PURPOSE PORTRAIT
ALL THAT KEEPS THIS MAN GOING
Maheshh Nileshwar, far left, ED of South Asian Cultural and Health Association for Youth and Seniors.
By RANA KHAN
Maheshh Nileshwar is the ED of South Asian Cultural and Health Association for Youth and Seniors.
He arrived in Canada in 2002 after a flourishing IT career in the United Arab Emirates. Originally from Karnataka, India, Nileshwar says he’s been helped by random strangers in the right place at the right time at different points of his life, which has only served to crystallize his ideals of community service. He formalized the work he’d been doing since 2017 (including online yoga classes and serving the community during COVID) by setting up South Asian Cultural and Health Association for Youth and Seniors ( SACHAYS) which was recently granted a charitable institution status. Nileshwar is fluent in five languages, was a spelling bee champ, likes singing, holds the Mental Health First Aid certification, and is always looking for solutions to the next challenge.
He describes the experiences and world view that have inspired him to devote his life to community service.
“My parents used to take my siblings and me to the local orphanage on our birthdays, and to eye camps organized by the Lions Club where we used to distribute meals. The notion of service to others thus came from an early age, and it seemed natural for me to extend my technical knowledge to others after my graduation. Perfect strangers have helped me. This person (I came to know later that he was from the Tableeghi Jamaat organization) offered me a job in the UAE to set up a technical lab, and though I was quite disbelieving, he actually did get me the visa and the job!
The underlying concept of my life and SACHAYS is SEVA (Serve Everyone Very Affectionately). There is a Sanskrit saying to the effect that one should work without expecting any benefits. This makes me stay grounded and find innovative ways to help people. I truly believe that when we do selfless work, others will step forward, in fact the universe comes together to help us. I also believe in a spiritual perspective, rather than only a religious one.
You graduated in Political Science, set up IT computer labs in the Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE, arrived in Toronto as an Information Systems Manager for a US company, and now, you are a full-time public service volunteer. What made you switch from a professional career to running a non-profit?
While working for the Big Four including Deloitte, I had started volunteering on the boards of numerous organizations. I saw the pain in our community in Scarborough, and heard stories of the trauma and loneliness, especially from seniors. There were also a lot of mental health issues amongst women stuck inside their homes and I tried to collaborate with other South Asian organizations over these issues. Sadly, our larger community has so many divisions that decision-making was difficult and people’s lives continued to be impacted adversely. By 2015, my children were independent, and I felt I could give more time to the community.
COVID was a gamechanger in the sense that I immersed myself in helping people through that difficult time when people were confined to their homes. I would deliver lunches (cooked by the Chinese Cultural Centre in its kitchen, funded by United Way) to seniors in the South Asian community. I was also distributing flyers in different languages to combat racism through a CCC program called Stronger Together. Local MPs and MPPs noticed my contribution, and through them I got involved in the larger community, helping distribute masks and sanitizers sourced from United Way. It then became clear that I had to formalize the work I was doing with various agencies in order to get more funding and grants for my community. That’s how SACHAYS came to be, in 2020.
In 2024 I quit my job, and since then I have devoted my time fully to running this organization. For me, it’s more than a job, it is my passion.
What services does SACHAYS provide to the community?
We focus on community-driven programming: free lunches, 120 of them every two weeks; our daily online yoga class for seniors which is very popular, and we also offer a book club, a film club, and a Geet Bahar program. We have recently started the Trupti Social Café leased from the City of Toronto), in Milliken Park in Scarborough, where we serve samosas and masala chai along with other snacks and the free lunches on Thursdays.
What were, and are, the challenges?
Funding is one of the biggest challenges! Providing meals at Trupti started as a community-funded project with small donations from people, but I have to ensure continuity. That’s why it became imperative to become a charitable organization in order to access formal donations.
Another challenge is to try and change the mindset of our community regarding certain issues. For example, when SACHAYS first started free lunches, 90 per cent of those who availed them were from the Chinese community, though some in the South Asian community asked to keep lunch boxes for them for later as they felt ashamed to show up for free food. I realize that change cannot be achieved overnight, but education and awareness can make a difference in the long run. I can only try and persevere with my efforts in this direction.
What would be your advice to anyone interested in community service?
I would tell them to not take this lightly! The notion of volunteering has been abused to a certain extent, especially where students are concerned, and we are mindful of the danger of using volunteering as a means of getting people to do unpaid work. My own philosophy of community service comes from the idea of not having any expectations while doing work which benefits fellow community members. I steer clear of any politics in this field, and I would ask people to be ready to implement any suggestions they might have – in other words, solution-based actions are more required in community service rather than just good intentions. I believe in thinking outside the box. For instance, we wanted to include ice-cream in the menu at Trupti Café, but the City had already granted that item to another vendor. Then I suggested Indian ice-cream, kulfi, and it was granted!
What is next for you and SACHAYS?
There is a pressing need for a retirement home for the community. People want it, but are not yet ready to fundraise for it, and these projects can only be driven through community efforts. This is a personal goal for me, and I hope that the charitable status of SACHAYS will help me achieve it.
I also get calls from lawyers and social workers on behalf of troubled youth so we are trying to see how we can arrange a way forward for them as regards gainful employment.
Also, since there seemed to be a need in the community, we have set up physical space for interested families to meet up in context of potential marriage tie-ups.
We have named this project Where Hearts Connect and Families Meet!
• SACHAYS is located at 201 Chester Le Blvd, 2nd floor, Scarborough, ON M1W 2K7, and Maheshh can be contacted at 416-835-9885. More info at sachays.ca.
Rana Khan is a LINC instructor whose work is rooted in social justice and human rights. She volunteers as a creative writing facilitator for the Writer’s Collective of Canada and has published The Stories Around Us on mental health issues amongst South Asian women.