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#TheSkyIsPink, #ShonaliBose, #PriyankaChopraJonas, #FarhanAkhtar Shonali Bose, director and producer of the Priyanka Chopra Jonas-Farhan Akhtar starrer "The Sky is Pink" opens her heart to IBNS Toronto Correspondent Asha Bajaj in an interview during TIFF 2019, where she talks about her personal loss and the loss faced by the parents of a child who dies from an immune deficiency disease. Shonali, can you tell me what motivated you to produce this film? Is there a real-life link to the story in the failure of the advancement of medical research and technology to find a cure for diseases such as Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID) Aisha suffered from in the movie? No, it is not a medical journey and it is nothing to do with the medical failure to cure the disease. That is not in what I was interested in. I was basically approached by Aditi and Niren Chaudhary to tell the story of their daughter. I told them that I would tell only their story, I was inspired both by their love story and for being such good parents to their daughter Aisha. They knew their daughter suffered from SCID and that she would not live long. Yet they were able to create such magical moments for her. They understood all the medical terms and did whatever they could to make her life happy. I found them very inspiring as parents. That is the story I wanted to the tell. Through that, if anybody gets the message of medical failure to cure a disease, that is fine. But I did not put that message. I do not put messages like that in my films. There was, of course, no cure for SCID in India at that time. But since then Niren's boss had started a bone marrow transplantation bank.  In the movie, Aditi says that the birth of every child serves a purpose. What do you think Aditi meant by saying that every child has a purpose in life? Aisha was a very evolved soul. She did not have to be on earth longer than 18 years and therefore died. It was because she did not have to be on earth longer than that. Such was the case of my son Nishan who lost his life at the age of 16. His soul was more evolved than Aisha. Because people with more evolved souls leave earth earlier. Ishan knew that his purpose in life was over and he died. As far as Aisha's purpose in life, I do not think there is a belief that a child should be born with a purpose in life. That is not what Aditi meant. She was trying to say that she did not want to abort the child.  From left to right: Niren, Shonali, Aditi & Ishan What do you think Aisha's purpose in life was? Can you elaborate on that? I think that Aisha's soul had chosen her parents and chose to die at the age of 18. She had served the purpose in life and she had learnt all that she wanted to learn. She did not intend to live longer than that. Same with my son Ishan. He chose me as his mother and knew he would die at the age of 16. I feel gifted that he taught me about loss and pain and coping with death. He chose to have me as his parent and then died. That is really amazing and beautiful. Same with Aisha. She brought a lot of life and light and courage in her parents' lives. She taught them to be brave and perseverance in life as they had to deal with stress and difficulties in finding cures for Aisha's disease and to make her short life happy. These were the difficult lessons of being aware that Aisha would die soon. Aisha's purpose in life was to teach her parents the meaning of loss, pain and death and the strength to bear these. There was a scene in the film in which medical blood reports said Ishan was not the legitimate child of Niren. Both Aditi and Niren are shattered. They felt that their lives were falling apart. Although there was a clarification later which proved the reports to be wrong, such reports could shatter the lives of many couples and challenge medical technology. Please comment on this. This is based on fact. They did receive such a report. Everything is true. I did not make up anything. AIIMS hospital in Delhi had produced a false blood report and when they were in London there was a fight between them with Aditi saying that we deal with this crisis or think of treating Aisha. The fight was not very serious and did not last long. But it was full of humour. The Sunrise Radio Station in London which helped the parents to raise money for the treatment of Aisha was also real. Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital (GOSCH) in London which saved Aisha's life was also real. Everything is based on fact.  From left to right: Ishan, Priyanks, Aisha & Niren The film's message of freedom in choices in life is revealed by Aditi's message to her son Ishan when punished by his teacher. Another message of hope and happiness revealed in Aisha's tribute to her parents asking them to let go of the past and enjoy life with hope for the future. Besides these, do you feel any other significance in the meaning of "The Sky is Pink'? You are right about the two messages that you feel you get from 'The Sky is Pink.' Pink sky also signifies expanse of horizons, endless opportunities, optimism and positivity. To me, there is a third layer to it. It also signifies the presence of my son Ishan in the pink sky. [Shonali Bose becomes emotional] Every morning I look at the sky and say, Ishan, where are you? Talk to me. Every morning I talk to him. Today is the ninth death anniversary of my son Ishan and coincidentally 'The Sky is Pink' would be premiered in Toronto today. This morning when I looked at the sky to talk to him the sky was pink in Toronto. [Bose shows the image of the pink sky on her mobile phone which she took that morning.] The pink sky was given to me by my son.
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#Jewish; #HinduSabhaMandir; #Brampton, #Ontario; #BarryBrown; #PulitzerPrize; #Humanity:TheWorldBeforeReligion,War&Inequality; #Hebrew #Aristotle; #Havilah; #India'sepicBattleofKurukshetra; #Mahabharata; #HareKrishnatemple, #Vancouver, #B.C.; #Toronto; #Mesopotamia, #Europe; #NortheastAfrica; #IndusRiverValley; #AncientIsraelites; #Levites; #DrLaljiSingh; #Swastika; #Hindus; #Nazis, #Germany; #Ukraine; #EasternEurope; #YaenVered; #IsraeliAntiquitiesAuthority; # JohnJMastandrea, #DrAbdulHaiPatel; #MetropolitanUnitedChurch, #Toronto; #DineshBhatia; # DrMayankVahia, #Astrophysicist; #TataInstituteforFundamentalResearch, #Mumbai, #India Toronto, Mar 21 (IBNS): Canadian-Media's Asha Bajaj interacts with Barry Brown, author of "Humanity: The World Before Religion, War & Inequality"  Barry Brown (centre) Excerpts: 1. Your book, Humanity: The World Before Religion, War & Inequality has gained a lot of praise from historians in India and North America. But before we go into that, please tell us a bit about your background and early childhood. I grew up in Toronto and was raised Jewish although most of my family was not very religious. My earliest ambition was to be a theoretical physicist but my math skills were weak, so while I kept reading books and articles about Science, my focus began to shift into history and literature. By the time I was in High School, I had decided to become a writer and so I immersed myself in meeting people from different backgrounds and lifestyles, reading about different cultures, histories and the personal struggles of people who faced discrimination and other hardships in their life. At home and School, I was often punished and beaten for nothing more than thinking independently, so I had an immediate empathy with others who faced similar uphill battles. By the end of my time in High School I had started my fledgling career as a writer. I had my first paid poetry reading at a Toronto library and my first play was slated for production. However, the Director who chose my play suddenly moved out of Toronto, so it was never staged. In my late teens I decided to drop out of High School and leave my family home. I bought a train ticket for Vancouver and rode the rails to the West Coast. When I arrived in Vancouver, I already had a wide range of experiences and personalized education. I'd become a vegetarian, begun to practice yoga, spent time studying the I Ching, the Baha'i philosophy, Japanese poetry and many other subjects. My life in Vancouver seemed not much different from Toronto. I wanted to expand my way of thinking so when I was given the chance to live in an abandoned logger's cabin on top of Mt. Tuam on Saltspring Island (B.C.), I took it. I communed with others and experienced a very rugged life. I cut wood for my cast iron stove and heater, gathered water from a mountain stream and generally lived a life close to that of the early settlers. This experience also had its limits and one day while on a ferry boat traveling back to Vancouver, I met a young man with the Hare Krishna books and began to read it. He told me the group offered free vegetarian meals, so I stopped in at the Vancouver Temple. Not long after I joined the group, I shaved my head and began living the life of a Brahmachari monk. It was the start of a three year experience that helped me gain insights that would later form the foundation of my book, Humanity:The World Before Religion,War&Inequality. 