruit Lip Gloss, $22

Chantecaille Brilliant Gloss, $33 54

DEC / JAN 2014 News With A DEsi View

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Research suggests that full lips may have as much to do with a woman’s perceived age as the appearance of wrinkles. So if a plumper pout is on your list of things that could make your face more fabulous, here’s how to achieve it.

All lips lose volume—and even the amount of “redâ€? showing—over time as a result of aging, thanks to the natural degradation of collagen and elastin and a decrease in moisture levels. But there are three factors - excessive sun exposure, genetics and smoking - that can greatly accelerate the process and create less-than-full lips, lip lines and lack of deďŹ nition. Since two of these instigators are completely preventable, it’s imperative to wear an SPF 15 daily on the lips and avoid the less-than-healthy lifestyle habit of smoking. And, while the verdict is still out as far as anti-aging preventative products go when used on the lips, some studies suggest any type of circulation-promoter may help slow the signs of aging in this area as well.

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CAREER & BUSINESS There is no better time to re-evaluate your career then at the end of the year, or the beginning of a new year.

Many people feel that they are adrift in the world, ambling from career to career, not really getting anywhere. A key reason that they feel this way is that they don’t take the time to really think about their career path and what they want from life.

Because of this indecision, they haven’t set formal goals or personal deadlines on when they’d like to achieve them.

Why Set Goals?

Goal setting is used by athletes, successful business-people, and high-level achievers in all fields. Setting goals gives you a longterm vision, and short-term motivation as you focus your knowledge and organize your time and resources to make the very most of your life. By setting concise and clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in achieving those goals, and see progress in what might have previously seemed like an endless and pointless grind. You’ll also raise your self-confidence as you begin to recognize your own ability and competence in achieving the goals that you’ve set.

Where Do You Start?

You can set your goals on a spectrum of levels. First think about the ‘big picture’ of what you want to do with your life, and identify the lifetime goal that you want to achieve. Then, break down your large goals into smaller targets that you must hit to reach your lifetime goal. Finally, once you’ve finished finalizing a plan, start on working on your goals.

Consider what you want to achieve. A lifetime goal will give you an overall perspective that shapes all other aspects of your decision making. When setting your lifetime goals, think about several aspects:

Pleasure – What type of activities do you want to do to enjoy yourself? Do you want to travel? What places would you like to visit?

Community – Do you want to contribute to the community? How do you see yourself getting involved, and what would you like to get involved with?

Emotional – Is there any part of your mindset that is holding you back? Is your behaviour acceptable or is there anything you wish you could change?

Spiritual – Do you have any spiritual goals or beliefs that you’d like to explore? How are you going to explore your spirituality?

It’s essential to spend time brainstorming about these aspects, and then setting goals that best reflect what you want to do.

Once everything is out on paper, consider trimming them so you can have a concise and small number of significant goals that

you can work towards achieving. Once your goals are set, re-evaluate and really think about whether your goals are ones that you want to achieve, and not ones that your family, employers, or others want you to achieve. If you have a partner, consider their goals when planning your own; however, remain true to yourself and what you want in life.

Once you’ve set your lifetime goals, set a five-year plan of smaller goals that must be completed before you reach your lifetime plan. After you’ve decided on your first set of goals, keep the process going by reviewing and updating your to-do list on a daily basis.

When you’ve achieved a goal, take the time to enjoy the satisfaction of having done so. Absorb the implications of the goal achievement, and observe the progress that you’ve made towards other goals.

If the goal was a significant one, reward yourself appropriately. All of this helps you build the self-confidence you deserve.

L A N O S R E SETTING P

g

als

Career – What level do you want to reach in your career, or what do you ideally want to be doing?

Financial – How much do you want to earn, by what stage? How is this related to your career goals?

Education – Is there knowledge you’d like to acquire? What information or education do you need in order to achieve the goals above?

Family – Do you want to get married? Do you want to be a parent? How do you want to be seen by your partner or members of your family? What type of parent do you want to be?

Physical – Do you have personal athletic goals that you want to achieve? What steps are you going to take to achieve this?

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DEC / JAN 2014 News With A DEsi View

by Pardeep Sahota, The Professionals www.desitoday.ca

Go ahead, get it wet.

Introducing the Sony XperiaŽ Z. Exclusively available at Bell on Canada’s largest LTE network.1 Water resistant for up to 30 minutes in one metre of fresh water 2 5" full HD screen 13MP full HDR (high dynamic range) camera MWjY^ el[h )& b_l[ CeX_b[ JL Y^Wdd[bi

Trade in your current phone or tablet and use its trade-in value towards the next device you want3.

Also available in white.

EXCLUSIVELY AT BELL

Offer ends December 31, 2013. Available within network coverage areas available from Bell Mobility; see bell.ca/coverage. If you end your services early, a fee will apply; see your Service Agreement for details. Subject to change without notice.

Taxes extra. Other conditions apply. (1) Based on total square kms of coverage on the shared 4G LTE network available from Bell vs. Rogers LTE network. See bell.ca/LTE for details. (2) Water resistant if ports (i.e. charger and ear phone ports) are closed properly. Device does not float and has not been certified for pool or ocean use; follow warranty guidelines. W arranty will be voided if liquid detection is triggered on device or battery. Do not use device near water while charging.

See other important restrictions; bell.ca/XperiaZ. (3) At participating locations. Must be 18 yrs. or older and the legal owner of the phone or tablet traded in. Max. 1 phone or tablet per trade-in. Rebate applies at the time of purchase on the price of the device and/or accessories in-store after taxes. Amount of rebate depends on the value of the phone or tablet ; not all phones or tablets will get a rebate. See bell.ca/tradein for details. Xperia is a trademark or registered trademark of Sony Mobile Communications AB.

CAREER & BUSINESS

Are you

AFRAID of

SUCCESS? A lot of people feel that they’re not successful, or at least they haven’t reached success in the areas that feel important to them.

If you’re one of those people, ask yourself what keeps you from being successful. Chances are the only thing holding you back is yourself. The truth is that if you really want to be successful, you have to learn to believe in yourself, after all if you don’t think that you can be successful, then who will? Being a success in life doesn’t mean that you won’t fail, it means that your mistakes will teach you something and show you a better way to get what you want.

Here are some tips that can help you get over the fear of being successful and finally believing in yourself: 58

DEC / JAN 2014 News With A DEsi View

www.desitoday.ca

Be Positive

Success is not a destination.

It’s a journey, and it’s important that we take each step feeling grounded and balanced. Spend time with your loved ones, enjoy your hobby or follow your passion, take care of your health and grow spiritually. This is the meaning of true success, the one that you can achieve only in balance.

Negative thoughts are a feeding ground for fear and self-doubt. Stay away from negative people and you will decrease the amount of negativity in your life by at least half. Practice daily gratitude, write down all the positive events in your life, practice mindfulness and you will notice how your negative attitude will start melting away.

Continually remind yourself that you are part of something larger than you.

Fear often has to do with worrying about uncertainty, feeling out of control, and wondering what your life’s purpose is.

