Community Connection
in a Bamboo Grove'
On his right is his wife Shawn Marie and behind him is his son Troy.
Pix by Adit Kumar
By Adit Kumar
'Butterfly in a Bamboo Grove', a collection of poems of transcendence written by Harry Persaud, was launched last Sunday at the Vedic Cultural Centre in the presence of an appreciative crowd of almost one hundred persons. The book deals mainly with his experiences on bringing together body and spirit (bamboo and butterfly) to bring oneself to a higher state of being. Bamboo in the title represents what is straight and strong while the butterfly represents what is gentle; symbols of polar opposites and the complementarity of strength and gentility.
The short and crisp program emceed by Ram Jagessar, editor of the book, included greetings from Amar Erry, Chairman of the Vedic Cultural Centre, who credited Harry as a multi faceted individual who teaches martial arts, blends it with yoga and now transfers his thoughts to poetry. Chander Khanna, Yoga teacher, noted that the poems come from the depths of silence and stillness. Shawn Marie Persaud, wife of Harry, shared the personal experiences that moulded the thoughts that translated into the creative writing of her husband, admitting that she was excited to see the book launched. She noted that the poems reflect her husband's depth of thinking, care for humans and call for social justice. In paying tribute to Harry she declared that "he has the added talent of being able to put his thoughts to words".
Describing the collection of poems, Harry stated, "I used the butterfly as a metaphor for change from a hungry caterpillar brooding in its cocoon only to fly away as a sea of colours hop-scotching imaginary mounds of flowers".
Guyanese born Harry Persaud is a founding member of the group, Ontario Society for Services to Indo Caribbean Canadians (OSSICC) which started Indo Caribbean Heritage celebrations in 1988. He is a former writer and commentator in Indo Caribbean World, as a cultural anthropologist doing research on the Indo Caribbean community. He currently teaches the Matsubayashi form of karate at the Vedic Cultural Centre. He holds the Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral degrees in Anthropology having done field work in Northern India towards his Ph. D dissertation.
The book can be obtained online from www.amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Butterfly- Bamboo-Grove-Poems- Transcendence/dp/1461055377/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1303705813&sr=8-1
Shivani Ross and Vinolan Naidoo are all smiles after exchanging marriage vows on April 22, 2011 at the Arya Samaj Mandir in Markham.
The ceremony was conducted by Pt Anand Sriram of New York with support from the Toronto Arya Samaj kirtan group.
Shivani is the daughter of Doodie Ross, Honorary President of Toronto Arya Samaj, and Indra Ross while Vinolan is the son of Sagie and Claudie Naidoo formerly of South Africa.
Shivani said she was happy to get married in the Mandir where she spent much of her formative years and has many fond memories of.
The wedding was preceded by an elaborate Mehndi night and followed by a reception at the Empire Banquet Hall in Etobicoke. Hundreds of friends and families were on hand to wish the couple well, including many who came from overseas.
Coconuts Restaurant will be hosting a twin program for Indian Arrival Day and Guyana Independence on Sunday May 22 of the long holiday weekend. The entertainment program will feature such notable artistes as Joyce Urmila Harris, Lakeram Rampersaud, Sammy Baksh, Taijwattie Persaud, Prince Rajesh, Rex Mohan, Raj Sharma and Mr Jagannath, the Baigan Chokha Man. Appearance of the Dancing sensation Zigtop and Ziggy.
Mr Kodai Daljeet, familiarly known as Isaac, celebrated his 80th birthday with a prayer session at the Arya Samaj Mandir, 14th Avenue, Markham, on April 24, 2011.
Born in April 1931, Isaac got married to his wife Gangadai in August 1952. Next year, they are looking forward to celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. He is the father of 6 children, 5 boys and one girl and grandfather of 10. They all joined, along with friends and well wishers in extending good wishes to him on his birthday with hopes of spending many more birthdays in his company.
Isaac migrated to Canada in 1974 after running a successful wholesale and retail business in Berbice, Guyana. He enjoys cricket and listening to music, in particular, Hindi film songs and bhajans. He loves to travel and has already visited many parts of the world including India, China, Europe and the Caribbean. While visiting India a few years ago he reconnected with his foreparents in Uttar Pradesh where he and his wife were given a royal welcome. He described that meeting as a very emotional one. He maintains contact with his new found relatives in India and hosted them when they visited Canada last year.
Isaac's birthday prayer session was conducted by Pandita Jasodra Prasad with support from the Toronto Arya Samaj kirtan. The spiritual message was delivered by Pt Vidyarthi Sriram.
Isaac is grateful to God for keeping him in good health and for his many achievements in life.
Chinmaya Mission Spring 2011 Spiritual Lecture Series: Geeta Gyana Yagna. Subject: Dhyana Yoga - Art of Meditation, Bhagavad Geeta Ch. 6 from Mon May 16 to Fri May 20, 2011, 7.30 pm – 9.00 pm at Sringeri Community Centre, 80 Brydon Road, Etobicoke, M9W 6Z7.
The Vedic Cultural Centre will be holding its 13th Annual South Asian Heritage Festival on Saturday, May 14, 2011.