2. Tell us about your Book? Humanity is the first book to examine history as the two-part story of one human family. The first part investigates how humans created a common civilization of travel, trade and language in the 99.9% of history before the first war. The second part looks at the causes of the war and follows its consequences to the modern world. The path to the book began when I came across an obscure quote from the Greek philosopher Aristotle who said, "The Jewish people are descended from the Brahmin priests and philosophers of Ancient India." Jewish history begins about 6,000 years ago with the story of the Garden of Eden and the "fall of mankind." The Jewish Bible says Eden was located at the eastern end of a larger land called "Havilah." According to the 20-volume, 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, more than 2,000 years of Jewish and Christian traditions agree that Havilah was India. From my studies as a Hare Krishna Brahmin, I knew that the Mahabharata and the history of Ancient India ended about 6,000 years ago with the tale of the Kurukshetra War. I began to wonder if the end of one history and the start of the other were related. The more I pursued this line of investigation, the more connections I found that made it clear that Aristotle was correct. The ancient Hebrew people of the Jewish Bible were related to the families that fought in the war and migrated to Mesopotamia from the Indus River Valley Civilization at the time of its collapse from climate change c 2000 BC. That climate change and migration event was the source of the Bible's tale of Noah. At first, my investigation was focused only on the religious aspects of this connected history. But as I got deeper into it, it became a broader story about humanity itself and how civilization evolved and changed over time. The story of humanity is, of course, vast and almost never-ending, so my book looks at the beginnings of things - why Homo Sapiens survived and Neanderthals died out, how symbolic communication (paintings and writing) began and spread, the first School of 10,000 BC, the creation of currency, burial grounds, social governments, social, gender and religious divisions and so on. 3. You write that the war at the end of the Mahabharata is the same story that begins the Jewish Bible. How did you discover that the two histories are connected? After noting the time frame similarities between the two events, I began to wonder if the idea of the "fall of mankind" and Kurukshetra was connected as a momentous event in human history. Was Kurukshetra the world's first organized, large-scale war? I found an article in Scientific American magazine that claimed there is no archaeological or fossil evidence of human war earlier than about 6,000 years ago. Many tales from ancient societies including Greece and Rome also asserted there was a time in history before war. In my own investigation, I learned that there are no war weapons among the three million years of Stone Age tools, no images of human on human violence in the cave paintings of 40,000-10,000 years ago and no defensive walls around towns or villages until about 6,000 years ago. Those findings and more kept alive the likelihood that India's war story was based on a true event even if some details were exaggerated. 4. Can you elaborate on the genetic connection between India and the Hebrews? Further investigation of the India-Hebrew connection showed a genetic family relationship. Among Jews there is a tribe of people called Levites who are descended from the family of Moses and Aaron (c 1300 BC) and they are considered to be born priests in the same way as born Brahmins. It turns out that there are strong chromosomal family links between some of the Levites and various Brahmin families including the Yadavas and the Brahmins of West Bengal. 5. Many people think the tale of the Kurukshetra War is a fable like the Bible's story of Eden. How certain are you that both these stories are based on real events? There is currently no way of knowing for absolute certainty that these tales were inspired by real events. However, the balance of probabilities weighs heavily in their favor when they are examined as fragmented memories of the world's first war and the end of "generation Eden." I have explained how they relate to this event on their own, but the second set of compelling evidence is found in the Indus River Valley civilization that follows the war period. The Indus River Valley confounds historians because it has no palaces, no religious temples, no organized writing system and no warriors or history of war when the civilizations of its mighty neighbours - the empire of Sargon the Great in Mesopotamia and the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt - are full of temples, class divisions, elite priests, war machinery and so forth. Why is the Indus so spectacularly different when it is obviously quite advanced in terms of city planning, Math and measurements, civic organization, extensive travel and trade etc.? They obviously had a strong philosophy that guided them during their roughly 1,000-year lifetime (c 3000-2000 BC), but what was it? The utter absence of religious temples and warriors made me look at other civilizations that followed this path and they all developed after a devastation of their previous society. After the horrors of WWI, many nations began destroying war weapons in the hope that would end the possibility of war. During the French and English Revolutions, Catholic Churches were closed and destroyed because they had abused their official powers and exploited large numbers of people. So it seemed likely the Indus rejected all the symbols of the earlier Vedic period for the same reason - the social decay and destruction of the Great War caused by the caste system. I further reasoned this founding philosophy was likely inspired by Krishna's advice to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita when he tells his friend to "abandon" all his attachments to the existing social divisions. There is even a relic from the Indus called the Warrior Seal which I believe is essentially a mural depicting the Kurukshetra War story and may have been used to explain that history to newcomers to the Indus. 6. If the Jewish Bible starts in India what other parts of Jewish history come from India? Stripped of its religious themes, the Noah story (c 2000 BC) is a tale about climate change and three waves of migration into Europe, Mesopotamia and Northeast Africa from Noah's unnamed homeland. My research shows Noah came from the Indus River Valley around 2000 BC. At that time extreme climate change events - floods, cold weather, droughts etc. - are recorded in China, Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia which caused early civilizations in all those areas to collapse. The Indus was the worst hit. Many years of floods were followed by decades of drought and finally its residents abandoned it. Some returned to other parts of India but there is also evidence showing large waves of migration from that region into Europe, Mesopotamia and Northwest Africa at this time. The word "Hebrew" means "homeless wanderers from the East" and was the name the local people of Mesopotamia gave to the Indo-Semitic migrants from the Indus who arrived there when their homeland was destroyed. 7. I was surprised to learn the Jewish Star of David and other parts of Jewish culture begin in India. Please explain this. There is nothing in the Jewish Bible that explains the origin of the Star of David. Moreover, this image has not always been the most prominent symbol of the Jewish people. In my book there is an illustration from the early 1800s. It shows the French Emperor Napoleon liberating the Jews from oppressive laws that banned them from many areas of French life. In this drawing, the Jewish men are depicted with long hair and beards and the Jewish woman is presented with the stone tablets of Moses' 10 commandments and a menorah (an 8-branches candelabra used for the Hanukkah ceremony). There is no Star of David anywhere in the picture. I knew the image of interlocking triangles had a long history as an Indian symbol for the energy of the heart (heart chakra). So I did some research. In the Bible, the character of David becomes a beloved ruler in the kingdom of Ancient Israel. His son, Solomon, builds a spectacular temple dedicated to his father. According to the Bible, Solomon decorates this temple with vast amounts of gold he gets from a faraway place called Ophir. The German historian Max Muller had identified Ophir as a town on the west coast of India. At this time (c 1000 BC), the Yadavas are the ruling family of this Indian town. My speculation is that Yadava traders and artisans brought the gold to Solomon and fashioned a glorious heart chakra in a central place. To gain fame, the star shape must have been distinctive and unusual and so it became known as the "Star of David's Temple." 8. Most historians are baffled by the Indus Valley Civilization. They left no written records and there is very little known about what happened during its 1,000 year history. You say it was the world's first planned democracy and that it was inspired by the teachings of Krishna. Why? The key to understanding the Indus is what is not there - all aspects of society associated with social divisions and a war culture. The absence of horses is another clue. They were abandoned because its leadership saw them as symbols of warriors and elitist wealth. The lack of palaces and equal sized housing found in all its towns and villages indicates a culture without social divisions found in other civilizations. There is also a pottery fragment that may indicate they used a style of democratic voting 2500-1500 years before its evolution in Ancient Greece (c 500 BC). This fragment shows a stick figure holding a bow and arrow in hands of his outstretched arms that face in opposite directions. Nearby is a hashtag which is a 40,000 year-old symbol for human lands. In ancient Democracies, votes were sometimes decided by placing dark and light stones into a jar. The stick figure image may have come from the period of the Indus collapse when people were forced to decide whether to "pray and stay" on the land or "pray and leave" it and so cast stone ballots into a pottery jar. 9. The Bible is a sacred book to both the Jewish and Christian communities. How have they responded to your research? This is all fascinating. Tell me, what inspired you to begin this research? People of all faiths and even atheists have responded to my book with great enthusiasm and interest. My first comment came from Dr. Abdul Hai Patel of Ontario Multifaith Council who wrote, "Congratulations on this masterpiece of research." Yaen Vered, Canadian Representative of the Israeli Antiquities Authority said, "I don't know if you are right or not but you will change history if you are." Rev. John J. Mastandrea of the Metropolitan United Church (Toronto) told me, "Barry, you've discovered the Rosetta Stone for understanding early Bible history." Because they don't understand why people follow religions, atheists typically have more interest in religion than other people and because my book explains religious evolution in a historic context they are fascinated. 