When you realize you are part of a bigger picture, even if you don’t fully understand what that is, it’s easier to ascertain that you both deserve and need to be successful and happy. You do the right things, you help people around you, you make being a good person a priority, and you know that this isn’t just about you—it’s also about the bigger picture that you’re part of.

Take time to find your authenticity.

Do you have a lot on you? I’m sure you do, and I know that you are doing your best at doing what you have to do. But do you know who you are? Do you know what makes you happy? Do you know your passions? Do you take time to reflect on your life and figure out your purpose in this world? Unfortunately, most of us get so caught up in responsibilities and goals that we forget to enjoy our lives.

No matter how busy you are, you must make time for yourself. It can be just 10 minutes a day, but this time must belong to you. If you give yourself the luxury of free time then you will notice that the rest of your responsibilities will get easier. You will be a better husband.

You will be able to come up with creative ideas at work (and finally get that promotion.) You will be able to take better care of your health. You will reduce your stress and experience the joy of living.

Learn.

People are always scared of what they don’t know. If you have a fear of something you just have to educate yourself about it.

It is like walking into a dark room. At first you feel scared and don’t know what to expect but once you turn the light on, everything gets clear and simple.

Live in balance.

No matter how important success might seem to you, it is still important to follow it with balance; otherwise your journey towards success will turn into an obsession that will ruin everything that you truly love in life.

Success is not a destination. It’s a journey, and it’s important that we take each step feeling grounded and balanced.

Spend time with your loved ones, enjoy your hobby or follow your passion, take care of your health and grow spiritually.

This is the meaning of true success, the one that you can achieve only in balance.

It is your right and purpose in life to be successful in whatever you are doing. If you believe in that then nothing will ever stop you from living a balanced and joyous life. www.desitoday.ca

DEC / JAN 2014 News With A DEsi View

59

FOOD, ART, ENT

FOOD, ART, ENT

The Best of Me, by Nicholas Sparks Less Twilight and more likely to be the next The Notebook, this film comes from famed author Nicholas Sparks, of course.

Bring on the misunderstood heartache and romance in this story of longing rediscovered.

Heaven is for Real, by Todd Burpo It’s about time this book became a movie!

Based on the incredible true story of one little boy’s recounting of heaven, this is the feel-good movie of 2014. Whip out the tissues — you’re going to need them.

Divergent, by Veronica Roth Young-adult novel adaptations are taking over cinema, and Divergent is next in the line of heroine-fueled dystopian adventures. The film is set for release this March, and yes, we’ll be there.

2014 MUST WATCH

BOOKS-TO-MOVIES

2014 has quite an impressive lineup of books-to-movies, and we’ll definitely be watching (and reading)!

Out of all of the choices for 2014, here is our take on the next big blockbusters of 2014.

The Giver, by Lois Lowry The Giver was popular long before dystopian fiction was a well-known category of Young Adult fiction. It’s a book that will live with you for years. Though the movie’s cast is a bit unexpected (Alexander Skarsgård and Taylor Swift are set to star), we still can’t wait to see the story come to life on-screen.

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DEC / JAN 2014 News With A DEsi View

Vampire Academy, by Richelle Mead Most likely to be the new Twilight, Vampire Academy is an amazing read which will translate into a great flick. Strong-willed and snarky teenager Rose is a heroine we’ll all be rooting for, plus her romance with Dimitri is reminiscent of a forbidden love that we haven’t seen since Leonardo Di Caprio and Clare Danes stole our hearts in Romeo and Juliet.

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn This movie will be amazing, just as the book was. Cast perfectly with Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as the leads, this film will definitely be a Hollywood blockbuster.

www.desitoday.ca

FOOD, ART, ENT

   Over the last 125 years, Vancouver has become home to a broad range of ethnic groups, who have brought with them a vibrant and distinct assemblage of cuisines, heritage, belief systems and artwork. Although these cultures have retained a sense of their original identity, their influence has shaped Vancouver into a thriving, international city with a unique vibe.

Some of the influential forces behind this culturally rich, global metropolis are:

Japanese Walking through Vancouver, the aesthetic influence of Japanese culture is everywhere, from serene public gardens to the thousands of blooming cherry trees planted throughout the city’s green spaces. The first wave of Japanese immigrants, called Issei (or first generation), arrived in Vancouver between 1877 and 1928, many of whom settled in small fishing villages along the Pacific coastline and on idyllic farms in the Fraser Valley. Since then, it’s become easy to experience an authentic part of this culture by dining at one of the many Japanese restaurants, enjoying a tea ritual at the Nitobe Memorial Garden or attending the annual Powell Street Festival, the largest Japanese-Canadian community event in Vancouver. www.desitoday.ca

Chinese During the late 1800s, the first Chinese immigrants began arriving in Vancouver to work on railroads and in the mines. As more workers and families began migrating to Vancouver, the neighborhood kept growing, eventually developing into the third most populous Chinatown in North America.

Step into this bustling cultural district, where you can indulge in authentic cuisine, shop for specialty items in traditional markets and teashops, and experience contemporary nightlife with a new generation of Chinese-Canadians.

First Nations Although a very small percentage of Vancouver’s current population is comprised of First Nations people, the culture of these native tribes permeates the city — from towering totem poles located throughout public green spaces to contemporary aboriginalart galleries located along downtown throughways. Spend the day perusing historical artifacts and authentic artwork at the UBC Museum of Anthropology or view the extensive collection of artwork, carvings and jewelry at the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art. For an authentic interactive experience, venture to Stanley Park’s Klahowya Village, a living village where visitors can taste authentic aboriginal cuisine, hear the lore of ancient stories, and interact with First Nations weavers and carvers.

Indian More than a century ago, Vancouver’s booming lumber industry lured thousands of immigrants from Punjab, a region located on the Indian-Pakistani border. As this cultural group became more established in Vancouver, Punjabi Market — or Little India, as it’s sometimes called — emerged as an exotic district occupying six blocks along Main Street. Start at East 49th Avenue, and walk down Main Street to peruse sparkly gold bangles, vibrant silks and aromatic spices. Don’t miss out on the authentic Indian cuisine, whether you’re looking to try signature samosas, curried vegetarian dishes or something more adventurous.

Italian After World War II, thousands of Italians moved to Vancouver, settling into the Grandview neighborhood, which is located on Commercial Drive. During the 1950s, this area became known as Little Italy due to its high concentration of Italian residents, restaurants and businesses, but over time, a number of other ethnicities infiltrated the area, creating a culturally diverse neighborhood. Despite the name Commercial Drive, this area continues to have remnants of Italian culture. Learn more about ItalianCanadian heritage at the Italian Cultural Centre, watch a bocce ball game in nearby Confederation Park or enjoy a rich cup of espresso from one of the many Italian coffee shops along the Drive.

DEC / JAN 2014 News With A DEsi View

61

FOOD, ART, ENT

Ea��

Sweet and Salty Chocolate Chunk Cookies Lemon Melting Moments ... 250g butter, softened ... 2/3 cup pure icing sugar, sifted ... 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ... 2 cups plain flour ... 1/3 cup custard powder ... Lemon filling ... 60g butter, softened ... 1 cup pure icing sugar, sifted ... 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind Preheat oven to 320F fan-forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Sift flour and custard powder over butter mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until soft dough forms.

