Mohani and Bish Singh celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on July 31, 2011 at their newly acquired home in Castlemore, Brampton. The couple together with their three sons - (left to right) Ryan, Alex and Justin performed a havan service to mark the occasion. The service was conducted by Pt Satyanand Sarju supported by members of the Toronto Arya Samaj kirtan.
Friends and family joined in wishing the family health and longevity with many more wedding anniversaries to come.
Bish and Mohani were married in Guyana in 1986 and moved to the USA before coming to Canada in 2001.
Pix by Adit Kumar

 

 

From left, Cecil Singh, Latch Tulsi, Gord Ramkissoon and Apti Sawh, (with trophies in hand) are members of the winning team. Others in picture are Adit Kumar, Andrew Singh and Anand Rupnarain, tournament organizers.
Photo by Vivek Ramcharan

Under ideal weather conditions for golfing, Friends of Charity had great fun on the green at the Deer Creek Golf Club on Sunday July 24, 2011 playing their 8th Annual Tournament. Though the players were vying for trophies, the atmosphere was one of friendly rivalry with the teams applauding good shots even from their opponents.
The trophy for the longest drive was won by Jaipaul for the males and Rehana for the females.
The tournament received support by members of the community, professionals and businesses.
Proceeds of the tournament will be donated to charities with the Vedic Cultural Centre being the main beneficiary.
At the end of the presentation and dinner some of the players took the opportunity to show off their singing talent by rendering their favourite Bollywood oldies.
The organizers thanked the players and sponsors for supporting the tournament, both past and present.
Once again popular Real Estate agent, Andrew Singh, spearheaded the organizing committee which included Anand Rupnarain, Adit Kumar, Dr Nar Daljeet and Sita Maharaj.

 

By Adit Kumar
Infant mortality rate in Guyana is higher than that of some Caribbean Islands, ranking 125th in the world. Attracting and retaining adequate numbers of qualified pediatricians in the public health sector is key to achieving the country's goal of improving pediatric health care. This is one area where "Guyana Help the Kids" organization can be of help to the country according to its president and founder, Guyanese born Dr. Narendra Singh.
This newly formed registered Canadian charitable organization has entered a partnership with the Government of Guyana, the University of Guyana (UG) and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and has identified specific projects to increase the number pediatricians in the public sector as well as to overall enhance the care provided by the country's public health sector to the children of Guyana.
Dr Singh told Indo Caribbean World that Dr. Madan Rambaran, Director of Medical & Professional Services of GPHC has been very proactive in facilitating this partnership which has strong support from Dr. Leslie Ramsammy (Minister of Health), Dr. Clive Bowman (Chief of Pediatrics), Mr. Michael Khan (CEO of GPHC) and Dr. Hardat Persaud (Pediatrician).
Dr Singh is the Chief of Pediatrics at Humber River Regional Hospital in Toronto and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. He has made several trips to Guyana to strengthen the partnership and to advance its goals.
Dr Singh said that the initial projects would include, but not limited to: (i) The development of a 10-bed Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) and 20 beds Pediatric Ward at GPHC, identified in its redevelopment plan; (ii) Developing of an equipment list for the two units and facilitating with their procurement (iii) Developing and implementing a Pediatric Residency Program in collaboration with the GPHC, the Ministry of Health and the University of Guyana aimed at increasing the number of qualified pediatricians in the public health sector.
Dr Singh pointed out that Guyana, with a population of approximately 750,000 people, has no certified pediatrician in the entire public health service. He said there are only two certified Pediatricians in Guyana, both working in the private sector.
Dr Singh informed that there are presently six pediatricians of Guyanese descent practising in the Toronto area. He stated that he has been in touch with twenty six Pediatric faculty members from the University of Toronto and McMaster University who have volunteered to travel to Guyana on a regular basis to provide bedside and didactic teaching to pre-selected Guyanese doctors. A curriculum, based upon the spectrum of diseases encountered, has been developed in consultation with the doctors in Guyana and the University of Guyana. The Government of Guyana has agreed to provide accommodation and security for the visiting faculty members, Dr Singh stated.
Dr. Singh has developed a website (www.guyanadoctor.com) to identify doctors of Guyanese origin who would be interested in this and other similar projects. Dr. Singh's father, Mr. Chetram Singh, a former Administrator at the GPHC, has been a very strong advisor and catalyst in this partnership.
Dr Singh said that Guyanese abroad have been very supportive of this initiative. He related that there has been a fundraising event in partnership with the Vishnu Mandir Global Outreach Program in Toronto and that the Brampton Flower City Rotary Club and Mr. Dhaman Kissoon's Annual Golf tournament have committed to purchasing specific pieces of equipment to provide respiratory support for premature babies. Donations to support this fragile and high-risk part of the Guyanese population can be made by contacting Dr. Singh (nsingh@guyanadoctor.com) or online donations can be made by visiting the website (www.guyanahelpthekids.com). Tax-deductible receipts will be issued for donations towards this project. The executive committee for the organization include Mr. Terry Sawh, Mr. Gord Ramkissoon, Mr. Chetram Singh, Mr. Robin Singh, Mr. Mahendra Singh and Dr. Shirley Sit.
The Newsletter and Blog for Guyanese Individuals, Associations and Groups Worldwide is: guyaneseonline.wordpress.com

