GRANT`S DESI ACHIEVER
SHAPING A NEW NARRATIVE
Shreya Patel is a change-maker.
By SHAGORIKA EASWAR
Shreya Patel was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women. Past award winners include some of Canada’s most iconic women: Dr. Jean Augustine, the first African-Canadian woman elected to the House of Commons; Dr Shawna Pandya, scientist-astronaut candidate; and Susan Aglukark, award-winning musician.
Patel was recognized for having shaped Canadian thinking, communications and culture.
She’s doing that by raising awareness about issues like domestic human trafficking.
She ventured into dangerous spaces to interview victims, and wrote, edited, directed and produced Girl Up.
The documentary short on domestic violence and human trafficking was picked up by TIFF to partner and showcase the film at the Civic Action Summit.
After Ontario MPP Laurie Scott took notice of her documentary and tweeted to promote the film, Patel extended her documentary into a 50-minute feature film by including an interview with Scott and award-winning journalist Tamara Cherry who has been covering human trafficking issues for many years.
It was showcased at human trafficking conferences and was lauded by members of sexual assault and anti-human trafficking organizations, as well as those in the law enforcement community.
Patel held many community viewing sessions around Canada to spread awareness of human trafficking to young girls and women at risk.
Her efforts resulted in Scott helping pass a human trafficking bill.
Patel has been recognized by Global Affairs Canada for her mental health activism.
She was asked to be the face of a national mental health campaign for Bell Let’s Talk, with a particular influence on fellow South Asians, for some of whom the subject of mental health is considered taboo.
Having suffered severe anxiety for several years before discovering within herself a desire to fight back, she helped raised visibility and break the silence around mental illness.
Part of the Forbes Under-30 community, the international model, filmmaker, actress and mental health advocate is making space for girls that look like her to pursue a career in the arts – a space where people of colour are under-represented.
She has modelled internationally, walked major fashion weeks, been the face of several fashion campaigns and been featured in Vogue and Grazia India.
She has appeared in lead roles in numerous films, shows like Strangers in a Room, Netflix’s Grand Army, and FX’s Mrs. America.
While scaling the heights of success in the Indian fashion industry, she set aside time to work at the Mother Teresa Orphanage and was a celebrity wish granter for terminally ill children at Make A Wish Foundation India.
Much of her volunteer activity involved visiting children in government hospitals, where the wishes of underprivileged children ranged from a box of crayons or a cycle.
She recalls one little girl who wanted to meet actor Siddharth Malhotra. Patel made that happen.
“Siddharth met her and he followed her on Instagram, it was so sweet!” she says. “His publicist arranged to have a set of DVDs of his movies delivered to her.”
But interacting with parents who looked to her for help was hard, says Patel.
“They were desperate, seeking help, but there’s little I could do in that setup. I wanted to help, but felt helpless. Then I realized that the best way for me to help was by giving them a voice. That’s when I decided to go back to school for a post-grad course in Documentary and Film.”
“I was already an artiste, this is what I knew. I wanted to use my creative skills.”
Patel has also taken the conventional route to support individuals.
These include raising money to help her house help in India when he lost his home during a storm.
“If you have a Plan B, you never really focus on Plan A,” says Shreya Patel.
His family was forced to live on the side of the streets in his village while he was stuck in Mumbai during COVID lockdowns. In less than two weeks, she was able to raise funds that he sent back to rebuild his home.
She shares the story of how she got involved in helping a father who is in Canada to help his two daughters escape from Afghanistan.
She was in an Uber heading to Hamilton from Toronto to prepare for Strangers in a Room, telling her friends she was going to be incommunicado for the next couple of weeks or so as she wanted to immerse herself in the role, when the driver asked if he could stop to message his daughters.
He was crying.
“I asked him, ‘Sir, are you from Afghanistan?’ and he broke down. His daughters are medical professionals who studied in Russia. They have empowered other women but now they had to stop working at the hospital and were in hiding. I had to get involved.”