Roll level tablespoons dough into 32 balls. Place on prepared trays, leaving room for spreading. Using a fork dipped in flour, lightly flatten each biscuit until 1cm thick. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden. Cool on tray for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make filling using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and lemon rind in a bowl until light and creamy.

Spread the flat side of 1 biscuit with 2 teaspoons filling. Sandwich with 1 biscuit. Repeat with the remaining biscuits and filling.

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DEC / JAN 2014 News With A DEsi View

... 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ... 1 teaspoon baking powder ... 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt ... 1/4 teaspoon baking soda ... 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature ... 3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar ... 1/2 cup sugar ... 1/4 cup powdered sugar ... 2 large egg yolks ... 1 large egg ... 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ... 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 72% cacao), coarsely chopped ... Maldon or other flaky sea salt Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 375°F. Whisk flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, sugar, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add egg yolks, egg, and vanilla. Beat, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, until mixture is pale and fluffy, 4-5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low; slowly add dry ingredients, mixing just to blend. Using a spatula, fold in chocolate.

Spoon rounded tablespoonfuls of cookie dough onto 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing 1” apart. Sprinkle cookies with sea salt.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until just golden brown around the edges, 10-12 minutes (the cookies will firm up as they cool). Let cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks; let cool completely. www.desitoday.ca

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Traditional Shortbread ... 250g butter, softened ... ¾ cup caster sugar ... 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ... 2 cups plain flour, sifted ... ½ cup rice flour, sifted Preheat oven to 320°F. Grease 2 oven trays. Line with baking paper.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, 2/3 cup sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stir in sifted flours.

Divide dough into 2 portions.

Shape into 2 discs. Roll 1 portion between 2 sheets of baking paper to form a 20cm round. Carefully transfer to prepared tray. Repeat with remaining dough.

Using a small knife, score each round into 8 wedges, being careful not to cut all the way through. Pinch edges of rounds to form a scalloped effect.

Prick top of rounds with a fork.

Sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden, swapping the trays halfway through cooking. Cool on the trays and then serve. www.desitoday.ca

Almond-Oat Lace Cookies

... 1/2 cup whole natural unsalted almonds with skins ... 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats ... 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter ... 6 tablespoons superfine sugar ... 2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar ... 1 1/2 teaspoons honey ... 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour ... 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt ... 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted Arrange racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 rimless baking sheets with parchment paper. Pulse almonds and oats in a food processor until coarse meal forms. Set aside.

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Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add both sugars and honey; whisk until blended and sugar dissolves, 1–2 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add nut mixture, flour, and salt; stir until well blended.

Spoon batter by 2-teaspoon portions onto baking sheets, spacing 2 1/2” apart. Using your fingertips, pat cookies down to 1/4”-high rounds; push in any jagged edges to form smooth circles.

Bake, rotating sheets after 6 minutes, until dark golden brown and cookies spread out into a thin layer, 10–12 minutes. Slide cookies on parchment onto a wire rack and let cool.

Using a pastry brush, brush half of each cookie with melted chocolate. Let stand until the chocolate is set, about 2 hours.

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DESI

Around Town with Pardeep Sahota

Diwali celebrations with MP Jinny Sims and MLA Harry Bains at the India Banquet Hall in Surrey

The Association of South Asian Professionals of BC host a Hotdog Day for the Homeless and serve 1000 hotdogs to the city’s homeless people.

A new health care facility catering to the needs of people from South Asia opened in Surrey at 6830 King George Highway.

Madhu Varshney’s Rising Waves book launch at the Asian Centre, UBC.

Indira Prahst presented with a Human Rights award.

The Ashok Memorial Foundation presents a cheque of $18K to the Surrey Memorial Hospital

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DEC / JAN 2014 News With A DEsi View

The 2013 Annual Diwali Festival of Light was celebrated by Universal Cultural Society of BC in Burnaby with some high profile guests in attendance.

Superwoman at the Nov 2nd at The Glass Museum’s event ‘Inkquisitive Illustration: The Souled Out Tour’.

Proud parents Steven and Shelly Sangha celebrate their son Shaan’s birthday.

Performers dazzle the crowd at the Nehru Humanitarian Awards

www.desitoday.ca

DESI

Around Town with Pardeep Sahota

Sanjha Verha Women’s Association hosts their 9th Annual Breast Cancer Fundraiser at Dhaliwal Banquet Hall.

Vancity staff at their annual diwali dinner and dance

Fighters and attendees pose at Fight Night presented by Bisla Martial Arts.

Mayor Watts posed with attendees at the Annual Tree Lighting Festival at Central City plaza in Surrey.

The Apna Dinner of Hope was held on September 27th, 2013, and benefitted the Canadian Cancer Society Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley. Held at the Bollywood Banquet Hall in Surrey, many members of our community came together for a memorable night of great food and wonderful entertainment all to support pediatric cancer research and Camp Goodtimes. Distinguished community members who organized this event, presenting a cheque for $43,000 to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Canadian Western Bank - Strawberry Hill Branch hosts their annual client appreciation reception at Crown Banquet Hall in Surrey.

www.desitoday.ca

Sukhi and Amber of First Canadian Barter Exchange at the annual party

Attendees at an annual Annakut Puja celebration.

Partying the night away at the Canadian Western Bank annual client appreciation reception.

DEC / JAN 2014 News With A DEsi View

65

FOOD, ART, ENT

” e v o L e k a M Gap’s “ s k r a p S n g i Campa GAP’s holiday season print ad campaign, “Make Love,” which is focused on giving and sharing love, according to a statement by the retail clothing giant, features several icons, including singers Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett and glam-queen Cyndi Lauper. Ahluwalia – of The House of Waris – and Jones are featured in one of the print ads, with the turbaned and bearded Indian American focused at the camera, as a waspy, bed-headed Jones has a hand on his dastaar and another on his open-necked shirt.

Racist graffiti against the Sikh actor and designer started appearing online in November.

Journalist Arsalan Iftikhar alerted his social media followers to a subway ad that compared the 39-year-old Ahluwalia to a terrorist. The vandal replaced “Make Love” with “Make bombs,” then wrote, “Please stop driving taxis.”

Gap has been lauded for its quick response to the graffiti.

The company asked Iftikhar for the whereabouts of the defaced ad. Then, it placed Ahluwalia front and center as its cover image on Twitter and Facebook.

“Gap is a brand that celebrates inclusion and diversity.

Our customers and employees are of many different ethnicities, faiths, and lifestyles and we support them all,” the company said in a statement.

Waris Ahluwalia has come to be seen as something of a role model for Sikhs, according to Kanwar Singh, a practitioner of the faith who lives in Richmond, Va. After hearing about the racist graffiti, Singh started a Facebook page thanking Gap for choosing Ahluwalia to be a part of the “Make Love” campaign. Singh says he’s heard from hundreds of people — both Sikh and non-Sikh — from around the country and the world who have come out in support of Gap. Not all Sikhs in the US share this sentiment.

