By Adit Kumar
Guyanese in Toronto, at the instance of the Association of Concerned Guyanese (ACG), gathered at the Grand Radisson Hotel on June 8, to celebrate the life of Guyana's late Minister of Agriculture Satyadeow (Sash) Sawh.
Sawh's life came to an abrupt end when he was brutally assassinated along with his brother Rajpat Rai, his sister Phulmatie Persaud and his security guard Curtis Robertson on April 22, 2006 at around midnight at his home in Earl's Court, LBI, East Coast Demerara.
Co-chaired by the president of the ACG Sumintra Surjoo and Joe Jaglall, the program brought together a wide cross section of the community to reflect on the life of the late minister who touched the lives of many people.
Dr Odida Quamina, a personal friend of Sawh who knew the latter during his days at York University was the guest speaker.
Dr Quamina paid glowing tributes to Sawh as a man of conviction who was committed to the cause of the restoration of democracy to his country. He said Sawh was able to galvanize the support of not only Guyanese but also other Caribbean nationals and Latin American students as well towards his cause.
Consul General Danny Doobay in his address told the audience that Sawh was a natural leader who led the ACG to become one of the most vibrant organizations of its kind in the Diaspora. He said that despite two serious attempts to harm him Sash never gave up but continued his struggles for democracy and freedom for his homeland.
The Consul General said one of Sawh’s crowning moments was when the late President Cheddi Jagan invited him to return to Guyana in 1992 to work for the newly elected government. In answer to that call, Sawh uprooted himself and family from the comforts of Canada to go and serve his country which he did with distinction, said Mr Doobay.
The Consul General also read a glowing tribute from President Bharrat Jagdeo in which he referred to Sawh as the “architect of Guyana’s agricultural policies that is now paying dividends in today’s trying times”.
Apart from tributes from the locals who interacted with Sawh while he lived in Toronto, tributes were also received from abroad. Mr Dalchand read a tribute from the People’s Progressive Party, while Nadira Jagan-Brancier read a message from her mother Mrs Janet Jagan. Messages were also read on behalf of Professor Frank Birbalsingh, Ambassador Odeen Ishmael, Head of Go Invest Geoffrey DaSilva and political activist Charles Roach.
Poet Peter Jailall, a former ACG president, in his tribute touched on yet another side of Sawh’s life: his religious roots and community involvement both influenced by his Vedic beliefs and his admiration for the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
Sawh’s youngest son Dave read an emotionally charged poem he composed for his father entitled, “To a Fallen Soldier, We Miss You”. The poem acknowledged Sawh as "a leader, a martyr, a bird set free."
Roger, the older son who bears a striking resemblance to his father both physically and in his oratory, said that Sawh carried over his fatherly qualities into his work as a government minister.
While the tributes were mainly directed to Sawh, those who perished with him were also remembered.
Karaoke singer Jennifer Sohan spiced up the program with renditions that Sawh liked while Nadira Jagan-Brancier gave a slide presentation of Sawh’s personal life ranging from his youthful days to his ministerial positions.

 

