Asian Tribune 27 August 2021

English Page
Issue 288 (5) Asian Tribune August 27, 2021
Asian
Star
Native village/Country, parents’
background
Mirpur, Jammu & Kashmir, India
(Now part of Pakistan). Father served
as Superintendent of Police, J & K
Police and mother was stay home
mom
Your early education
I am certified Charted Accountant
and also completed Post Graduate
Industrial Management from
Scotland
When & why you came to
Canada?
1964. My quest to opt for peaceful
country and civil society landed me
in Canada
How many dollars you brought in?
I think I had eight dollars in my
pocket
What you did for initial survival?
I joined as Financial Controller in a
trucking company of Winnipeg and turned
around this loss making company
Your career advancement initiatives and
present occupation
I developed high rise buildings in Winnipeg
as one of the partners. Besides, I also
published monthly community newspaper for
ten years on provincial as well as National
level which was named as Alberta Link, Prairie
Link and finally Canada Link. I served as
member, Federal Human Rights Commission
(8 years) and Judge, Court of Canadian
Citizenship (12 years). I was bestowed Order
of Canada, Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal &
Salute to Excellence by City of Edmonton
Your regret in life
I lost my father in Indo-Pak partition war. I
could not obtain his body to perform last rites
Pick any one of your the best
achievements
My initiatives to promote Canadian values and
connect diversified culture among
communities are very dear to me. Recently,
City of Edmonton has bestowed a great
honour upon me and my wife by naming
a park as “Jiti & Gurcharan Bhatia Park”
Were you ever discriminated?
Yes. In those days, whenever I mentioned that
I am an Indian, I was mistaken as native and
subjected to undue discrimination. However,
my subsequent correction of “Indian” to “East
Indian” provided me a lot of solace
What you miss in Canada?
Absolutely nothing
Gurcharan Singh Bhatia
Ravina Team expressed
solidarity in a unique way
From left: Zoe Harveen Kaur Sihota, Ravina Toor, Harneet Kaur Chahal Photo : (Gagan Brar)
Edmonton(ATB):Ravina
Kaur Toor, Harneet
Kaur Chahal and Zoe
Harveen Kaur Sihota
expressed their
solidarity by creating
“Still I Rise” mural at
BUMP Festival,
Calgary last week.
Inspired by the mass
protests by farmers in
India after the
government passed
three farm bills to
deregulate markets in
November, the mural
is meant to bring
attention to a fight
that is close to the
young Punjabi Sikh
artists. Like most who
have ancestral ties to
the region, all three of
the Alberta-born
muralists have a
family history that
involves farming in
India. It’s a sector
that has been fraught
with poverty and
uncertainty even
before the
government passed
laws that farmers say
will favour corporate
farms and devastate
their earnings. The
mural was a way for
them to help from
afar.
But it’s also a
massive undertaking
that none of the three
had attempted before.
Toor and Sihota are
primarily digital
artists. Chahal is an
abstract painter. So
creating murals was
uncharted territory for
them. Nevertheless,
last week the three
began work on Still I
Rise at the back of
Jamesons Pub – 17th
Avenue. It required
them to paint while
perched on a scissor
lift high above the
ground.
“The first day
was super stressful,”
says Toor. “We did do
a lot of safety training
prior. But just being
on it physically was a
little different. We got
stuck the first day. So
we didn’t know how to
get back. But we
learned a lot from it
and now it’s like a
breeze. But it’s been
good working
together and
supporting each
other.”
By midweek,
the mural was well
underway. The three
artists spent months
coming up with the
design after applying
to the BUMP
Are you happy in Canada?
Very happy
Why?
Canada is the land of equal opportunities and
human rights are governed to the best
possible level
Any comments on Canada’s weather
I have not to bear the brunt of harsh winters
now as I shift to warmer places during bone
chilling weather
Any comments on Canada’s culture
Bridging the culture and heritage of 200
countries is a great challenge. Vibrant
economy, sustainable resources, equal
opportunities and gender equality are the
essence of this wonderful country. I am
President of International Association of
Citizens for A Civil Society and we celebrate
Daughters’ Day in Canada since 1 st
September, 2010. 40 NGOs support our
initiative to serve the girl child cause. I am
also founder of John Humphrey Centre for
Peace & Human Rights and Mahatma Gandhi
Canadian Foundation of World Peace.