10. What lessons do you think all this history has for the modern world? Much of modern commentary in history, science, politics and entertainment repeats the notion that humans have always been at war, that we are naturally disposed to fear strangers and differences and that we have constantly battled over land and resources. This is utterly false and not supported by any evidence. War and social fears are taught and must be constantly reinforced or they will disappear. Of the 9 million species of life on Earth, only three engage in war - some ants, some chimpanzees and some Humans. And of those three, Humans are the least war-like. Human language is a great example. There are four base language groups that account for more than 95% of all spoken languages. The only way a common language can take root and spread is if the cultural soil is one of honesty and friendship. If someone's words are not considered honest and reliable, they will not be shared and language will evolve in isolated groups separated by suspicion. But there is evidence of regular long-distance trade in Southern Africa from almost 500,000 years ago, long before modern humans. This suggests human ancestors already had a common culture of travel, friendly trade and shared language. 11. What is your contribution to community? Someone once said, "If you get people asking the wrong questions, it doesn't matter what answers you give them." I love asking questions and I hope that if my book gets people asking their own new questions, then I've done my job. (Questions compiled by Renu Mehta of ImageBuilderz) #MaryAnn(Domitrovic)Yule, #HPCanada; #Canada; #diversitystrategy Toronto, Oct 19 (Canadian-Media): Mary Ann Yule, President & CEO of HP Canada, had given some important messages to the global community specially to the new immigrants and the second generations of Canadians during a recent launch event of a TV series in Mississauga, Ontario. In a chat with Canada’s Asha Bajaj, Mary Ann Yule said her message to the global community was to teach new immigrants and children from different diverse communities to adapt to Canada’s one of the most diverse cultures. The one hour episode of the most distinguished and talented leaders who were present, will be broadcast at Primetime on Sundays at 6 PM with repeat broadcast on Primetime Saturdays at 6 PM on ATN-SONY beginning November 2018.  Mary Ann Yule Excerpts of the interview session is a follows: Q1. What are the leadership traits that you would like to pass along to others? Courage. Courage is a skill that many successful leaders share and one I would encourage aspiring leaders to hone. Having the courage to not only believe in yourself and your own success, but as you gain influence, courage can help a leader use their platform to make real change around key issues like diversity and inclusion. Find your passion and have the courage to make an impact with it. Q2. How does Stories of Success relate to the diversity of Canada? Stories of Success reflects the great diversity of Canadian people and is a platform to showcase underrepresented voices that serve as inspiration for the next generation of leaders. HP Canada is proud to be a presenting sponsor for the show, Stories of Success, which features the personal and professional journeys of those who have made Canada their home but still carry the torch of other cultures from around the world. Embracing diversity and inclusion is a business imperative for HP. We operate on the principle that diversity creates meaningful innovation and improves our company, our products and services. From HP’s earliest days, the company recognized that the more points of view it can draw on, the better its products and company as a whole will be. A great example of this in action is our Board of Directors. HP has the most diverse Board of Directors of any technology company in the US (50% total minorities, 40% women, 30% underrepresented minorities). In Canada, we are proud to share that more than 60% of the senior leadership team is female. Q3. What is your message for the younger generation of new immigrants? My advice is to embrace the unique perspective your heritage affords you and work hard to be successful in whatever you set out to do. When it’s your time to shine don’t forget to pay it forward. Q4. Besides your parents can you tell us about some other leaders who have inspired you in the past? In the early days of my career, I took a lot of inspiration from my first mentor, Henry. For women in business, the notion exists that we must be mentored by other women, yet, my experience has proven that anyone can be a role model. Henry shared a wealth of knowledge with me that has helped to shape the leader I am today. (Reporting by Asha Bajaj) #Primetime; #SouthAsianNetwork; #AsianTelevisionNetwork, #ATN-SONY, #SouthAsians Mississauga, Oct 17 (Canadian-Media): Important messages were given by some of the biggest names from South Asian community in Ontario during questions & answer sessions held between these leaders and media personnel at a launch event of a TV series on October 15, 2018 between 6 p.m. and 7:30 pm at the Holiday Inn, near Pearson Airport in Mississauga. The one hour episode of talented leaders present will be broadcast at Primetime on Sundays at 6 PM with repeat broadcast on Primetime Saturdays at 6 PM on ATN-SONY beginning November 2018. The distinguished panel of leaders were gathered on a single platform to launch the Television Series about their journey and success stories. The basic philosophy behind this launch, said Jai Kalra, the creator and host of the Stories of Success, is to be a role models for the second generation as well as to the new immigrants who struggle hard to adapt themselves to the new diverse communities in Canada and inculcate in them the values of this culture with their own, learn that they would grow and learn there.  Jai Kalra/Facebook Mary Ann (Domitrovic) Yule, President & CEO of HP Canada.  Mary Ann Yule Her message to the community was to teach new immigrants and children from different diverse communities adapt to Canada's one of the most diverse culture. She added that her goal as a business leader would be her goal as a business leader she takes full responsibilities for the mentorship lessons as a role model and include the opinions of others and to get the best from others, to be a mediator between the aggressive and the silent people. Pavi Binning, President, Wittington Investments which is the holding company of Weston Family that own high street brands such as Loblaws, Shoppers Drugmart, No Frills, Holt Renfrew and many more.  Pavi Binning/Facebook His message to the community was that hard work, integrity and the family orientation, to show passion and integrity in the business with the aim to create value for your shareholders and to motivate and empower people. Steve Gupta, President & CEO, Easton’s Group of Hotels and The Gupta Group. Easton’s Group of Hotels operates 29 hotels in GTA under the flagship chains of hotels such as Holiday Inn, Marriott, Westin and many more.  Steve Gupta/Facebook His message to the community was to inspire the next generation, to motivate purpose in their lives, to influence some shy people to become outgoing and develop confidence. He added that this show would encourage hard work, optimism and encouragement to be surrounded by talented and right people and to take challenges and obstacles of their lives as essential for one’s success. Raman Dua, President & Founder of Savemax – Savemax is one o the leading real estate brokerages in Mississauga and Brampton area with sales of over $2 billion since their inception 9 years ago.  Raman Dua (speaker)/Facebook His message to the community was that hard work, sincerity and integrity and facing challenges like tough competition are essential for one’s success. Raza Hasan, Chief Risk Officer, HSBC, Canada’s 7th largest international branch with branches in 67 countries and with more than 130 branches in Canada. Raza added that Canada being selected as a key international marketing place is equipped with creditable staff had been helping new immigrants in their integration with and adapting to the diverse working cultures by holding training sessions to coach them and by taking care of their financial needs.  Raza Hasan/LinkedIn His message to the community was hard work, take calculated risks to climb the corporate ladder and not being too comfortable in their jobs and helping new immigrants in integrating with and adapting to the diverse working cultures Surjit Babra, CEO & Founder, Skylink Capital Corp.  Surjit Babra/Twitter His message to the community was hard work, work smartly and to know when to stop, a desire to want to succeed and have good mentors to encourage, have a mission with a good action plan, to develop leadership qualities to take right steps at the right time in the right direction. Dr. Y. Raja Rampersaud, MD, FRCS(C), a distinguished and one of the best Spine Surgeons in the world and Professor, University of Toronto, Divisions of Orthopaedic and Neurosurgery. His achievements had been documented many times.  