Toronto — Guyana's President Mr Bharrat Jagdeo will be attending the 13th annual Guyana Festival in Toronto this weekend, according to a release from the Guyana Consulate. Also attending is the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Dr. Frank Anthony and the Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Charles Court, , the release stated.
The festivities will begin with a conference on the morning of Friday June 20 with a presentation by CGX, the Canadian company exploring for oil in Guyana that will focus on the implications of finding oil in Guyana.
The Festival's main events will take place at the L'Amoreaux Community Centre, 2000 McNichol Avenue, on June 21-22. Tassas and African drumming will kick off the celebrations. Representatives from various levels of the Canadian governments, Caricom and other Canadian organizations are expected to be on hand to witness the opening ceremony at noon on Saturday.
According to the release, the Festival Committee "procured large quantities of flags, bandanas, scrolls, pins, buttons, head and wristbands, golf and T-shirts, all sporting the national colours of Guyana." The idea is "to paint the L’Amoreaux Community Centre and Grounds in the national colours of Guyana,” according to Consul General Danny Doobay.
“We will be handing out hundreds of Guyana flags to patrons and will have other Guyanese paraphernalia on sale over the weekend. The first 500 patrons to reach the centre before noon on Saturday will each receive a Guyana fla,” Doobay said.
For the third year, the Committee is promoting the theme “A Taste of Guyana”, in an effort to make the Festival reflect Guyanese heritage and culture in Canada. There will be performances by several celebrated Guyanese artists. Persons attending will be allowed to participate in the softball, soccer and dominoes’ competitions; to join in kite-making or face-painting; to shop at the trade show where there will be authentic Amerindian crafts; or to feast on the duck-curry or peas and-rice that will be on offer.
There will be a Guyanese Interfaith Service and reception and an "Independence Lime" where thousands of Guyanese are expected to meet up.
This year's Festival will include a 20/20 Cricket Competition featuring the national team from Guyana, Scarborough League, the T&D League and a team from Western Canada. The Teams will compete for $10,000 in cash and another $10,000 in gifts. The 20/20 cricket match starts at noon on Saturday and ends on Sunday.
The national team selected by the Guyana Cricket Board includes: Travis Dowlin, Maxie DeJonge, Royston Crandon, Lennox Cush, Christopher Barnwell, Don Ferrier, Derwin Christian, Esuan Crandon, Neil McGarrell, Brendon Bess, Homchand Pooran, Trevon Garraway, Ravindra Nauth Seeram (Manager-Coach).
The Trade Exposition, first featured four years ago, is again expected to be a major attraction, with participation from dozens of companies from Guyana. In addition, there will be an arts and crafts sale, featuring authentic Amerindian and Guyanese crafts and gift products. Several tourism companies will also be on hand to promote Guyana’s eco-tourism products. The Trade Exposition take place on Saturday and Sunday at L’Amoreaux Community Centre.
The Cultural Show, a sold-out affair each year, is expected to be a big hit again this year. The theatrical presentation entitled "Porknockers", directed by Luther Hansraj, tells the story through music and dance of two gold diggers co-habiting deep in Guyana’s jungle.
Sunday's activities will include the duck curry cook-out competition featuring ten competing chefs and more than 1,000 tastes. The winner of the competition will receive two tickets to Guyana and an opportunity to represent the Guyanese Diaspora in Canada at the World Duck Curry Competition in Guyana. The cook-out starts at noon with tasting from 2.30 p.m. A number of dishes will be on sale including duck curry, mutton curry, pepperpot, dhalpouri, cook-up rice, alloo and channa curry, bake and saltfish, polourie, potato balls, pastries, snacks, roasted corn and local drinks.
The Festival brings to a close the month-long program in Canada organized to commemorate the 42nd Anniversary of Guyana’s Independence. The celebrations commenced on May 24 with the Guyana Awards (Canada) Gala and included dozens of activities spanning five provinces, involving thousands of Guyanese and Canadians.

 

Over 500 people joined in an open air communal prayer service on June 8, 2008 in what was the Toronto Arya Samaj's 11th Annual Multi Kunda Havan Yajna. It was an occasion for family prayers where families came out as units with their individual havan paraphernalia and performed the havan rites in unison under the guidance of Pt Satish Prakash of Maha Rishi Dayanand Gurukul, New York.
The program started off with the hoisting of the Canadian flag to the singing of the National Anthem, followed by the hoisting of the Om flag and singing of the flag-raising song “Yaha Om ka Jhanda aata hai.
The air was charged with devotion inspired by bhajans sung by the Toronto Arya Samaj and Peel Arya Samaj kirtan groups.
Prayers were offered for whatever special occasions families wished to observe, be it wedding anniversaries, birthdays, success at examinations or the passing of loved ones with Pt Satish Prakash chanting the appropriate Vedic Mantras to invoke God's blessings.
The prayer session was followed by a buffet luncheon at the end of which families shared in picnic-style camaraderie.

 

