B.C.-based Mehfil Magazine hosted a landmark event for the Indo-Canadian community on Saturday, October 3, with the inaugural RBC Mehfil Magazine Awards for Excellence Gala. Five hundred guests packed the ballroom at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in downtown Vancouver. The awards ceremony, which recognized eight individuals for their achievements and Vancouver’s Asa Johal with a lifetime achievement award, was followed by a keynote address by Canadian broadcast journalism icon Peter Mansbridge. “We knew this was going to be an exciting evening from the outset,” said Rana Vig, co-publisher of Mehfil Magazine, adding that tickets for the $150-a-plate event sold out in 17 days. “Our community has so many talented and successful individuals who deserve to be recognized.” “Mehfil Magazine was conceived to shine a light on the Indo-Canadian community in a professional and meaningful way,” added Minto Vig, the magazine’s co-publisher and editor.
“This evening was an extension of that objective. Not only to recognize worthy individuals and inspire others, but to give society another glimpse of how far our community has come and what it has to offer.” The highlight of the evening was Mansbridge’s keynote address, which touched on the importance of such events. Mansbridge talked about what it means to be Canadian.
“It’s always fun and informative for me to get away from Toronto and meet new and interesting people who make our country as exciting as it is.” said Mansbridge. “This was certainly one of those occasions. I had a ball, thoroughly enjoyed myself, and was thrilled to meet so many people who care deeply about their community.” The audience was entertained throughout the evening by master of ceremonies Dan Nainan, a comedian from New York who has performed with Russell Peters. The evening also included a fashion show by designer Neeta Paul featuring two of India’s top models.The winners of the awards were: Balpreet Singh Khatra for Academic Excellence, the late Inderjit Singh Kohaly for Cultural Heritage, Gurdeep Sundher for Community Service, Kanwar Singh Dhillon for Excellence in the Arts, Ted Singh for Innovation, Mervyn Pinto for India-Canada Trade, Ratana Stephens for Corporate Excellence, Lucky Janda for Philanthropy and Asa Johal for Lifetime Achievement.