Dr. Y. Raja Rampersaud/Courtesy of UofT His message to the community was proper education with latest techniques at one’s finger tips, hard work, face challenges, taking risks, learn from one’s failures, to be creative in a broader environment, proper research methodology, being pragmatic in one’s approach and not wait for the perfectionism. Lata Pada, Recipient of Order of Canada for her contribution to Indian Classical Dance. She was one of the 15 Indians to be awarded the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman, an honor given to Oversees Citizens of India.  Lata Pada/Facebook Her message to the community was that artists are mirror to the society and to encourage and mentor the younger generation and new immigrants to be proud of who they are, celebrate their unique identity, and be industrious and passionate about their learning, to develop new skill sets and be creative to facilitate in opening more doors in their lives, and most importantly to give back to the community. She also added that classical dance is by no means old fashioned as it can be as current, as modern and as contemporary as we want it to be. Raj Kothari, Vice-Chair PwC Canada is one of the first partners of South Asian origins on Bay Street and sits on prestigious boards likes Aga Khan Foundation, Toronto General and Western Hospital and many more. In his message to the community, Kothari said one should not to compare oneself with any one but to compare oneself to who the person wants to be. Ali Kizilbash, Founder, President, TWI Foods, owns the famous Crispy Brand. It is a front runner in ethnic markets with its product lines of Crispy Naan Breads, Cake Rusks, Flatbreads, cookies and many more. They have won many recognitions, including one of the best export companies of Ontario.  Ali Kizilbash/Facebook His message to the community was that no job in this world is low and should take up challenges in one’s job with pride and dignity. SONY Television, is One of the most followed South Asian Network through Asian Television Network (ATN) amongst the South Asian Diaspora in Canada. ATN SONY is currently available reportedly in more than 120,000* households in Canada through ATN . SONY Picture Television International and Channels include SONY Pictures Network (India), Animax, AXN, PIX, HBO Europe and SONY Movie Channel and available in over 100 countries from UK, Europe, North & South America, Asia, Australasia, Africa and Middle East. (Reporting by Asha Bajaj) #SexualHarassment, #WorkplaceHarassment, #WorkingWoman, #MichalAviad Toronto, Oct 18 (Canadian-Media): Israeli film director Michal Aviad has been applauded by crowds and critics alike with her latest offering, Working Woman. The film deals with sexual harassment at workplace, a prevalent problem in most societies. In a chat with IBNS Canada's Asha Bajaj and Sudipto Maity during the recently concluded Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Aviad opens up about the issue of remedying world of such vices and her special love for movies. Excerpts: Your film Working Woman is about an issue plaguing humankind for a very long time. Was it drawn from your personal experiences? Listen, most women on earth were sexually harassed, I’m sure in India as well. I didn’t experience it at work because for many years I’m a film director and I don’t have bosses. But, like most women, I experienced sexual harassment in my life, especially when I was a young girl, quite often. What inspired you to take up the subject? I wanted to take up this subject because I really wanted to understand how does it happen to so many smart, great women. I wanted to figure out how sexual harassment happens at work.  Michal Aviad Image: Facebook With regards to TimesUp and MeToo, do you reckon it couldn't have come at a better time? Yeah, but I started the film long before the MeToo movement started. MeToo happened while we were already in production. So, we did the funding before that, all the rehearsals were done before that, even the script was written. The MeToo movement didn’t really affect the film, but, I was happy that all of a sudden, the subject became mainstream. We have all been witness to the recent change in Hollywood, and by that I'm talking about the MeToo and TimesUp movement. Though these have done wonders, do you think such a step was procrastinated for far too long? I cannot really criticise the women. What I know is, we are talking about say 100 to 200 women, but, women who are harassed at work, are in the millions. Till all the women won’t speak up, things won’t happen. In my opinion, one or two famous women came out and that’s great, but it’s not going to change the world. Do you think it is a failure from both sides, the victim and the perpetrator? That’s right. It’s true. But the problem is that in society, as we know it, it’s very hard for women who are not famous and do not make the news, to come out. They can lose their job, they can lose their ability to support the children and that’s a big deal. Workplace sexual harassment is prevalent in most countries. Having said that, how's the situation in Israel? It is exactly like the situation in other industrial countries. Yeah, very similar. We believe you wrote the script with two other people. While co-writing, there's bound to be ideas that don't match the other writers. How do you solve those conflicts? All of us didn’t work at the same time. I worked with one of them for about a year and then I worked with the other script writer to improve the script for another few months.  Aviad attending the screening at TIFF. Image: Facebook You have made both documentaries and features and have been making films for the last three decades. What's your first preference between documentaries and feature films? Oh my God! (pause) Right now, feature films, because I’m less experienced and I want to make more. But, for many years I was very happy making documentaries. Do you watch your own movies? Yes. For instance, I’m in love with this film. It will take me two years to really watch it in a critical way. I’m too close to it.  A still from the movie Imahe: tiff.net Have you watched anything recently which resembles your present work?
No, which is really strange. It’s a phenomena that is so prevalent and there are/were films which were made about sexual harassment in Hollywood, in the mainstream, they are either- she is happy to have sex with him because he is powerful or it happens the other way around, where she is the boss and she harasses him. There aren’t film which shows how it happens usually. Finally, why did you decide to have the international premier of your movie at TIFF? I didn’t decide. I just sent it and they accepted it. I’m happy (laughs).  JourneytoSpace; #MarkKrenzien; #GiantScreenFilm; Toronto, Oct 12 (Canadian-Media): During the questions and answer sessions before and after the screening of the film 'Journey to Space' and Canadian-Media exclusive interview on Oct 3 at the Ontario Science Centre with Mark Krenzien , the director/writer/producer of the film highlighted a few of the noteworthy events and challenges he faced in making the film. As an introduction Krenzien said that 'Journey To Space' is a new Giant Screen Film that both celebrates the history of the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs, and foretells the future of what the next chapter of space exploration will be. The film is a timely review of how NASA has been transitioning from the end of the Space Shuttle Era to a much more ambitious future that will forever change how we live and operate in space as a species. Mark Krenzien/Facebook Q1. When did you begin compiling the film and how long did it take? A. I started compiling the film in 2014 and the entire process took nearly two years. The editing of the film was time-consuming. The film was first aired in 2016. In the giant film screen all the images have to be captured well. Some images in this film have not come out well because they were taken with small cameras. To capture images in giant screen films special cameras have to be used which can hold large amount of information. Q2. When did you start your career? I started my film and television career more than thirty-five years back. Beginning as an Emmy-winning film editor, and then as a cinematographer. I have written, produced, and directed documentaries for ABC, HBO, Showtime, and Discovery as well as written screenplays for Universal, Paramount, and Showtime More recently, I wrote, produced, and/or directed 12 large-format IMAX films including Humpback Whales, Journey to the South Pacific, Adventures in Wild California, The Mystery of the Nile, The Alps, Grand Canyon Adventure, and Arabia all for MacGillivray Freeeman Films. Q3. What inspired you to make this film? A. Primarily to inspire a new generation of young people to dream of new horizons in space and learn about the accomplishments of the Space Shuttle Program. The audience will be excited to learn about America’s future in space, and be much more knowledgeable about how those plans are being executed. Most movies I made dealt with environment, wild life, and saving the nearly extinct animal species and now got interested in hard science. Also we are nearer to space now than before. I had a chance to work for Boeing before in International Rescue operations and they suggested that I should do this story and offered to fund this film. Apollo also joined Boeing in funding this film. Q4. What was your goal in making 'Journey To Space'? A. In 'Journey To Space', we strive to make the young and adult viewers understand how the experience gained from the Shuttle/ISS in their planning and actual hardware will lead to next phase of human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. Preparations for the Mars mission are well underway, and we want the public to know that human space exploration program didn’t die with the end of the Shuttle program. We are nearer to the space now than we were ever before. Our goal is to make Mars safe. Q5. What are your