Norquest College, Edmonton offer “Judge
Bhatia Citizenship Award” for the last 12 years
which is a great honour for me
What brought you success in Canada?
I am the staunch believer of whatever you
do, do it well
Your message for Canadians of Asian
origin
Always believe in equality. Respect Human
Rights and live and let live peaceful life.
Festival, ensuring that
the mural would not
only encompass all of
their artistic styles
but also spread their
message to the
public. Central to Still
I Rise will be two main
figures: a bibiji and
babaji, which are the
terms
for
grandmother and
grandfather in
Punjabi.
The mural
also feature
outstretched hands
holding various foods
from the region that
are now ubiquitous
here, including naan
and chai latte.
Toor’s late
grandparents were
farmers in the Punjab
and Haryana states,
which are the two
biggest agricultural
producers in India
and where most of the
protesting farmers
have travelled from.
Her grandparents
grew cotton, wheat
and various spices on
the farm.
Their labour
allowed Toor’s
parents to immigrate
to Canada, she says.
The protests have
become among the
largest ever staged,
with tens of
thousands of Indian
farmers abandoning
the fields in late 2020
and descending on
New Dehli in tractors
and trucks. They have
demanded that the
three agricultural laws
be repealed. Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi’s government
has insisted the
changes, which
loosen the rules
around the sale,
storage and pricing of
produce, are
necessary to
modernize the
industry.
Proponents
of the laws say they
will increase farm
incomes, attract
investment and boost
productivity.
While the
protests have been
largely peaceful,
some sources have
reported that
hundreds of farmers
have died during the
demonstrations,
now in its fifth year,
with 50 murals going
up in the Beltline,
Mission, Bridgeland,
Greenview Industrial,
Kensington,
Inglewood and
downtown throughout
the month of August.
There will also be a
number of free
events, including
artist talks, outdoor
movies, self-guided
mural tours and
music events.
“As a child, if I were
to walk by a wall and
see someone who
looked like me, then
that’s a massive
identity thing,” Toor
says. “It just shows
that this is your
home, even though
you are miles away
from where your
parents were or your
grandparents were. It
also showcases the
beauty of diversity
that we uphold in
Canada.”
Ravina Toor is
daughter of Mohinder
Toor, the reputed
either through businessman of
accidents, health Edmonton.
issues or suicide.
The BUMP
The BUMP (Beltline Festival runs until
Urban Murals Aug. 29. Visit
Project) Festival is yycbump.ca.
www.asiantribune.ca. Also, follow us on twitter @AsianTribuneEdm
SAD wins DSGMC polls; Manjinder Sirsa
loses his seat, nominated to gurdwara panel
Akali Dal wins 27 of the 46 seats, earning clear majority;
SAD (Delhi), led by Sarna brothers, wins 14 seats
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh along with Delhi unit leaders and supporters
celebrates his party victory in DSGMC election in New Delhi on Wednesday.
New Delhi, (ATB)- The Shiromani
Akali Dal has retained its control over the Delhi
Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee
(DSGMC). It won 27 of the 46 seats, earning
a clear majority.
SAD (Delhi), led by the Sarna brothers –
Paramjit Singh and Harvinder Singh—won 14
seats while the Manjeet Singh GK led Jag
Asra Guru Ott (Jago) party managed to win
just two.
The Akal Sahai, Akali Dal Panthak,
and Kendri Singh Sabha won one seat each.
The sitting DSGMC president
Manjinder Singh, lost his Punjabi Bagh seat
to Harvinder Singh Sarna. However, on
Wednesday evening Sirsa was nominated to
the committee under the provision allowing
DSGMC to co-opt nine members besides the
46 elected ones.
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal
announced the nomination. On being asked if
Sirsa would continue to be President, Badal
said, “The House will decide on electing a
President, when it meets.”
The DSGMC general secretary
Harmeet Singh Kalka retained his seat at
Kalkaji while Manjeet Singh GK, who is former
president of the DSGMC, retained his seat of
Greater Kailash.