This year`s program will be educational as well as entertaining with a focus on the impact of India's culture and heritage on Canada. The two tiered program will feature an interactive exhibition from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm followed by a cultural stage show from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
The scope of the exhibition has been extended this year to include social services, immigrant and youth programs as well as internet radio, computer technology and the influence of Indian architecture on the Toronto landscape. There will be sari wrapping, head wrapping and dhoti wrapping demonstrations. An interactive karate booth will show the growth and development of the sport from India to China and other countries. There will also be live music and entertainment in addition to ethnic cuisine on sale. A keynote address will be delivered by Dr Aditya Jha, entrepreneur and philanthropist.
The VCC is located at 4345-14th Avenue in Markham.
For information call 647-866-1926 or 416-901-3404.
Centennial Continuing Education, Scarborough campus, Progress Ave is offering classes in Arabic for the fist time beginning on May 14th from 10 am to 1 pm. Classes will be taught by Shaikh Habeeb Alli. Classes are for beginners who will learn reading and writing and later, grammar and speaking. Habeeb teaches Arabic at George Brown and Emmanuel and has taught the Ontario Curriculum. He hails from Guyana and holds his education and training from India. Habeeb is multi lingual with an English speaking background which qualifies him to teach students who are new to the language.
at Mother's Day event
By Janet Naidu
Over 200 ICGAA members celebrated Mother's Day at the Agincourt Recreation Centre on Sunday, May 1.
After close to two decades of serving the members of ICGAA, Leila Daljit, Co-founder and President of the Association celebrated becoming a senior with the other members.
In attendance, was Jenny Gumbs, Consul General of Grenada, who is interested in a possible joint venture event with Indo Caribbean Golden Age Association (ICGAA) members.
Apart from recognizing the Executive and Volunteers for their dedication to the seniors, ICGAA honored three mothers (Halima Mohammed, Isha Beekie and Geeta Leo) for significant achievements in their lives.
Halima Mohammed was a business owner in Guyana before coming to Canada in 1972. Within six years, her husband passed away, leaving Halima to be both a mother and a father to their six children. She dedicated her life working and seeing her children through University. She became a successful Real Estate Agent and also worked as a Health Care Nurse in a Chronic and Palliative Care Unit.
Isha Beekie, a stay-at-home mom for seven years, went back in 1963 to pursue her education and was among the first graduates of the University of Guyana, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree as well as a Diploma of Education. She attended and later taught at Bishops' High School. While in Guyana as well as Canada, she taught such subjects as Latin, History, English, French, Spanish and ESL.
Geeta Leo was trained in Odissi dance at the Indian Cultural Centre in Georgetown. She is a dancer, choreographer and the proud owner of Geetika Indian Dance Co.
She and her sister Deveika Chetram founded the Tarana Dance School in 1989. For 22 years, the school has been in existence, teaching Odissi, Kathak, Chutney and Bollywood dances in Canada. Geeta works at George Brown College as Site Coordinator of the Markham Satellite Campus.
At the Mother's Day celebration, Geeta captured the audience's attention with a special Odissi dance.
David Singh, a Musician who played for the ICGAA from its inception, accompanied by Rajin, Ganga and Rabbie continued to entertain the members.
and philanthropy
Imam Abdul Razak was born in Guyana, South America, in 1926. In his lifetime, along with his wife Latifan of 48 years, they managed to provide food and shelter to numerous individuals in Guyana. Through their efforts they enabled several parents with the means to provide higher education for their children. During his countless sermons and lectures, not only in Guyana but throughout the world, Imam Abdul Razak was constantly striving to share the message of peace, love and help for his fellow human beings.
Today, the directors of the Imam Abdul Razak Foundation are endeavouring to continue this work by providing:
• Financial assistance and moral support to the elderly and those facing hardships
• Monthly financial assistance, groceries and basic needs items to numerous individuals over the past 10 years in Canada and Guyana.
• Free financial and business advice to individuals of low income on an ongoing basis
• Free tax services for seniors and low income individuals
• An annual four-year university or collage scholarship to one qualified individual (now in its second year). A fully paid scholarship for 4 years was given to an individual who is currently a student at York University.
• Necessities of life for victims suffering from a natural disaster in their country
• Groceries, food and financial help to the needy and elderly in third world countries.
All funds for these endeavours are donated by the Directors and friends of the Foundation. Sham M. Razak is the President and one of the founding directors of the Foundation and the Chairman of the Programs Committee which oversees the distribution of food, groceries and monetary assistance. He is also the President and CEO of Sham Razak & Associates, a Financial & Tax Consulting firm which has been operating in the GTA since 1986. Through this company free financial, business and tax services are provided to the needy and elderly. Any individual who feels that this free service may be of benefit to them may call 416-293-9938.
Foundation to host Diwali gala
Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation plans to host its inaugural Diwali–A Night to Shine gala on October 16, 2011. The event aspires to raise funds in support of the life-saving care offered in the Emergency Departments of Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals of the University Health Network (UHN). These departments, under the leadership of Dr. Anil Chopra, treat more than 80,000 patients every year, amongst which are the most complex and challenging cases in the country. The proceeds from this gala will be used to promote excellence in education and research in Emergency Medicine and to fund cutting-edge patient care tools and upgrade information technology.
Diwali, the South Asian "Festival of Lights", symbolizes good health, hope, luck and prosperity, and is one of the most important celebrations on the Indian calendar. UHN has been inspired from this profound significance and 2011 being dedicated the yearlong celebration of the Year of India in Canada, to organize this event for the Toronto community. Taking place at The Fairmont Royal York, Toronto, the evening will feature exquisite Indian cuisine and spectacular Bollywood entertainment.