Sikh activist Gursant Singh organized a rally in front of the GAP Store in Davis, Calif., to protest the ad which he believes is disrespectful to the Sikh community.

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“This is a highly sexualized ad. Anytime a woman has her hand on a man’s shirt, with her tousled hair, it screams of sex,” Gursant Singh, organizer of the Davis protest, told India-West.

“It is completely unacceptable for an unmarried woman to be touching a Sikh man in this way. We’re family people and this is not the image of Sikhs we want portrayed,” said Singh, who converted to Sikhism 35 years ago. Singh said it would be better – but not entirely acceptable – if Ahluwalia and Jones were portrayed as a married couple.

“Stop GAP from brown-washing,” and “Stop GAP from disrespecting Sikhs” are the slogans Singh plans to use on his picket signs.

Singh said he is expecting a counter-protest from young Sikhs who view the ads as a sign that Sikhs have entered mainstream culture. He said he has not received any stated support from Sikh organizations.

The Facebook page for the Davis protest had many comments denouncing the upcoming rally. “This ad is beautiful! It is a good-looking Punjabi Sikh man who has the affection of a good-looking woman. Why would you demoralize that?” queried Trish Singh. www.desitoday.ca

FOOD, ART, ENT

Social media faux pas aren’t exclusive to regular Joe’s.

Here’s a look at a few mishaps over social media.

Even the President of the United States poses for selfies

President Obama was caught committing a funeral faux pas — snapping a selfie with Danish Prime Minister HelleThorningSchmidt and British PM David Cameron during Nelson Mandela’s memorial service.

The threesome smiled as PM HelleThorning-Schmidt held her smartphone out to capture the moment but the First Lady in disapproval of the digital display.

Twitter Users Confuse Morgan Freeman for Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela: It’s a name everyone knows but not necessarily a face everyone recognizes. Many Twitter users shared Morgan Freeman’s picture incorrectly after the South African anti-apartheid hero died.

Freeman, as well as Idris Elba, played Mandela in the films “Invictus” and “Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom.”

www.desitoday.ca

Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron Follows Escort Service on Twitter

Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron was embarrassed when it was revealed his official Downing Street Twitter account was following an escort service. Blaming it on an auto-follow setting that is set up on his account, the PM’s twitter account also came under fire earlier in the year when an offensive tweet about foreign secretary William Hague was accidentally “favorited”.

US State Senate Candidate Cory Booker Exchanges Flirtatious Texts with Stripper

Newly elected US Senator Cory Booker found himself caught in a social media scandal as his flirtatious direct messages with Portland stripper ‘Lynsie Lee’ were shared on Twitter. Paling in comparison to the Anthony Weiner scandal and Sen. David Vitter’s sex scandal with a D.C. Madam, Cory Booker slid by unscathed.

Robots Run Bank of America’s Twitter Feed

Starting with a tweet from an individual about NYC police chasing him away from “chalkupy” sidewalk chalk drawing outside a Bank of America, the Bank’s Help Twitter account picked up on the activity and kicked into high gear, tweeting the same generic answers to those who commented on the original post. Regardless of the tweets’ content, the Bank of America account offered to “review your account with you to discuss any concerns.”

Think Twice Before You Post, London

London Luton Airport learned the hard way to think before you post on Facebook. The airline posted a photo of a crashed airplane with a comment that read, “Because we are such a super airport ... this is what we prevent you from when it snows ... Weeeee :)” The problem: The 2005 plane crash depicted in the image killed a six-year-old boy. The airport drew ire from Facebook followers, and subsequently issued an apology.

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d o o w y l l o B Buzz

Missing her potential Hollywood debut with Fast and Furious 7, Deepika Padukone doesn’t regret her loss Although Deepika Padukone was selected the film, previous commitments to another film made it impossible for her to make her Hollywood debut.

According to Deepika, “I don’t regret it. I had to work out things for Ram-Leela here, I couldn’t have left the process mid way, I had given my commitment here first.

Looking at the way the film (Ram-Leela) has got a response, I feel good as my hard work has paid off.” She also said, “I would love to do a Hollywood film. The reason for me to do a Hollywood film is same as what I do here in Bollywood.”

When asked if she has no issues with a small role in a Hollywood film she said, “There is nothing like a small role. The role has to be of impact, this is what matters,

the length of it (role) doesn’t. A good actor can make a presence felt even in a short time.”

Deepika is flying high this year with her consecutive blockbusters like Race 2, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Chennai Express and the latest Goliyon Ki Raasleela RamLeela.

No unity in Bollywood: Sunny Deol Bollywood actor Sunny Deol has never been seen making irrelevant statements or being involved in Bollywood controversies, but whenever the actor speaks, it is for a reason.

The star has said that he feels that actors in the film industry are just co-workers and they do not share a friendship or a bond at personal level.

The 57-year-old actor stated, “I don’t get involved in things which are not related to work. I don’t do things which have nothing to do with industry. There is no unity in Bollywood and we are just colleagues. Our motto is never to do things together; we want to be strong individually.”

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d o o w y l l o B Buzz Piggy Chops wants to keep her personal life personal Bollywood’s leading actress Priyanka Chopra has never spoken out on her love life and she clarifies that it’s nowhere related to being “politically correct”.

This month the actress was asked at a press conference why she never defies dating rumours and the 31-year-old actress replied, “It’s not because I am being politically correct. It’s just that I’m a private person.”

She added further, “I believe that I am putting 90 percent of myself and my family life out in front of the public, I have every right to keep 10 percent of it for myself.” Priyanka, who is a prominent member on social networking sites, also said that women are quite aware of “how much you want to tell.”

The Barfi star said, “I am a girl and I have the right to keep my personal life personal.” The session didn’t end without asking the gorgeous lady about her marriage plans and she said, “When somebody who is worth asking me asks me about marriage, then I will see.”

The King of Romance shares his tips Shahrukh Khan has earned the title of King of Romance through a string of his blockbusters like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho. So what advice does the Bollywood hottie dish out to men everywhere?

“Never disrespect a woman in words, action or spirit.”

“You should always take care of small things like opening the door for a lady and never sit before she sits.”

“Learn to be gentle with a woman.”

“A real man is one who can touch his feminity. I find my masculinity in the fact that I can touch my feminine side.” www.desitoday.ca

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Notable Actors of Indian Descent

With sharp features, golden skin tones, and larger than life dance moves, Indian actors have excelled in the international film circuit with their acting prowess. A young generation of actors of Indian origin have taken the international film market by storm, and we’ve compiled our own list of actors to watch.

Sarita Choudhury

The Bengali-Indian and half English descent actress is best known for her roles in Mississippi Masala, The Perez Family and Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love. More recently Choudhury played the role of the King’s mistress in the NBC drama Kings, and is Saul Berenson’s wife in the series Homeland.

Mindy Kaling Parminder Nagra

Known as the girl who stole our hearts in her breakthrough film Bend It Like Beckham, Nagra has played pivotal roles during her career as an actress. From ER to Alcatraz, to her recurring role in Psych and star role in The Blacklist, Parminder Nagra is definitely an actress to watch.

