COVER STORY
ALL IN A DAY’S WORK
By SHAGORIKA EASWAR
With more and more programs being put in place to help immigrants find success in their chosen fields – if one were to perceive immigrants as a long-term investment – Canada has done well. These Grant’s Desi Achievers are all second-generation Canadians – with the exception of one who came here as a toddler. Born and raised in Canada, they recall the stories of the struggles their parents went through, but went on to make their mark in the country their parents chose to come to. Keeping Canadians safe, giving the world a taste of the self-deprecating humour so typical of Canadians, protecting nature, and taking Canadian values to the world is all in a day’s work for them. These Grant’s Desi Achievers have done immeasurable good and continue to inspire others to do so. Peter Mielzynski Jr, Board Director at PMA Canada, the sponsor of the Grant’s Desi Achievers Awards, recalls his own father’s journey in Canada. The strength and the entrepreneurial spirit it took to establish a business in a new country. “Each of these individuals represent the highest qualities in personal and professional lives. They are the best illustration there could be of all the positives of multiculturalism,” he says.
ANITA ANAND, Minister of Defence
With her background as an academic related to governance and accountability, Canada’s Minister of National Defence Anita Anand brings an informed perspective to the table.
She was a Professor of Law at the University of Toronto where she held the J.R. Kimber Chair in Investor Protection and Corporate Governance. She served as Associate Dean and was a member of the Governing Board of Massey College and the Director of Policy and Research at the Capital Markets Research Institute, Rotman School of Management. She has also taught law at Yale Law School, Queen’s University, and Western University.
Anand was drawn to politics because she wanted to give back to the Canada she knows and loves, she says.
“Growing up, our parents always told us to contribute to the society we were a part of.”
Born and raised in rural Nova Scotia, hers was one of very few South Asian families in the area. She recalls an idyllic childhood in a very welcoming community.
“They considered us one of them, we never felt like outsiders. We reflect very fondly on our years growing up there and I remain very close to them, as does my family.”
Her parents, both physicians, immigrated to Canada and Anand is aware of the barriers foreign-trained professionals can face in trying to find meaningful employment.
“One of the reasons I chose to pursue this profession is because I wanted to show other women it is possible to achieve all that you dream of.
“My mother always said to keep working hard and to never give up. I have tried to live by those words.”
RUSSELL PETERS, Stand-up comedian, actor, producer
Russell Peters is synonymous with funny. The stand-up comedian, actor and producer was the first comedian to sell out Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, selling more than 16,000 tickets in two days for the single show. He is a Gemini winner. He also won the Peabody Award and the International Emmy Award for Best Arts Programming for producing Hip-Hop Evolution. He was number three on Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid comedians, and became the first comedian to get a Netflix stand-up special.
“It doesn’t matter what happens, I see the funny side. Death, disaster, my brain automatically goes to ‘what’s fun about this?’ I guess you could call it a sort of coping mechanism.”
Born in Toronto in 1970 to immigrant Indian parents who had moved to Canada in 1965, he went to school in Brampton when his family moved there. Bullied because of his ethnicity, he learned boxing as a way to stand up to bullies.
If his children were to come up to him and announce that they wanted to get into the comedy circuit, Peters says they would have his blessings. And then he would tell them to go at it the same way he did.
“I’m not opening any doors for them. There are no short cuts, you have to prove yourself. With a short cut, you end up only shorting yourself. These are life lessons too many parents are failing to pass on. They do so much for their children that kids are not motivated to strike out on their own. Hard work scares them.”
He encourages those who seek to follow in his footsteps to find their own voice. And then to stick to it.
“Go be yourself, there’s only one you.”
GAURI SREENIVASAN, Director, Campaigns and Policy, Nature Canada
Gauri Sreenivasan is Director of Campaigns and Policy at Nature Canada where her mandate is to provide leadership to frame and implement policies and ensure that they mobilize policy changes that benefit nature.
She has prior experience in international co-operation, human rights, global justice, social justice, and issues of supporting sovereignty, Indigenous rights and nature conservation.