By Manshad Mohamed
The 17th graduation ceremonies of the Saaz-O-Awaaz Academy of Indian Music was held on June 14, 2008 at the Holiday Inn Select in Brampton. The hall was filled with graduands, parents, well-wishers and sponsors.
The school's Principal, Dev Bansraj Ramkissoon had every reason to be pleased with the outcome of the live presentations by his young students and a middle aged adult woman.
The audience was able to view the range of difficulty in the performances as some ragas are suited to more mature voices. There was the usual opening number by the choir doing Ganesh Stuti and Saraswati Vandana with vocal lead by Christina Reykha, tabla by Michael Raykha and keyboard by Randy Mahadeo.
The difficult raga Marwa was handled flawlessly by Nita Sawh. Other female singers - Seema Khumbkarran, Ashley Devi Debysingh, Indra Natasha Doobay and Jaya Panday - rendered solos and duets with ease and confidence. Racquel and Randy Mahadeo were outstanding. Among the tabla players Amit Sookhoo, Vishal Ramawad and Michael Raykha kept this percussion instrument in good timing and steady rhythm. Their teacher is Dev Bansraj Jr. who was trained by Ustad Rashid MustafaThirakwa.
Michael Lashley of the Trinidad and Tobago Consulate congratulated the students for their due diligence, discipline and hard work which he said can earn a person a great deal of respect.
"This music today has brought out the souls of your ancestors and created a sense of family," the Diplomat said.
Mr. Thirath Singh of the Indian Consulate urged the students to keep playing music to lift their spirits. Mr. Dhaman Kissoon also addressed this gathering and urged Mr. Lashley and Mr. Thirath Singh to have their governments support Saaz-O-Awaaz with scholarships etc. Swami Pushkarananda of Bharat Sevashran Sangha urged the students to sing sweetly so that they would be accepted as beautiful flowers.
The lovely programme came to an end with highly polished performances by singer Dev Bansraj and tabla player Dev Bansraj Ramkissoon Jr. Refreshments were then served.

 

Unity occurs when Prayers Merge into Deep Silence.
In a unique interfaith gathering to be held at University of Toronto’s new Multi-faith Centre on Saturday June 28th, 2008 at 10 am as part of the Canada Day celebrations, Elders from several Faith groups will perform sacred ceremonies leading into inner silence from within their own traditions sharing the same Unifying Essence in their Contemplative paths towards stillness and inner peace.
This will be done under the guidance of Swami Veda Bharati, Poet, Philosopher, Vedic Scholar and World Renowned Spiritual Guide on Yoga Science and Meditation
The Multi-faith Centre, University of Toronto is located at 569 Spadina Ave. (1 Block North of the intersection of Spadina/College).
Swami Veda will be at the Vedic Cultural Centre, 4345 14th Ave. Markham on Fri. Jun 27, 2008 from 7:00pm to 9pm. and on Sunday June 29 from 10 am.
Topics to be covered by Swamiji include Spiritual Philosophy of Pain Management, Activation of the Mental and Neuron-physiological processes of the brain through Meditation practices not yet known to researchers.
Swami Veda is well versed in the scriptures of all major religions. He understands many languages with varying fluency which allows him to teach Meditation to people of different faiths from within their own scriptural and meditative traditions. Given his deep understanding of the different schools of Eastern and Western philosophies, the Buddhists are given Buddhist Mantras, the Christians are guided in accordance with the rich Christian contemplative meditative traditions, and so forth.
Swami Veda is the author of several titles including the 1500-page commentary on the first two chapters of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
Contact info: Multi-faith Centre 416 946-3120; Rev Leslie Mezei 416 226-2869, Marco Mascarin 416 537-0928; Chander Khanna 416 590-9645; Vedic Cultural Centre 905 475-5778; Himalayan Yoga Meditation Society of Ontario 905 686-2402; ckhanna1@msn.com.
Directions and Selected Essays by Swami Veda at www.swamivedabharati.org; www.studentlife.utoronto.ca/programs/multifaith

 

The Nos. 67-72 Village Corentyne Annual Picnic will be held on Saturday July 19 from 11 am - 9 pm at Meadowvale Conservation Park, Derry/Mavis Road. Rain or shine, picnic will continue so be there to have lots of fun. Contact Mahen 905-277-1580 or Babo 416-747-9428.

 

The 21st Annual Bush Lot Picnic is on August 10th 2008 at 1pm to 4:00pm at the Morningside Park. Area #5. Call Raj for more info: (905)-420-2433 or Sam at (905) 840-4823.Come early for comfortable parking.

 

The 16th Annual Mahaica Picnic will take place on Sunday July 27 at Milne Dam Conservation Park, Markham (Mc Cowan & Highway 7). Contacts: Karan Rajkumar 416-464-9974 or Ram Nanhu 416-615-3553.

 

St. Benedict’s College La Romaine, T&T will hold its 2nd Annual International Brunch on Sunday August 3rd at 12:30 pm at the Pickering Recreation Complex, 1867 Valley Farm Road, Pickering. Admission $30.00. Featuring Anslem Douglas, Elsworth James, Dick Lochan, Panist: Mervin Padmore, and the Mighty Sparrow. For info: Gregory Remey 647-340-2745; Sebastin Glodon 905-790-2140; Clevil James 905-472-8872; Grantley Perryman 905-420-5800; Lloyd Chandler – 416-299-9064.