thoughts about this film? Colonising Mars versus frequent trips? Some private companies encourage colonisation but NASA is very clear that when they send the astronauts they would come back. This makes it more complicated because NASA is in favour of frequent trips rather than colonisation. But as one ocean explorer Christopher Columbus started his voyage he did not know if he would come back or not. The same is the case of the astronauts. NASA, on the other hand, does not allow astronauts to start their trip until and unless they are fully equipped with knowledge and training. Inquisitiveness is also necessary. But the future goal is to colonize Mars by the end of 2030s. So both Colonization of Mars as well as frequent trips would be occurring in the future. Q6. What is the first mission to mars looks like? Through visually stunning imagery, and in collaboration with leading space experts, the film showcases the exciting plans currently under way and the challenges NASA and the space industry must overcome to carry out future missions, such as landing astronauts on Mars and capturing asteroids. More important than the film are excellent animations done by Canadian film company in Quebec. This film also projects the continuation in designing of the space suit for the next generation Equally important is the use of effective equipment to make sure the space shuttle does not get damaged as we come and go up. Then there is the addition of Canadian Giant arm to Space shuttle to enhance both its efficacy and success. This addition of Canadian Giant arm to Space shuttle is so precise that it can militarise some of its controls to perform micrographic surgeries. This film also projects what is going on today. All the three astronauts: Serena Aunon, Mark Ferguson and one more are still alive and active. Q7. How did we make this film? IMAX is a proud Canadian as it was invented in Canada and is a good medium and immediately they realized that shooting space mission was a good thing. To make this giant screen film. OMNIMAX, we had to use special cameras, different from regular feature cameras, as these special cameras can hold a lot of information. Also for giant screen films we had to take into consideration three aspects: Historical, present, and the future aspects. We had to show how historical past films did. For this reason the first half of Journey To Space is a profile on the Space Shuttle Program and its 135 missions, enabling the audience to understand how we live and operate in space and as well as the future missions covered in the film. This part was done with the help of NASA. As part of the Space Shuttle section of the movie, we gave a strong overview of the Shuttle’s last major project – the launch and assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). We also gave a fitting tribute to the Shuttle Program 135 Shuttle missions describing many of the big steps taken by the shuttle and the lessons learned. The celebrities in this film included the men and women of the U.S. Space program – past and current, astronauts and on-the-ground NASA experts, plus an extensive advisory committee of space experts. Second part is devoted what is going on today like launching of Shuttle and how it assembled the International Space Station (ISS). ISS is a joint collaboration of 15 nations and operating 24/7 to provide a home and a science lab in space. This part of the film projects about how the three astronauts had to learn to build and conduct science in space building a foundation for the future astronauts. It shows the three astronauts getting ready to go the space station, launching of the space shuttle. NASA allowed me to use some of their equipment and material. I had to be trained because NASA is very clear that when the astronauts are taken up they have to be brought back. Continuation in designing of the space suit for the next generation is portrayed in this section. In the final part of animated film, emphasis is laid on realistic scenario of how astronauts will actually get to Mars, and how they would survive in space. The final part of the film projects great animations of how the astronauts live and survive in space. Q8. What was your favourite thing while making this film? A. Life long learning and Learning never stops. Human exploration is at the core of man’s DNA, said Mark Q9. Did you have to learn a lot? A. Yes I had to learn a lot. When I approached NASA to allow me to use some of their equipment and material, NASA said that for that I had to go back to school with all my crew and cameramen where we were given private lessons. NASA is very clear that when the astronauts are taken up they have to be brought back. I had to take several trips to Mars to get enough experience to land safely on Mars and then land safely on earth because NASA is very clear that when the astronauts are taken up they have to be brought back. Researchers expect the six-month and and one year tours on the ISS will yield beneficial knowledge on the medical, psychological and biomedical challenges explorers may face as they venture to an asteroid, Mars and beyond. I had to learn to drive space shuttle. The Canada arm of the space shuttle, another giant arm added was added to the space shuttle. I needed to get experience in walking through the module of space shuttle. Space in space module is very limited, If two persons are sitting inside they cannot move an inch. They had to be static. The great inflammable habitat which was a science lab for the astronauts to conduct experiments in space was huge. I had to be trained about three different elements: Orion, Olympus and SLS (Space Launch System), that would enable us to go farther into space than ever before. Q10. what challenges did you have to face while making of this film? We had to learn hard to take simple shots of Heusten Space centre with camera. I needed to get experience in walking through the module of space shuttle which was very difficult. This was due to the fact that Space in space module is very limited. If two persons or more persons are sitting inside they cannot move an inch. They had to be static. Q11. What messages do you give in this film? A. My simple message in this film is that previous and past relationships matter a lot. Another message is that the first human nations to Mars would be set up by late 2030s. The last but the most relevant message is that learning never stops. Q1. During an exclusive Canadian-Media interview with Mark Krenzien, he was asked his reason for switching over -- from Environmental, Wild life, and preservation of species -- to the subject of Space? The present need for the children and youth of this generation as well as next generation to learn the progress being made in the space sciences with one of the recent launch of a space shuttle to Mars. We are much closer to Mars now as compared to the past and hence this project is most suitable to the present times. But my next three projects are based on preserving more cities and making them livable and savable. The subject of mountain exploration would also be taken up by me. Q2. Of all the films produced by you so far do you consider this is as your best film? If so, why? A2. Yes I consider this film as my best film because it is both inspirational and based on facts. This is because the first half of Journey To Space is a profile on the Space Shuttle Program and its 135 missions which paves the way for understanding of the youth of this generation as well as next generation to learn how we live and operate in space. As part of the Space Shuttle section of the movie, we give a strong overview of the Shuttle’s last major project – the launch and assembly of the ISS. The imagery used in film feeds the imagination of the young as well as the adult viewers. Another reason for considering this film as my best film so far is because I had to go to school with all my crew members and cameramen to get full training before I could project the scenes in which the space shuttle is launched to the space station. This gave me an opportunity for life-long learning. Q3. Who are some of the NASA experts you collaborated with on this film? A: NASA experts: Stuart McClung, Orion re-entry specialist; Lindsey Aitchinsen, Spacesuit Engineer; Serena Aunon, astronaut; Ellen Ochoa, Director of Johnson Space Center. Other principal film advisors include: JPL, Roger Launius, head curator at The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and Dennis Jenkins, consultant, author and curator. Q4: Does the film pay homage to NASA’s past accomplishments? A: Yes. The first half of Journey To Space is a profile on the Space Shuttle Program and its 135 missions, enables the understanding how we live and operate in space and as well as the future missions covered in the film. As part of the Space Shuttle section of the movie, we give a strong overview of the Shuttle’s last major project – the launch and assembly of the International Space Station. Q5: What are some of the new pieces of hardware introduced in this movie? A: Three different elements to enable us to go farther into space than ever before are featured in Journey To Space. They include: Orion, NASA’s first spacecraft designed to carry humans on long duration (years vs. days) to carry out deep-space exploration missions beyond low-Earth orbit and return them safely back home; Olympus, an early concept of an inflatable transit habitat that measures approximately 50-feet in diameter to provide astronauts the work area and living space necessary for long-duration missions; SLS (Space Launch System), the giant rocket -- that generates over nine million pounds of thrust equivalent to the weight of 22 elephants -- providing the huge lift necessary to carry Orion and Olympus as well as Mars landers and and vehicles into deep space and get astronauts to the surface of Mars and return them safely to Earth. (Reporting by Asha Bajaj) Toronto, Sep 22 (Canadian-Media): During an interview and a question and answer session with Brahmanand S. Siingh, the director of the film "Jhalki", on Sep 9 in Aanch Restaurant, Toronto, Ontario, Siingh presents the special cause of lost childhood addressing over 200 millions children worldwide and adds, "It's just the love for the cause of lost childhood. It troubles me anywhere, even in proper homes where, under parental tyranny, children never get a right to their childhood."  