Addressing a press conference, Badal
In a jolt to dissidents, Rawat says
Punjab Assembly election to be
fought under Capt Amarinder Singh
Chandigarh, (ATB)-
Ahead of the start of the
meeting with four dissident
ministers and
three MLAs at
Dehradun, Punjab affairs
in-charge and
AICC general secretary
Harish Rawat on
Wednesday said the
2022 Punjab Assembly
election would be
fought under the leadership
of Capt
Amarinder Singh. The
indication given by
Rawat was a jolt to the
dissidents.
After the
meeting, Rawat said
the four ministers and
three MLAs, who on
Tuesday went public
demanding replacement
of the CM,
wanted a clear
roadmap for party’s win
in the 2022 Punjab Assembly
elections.
“They had expressed
serious concerns
over the functioning
of the state government
and district administration.
If a party
MLA is feeling insecure
that the district administration
would work for
his defeat in the election,
then it is a matter
of concern. I have similar
complaints earlier,
but the issue should
not come in way of the
party,” Rawat said while
refusing to share details
of the discussions
The Punjab affairs
in-charge said he
would take up the issues
raised by the
leaders with senior
leaders concerned and
would be going to Delhi
to brief the party high
command.
hailed the victory and termed it as a forceful
referendum of Khalsa Panth in favour of the
Panthic identity and religious commitment of
his party. “The Community totally rejected the
Congress-backed and BJP-sponsored groups,
including those of Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa
Sahib and the Sarna group.”
Both, Sirsa and Kalka alleged that the
Centre and state government “tried their very
best to defeat us”. Sirsa said more than 20
per cent of the votes cast (postal ballots) “in
our favour were rejected” as invalid.
“This is victory of Guru Teg Bahadur
and a slap on the face of those who were doing
things at behest of Government,” Sirsa said.
The DSGMC body runs the affairs of
the Sikh community. This includes gurdwaras,
schools, colleges and hospitals. The DSGMC
has been in the forefront in providing help during
Covid, housing Afghan refugees or getting
bail for farmers arrested after the January 26
incident in the National Capital.
3.42 lakh members of the Sikh Community
were listed as voters for the elections
and 37.27 per cent of them cast their votes to
elect the prestigious body. Elections for
the DSGMC were earlier scheduled on April
23, but postponed due to lethal wave of Covid
in the national capital during the period, and
were rescheduled for August 22.
The four ministers—Tript
Rajinder
Singh Bajwa,
Sukhbinder Singh
Sarkaria, Sukhjinder
Singh Randhawa and
Charanjit Singh
Channi— had gone to
Dehradun to meet
Rawat.
After the meeting,
they were likely to
go to New Delhi and
meet Rahul Gandhi on
Thursday. These ministers
and around two
dozen legislators on
Tuesday had held a
meeting here and
sought replacement of
the chief minister, saying
they had lost faith
in him over the unfulfilled
promises.
Western nations race to complete Afghan
evacuation as deadline looms
Kabul (ATB)-
Western nations
rushed to evacuate
people from Afghanistan
on Wednesday
as the August 31 deadline
for the withdrawal
of foreign troops drew
closer and fears grew
that many could be left
behind to an uncertain
fate under the country's
new Taliban rulers.
In one of the
biggest such airlifts
ever, the United States
and its allies have
evacuated more than
70,000 people, including
their citizens, NATO
personnel and Afghans
at risk, since August
14, the day before the
Taliban swept into the
capital Kabul to bring
to an end the 20-year
foreign military presence.
US President
Joe Biden said US
troops in Afghanistan
faced mounting danger,
while aid agencies
warned of an impending
humanitarian crisis for
those left behind.
Biden has spurned
calls from allies to extend
the deadline, set
under an agreement
struck by the previous
administration of
Donald Trump with the
hardline Islamist group
last year. But he said
on Tuesday the deadline
could be met.
"The sooner we can finish,
the better," Biden
said. "Each day of operations
brings added
risk to our troops." Two
US officials, speaking
on condition of anonymity,
said there was
growing concern about
the risk of suicide
bombings by the Islamic
State at the airport.