Her father, a theoretical physicist originally from Mysore, India, and her American mother moved to Canada in the 60s from Germany.
The family settled in Calgary where Sreenivasan, the first Canadian child in the family, was born in 1967.
As academics in a small but tightly-knit community, her parents didn’t face many of the challenges other newcomers face, but she was aware of being different, she says.
“Calgary was not the incredibly diverse city that it is today. I was in an immersion program and part of a small group that grew up together and we are still friends. But in the larger circle, I have experienced racism. Not overt, not daily, but on the bus or on the street when boys chased me while I was on my paper route. My name was different, our vegetarian food was different. We were not people who skied or went trekking or had a cabin by the water – we did picnics and walks! But I have very fond memories of the city.
“One of the most important things, of critical advantage specially for young women, is to identify what they are passionate about and then look for guidance and support from those who are already in that field. The relationships I formed with people I admire have benefited me greatly. Don’t be shy to ask.”
COLONEL (RETD.) VIHAR JOSHI, Authority on military administrative law
Colonel (Retd.) Vihar Joshi has received the Order of Military Merit, Meritorious Service Award, Canadian Forces Decoration, and is Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel). K.C. is one of the highest designations within the legal profession, awarded for exemplary service to the Canadian justice system. He is also the recipient of Law Society of Ontario’s Law Society Medal – the first military lawyer to receive this honour.
He was Deputy Judge Advocate General, responsible for the Administrative Law Division of the office of the JAG. Considered Canada’s leading authority on military administrative law, colonel Joshi helped draft key legislations such as the Anti-Terrorism Act (2001) and has represented Canada on international military operations in Haiti, Bosnia and Afghanistan.
His father was a statistician and his mother a nurse. They came to Canada from England in 1968 and settled in Ottawa.
As a child growing up in a city where there were hardly any people of colour – he was four when the family moved – he says he didn’t really notice any challenges. It was only when the Black Lives Matter movement gained strength that he looked back with a new eye.
“I see now that there were many more challenges than I thought growing up, than I allowed myself to see, perhaps. You want to fit in, you become embarrassed.”
Colonel Joshi mentors people and helps them manage career goals. “Most people see life as something they have very little control over. In order to get the best outcome for you, for you to find success as defined by you, you need to be in control of the variables. Go from being an observer of your life to an active player.”
VANDANA SHARMA, Global health researcher
Vandana Sharma is a global health researcher with expertise in designing and implementing impact evaluations, randomized controlled trials, and capacity building efforts in development and humanitarian contexts. Her public health and medical work focuses primarily on HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, and gender issues.
An innovative online course she developed has been used by people in over 100 countries. She works to build capacity to measure health outcomes, train staff, and standardize data collection in safe, respectful and ethical ways.
She was born and raised in St. Thomas, a small town near London, Ontario, to parents who moved to Canada in the mid-70s.
“My dad came first, his sister sponsored him. Mom was nervous about moving, specially about the weather! But they made a good life in Canada and have been happy here.”
At the time, there were just a handful of desi families in town and nine at her school, but she faced no major issues or challenges.
“It was a beautiful, safe community with lots of outdoor space. My teachers were incredible.”
She tells young women who ask for her guidance on how to succeed to follow their guts. “There could be pressure from family and others about what you should be doing. Think outside the box. There are millions of opportunities out there – pick wisely abut what you want to do with your career and life.
“And get out there and meet people. Talk to them. Learn. My greatest learning comes from those around me. A woman in a village in India or a research expert, they all make me who I am.”
GRANT’S DESI ACHIEVERS AWARDS GALA 2023
A grand celebration to look forward to! Desi News and PMA Canada are pleased to announce the return of the Grant’s Desi Achievers Awards Gala in 2023 after a hiatus necessitated by the pandemic. The Who’s Who of Canada’s desi community will gather under one roof next year to celebrate some of the brightest minds in the Canadian mosaic. Watch this space for more details!