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Vera Mindy Chokalingam, better known by her professional name of Mindy Kaling, is known for her role on The Office.

The 34 year old actress currently stars at Mindy Lahiri in the FOX sitcom The Mindy Project. She has played hilarious roles since her career debuted in 2003, including appearing in the film The Five-Year Engagement. Starting her career off as a writer, Kaling first joined The Office at the young age of 24 as the only woman on a staff of eight.

www.desitoday.ca

Kal Penn

Born Kaplen Suresh Modi, Kal Penn is known for his role on the series House, as well as the character Kumar Patel in the Harold and Kumar series. He is recognized for his outstanding performance in the critically acclaimed film, The Namesake. In addition to being an actor, Penn is a visiting lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania and currently works as an Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement.

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Waris Ahluwalia

An Indian-American designer and actor, Waris Ahluwalia’s first film was The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and he has gone on to play roles on TV series like The Unusuals, The Carrie Diaries and in films like Missed Connections, The Darjeeling Limited, Inside Man, and The F Word.

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RT U O C E M E R P INDIA’S SU DS A LAW

UPHOL

g n i z i l a Crimin GAY SEX The Supreme Court has upheld the “moral values” of India, and rejected the 2009 ruling by Delhi High Court decriminalizing gay sex. In this surprise setback for the gay-rights movement in India, the Supreme Court say the old law was still constitutionally valid and could only be changed or erased by Parliament, not the courts.

People across India were shocked by the decision. Most legal experts and activists had expected the country’s highest court to uphold the landmark decision, which had been seen as a crucial first step in empowering India’s gay community. The Indian government had no official reaction to the judgment Wednesday.

Some officials said they needed more time to study the court decision.

India has been struggling for the past year with concerns about the safety of women within its borders following the gang rape and murder of a student in the capital last December. India has been scrambling to modernize its institutions and laws to better protect women from sexual violence, which some see as a conservative backlash against the rising empowerment of women in the world’s largest democracy.

And while few people have actually been prosecuted over the years under Section 377, gay and lesbian groups say the law was often used by corrupt police officers and others to harass people and extort money. It also sometimes made it impossible for people that were openly gay to go to the government authorities or the courts when they needed them.

India’s gay and lesbian citizens have been slowly coming out of the closet in recent years, particularly in urban centers, including Mumbai and Delhi, which now hold large gay-pride rallies every year. Still, for most Indian families homosexuality isn’t accepted, forcing many to hide their orientation from co-workers, friends and relatives.

The Supreme Court also left open the option of having Parliament change or abolish the law, an unlikely avenue to a quick resolution for the issue, particularly as India heads toward national elections next year. Activists said they would continue fighting for the rights of gay Indians.

Former MP, Attorney General and Premier of BC, Ujjal Dosanjh, wrote on his blog, “The Supreme Court of India’s most recent judgement declaring homosexuality to be a crime is a cruel throwback to more primitive times. In Canada, justice minister Pierre Trudeau in the late 60s before he became the Prime Minister of Canada had declared that the state had no business in the bedrooms of the nation. Homosexuality was decriminalised then. I have not lived in India since December 31, 1964. As the land that gave me birth and nurtured me for the first 17 years of my life India has never been too far from my thoughts.

The Delhi High court had declared the current law to be unconstitutional thereby decriminalising homosexuality. The government of India has been doing hypocritical gyrations on this issue. The central government has behaved totally without principle and ethics. The Supreme Court of India is allegedly an activist court. They wander into law making in the blink of an eye on matters such as the red light domes on’ VIP’ cars. Not something most Indians could argue with. On matters of courage of conscience such as real human rights for gay and lesbian Indians the mighty Justices have shown an utter lack of judicial intestinal fortitude.

I write on this issue both as a Canadian and an Indian. Canada now allows same sex marriage. When I was the Attorney General in the 90s in British Columbia I shepherded legislation in the BC Legislature providing for survivorship rights to pensions for the surviving common law or married gay and lesbian couples. I also successfully pushed through the legislature changes to family law providing for alimony and child support for separated gay and lesbian spouses. I was the first Attorney General and Premier of any province in Canada to walk in a Gay Pride Parade.” www.desitoday.ca

P��i�i�i�n� Reac�: Rahul Gandhi: I personally believe that these are matters of personal freedom. I think, I would agree more with High Court verdict. I think these matters should be left to the individuals.

These are personal choices. This country is known for its freedom, freedom of expression. So let that be.

Sonia Gandhi: I am disappointed that the Supreme Court has reversed a previous Delhi High Court ruling on the issue of gay rights. The HC had wisely removed an archaic, repressive and unjust law that infringed on basic human rights enshrine din our Constitution. This Constitution has given us a great legacy, a legacy of liberalism of openness, that enjoin us to combat prejudice and discrimination of any kind. We are proud that our culture has always been an inclusive and tolerant one. The Sc also suggested another course. I hope the Parliament will address this issue and uphold the constitutional guarantee of life and liberty to all citizens of India, including those affected by this judgement.

Aam Aadmi Party: The Supreme Court judgment thus criminalizes the personal behaviour of consenting adults. All those who are born with or choose a different sexual orientation would thus be placed at the mercy of the police. This not only violates the human rights of such individuals, but goes against the liberal values of our constitution and the spirit of our times JDU MP Shivanand Tiwari: I don’t support the Supreme Court decision. I think the Delhi High Court order was practical and constitutional. This happens in society and if people believe it is natural for them, why is the Supreme Court trying to stop them?

P. Chidambaram: It’s gone back to 1860. I don’t want to take names but those politicians opposing it, it’s unfortunate.

The government must go for review petition or curative petition. The Govt is considering all options to restore the High Court verdict on #377. We must decriminalise adult consensual relationships.

Law & Justice Minister Kapil Sibal: The Govt is considering all options to restore the High

Court verdict on #377. We must decriminalise adult consensual relationships.

Omar Abdullah @abdullah_omar: Questions of morality or religion are not the issue. How can a lifestyle choice be illegal?

SC removes red lights for equality yet not #377.

Amnesty International India chief executive G. Ananthapadmanabhan: This is a black day for all of us citizens of modern India; we are very disappointed by the verdict.It is going to be a long and uncertain route now. There’s no doubt that a historic move has been lost.

B����w�o� React�: Amitabh Bachchan: The Supreme Court has passed judgment that homosexuality is a crime...and that has triggered a massive reaction among those that have till now had the preference of choice, as per human rights, to lead their life the way they wish to...I wonder where this shall lead to.

Filmmaker Onir: I am angry by the SC ruling on IPC 377. Very very disappointed that the bench of the Supreme Court hold us to regressive colonial 153-year-old IPC 377. A dark day for the history of judiciary and human rights in India.

Prem Panicker @prempanicker: Justice Sanghvi said “read the judgment and you’ll know”. Ok, read the judgment. What to say?

Ignorance was bliss. Knowledge is appalling.

John Abraham: Bollywood recent hit movie “Dostana” actor said “India has harboured archaic prejudices once again...