 

Do you wonder if you can sponsor your family while on EI?
Do you want to change your status?
Do you want to learn about low income cut?
Do you wish that somebody knowledgeable could answer all your immigration related questions? Well, you have a perfect opportunity coming up on July 8 in Mississauga and on July 22 in Brampton. A Certified Immigration Specialist will provide updates on immigration issues and will answer your specific concerns at the Newcomer Information Centres.
The Centre invites all residents to attend the free Information Session and take help from counsellors on site who could help with translation of the information provided. The counsellors speak Urdu, Punjabi, Spanish, Romanian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Pashto, Tamil, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, and French.
This free session is open to all residents including citizens, visitors and refugee claimants and will start at 10 am.
To let us know of your immigration concerns and to register, please email at nic@tcet.com or call: 905 279 0024 ext 1266 for Mississauga; 905-595-0722 ext 4000 for Brampton

 

Pranav Ashram's 2nd Annual Walkathon will take place on Saturday June 28 at 9 am starting from Rowntree Mills Park, off Islington. The Ashram's Family Picnic will be held after the Walkaton at the Rowntree Mills Park. There will be games, music and refreshments. Call 416-937-9802 or 416-741-4335.

 

By William Doyle-Marshall
It was a sunny, tropical sort of Sunday afternoon as the much longed for brilliant sunshine bathed the grounds of Queen’s Park. Thousands converged for the ninth annual Muhtadi International Drumming Festival.
Looking at the diverse gathering enjoying the melodies from around the world, one wondered why this sort of representation was not always present in the lives of Ontarians. But the magic of the drum seemed capable of unifying the masses as they experienced drumming from almost every community imaginable.
Gupreet Chana, known as the tabla guy made his second appearance on the main stage and he considered it an honour to be performing “on a stage out in nature at Queen’s Park, in the middle of the city, where you get a chance to share what some of us love to do, that being drumming and to be able to share that with a lineup of other fantastic drummers from here and around the world.”
Not only did the festival get the community out to listen and dance to the drumming but it also brought the world percussionist community who reside here together to share the rhythm, to share the heartbeat all together.
Chana has been formally trained in playing the tabla – an Indian percussion instrument – over the past 27 years. Through this educational journey, he admits the good fortune of having been exposed to many other percussion instruments from around the world including the hung, made in Switzerland about eight years ago.
West African master drummer Amara Kante unveiled a new group to the audience Baru Dun Dun Bah. Among others in the weekend cast of drummers were the ten member Raging Asian Women and the Basement Sound Crew; Professor Trichy Sankaran. as well as students from Markham’s Parkview Public School who presented the history of the drums and performed on skin drums and the tamboo bamboo – forerunner to the steelpan instruments.
Luther Hansraj, veteran dramatist and producer hosted main stage performances for seven of the past nine years. It has always been a lovely gig, he confessed.
“I do have a lot of fun with it and I get an opportunity to meet artists from all over the world and really get an opportunity to enjoy different drumming styles from different parts of the world. You get to see young people, old people and everybody else in between drumming from Chinese, Korean, African, Caribbean, Indian, Sri Lankan you name it.” Noting that the gamut of the drumming is far and wide, he concurred it is unquestionably a world festival. “We get to experience these drummers from around the world,” he observed.
At times Hansraj encounters special tests with being able to wrap his mouth around unusual names. He handles those chores with ease and confessed that at the end of it all he speaks over 10 to 15 different languages while introducing the acts. Hosting the festival at Queen’s Park is a process through which he extracts information about the performers. In so doing he comes face to face with pronunciations of different new words from different cultures and ethnic groups.
“It is always challenging and I am up for that challenge and I love it,” he laughed. Working on stage with the drummers also creates a sort of vehicle where Hansraj utilizes his theatrical training by memorizing the new information in order to present the multitude of acts. “As the old actor, I have to keep the memory going so I try to remember all these things when I am introducing these groups,” he explained.
Muhtadi and his organizing team featured the steelpan at this festival. The pan is considered an offspring from African drums that were banned in Trinidad and Tobago during the colonial days.
“I am just a vehicle,” he remarked about the magic he exhibits in making the event happen each year despite whatever personal or financial challenges that emerge. “We still have a lot to do,” he disclosed
Funding is one area of contention for the planning team. After nine years the members feel that the decision makers are pretty slow in recognizing the festival’s value. There has been support from a number of funding agencies like the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, Trillium Foundation, Vital Ideas and Canadian Heritage, but Muhtadi said to put on a festival of the magnitude that we do, the funding don’t match what we do or what we could do. So I see it as maybe an oversight on the part of the people who make decisions with funding. The funds also don’t come in a timely fashion.”
After meeting a funding application deadline in mid January, one week before the festival organizers were informed that they would have to temper their expectations. “I would like to see the funding formulas be brought forward a bit so people would get their funds in a timely fashion so that they could put things in place. When you get your funds at this late stage you are destined to fail,” Muhtadi concluded.
He praised performers for supporting the event despite funding disappointments.