 

By Adit Kumar

"You cannot imagine how humbled I am by this recognition and honour and am truly delighted to join the prestigious rank of other honourees" said Professor Jamal Deen, on receiving an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from the University of Waterloo at its convocation held in June this year.
Dr Deen was honoured in recognition of his outstanding contributions to university teaching and optoelectronic research. He is currently professor and senior Canada Research Chair in Information Technology in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McMaster University. He has been a very strong supporter of the University of Waterloo and a valued researcher partner to many within the Faculty of Engineering, gaining the highest respect of all who work with him for his research excellence and professionalism.
From very humble beginnings in Guyana, Dr Deen has risen to become one of the most recognized and honoured academics in Canada today. He credits the life lessons he learnt growing up in a family of modest means in Guyana for developing his perseverance and time management skills which led him to excel in his academic pursuits. He attended Queen's College in Guyana and graduated with high honours from the University of Guyana from where he moved to North America to continue his education winning accolades throughout his academic career.
Today Professor Deen is internationally credited as a highly accomplished researcher, inventor and prolific scholar, whose work has helped McMaster University and Canada to be recognized throughout the world for innovation and cutting-edge research in optoelectronic, microelectronic and nanoelectronic devices. He has contributed enormously to university teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels. For his dedication to education he was honoured with a Distinguished Lecturer Award by the IEEE Electron Devices Society recently.
Professor Deen's contributions to the profession through committee service, conference organization and the review of scientific articles have been nothing less than exceptional. He is a fellow of eight prestigious societies including IEEE, the Royal Society of Canada and the American Physical Society. He has also received several research awards and co-authored/co-edited 15 books/conference proceedings, 16 invited book chapters, 238 refereed journal papers, and more than 110 plenary/keynote/invited papers in research conferences. He holds six patents, all of which have been used in industry.
In delivering the convocation address to the graduating students of the University of Waterloo Dr Deen urged them to "...work hard, persevere and adapt. You are now ambassadors of change."
Dr Deen who chose to share his own life experiences with the new graduates won great reviews from them. They took the opportunity to meet with him after and many described his address as "moving and inspiring", "brilliant", "inspirational", "well-written and well-delivered - students should be moved and motivated by your story".