The Supreme Court has criminalized homosexuality... Shame.”

Karan Johar: Section 377 is not just a violation of human rights but also makes democracy seem like a mirage in our country.

Rahul Bose: So much for those believing the judiciary is ‘the last bastion of common sense’ in this country.

Chetan Bhagat: What? Consensual gay sex ruled illegal in 2014? Shows you how badly India needs new young leaders with a modern outlook.

Aamir Khan: Famous TV show “Satyamev Jayate” anchor said “I am more disappointed with this judgement. It feels very intolerant and violative of basic human rights. It’s a shame.”

Anupam Kher: We obviously don’t believe in equal rights even in the times when we send Mangalayan to Mars.

Neha Dhupia: How can love be illegal?

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw: #Sec377 is 150 yrs old n has no relevance today. The world has accepted the inalienable right to his/her right to sexuality as per Art 14/21 Dia Mirza, actress tweeted @deespeak: I am ashamed. #377 there is nothing more frightening than the revelation that the guardians of democracy have turned undemocratic.

Derek O’Brien @quizderek: Way back in 2006 I spoke up to decriminalize #Sec377 along with Amartya Sen, Vikram Seth, Shyam Benegal & others Riteish Deshmukh @Riteishd: Supreme Misjudgement #Section377 Celina Jaitly @CelinaJaitly: Naz India joins a shameful list of cases where SC has removed rights given by a lower court... This decision will ruin many lives.

Anushka Sharma: Freedom is such a deceptive term. Rights are an ambiguous mystery.

Shruti Haasan: Its frightening how someone else decides how when and who you should love -- basically freedom of choice isn’t legal anymore.

Anand Gandhi, director: Only a highly uninformed mind can have [the] arrogance of assuming that consenting adults having sex is any of their business.

Farhan Akhtar: The Supreme Court got it wrong today.

Actress Mia Farrow: Canceled trip to India.

My wife and I would not feel welcome there...

Well- when I have a wife- we won’t be going to India.

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A

friend recently told me that I remind her of an aspiring Olivia Pope.

I didn’t jump on the Scandal bandwagon when it debuted in 2012 so, of course, I did what any woman would do; I downloaded season one and two on iTunes and devoured them in an unhealthy amount of time. Now completely up to date with Scandal I have to admit I’m a die-hard fan of Olivia Pope, and actually wish my life read more like a page from the Pope playbook.

Over the course of watching this show (the entire two days), I can’t help but watch the show from the perspective of an aspiring business owner. Olivia Pope is more than just a multilayered character on a popular TV show; she is an example of a great entrepreneur. Here are a few things I believe businesswomen can learn from Olivia:

Confidence

Olivia has no doubt about her abilities. She is bold, a risk-taker and able to take charge of high-stress situations. Her confidence in her abilities enables her to communicate effectively with her clients and to lead her team.

She also always has the last word and when needed, can deliver epic verbal smackdowns that include lines like this: “There is a reason that we’re not in Vermont. That we don’t’ have kids, and that you are not the mayor.

There is a reason we are not happy. It’s so

Life Lessons Learn from YOU CAN

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Olivia Pope

www.desitoday.ca

to the success of your company. Olivia’s team is comprised of a diverse group of experts who she can trust to get their jobs done right, and on time. Let’s face it, Olivia has some powerful contacts but one of her closest confidants also happens to be kind of scary. It’s important to have a diverse group surrounding you in case you find yourself in a sticky situation. While I don’t recommend hiring a professional trained assassin or moving dead bodies, you still need a loyal team that is willing to go to bat for you.

Relationships

you can be president. It’s so nothing is beyond your control. That’s the point. You bring him back.�

Style

Dating a co-worker is dicey. Dating your married boss or client is even dicier. It’s best to avoid office relationships, especially if you’re the boss. This is also applicable to clients, especially married ones. Skip the messy heartache and potential enemies you’re making and date someone unrelated to your field/business.

Niche

Olivia Pope and Associates specializes in the very specific field of crisis management. They are well known among DC’s political elite, and are the first call in the face of trouble. Developing a highly-defined focus for your company takes a lot of discipline and work, but ultimately being an expert at something will increase the probability of your long-term success.

Reputation

Through years of successes and hard work, Olivia has built a reputation of being excellent at what she does. As business owners, it is not enough to have a niche. You must be excellent at what you do to excel within your sector. This takes time, perseverance and the ability to build great relationships with your clients who are likely to become your best source of referrals.

Understanding the importance of dressing for success, Olivia’s style is iconic. Her sharp, sleek and chic wardrobe exudes an undeniable aura of confidence, power and control. Olivia uses the color white, bold silhouettes and not only wears the pants metaphorically, but literally. She rarely wears anything but pants, except in ashbacks, but then again, with her distinct stride, big steps and fast pace, anything else would just slow her down. Also a point to note, Olivia is always prepared for company.

You’ll never catch her hanging out in her college sweats, hair in a giant messy bun, drinking cheap wine and eating a sleeve of Oreos. Instead, she spends her private time watching CNN in silk, sipping a large glass of red and eating popcorn, like a lady.

Team

Recruiting skilled, loyal and committed team members is something that is vital for any business. Employing the right people is critical www.desitoday.ca

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� � � � r T T�p�

s y a d i l o H for the With the holiday season around the corner, you may be one of the many who are rushing to catch a flight, ferry or train home for the holidays or for a quick vacation. We’ve created a few rules and solid routine to help you out this season. Believe us; you won’t want to leave home without these.

Know the difference between flights Know the difference between direct and non-stop flights, and when possibly opt for the latter. Direct flights can touch down at other airports on the way to their ultimate destination. Non-stop means no stopping until you get to your destination. Direct flights are often cheaper than non-stop, but if you get impatient on flights and don’t want any delays, opt for non-stop.

Plan in advance If you know your travel details well in advance, start packing days before you leave.

Don’t leave your packing to the day before your trip. Check the weather forecast for wherever you’re traveling to, and pack accordingly. Toss a lightweight jacket or cashmere scarf into your luggage, just in case the weather changes. Planning what you’re going to pack well in advance means putting aside things you know you want to take, and sending pieces to the dry cleaners or taking care of laundry well in advance. Tip: when squeezing everything into your carry-on, roll rather than fold your clothes, it’s a better use of space.

Expedite your airport experience Sign up for flight notifications which will alert you if your flight is delayed, canceled or the gate changes. Most airlines allow you to check in and print your boarding pass. If you aren’t checking bags, you can go straight to security. If you do have bags

there’s usually a bag drop with a shorter line. If you lose or misplace your boarding pass, don’t stress, you can reprint another one at the airport.

Don’t leave home with your products Don’t leave home without must-have beauty products. On top of your makeup, pack products that are great for waking up your complexion after a long flight. If you’re going on a business trip this is particularly important as you want to appear energized and awake.

Don’t over pack Allow yourself enough time to realistically wrap your head around what you’ll truly need for your trip. Pack some noisecanceling headphones, a neck pillow, and a travel size kit of your favorite products – but refrain from packing books or work that you’ll never actually look at.