Brahmanand S. Siingh (on the right) & Tanvi Jain (on the left)  How did it all of this start? When did you write the story? How did the production start? What took so long to start the project after having the story? All filmmakers should live with their stories for at least ten years. The making of Jhalki is a long story. It goes back to many years. Prakash Jha and I had written the story in it's skeletal form, known more as a treatment. It was selected by the UK Film Council among their top ten shortlisted ones and I could senses little bit of it's International relevance when Nick Marston of Curtis Brown, London and on the selection panel at the UK film Council spoke at length why he calls stories like these (then called just 'A Different Childhood'), but didn't take it much seriously. At some point, I started doing the screenplay, then got Kamlesh Kunti Singh, a very fine writer, to do two or three drafts and the story seemed to be picking up. Soon, after about three drafts, it started looking a wonderful story when the element of the folk story entered our imagination. But with Kamlesh, in two or three drafts, with all his brilliance, it became a very surrealistic journey ... with the screenplay spreading into 200 pages and looked like a 100 days shoot material and way away from the original thought. That was I had had to pull it back to its original spirit and in the next three drafts, it started looking a little more towards what we had set out to achieve. Then, with my associate, Tanvi's entry on the project, we did many drafts, each one being chiseled more and more. Finally, with a few more associates towards the shoot, it went through many more layers of addition and deletion. With the passage of time, it got shortlisted and selected in various ways by NFDC's Film Bazaar, Strategic Partners, Atlantic Film Festival, Halifax in Canada, Sundance Script Lab and so on, with inputs and feedback from over 40 key people who knows World Cinema and its contours over a period of 7-8 active years of work on it. Many of them, they would readily put it in the category of films like Central Station and City of Gods. That went on becoming very encouraging. Throughout it all, we bounced the script with Kailash Satyarthi, who had supported the film idea right from the beginning and always was positive that it will get made one day. That, in short, is the long story of its journey. A few times it came close to being made and then something or the other would come in way. Finally, OMG came along and said let's do it and it took off. But I guess, that's how it is. I feel every film has its own karmic backlog and has its own journey of making. It's been a great learning experience.  Kailash Satyarthi What were the casting challenges of getting the lead child actors? How was it to cast for Kailash Satyarthi? Jhalki had to be a firebrand 11 year old, pre-puberty girl, so that was a big challenge ... To find someone who could carry the film on her fragile shoulders. Each time we would shortlist a few of them and a few years would pass by, they would grow up. A little less but almost the same was the case with the young boy. Finally, we went on a rampage, when the film was to be done, looking for appropriate face and fire in Mumbai as well as through our casting director, to areas like UP and Bihar, where the characters belong to get the local flavor. We must have shortlisted over 50, narrowed down to some 15 and finally took 4 of them through a 2-week workshop. We were thrilled with the final results. Kailash Satyarthi's was a different case. Ideally, we would have wanted him to act himself, but then acting and the takes and retakes is a tall task ... Especially when you have to do it in 45-48 degrees. Again Karmas changed ... Over a few years from KK to Manoj Bajpai to Boman Irani. The best part was, when we approached Boman, one of the first things he said, is that 'I am not bothered about my position in the film ... I just want to do this film, period.' That was very touching, and even later the way he carried it all, it was an amazing spirit to see and note.  Kailash Satyarthi (left) and Tanishta Chatterjee (right)  Tell us something about Aarti and Goraksh, both in front of camera and between the shots. How joyful or challenging was it to work with kids? They are both amazing actors. Both of them, in less than 3-4 days of shoot, were maintaining their own continuity like the seasoned actors and were incredibly fast in taking instruction and understanding the need of the takes. That they survived the heat and the make up for six weeks was no mean achievement. They won everyone's heart in the unit. And I feel. Both of them have a great future ahead. They are both natural actors. They think, they understand, they internalize, they improvise ... What more can a director ask for from two kids aged around 10 and 8!!! It was challenging no doubt because you had to communicate to them in way different from the grown up actors. But it was a great pleasure to see them switch off from mischief, especially Goraksh, who is mischievous little nut, and switch on to the character he was playing. Aarti (Jhalki) on left and Goraksh (Babu) on right How was the experience with such fine actors like Boman, Tanishtha, Sanjay Suri, Divya? You said it ... They are fine actors. And to add to it, also wonderful human beings. So it was out and out a pleasure of having good actors to understand the need of the role, their position in the story and I bribe the characteristics of the role they were doing and then improvising or sticking to the script, depending on when we chose to give them that freedom and when not, they delivered the best. Whether it was Boman and Divya and Sanjay and Tanishtha, they were a pleasure. So were actors who came from big mixed backgrounds of cinema, television and theater ... actors like Joy Sengupta and Akhilendra Mishra, Bachan Pachera and Govind Namdev, in their own very contrasting styles, gave wonderful performances. Same is true even with those with the likes of Vikram and Sanchita.  Divya Dutta (Sunit Bhartiya) on left and Sanjay Suri (Sanjay Bhartiya) on right This story is of 90s. What measures were taken to give it a 90s look? Thankfully, we didn't have to do too much. But yes, things like characters not having cellphones or the bus stop Chauraha having film posters of that era and certain precautions in the village in terms of the clothes they wore. Though we could not do much with the cell phone numbers on poster adverts of tuition classes etc. But then it was late nineties that the film is placed in and it's not much of a period film in that sense. The idea of the film is far more important than all these put together. I would say, we could put in 80 percent precaution and efforts to have the late 90s bit but also missed out on 20 percent, otherwise the budget would have hit the roof!! Why sync sound? Actually, all small budget films, regional films always had sync sound. All of Ray's films were sync sound because of budget reasons. In between, people had started using dubbing as an easy solution. But then it lost out on the naturalness of the real situation, pitch, performance, everything. From Lagaan, again, sync sound became fashionable and a big thing. For me, sync sound is the only way to go, with maybe 10% left for dubbing ... only if the natural recording has been an impossible one to retain or there are any major performance with the dialogues. What measures were taken to make the language sound authentic? How easy or challenging it was? It was challenging. But we did let it loosen up a little bit towards a Bihari Hindi rather than an orthodox Bhojpuri! After all, it needs to be understood by the viewers and we were not making a Bhojpuri film. It was needed as long as the girl is in the village but the moment she comes to the town, it becomes a mix of her native tongue and Bihari Hindi because that's the way people actually speak in the belt. How did you and your team cope up with the heat? Ah!! Now you touch upon a raw nerve!! It was 45-48 degrees throughout and we were ending up long hours everyday. We were on nimbu Pani, bel ka sharbata and what not every few hours and water throughout!! We would have our head and body covered as much as we could so often since in addition to heat, there was also dust. Especially when we were shooting on roads, or the brick factory etc (add 3 degrees more to the overall temperature of the day). But amazing the way the entire team would cope with the heat and grime. There were smiles on most of the faces, despite of the heat and we always had something or the other to smile about and laugh at!! Everyday, every hour was a new adventure!! But yes, we were fortunate, no one fell ill, other than a few minor hiccups but that that too barely more than a few hours or a day at the most. Many have said that the overall energy on the set was very cool. How did you manage to keep your team and yourself so calm in such heat? Yes it was quite cool!! That was the only way to counter the heat outside I guess! But on a serious note, I feel, people who were there were more or less of the peaceful mentality and the understanding kinds, especially when explained that losing your cool on every damn thing is like drinking poison and thinking that other will die. Never has there been much benefit by being hot headed. It gives the hot heard person an illusion that he is in control but