DARPAN Awards 2018: An Extraordinary Night Celebrating South Asian Community

DARPAN Awards 2018 was a magical night. The Preston Cadillac-sponsored red carpet was buzzing with prominent members of the South Asian community, political dignitaries and socialites; the beautiful cocktail lounge sponsored by Handy Appliances had guests mingling and enjoying the hospitality; the awards event added shine and glamour to the event. It was a night to remember and cherish.

DARPAN Magazine, hosted its 9th Annual Awards in the company of esteemed social, business and political elites. This spectacular red carpet event took place at Aria Convention Centre in Surrey on September 14.

With over 700 guests in attendance, this black-tie affair commenced at 6 p.m. in the backdrop of glamour and grandeur.

On the red carpet, a live media station interviewed our esteemed guests asking them their expectations for the evening, photographers were busy capturing beautiful moments; and dancing performances set the stage for the night ahead.

Ten amazing individuals from the South Asian community were recognized for their extraordinary achievements and for reflecting their heritage in a remarkable way.

These 10 South Asians, identified as leaders, who embody the spirit of community and give back to greater Canadian society, were honoured with the prestigious Darpan Extraordinary Achievement Award. These recipients were:

International Sensation – Afroz Shah

Young Wonder – Umang Khandelwal

Artistic Visionary – Jazzy B (Jaswinder Bains)

Industry Marvel – Shushma Datt

Advancing Philanthropy – Stephen Sander

Community Crusader – Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen

Corporate Engagement – Prem Gill

Breaking Barriers – Dr. Hakam Bhullar

Heritage Defender – Gurdip Bhullar

Spirit of Sport – Sukhpal Panesar

Canadian actor and television personality Huse Madhavji was the Master of Ceremonies for the event. This multi-talented host, actor and producer is the former face of Star! Canada and has starred in HBO Canada/Direct-TV’s hit comedy Call Me Fitz starring Jason Priestly, where he received his first Gemini nomination and NBC/CTV hospital drama Saving Hope.

MC Madhavji kicked off the festivities, which included musical entertainment by well-known singers Komal Rizvi and Parichay; and the much-anticipated Awards ceremony.

The Guest of Honour and Keynote Speaker this year was Afroz Shah, a Mumbai-based environmentalist and lawyer who is leading the environmental movement in the city and tackling plastic pollution and other harmful concerns one step at a time.

Shah started the biggest beach cleanup project in Mumbai, Maharashtra, all by himself in 2015. Heartbroken after seeing the Versova beach near his house filled with garbage and all kinds of trash, Shah decided to take matters into his own hands – literally. He along with a senior neighbour started picking up garbage from the beach everyday.

His efforts received tremendous attention and worldwide support, along with an increase in volunteers by thousands comprising of youth, slum-dwellers, entrepreneurs, Bollywood celebrities, professionals, and seniors. A shocking amount of 15 million kilograms of decomposing trash and plastic was collected from the 2.5 kilometre stretch of beach over a period of 21 months. United Nations labelled the campaign the “world’s largest beach clean-up project.”

United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) honoured Shah with the Champion of the Earth award for his work in organizing community-led clean-up efforts.

Afroz was also CNN-IBN’s Indian of the Year in Public Service in 2017 and has received various accolades for his efforts. The inspiring environmentalist’s good work is creating a ripple effect. Beside Mumbai, cleanup campaigns are taking place in various parts of India as well. He vows to continue his beach clean-up crusade until people and their governments around the world change their approach to producing, using and discarding plastic and other products that wash up onto beaches all over the world.

Also spotted at the event were prominent political guests like BC Minister of Citizens’ Services Jinny Sims; MLAs Stephanie Cadieux, Andrew Wilkinson, Harry Bains, and Marvin Hunt; and MPs Sukh Dhaliwal and Randeep Sarai, among many others.

OTHER AWARD WINNERS:

Photo Credit: (c) DARPAN Files