These shoes are made for walking Always pack a comfortable walking shoe, a fancier shoe for dinner, and running or athletic shoes if you plan on working out.

If you find that you always pack running shoes because you’re optimistic that you’ll get a workout in, but never do, skip the athletic shoes.

Carry on when possible Carry your bags on the plane whenever possible. If it’s not possible, make sure you have a carry-on with your essentials in the dreaded case that your stuff gets lost or doesn’t show up on time.

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LIFE ETC Like a lot of workaholics, I do most of my shopping online. Who has time to do a weekly Costco shop to buy toilet paper and laundry detergent, when I can buy them with a click of a button and within the comfort of my home office?

But the convenient one-click buying power has a dark downside – it’s way too easy to go overboard.

When I go online to buy my dog a Christmas sweater, I innocuously purchase a few bestsellers suggested by Amazon that I’ve been dying to read. But it’s not entirely my lack of self-control that is to blame. Online retailers employ sneaky marketing tricks to get you to add more to your virtual shopping cart. So what’s a clicking consumer to do?

Fight back with these strategies.

Coerced by “cookies.”

Known in the advertising world as “retargeting” or “remarketing,” this sneaky online advertising tool allows products that you search for to “follow” you all over the internet like a stalker ex, popping up in ads on most websites you visit.

Fight back: Clear your cookie cache every few days. Sometimes retails lure in new online shoppers with lower prices, so clearing your cookies can also trick a retailer into thinking you’re a new shopper, allowing you to have a lower price on an item the next time you need to purchase something. Your other option? Go

Ways to Keep From

Blowing Major $$ Online to Google and download the cookie opt-out plug-in. Then you can browse without being bullied.

Your favorite websites know you – a little too well.

Online retailers like to push you to buy more by suggesting products that go with your purchase. Chapters, for instance, recently suggested that I add additional books by the author whose book I just purchased. And because the suggestions are based on your previous shopping or searching history, they can make suggestions that are actually pretty alluring.

Fight back: Stay strong and resist adding to your cart! If you’re still tempted, put it in your basket, but give yourself a 48-hour waiting period before you buy. Studies have shown that this is long enough to allow dopamine — the neurotransmitter that, among other things, goads us into impulse buys — to dissipate, making us a third less likely to buy.

Your inbox is a retail wasteland of flash sales

Limited-time-only deals or deal-of-theday type offers create a sense of urgency among consumers who feel like they absolutely must take advantage of the offer before it expires, regardless of whether the item or service was something they specifically were searching for.

Fight back: Ignore, ignore ignore. Instead of jumping at every flash sale, look for coupons only when it’s time to make a purchase. You can access online promo codes from freeshipping.org, or you can create a separate email address that receives store coupons and deals, this way you’re not tempted by them on the daily.

Remember, there’s the stuff you need and then there’s the stuff you want. And then there’s the stuff you didn’t even know you wanted but because Amazon has recommended it for you, you’re now in gravedanger of blowing your monthly budget on something you could live without.

Use these tips and put your credit card back in its holster.

Comparison shop – Don’t be a sucker when you see a price tag. You’re online!

Shop around and see who has the cheapest prices. Don’t forget to factor shipping costs into your pricing – if it’s cheaper to pick something up in person, head out and pick it up!

Don’t shop bored – The silliest purchases happen when you probably shouldn’t have been shopping in the first place. If you’re bored, don’t automatically sign on to Gilt and start redecorating your living room. Instead, hit the gym or call up a friend.

When in doubt, leave the site – On the fence about whether you should buy something or not? Add it to your shopping cart but don’t check out. If you decide later that you must have it, go back and purchase it.

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Celebrate a Stress Free

i r h o L

The first lohri of a baby has special significance and is an important occasion celebrated with friends and family. Despite the tradition of lohri being celebrated for the birth of a baby boy, most modern families celebrate lohri for the birth all children: boys and girls.

As these events have become large and lavish affairs, planning for them has also become much more difficult. Harprit Patel, a certified senior event planner and the owner of Always & Forever Weddings has been working to plan events with families for many years. She describes the first lohri of a newborn as a “very special occasion where friends and family join together to celebrate and pray for the child’s good health and prosperity. This is a very significant event in the life of both the parents and the child.”

Working with a family’s wants, needs, budget and the desire to ensure a fabulous event that everyone will enjoy while maintaining a sense of calmness during the planning process are among the many reasons you might want to work with an event planner.

If you’re planning a lohri event, Patel recommends the following “to-do” list: Select your venue – Select your venue based on the number of guests who will be attending. This is the first and most important decision you’ll make as it sets the tone for the entire event. Most venues offer discounted rates for events held between Monday to Thursday. Since lohri is always in 78

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January, you may even find an off-season discount for a weekend rental or potentially a free hall rental.

Hire a decorator – Be clear that you do not want the venue to look like a wedding reception! A room can be completely transformed with the use of bright, vibrant colours, Patel explains, “To celebrate the natural elements of water, wind and fire I would suggest a festive palette of royal blue, metallic gold and rich orange hues.”

Children’s activities – Since a lohri event is a celebration of a child, the celebration calls for children’s activities which can be either traditional: popcorn, peanuts, and ‘gachuk’ (traditional Indian sweets); or more modern: bouncy castles, popcorn machines and an arts & crafts station.

Adult’s activities – Now that you have the kids covered, having something for the adults is essential! “We sometimes forget that adults love interacting with other family members

and friends,” says Patel. “I like to work with my clients to create a positive and relaxed environment for everyone and then experiment a little bit more with the food.”

Food – Providing appetizers and drinks that are a little fancier will keep your guests captivated and talking for days! You can deviate from the typical pakoras and butter chicken and consider other options. Ask your venue what else they are able to offer: sautéed paneer skewers, shrimp cocktails, mini dosas, a gol gappa station, or chicken wings? Remember to have a vegetarian

option as well. Most venues are able to accommodate requests so explore your taste buds and your guests will thank you!

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Music – A DJ is an integral part of any function. To ensure the party keeps going and the music is outstanding always hire a DJ who you trust and one who will respect your input and deliver on the day of the event. Most DJs will work with you to create a playlist which will best suit your needs and ensure none of your guests are left sitting on their chairs.

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around a bonfire BSF & CRPF Soldiers dance l ri celebrating the Loh festiva

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Last, but certainly not least, some other considerations you will have include booking your videographer, photographer, makeup/hair stylists, and dhol player. Finally, don’t forget to bring a book of matches to light the ceremonial fire you’ll have for rituals being performed at the lohri event.

With all of this information you might wonder why you should work with an event planner when you can do it all yourself.

Well the answer is simple, time is money!

Working with an experienced event planner to organize your child’s lohri will provide you with guidance, expertise and experience that will save you time, money and stress in the long run.

“Every event is a labour of love. I work tirelessly to make your dream become a reality so that can stay calm and watch as your vision unfolds before your eyes,” expresses Patel. “I know I’m successful when you are able to sit back, relax and enjoy your event alongside your guests.”