She got friends from the Forbes’ Women’s Forum also involved and has met lawyers to see if job offers could be arranged for the girls to speed up the process of bringing them to Canada.
“It’s a long road ahead, but we’re not giving up. We come from a privileged society, it’s our responsibility to help.”
The takeaway from her experiences, says Patel, is that one doesn’t have to wait until one has a million dollars to help.
“People often wait to achieve their personal milestones before they feel they are ready to help others. But it doesn’t have to be something to be ticked off on a list. Get involved today and you’ll see there’s a ripple effect.”
What her journey in Canada also reveals is that one doesn’t have to wait until one is an adult to make a difference.
Patel’s family, originally from Gujarat in India, moved to Canada from Doha where her father was employed as an engineer. They settled in Sarnia. She was 11 at the time and says the period of settling in, though mercifully short, was tough.
Her father found a job in three months, but until then her mother took-up low-paying jobs to help pay the bills.
“Mom worked late shifts and would leave for work before we got home from school. My kid brother used to sleep with her sweater so he could feel her presence.”
Patel was also bullied mercilessly for her skin colour, for her accent.
“There was no person of colour in our elementary school and I was made to feel different. I felt so alone. Older boys used to circle me, taunt me. I took to sitting behind the school wall and pouring out my feelings in my diary. Other girls would say, ‘You know they are making fun of you, right?’ I knew, of course, but I so wanted to fit in. But gradually I realized I was unique, I found my voice.”
She had begun volunteering at the local YMCA soon after arriving in Canada and by 13, was mentoring younger children, instilling in them leadership skills and building confidence.
She began advocating for those with mental health issues and members of the LGBT community and became an integral part of their leadership program.
In their yearbook, students wrote down their dreams for the future, what they saw themselves doing ten years down the road.
Patel wrote that she would travel the world and be a fashion model. When she flew down to attend the school reunion, she was already a successful fashion model.
She confronted some of her bullies. They apologized, said they were kidding. Patel accepted their apology, and said she hoped their children never have to undergo what she faced.
“That gave me closure, I was able to move forward.”
She didn’t follow the path set out by parents in traditional desi families and that was cause for some heated discussions at home. When she declared her interest in the fashion industry, her parents suggested she get a university degree – just in case.
“Today, I tell young people to follow their passion. That if you have a Plan B, you never really focus on Plan A, but at the time, I caved and enrolled in university for a course in retail management.”
She didn’t last. “I was president of the student union, I was on the dance team, I modelled. I did everything other than study and then I dropped out.”
Her actions were like a bombshell in the Patel home.
“My parents and I, we didn’t understand each other. They were like, oh my god, our first child has dropped out of university. How do we help you? Maybe we can buy you a gas station to run.”
They suggested she go to India to learn more about her culture. Patel did, and didn’t return for four years.
“I explored opportunities in the fashion industry and when my parents visited, I was able to get them front-row seats at a prestigious event. I introduced them to names they’d read about in glossy magazines. That’s when they were able to relax a little. ‘She makes things happen – I don’t know how, but she does,’ my dad said. They have faith in me now and trust my choices. And are so very proud of the recognition I receive for my work.”
Patel is frank about the challenges of fitting in as a newcomer. “I’m not going to sugar-coat it – moving from one part of the world to another, you leave behind everything that was familiar, your family and friends. But if you have it in you to make such a big move, you can make a success of it in Canada. Meet new like-minded people. Be open to new possibilities. What you do today will determine your future. Open up your heart, surrender to the universe, there’s a beautiful future waiting for you.”
As for her own future, Patel is working on Layla is Relevant. Originally planned as a web series, the positive response it received has encouraged her to expand it into a television show.
“We’re breaking stereotypes. The women in the show are artistes, they are single, successful. It’s a relatable cast of complex characters. And there are no arranged marriages!”
• Grant’s is proud to present this series about people who are making a difference in the community. Represented by PMA Canada (www.pmacanada.com).