it is actually just the reverse. Show one person who will tell you he loves to work only when he is shouted at. There are many ways to rectify things and get great results. Shouting and losing your temper is the least effective one!! Real locations; Last minute hurdles; Local support and opposition … Why Mirzapur? Well, we selected Mirzapur because of many reasons. Firstly, because it housed the maximum carpet factories in one small town. Added to that, we had people who were known and had welcomed offering support (many of which happened and many didn't). Last minute hurdles started coming from one interview that one of our lead casts gave and mentioned that it is a film against carpet factories. Thereafter, the entire Carpet Association always withdrew their confirmed bookings and had to spend a lot of time that the film is about the girl's search for her brother and it is not for or against carpet factory but it is about awareness for abolishing child labor, wherever it exists, in whatever form it does, in its 200 million worldwide number and that it was based in the 90s not today!! It was a big hurdle, no doubt, to look, for new location for a shoot next day, shift schedules etc. But at the end of it all, we managed it well. Two people who deserve unending appreciation for this is my co-director, Tanvi Jain and Line Producer, Neeraj Gohil! There were nights when all of us slept for just 4 hours and Neeraj none at all because he was busy sorting out yet another hurdle that had come up!! It was an everyday affair!! Whichever day, we didn’t face it, it seemed some fun is missing!! But we finished everything as per the overall plan and pretty much with everything that we had set out to achieve. "Hopping on the train track” scene. How challenging it was. The film has many dream sequences. How have you woven dream, folklore and reality together to tell your story? That was a dangerous one. We shot it on railway tracks at night of what is one of the busiest railway routes in the country! Every 5 minutes there is a train passing by! We had to appoint our own sambhas to keep guard and inform us the moment train was visible. In between, we practiced and lit the entire section and shot. That too with kids who were like half asleep at 3 am! Finally, with the daybreak, we winded up!! One of the most chilling experiences ... Dangerous but achieved with extra brownie points!! Yes the film has a few dream sequences ... It's a psychological insight into the Jhalki's fears and aspirations and states of mind. And then there is another kind of dream, the folk story ... So in a way, it is a very layered film of interpretation, inspiration and allusions, but all of it told in a mainstream, popular format of adventure and search!! Day 32 – Heat, Camera and Action (The day of bull-fight, camera heat-up and a local brawl) Yes it was an amazing day! We were shooting on the main road, one of the busiest ones in town. Our DOP was on a crane, taking a shot, with traffic help up in both sides. And, suddenly, two bulls appeared from nowhere and kept on dragging each other with their full might for a distance of almost 500 meters, disbursing the crew and the crowd gathered to see the shoot, into a panic mode! Most under threat was the DOP who, if the crane would have gotten toppled, would have landed who knows where!! However, soon we resumed shoot and all seemed normal ... Until, from the traffic that was held on either side during the shot taking, two people emerged out of nowhere, exactly the way the Bulls had done and locked horns and fought bitterly and violently with each other!! And I said, this must be the only case in shooting history, where first the Bulls fought and at exactly the same spot, two humans fought, exactly in the same way!! What is your personal connection with the story or this project? What kept you going for so long to make this film? It's just the love for the cause of lost childhood. It troubles me anywhere, even in proper homes where, under parental tyranny, children never get a right to their childhood. This was a beautiful story and with a special cause to be addressed for over 200 millions children worldwide. Our anthem song, written by Jhankar, sung by Shankar Mahadevan and composed by Sandesh Shandilya, is a befitting one about the value that we must attach to each and every childhood! It is such a beautiful phase of life and I think we are all party to a crime, if children don't get and a free and unfettered and unburdened childhood!!  Reporting by Asha Bajaj
Eric Jolliffe
#EricJolliffe, #YorkPolice, #Marijuana, #Canada, #Toronto, #CanadianPolice, #CanadianSecurity
IBNS Canada's Suman Das and Asha Bajaj interact with York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe. Excerpts: Chief Jolliffe, you have been active for over 38 years now. If you are to pick the watershed moment of your career what would it be? I have got a few. Actually arresting some body for murder before the murder was discovered. That happened in 1984 just a few years in my job as a police officer. It happens once in a life time that you arrest somebody before the murder was discovered. This rare event caught the attention of the chief of the police of the day and not long after that, he asked me to come and work for him. It was a rare opportunity for me. I would not have been in this position at present if I had not got the chance to work for the Chief of the Police at that time. You have served in a variety of functions including Uniform Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Planning Services, Project Management and Strategic Planning. Which one out of these would you say was the most challenging for you? Why? You missed a few of the roles. For example, I looked after large police districts with 250 folks with different work components, looked after SWAT teams, which is a very operational function. They are all complex and challenging in their own way. In 1986 as a young police officer I was working on my thesis on the growth of this region. I had written a report to be presented to the government that 185 more police officers should be hired in 1987 and 1988. They approved that. As a result of that, this year YRP would be seeing 60 retirements. According to the annual statistical report, the rate of import and exportation of drugs had increased in 2016 from a corresponding period in 2015. Has the percentage dropped this year? I had done some research on these. There has been some increase from 5 percent to 65 percent. The reason we could not focus on this aspect was that the police force -- which has to deal with specifically different issues at a given time – was at that time focused on trying to find out from where this drug function actually evolved. There is this burning question that I ask people while traveling if any body knows from where these drugs come from? Right now, we are in the midst of an opioid fentanyl crisis. And I am going to tell you something. It is coming from an organized crime. That is why we spend time at the higher end. In 2015, we had five investigation, in 2016 we had 65 investigation. We have a strong opinion around Marijuana. We have been in the community for a long time and everyday we see what unfolds and we have the best seat the house to see what unfolds. What are the areas that you as a department would like to improve upon? I think as an organization we are pretty strong in the category but I have to read a lot and watch a lot and the conversation around trusting confidence in community. We are constantly trying to improve and ways to connect to community, to display the nature of the police service and the connections that we have so that we can build a front-line delivery model and a role model. According to a reminder on the York regional Police official Twitter handle, it states: "Twitter is not monitored 24/7 and is not a reporting tool. In emergencies call 9-1-1. For non-emergencies call 18668765423." In a day and age when every thing is so web oriented, don't you think you should change too (in terms of using Twitter as a reporting tool)? Interesting question. Technology is changing. I had to do a bit of research on this too. Twitter allows only 120 characters for use which is rather small. We have other options: calling 911, online reporting, crime stoppers and tons of other opportunities. So if one cannot use their phone we make use of the technology. We are moving to enhanced technology called e911 where actually you are able to connect the video or photographs with that event. We encourage citizens to let us know of any incidents that are not right. We want to know about that which can be provided by way of photographs etc. this is very helpful. Don’t you think for drug overdoses or drug related crime, involving young communities, shouldn't the government become more active in finding out ways to solve this problem rather than putting the criminals behind the bars? Inactivity of youth is a problem. We have a centre which we call community safety village and we bring kids from junior kindergarten to Grade 5 to have conversations with them around bicycle safety, travel safety helmet safety, water safety, fire safety, internet safety and all kinds of safety concerns. So we are engaging pupils from Junior kindergarten to grade 12 and I would say 99 percent of these opportunities to engage our community are all about encouraging youth to select healthy life style. Next year we would be teaching Grade 5 students all about diversity and inclusion and this has become a new Hate Crime Prevention programming. We need to be thoughtful about how our legislation is designed and how the police services get the time to prepare the police officers for this new changing legislation because if you are not well versed on how things are legally unfolded, you end up creating laws and these case laws can be very damaging in case of fight against impaired driving and