With the demanding lohri season approaching, now is a great time to get organized. www.desitoday.ca

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by leaps & g in w o r g is Desi Today ould like to expand w bounds and riters and contributors. w our base of an original and If you have ice then we would like passionate vo your. Send us your to hear from n pieces, profiles stories, opinio name in print. and see your or@desitoday.ca Email : edit

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LIFE ETC

Pulitzer Prize Winners of

INDIAN ORIGIN

I’ve recently vowed to put away the smut escapist fiction women all over the world are readily indulging in, and read more challenging and engaging fiction. Where better to look than at the work of Pulitzer prize winners? The Pulitzer prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature, and musical composition. Looking through the list of highly deserving writers, I happened upon some names of Indian origin. Awarded for their writing, here’s a look at some Pulitzer prize winners of Indian origin.

Siddhartha Mukherjee

Geeta Anand

Jhumpa Lahiri

Gobind Behari Lal

Mukherjee is the fourth person of Indian origin to bag the prestigious Pulitzer Prize, the first being Gobind Behari Lal way back in 1937. He is a cancer physician and researcher, and an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University and a staff cancer physician at Columbia University Medical Center.

His award-winning nonfiction work “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer”, published by HarperCollins, was described by the jury as “an elegant inquiry, at once clinical and personal, into the long history of an insidious disease that, despite treatment breakthroughs, still bedevils medical science”.

Journalist-writer of Indian origin Geeta Anand was the next to get the award named after Joseph Pulitzer, who stood out as the very embodiment of American journalism. The investigative reporter and feature writer for the Wall Street Journal was given the award in 2003 for “clear, concise and comprehensive stories that illuminated the roots, significance and impact of corporate scandals in America”.

Indian American author Jhumpa Lahiri won the Pulitzer for fiction in 2000 for her collection of stories “Interpreters of Maladies”. She was awarded $ 5,000 for her “distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life”.

Lahiri was born in 1967 in London and raised in Rhode Island. Her parents were born and raised in India, where a number of the stories in “Interpreter of Maladies” were set.

Gobind Behari Lal came today study at the University of California in Berkeley in 1912 on the Guru Govind Singh Sahib Scholarship. He later became the science editor of the San Francisco Examiner.

He won the Pulitzer Prize for journalism in 1937.

Lal was science editor emeritus for the Hearst newspapers and worked for the group in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles since joining The San Francisco Examiner in 1925. He was awarded the Pulitzer in the Reporting category for his coverage of science at the tercentenary of Harvard University when he was working for Universal Service. He died in 1992 of cancer.

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Lincoln MKZ

Reward your sense of intrigue Autoreview by Veeno Dewan

With a redesign from last year, the 2014 Lincoln MKZ is a midsize luxury premium sedan that carries over largely unchanged for the new model year. The sleek, modern body still look good with its distinctive signature split-winged grille, graceful Cpillars, and fashionable high decklid with an integrated spoiler. It looks tightly styled and the full-width LED taillight panel. and rear diffuser with four square tail exhaust outlets finish off an attractive, handsome looking car.

The 2014 Lincoln offers a very good engine choice, namely three to be exact: a turbocharged four-cylinder, an optional V6 and a hybrid powertrain in the MKZ Hybrid.

The 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder is the base engine offering 240 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque through a sixspeed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. The optional 3.7-liter V6 generates 300 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque, also through a six-speed automatic and either front- or allwheel drive. (Note: Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is optional.)

The 2014 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid combines a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with an electric motor for 188 total hp. The hybrid is front-wheeldrive only and uses a continuously variable transmission (CVT) to return an impressive fuel economy.

The Lincoln MKZ comes in two trim levels: MKZ and MKZ Hybrid. Both versions arrive with 18-inch wheels, adaptive LED headlights, LED taillights, adaptive suspension dampers, keyless ignition/entry (with an outside keypad), dual-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery, heated 10-way power front seats with power lumbar, driver mem-

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ory settings, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and full power accessories.

Also standard are the Sync voice command system, the MyLincoln Touch infotainment system with an 8-inch touchscreen interface, and an 11-speaker sound system with CD player, auxiliary/USB/iPod input jacks and satellite radio.

Various options are offered in packages providing such features as auto-dimming driver-side mirror, a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, wood steering wheel trim, ambient lighting and HD radio. Our tester was the 2.0 liter engined four cylinder MKZ FWD with a six-speed automatic transmission priced at $41,700. It came in a lovely Smoke Quartz paintwork with a classy charcoal perforated leather seats and interior trim.

Options on our press tester included the reserved equipment group, comprising of a navigation system, a blind spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert, rear park assist, a power-close trunk lid, a power tiltand-telescoping steering wheel and ventilated front seats. Also present was a rear video camera, rear park assist and Blind spot detection. Other options included the Technology package offering adaptive cruise control, an automated parallel parking system, a lane departure/keeping system, collision warning/mitigation, automatic headlights and automatic windshield wipers, Individual option highlights include a panoramic glass roof with integral sunroof, multicontour front seats, a power rear sunshade and airbag-inflatable rear seatbelts.

The total price for our tester with the $9,825 worth of options came to $51,525 plus destination and delivery for a final price

of $53,125. The 2014 MKZ’s interior is a heady blend of hi-tech and craftsmanship with a sleek flowing center stack and console, featuring touch sensitive controls and a notable absence of fussy buttons and knobs.

The MyLincoln Touch infotainment system is very futuristic with a clean layout; logically splitting functions into four clear quadrants: navigation, audio, climate and phone. Meanwhile the Sync voice command system works beautifully. A 10.1-inch LCD instrument cluster replaces traditional gauges, while an eight-inch TFT LCD in the center of the dashboard features the latest version of MyLincoln Touch and Sync. Our tester also came with a cool-looking satin nickel trim package and the powerful THX11 Audiophile sound system that sounded simply superb.

Materials, fit and finish are high quality and premium-looking and the leather seats both front and rear are roomy and comfortable as is legroom and shoulder room. The swooping rear roof line cuts in on rear headroom for taller rear seat passengers. The MKZ can be ordered with the optional huge panoramic glass panel as on our test car that allows for a light and airy interior ambience.

The MKZ offers decent trunk space at 15.4 cubic feet and a 60/40 split-folding rear seat or more versatility.

To sum up the Lincoln MKZ is an edgy technology- laden car that plays very well in a demanding sector and is well worth a look at. It competes against some very high end machinery yet manage to hold its own with a mix of good looks, superb technology and safety. It makes a good comfortable premium sedan all will like. Highly recommended.

2014 Lincoln MKZ priced from $41,700.

Price as tested $51,525 DEC / JAN 2014 News With A DESI View

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DESI GIRL

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Paarull Bakshi

Photo: Jerry Jagpal

Paarull Bakshi has a Business Administration with a major in marketing and works as a marketing assistant for an architectural firm in Vancouver.

She has also been working with many small businesses in Vancouver in the lower mainland for the past few years assisting them with various needs in the field of marketing, sales, PR and business development.

Apart from my educational and career goals, she enjoys activities such as dance, yoga , meditation, jewelry design and fashion.

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