 

By Arti Panday
Hemant and Vaishali Panwar of Panwar Music and Dance Productions held their first ever Youth Festival on Saturday, July 30 at the Fairview Library Theatre in Toronto, showcasing the talent of four dedicated young dancers.
Lasting thirty minutes a performance, each girl was given an opportunity to showcase her specialty in the classical kathak style of dancing.
Guests of Honour included Swami Bhajanananda of the Pranav Ashram and Rina Singha, the most senior kathak dancer in Canada.
Singha recognized each of the girls for their unique style saying, "Although they learnt from the same guru, their recital was designed in such a way that it highlighted their strengths. Each dance piece was so diverse and unlike any other. They're themselves on stage, they're not cookie cutters."
A live ensemble of Bhaarat Tiwari (Tabla), Rattan Bhamrah (Israj), Salisha Purushuttam (Sitar) Hemant Panwar (Vocal), and Vaishali Panwar (Bol Recitation) set the stage for the two hour long festival.
The performers included Arshiya Choudhury, Divya Gossai, Jessica Amin, and Sharda Samaroo.
Preparations for the recital began at the beginning of the year in January, as the dancers began building stamina and practising tirelessly for their eventual thirty-minute performance.
Despite the length of their performances, each dancer did their part with impeccable energy and grace from the beginning to the end.
Sixteen-year-old Arshiya Choudhury opened the festival beautifully by paying obeisance to the Sun God. She continued on to perform a technical dance in teen taal. Her expressional piece was "since the day I fell in love with you" which she described as "a girl falling in love for the first time."
"I'm so comfortable in front of an audience now that I tend to thrive off of them," said the talented Choudhury, who has been dancing since the age of 4.
Divya Gossai, who has been dancing for 17 years graced the stage next with her unique speed, performing to a very difficult 10 beat cycle (Jhap Taal) with perfect elegance.
"Learning a new dance structure was challenging but I wanted to do justice to it," said the 22-year-old.
Gossai expertly performed the devotioinal pieces Rudrashtakam and Meera Bai Bhajan.
Following each routine, the dancer's mother as well as Rina Singha presented the performer with a bouquet of flowers, recognizing their hard work and dedication to the classical art form.
Jessica Amin, was the third performer of the evening. Amazing the audience with her wonderfully executed spins and highly technical footwork, she allowed her passion to shine throughout her performance.
The dedicated dancer travels all the way from Mississauga to her classes in Scarborough and Richmond Hill with Hemant and Vaishali Panwar.
Ending the performances, a humble Sharda Samaroo began by addressing the audience, "If there are any mistakes I may make in my dance performance, the fault is my own. However, if it is done well, the credit goes to my Guru ji."
Her performance included a flawless execution of a composition on the Goddess Durga and an expressional piece in raag bhairvi.
"I think my strengths lie in my expressions," said 24-year-old Samaroo who practised each morning in the weeks leading up to the final performance.
The program's emcee, Farzana Alauddin contributed to a smoothly run show as she introduced the dancers with a short biography.
The dedication, hard work and grace of the dancers were appreciated by an adoring crowd of around 150 guests.

 

Dr. Anand Giri, Publisher of Global Indian Origin invites all to celebrate the success of global Indian luminaries as eight of them are honored with the Global Indian Origin Awards, 2011 in Toronto along with release of the book, "The Top 25 Indians in North America". Chief Guest will be Hon. Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario on Aug 14th, 1: 30 pm - 3:30pm at The Sutton, Place, Salon A, 955 Bay Street, Toronto. Contact/RSVP:
Ashutosh Jha ashutosh@poafoundation.org 416-834-5274.

 

The Consulate General of India, Toronto in partnership with Panorama India invite all to join in celebrating India Day 2011 on Saturday, 13th August, 2011 at Yonge & Dundas Square. After the Flag Hoisting at 11:00 am there will be the India Day Parade at the Square. The programme will include: Patriotic Songs (9.30-11.00 am); Flag Hoisting & Remarks (11.00-11.30 am); A Grand Parade with floats from different Indian states (11:30 am-12:30 p.m); Cultural Performances by communitygroups (12:30-5:00 p.m); Shweta Subram and Jassi Sidhu on stage (5 pm onwards). The day-long celebrations will conclude with a concert by the foremost exponent of the Banaras Gharana of singing, Padma Bhushan Pts. Rajan-Sajan Misra at 7:00 pm at Yonge & Dundas Square. This will be a curtain raiser to the main concert by the duo maestros at the Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation (SVBF) Auditorium, 80 Brydon Drive, Etobicoke on Sunday, August 14, 2011at 6.30 pm.

 

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