By William Doyle-Marshall
The Herbert H. Carnegie Future Aces Foundation has recognized four couples who touched the lives of thousands in the Greater Toronto Area with Amazing Aces Awards.
During the recent 2008 gala ceremony they were celebrated for exemplifying models of Advocacy for courage, education, service and achievement as well as for enlightening others, being innovative, inspiring and having a lasting impact on the quality of life of others and for being agents of change.
Since Carnegie was denied the privilege of playing hockey for the Toronto Maple Leafs because of his colour during his teenage years, the African Canadian hockey ace developed The Future Aces Creed which is now being applied in schools across Canada. Among its statements are “I will cooperate with and respect others by seeking understanding with all people, regardless of race, gender or beliefs”. And through the Future Aces Foundation, children from public schools across Canada have benefited from scholarships and other incentives designed to encourage the practice of diversity among Canadians.
George Chuvalo, one of Canada’s great sports heroes and his wife Joanne; Marguerite Jackson CEO of the Education Quality and Accountability Office and her husband Gary; Michael “Pinball” Clemons award winning Canadian Football League administrator and his wife Diane and Jay Hope, Ontario’s Commissioner of Emergency Management and his wife Heather are the dynamic duos.
For the courage to overcome obstacles with integrity and taking the road less travelled. George Chuvalo, one of Canada’s boxing champions was presented with the award for courage. The sports heroes, has dealt with more tragedy and more heartbreak in his life than any ten or twenty people have faced in their lifetimes, said Brian Williams TSN Sports Commentator.
His wife Joanne has devoted her life to helping people for many years as a nurse and has now joined George in the war against drug abuse and has been a powerful mentor to young men and women trying to overcome drug addiction.
In accepting the award George took the opportunity to brag about his wife Joanne. Admitting that a lot of tough things have happened in his life, Chuvalo acknowledged that the Lord has blessed him and late in his life introduced him to Joanne whom he described as an Angel of Mercy.
She reminds me of his mother who came from Bosnia with his father back in the forties and fifties when a lot of immigrants were coming over and had no place to stay. “So before they could get themselves on their feet and get a job they stayed at our place and I can’t tell you how many people my mother and father took in that way. My mother used to pluck chickens for half a cent a bird. To make one dollar she had to pluck 200 chickens. My father worked at Canada Packers. They didn’t make a lot of money but they had good hearts,” Chuvalo recalled.
At the age of 15 George went home one day about 4:30 from the gym and saw a dishevelled homeless person at the table. “My mother was feeding him ram’s stew. And I said to my mother ‘who is this guy?’ She said he is an impoverished person.”
Apparently Chuvalo surmised he went to the door and banged and when his mother answered the door, the man said he was hungry and asked whether he could get something to eat.
Chuvalo reported to the patrons at the Future Aces gala that he thought to himself after getting older ‘not too many women would do that’. “Sometimes somebody would come to your door, knock on your door, a lot of people would call 911. But not my mother.”
This was the context in which he placed his wife Joanne who has been a nurse for more than 30 years. “We’ve had so many people come to our house needing help and my wife would say ‘George we have to let these people stay. We have to house them. We have to take care of them.”
Jackson called Carnegie a giant of a man whom she met around the time he began to develop the Future Aces Creed, 50 years ago. In their first conversation she discovered he was person of principle, a person who was prepared to be a model for young people and a person who had a message of substance. “I am always interested in young people knowing that there are those around them who will support them,” said the former director of the Toronto District School Board.