Desi was there...

Celebrating Eid with the Razas...

Raheel and Sohail Raza held their educational Eid open house on December 16.

Held between noon and 2 pm at the Gallery of the Ontario Heritage Foundation, Light Upon Light was a celebration of the spirit of the season.

Those who attended the unique multicultural event of peace, joy and light learnt about some of the faiths of this diverse city. Representatives of different faiths ­ Baha'i, Christianity, Hindu-ism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism ­ talked about the blessing of Ayyam-i-Ha, the peace and joy of Christmas, the lights of Diwali, the joy of Eid, the glow of Hanukkah and the brilliance of Baisakhi. Opening remarks by Dr. Hedy Fry were followed by a short presentation by each faith.

"This was the first time an event promoting unity, diversity and tolerance was organized," said Raheel Raza.

The Khans...

Mr and Mrs Haroon Khan held their annual open house to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest Islamic holiday.

"It's the largest private Eid celebration of its kind in the gta," said Haroon Khan. Over 300 Muslim and non-Muslim members of the community visited the Khan family during the day. Held each year for the past 25 years, the Khan family's Eid open house has become a much looked-forward to tradition for family and friends.

... and the Raptors

Nav Bhatia, the "superfan", got the Raptors to declare their December 23 game at the acc, as the Eid Game.

"This is a unique and historic recognition of the large Muslim community in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada," said Bhatia. "The Muslim community in the gta has always supported me in whatever enterprise I've undertaken. This is my way of saying a small thank you. Sports is an area where we can all come together and enjoy ourselves in these difficult times. This was a good opportunity to demonstrate that we are part of the Canadian mainstream while maintaining our own cultural and religious identity."

The Raptors boast two followers of the islamic faith, Hakeem Olajuwon and Mamadou N'Diaye.

A musical journey

_After two years of successful outdoor festivals and a wonderful musical cruise on a luxury yatch this year, Jagdev Nijjar and Sumita Chatterjee of Golden Tunes Production are getting ready for their next musical production.
"Down Memory Lane with Guru Dutt and Geeta Dutt will be a sound, light and video synchronization extrava-ganza in memory of Guru Dutt and singer Geeta Dutt," said Nijjar.

Along with Toronto singers Iqbal Singh Brar, Jaya Kitchlu and Sumita Chatterjee, will be Nina Dutt (daughter of Geeta Dutt).

"Expect a production on the lines of Academy and Grammy Awards!" promises Nijjar.

The date of the event to be held at Living Arts Centre in Mississauga is to be announced.

For more information, call Jagdev Nijjar at 905-670-0068.

The Reel World Film Festival announced the appointment of Mohit Rajhans as director of programming for 2002.

This honour has been bestowed upon Mohit for a variety of reasons including his dedication and experience within the global film community, and his reputation for fostering different identities in cinema. Mohit founded Filmi, Toronto's South Asian film festival, three years ago, and has been active programming with festivals in different parts of the world.

This year's festival will highlight international works with an emphasis on cultural and racially diverse filmmakers, for the purpose of expanding the variety of films viewed in the Canadian film market.

The Reel World Film Festival takes place April 4-8 at Silvercity Cinemas, Yonge and Sheppard.

Deadline for entries is January 14, 2002. For more information, contact Mohit Rajhans at mrajhans@reelworldfilmfest.com

· 13-year-old Amir Eslami, winner of the drug-free Christmas drawing contest, shows off his winning entry. Asha Maharaj, Zubair Choudhry, Anil Sambhi and Devinder Luthra were the judges.

Making a difference

The Drug-Free Marshals, a drug awareness campaign started by the Church of Scientology, held its 13th Annual Christmas Street Festival to treat the public to various holiday activities and promote that drugs are not the solution to the problems of living.

The festival attracted people, both young and old, to ride "Diablo," the Drug-Free Marshals' horse, enjoy some food and drinks, play games, participate in a colouring and drawing contest and, of course, meet Santa and his elves.

A special swearing-in ceremony of new Drug-Free Marshals was held with the assistance of City of Toronto police officers. These young people took the dfm pledge to take responsibility to keep themselves and their friends drug-free. The dfm colouring contest was judged by Zubair Choudhry and Asha Maharaj, who are both active community leaders and members of the executive board of the Citizens Committee on Drug Prevention and Rehabilitation.

The Drug-Free Marshals started in 1993 and is an international campaign of the Church of Scientology directed towards youth and to help them remain drug-free. Over 19,000 young people from around the world have taken the Drug-Free Marshal Pledge.

For more information about Drug Free Marshalls, please call Nicole Crellin (416-725-9347) or Pat Felske (416-925-2145).

An evening of song and dance

_At the recent La Bhangra function, prizes were awarded to all those who had successfully completed the course. Ten-year-old Paul Gill was declared La Bhangra Prince while five-year-old Megha Talwar was La Bhangra Princess. Three-year-old Devin Jhooty took home the Best Costume prize among boys and Sarika Bissoon, Jessica Puri and Shannon Sidhu received Best Costume prizes for the girls' category.
"It was a fun-filled evening," said La Bhangra's Saroj Puri. "Now we are getting ready for our next event in February!"

· All together now! La Bhangra girls' group.

"We celebrate the true meaning of Christmas!"

· Children helped create the Nativity scene at St Gregorio's Church as part of the Christmas celebrations

A Nativity scene was created by children at the St. Gregorio's Orthodox Church, Mississauga, to enhance the celebration of Christmas.

The fairly large South Asian Christian community ­ numbering 40,000 plus by some estimates - celebrates Christmas in its own unique way.

"Our Christmas is different in flavour!" says George Mathew who came to Canada from Kerala 27 years ago.

This Christmas "with an Eastern touch" incorporates 25 days of Lent during which period the faithful fast and abstain from protein-rich food, etc. The Days of Advent, or of expecting the birth of the Saviour, culminate in Christmas.

"For the Orthodox Church, Lent is a part of the church cycle," says Mathew. "There is the 50-day Lent leading up to Easter, the 25-day Lent before Christmas and three others that we observe."

During this period, South Asian Christians fast, pray and prostrate themselves during worship.

At the Mathew residence, Christmas dinner is a big, traditional, affair with friends and family dropping in to wish them and exchange gifts..

Mrs Mathew makes typical Kerala-style dishes ­ fish fry, fish moli, lamb stew, appam, meat curries and other side dishes. A rich Christmas cake is a must.

The church service is a very important part of the day.

"It's long!" says Mathew, describing the service. "Palm leaves that are distributed on Palm Sunday are collected back and burnt to remember the birth of Christ. Incense is thrown on the fire and this reminds us of the offerings of incense and gold that were made to the newborn Christ.

"Of course, we exchange gifts but we also celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. It is more than just a social occasion."

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