drunk driving. So that is why I say : Do it slowly, do it methodically, make sure there are regulations in place, make sure there are training in place so that when we get to this is where we are going that everyone is in a comfortable position. I have a very strong opinion specially around drinking and driving, this police services is very much focused on drinking and driving in York region. Do you think legalization of marijuana is good step? I do not think it is a good thing. Some people call me an old school. I have been in the business for 38 years. I watched things unfold and I do not think it is a good decision go legalize marijuana. It is certainly good for revenue generation. We recently heard from police officers from other regions like Durham Regional Police etc. are involved in illegal activities or even drug dealing. Have you introduced any methods to check these in your police force? We do tremendous amount of work on ethics and behaviour and education around police services act. Folks may not realise that in the police service act chief of police has a very interesting position. You know I am managing 23,00 employees, managing 314 million dollar budget to see that our folks are comfortble and secure but I am also disciplinarian as a dad of YRP. One of my jobs is to make sure that the folks are behaving themselves and I take that role here very seriously. Reputation of our police service is extremely important for me. That is why occasionally people might have noticed that when ever an issue arises, I take action to see things done very quickly and I do not dab around my business. What is a typical day in Chief Eric Jolliffe's life like? There is no typical day. My day usually begins at about 5:30 in the morning and see around 30 emails. Every day is different. Every weekend pretty much is devoted to the communities. I do not have enough time with my family. But when I accepted this job I knew all the challenges and I was prepared for this. I have two older kids and have grand kids and I make sure I squeeze a little time out of my busy schedule to spend with them. As a chief of police you are entrusted for some very important things and trusted to ensure that your community feels safe and secure, trusted that the funding that you are given is spent appropriately. There are all sorts of different expectations of the police chief. With 30 years of experience in police and with your leadership role, are you contemplating to join politics in the near future? I do not know about it. This question has asked by many people. First of all we are seen publicly and we do have our opinions. Our opinions are based on what we see every single day in our community. My predecessor was hugely engaged in community. (Questions compiled by Sudipto Maity)  Eric Jolliffe ricJolliffe, #YorkPolice, #Marijuana, #Canada, #Toronto, #CanadianPolice, #CanadianSecurity IBNS Canada's Suman Das and Asha Bajaj interact with York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe. Excerpts: Chief Jolliffe, you have been active for over 38 years now. If you are to pick the watershed moment of your career what would it be? I have got a few. Actually arresting some body for murder before the murder was discovered. That happened in 1984 just a few years in my job as a police officer. It happens once in a life time that you arrest somebody before the murder was discovered. This rare event caught the attention of the chief of the police of the day and not long after that, he asked me to come and work for him. It was a rare opportunity for me. I would not have been in this position at present if I had not got the chance to work for the Chief of the Police at that time. You have served in a variety of functions including Uniform Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Planning Services, Project Management and Strategic Planning. Which one out of these would you say was the most challenging for you? Why? You missed a few of the roles. For example, I looked after large police districts with 250 folks with different work components, looked after SWAT teams, which is a very operational function. They are all complex and challenging in their own way. In 1986 as a young police officer I was working on my thesis on the growth of this region. I had written a report to be presented to the government that 185 more police officers should be hired in 1987 and 1988. They approved that. As a result of that, this year YRP would be seeing 60 retirements. According to the annual statistical report, the rate of import and exportation of drugs had increased in 2016 from a corresponding period in 2015. Has the percentage dropped this year? I had done some research on these. There has been some increase from 5 percent to 65 percent. The reason we could not focus on this aspect was that the police force -- which has to deal with specifically different issues at a given time – was at that time focused on trying to find out from where this drug function actually evolved. There is this burning question that I ask people while traveling if any body knows from where these drugs come from? Right now, we are in the midst of an opioid fentanyl crisis. And I am going to tell you something. It is coming from an organized crime. That is why we spend time at the higher end. In 2015, we had five investigation, in 2016 we had 65 investigation. We have a strong opinion around Marijuana. We have been in the community for a long time and everyday we see what unfolds and we have the best seat the house to see what unfolds. What are the areas that you as a department would like to improve upon? I think as an organization we are pretty strong in the category but I have to read a lot and watch a lot and the conversation around trusting confidence in community. We are constantly trying to improve and ways to connect to community, to display the nature of the police service and the connections that we have so that we can build a front-line delivery model and a role model. According to a reminder on the York regional Police official Twitter handle, it states: "Twitter is not monitored 24/7 and is not a reporting tool. In emergencies call 9-1-1. For non-emergencies call 18668765423." In a day and age when every thing is so web oriented, don't you think you should change too (in terms of using Twitter as a reporting tool)?
Interesting question. Technology is changing. I had to do a bit of research on this too. Twitter allows only 120 characters for use which is rather small. We have other options: calling 911, online reporting, crime stoppers and tons of other opportunities. So if one cannot use their phone we make use of the technology. We are moving to enhanced technology called e911 where actually you are able to connect the video or photographs with that event. We encourage citizens to let us know of any incidents that are not right. We want to know about that which can be provided by way of photographs etc. this is very helpful. Don’t you think for drug overdoses or drug related crime, involving young communities, shouldn't the government become more active in finding out ways to solve this problem rather than putting the criminals behind the bars? Inactivity of youth is a problem. We have a centre which we call community safety village and we bring kids from junior kindergarten to Grade 5 to have conversations with them around bicycle safety, travel safety helmet safety, water safety, fire safety, internet safety and all kinds of safety concerns. So we are engaging pupils from Junior kindergarten to grade 12 and I would say 99 percent of these opportunities to engage our community are all about encouraging youth to select healthy life style. Next year we would be teaching Grade 5 students all about diversity and inclusion and this has become a new Hate Crime Prevention programming. We need to be thoughtful about how our legislation is designed and how the police services get the time to prepare the police officers for this new changing legislation because if you are not well versed on how things are legally unfolded, you end up creating laws and these case laws can be very damaging in case of fight against impaired driving and drunk driving. So that is why I say : Do it slowly, do it methodically, make sure there are regulations in place, make sure there are training in place so that when we get to this is where we are going that everyone is in a comfortable position. I have a very strong opinion specially around drinking and driving, this police services is very much focused on drinking and driving in York region. Do you think legalization of marijuana is good step? I do not think it is a good thing. Some people call me an old school. I have been in the business for 38 years. I watched things unfold and I do not think it is a good decision go legalize marijuana. It is certainly good for revenue generation. We recently heard from police officers from other regions like Durham Regional Police etc. are involved in illegal activities or even drug dealing. Have you introduced any methods to check these in your police force? We do tremendous amount of work on ethics and behaviour and education around police services act. Folks may not realise that in the police service act chief of police has a very interesting position. You know I am managing 23,00 employees, managing 314 million dollar budget to see that our folks are comfortble and secure but I am also disciplinarian as a dad of YRP. One of my jobs is to make sure that the folks are behaving themselves and I take that role here very seriously. Reputation of our police service is extremely important for me. That is why occasionally people might have noticed that when ever an issue arises, I take action to see things done very quickly and I do not dab around my business. What is a typical day in Chief Eric Jolliffe's life like? There is no typical day. My day usually begins at about 5:30 in the morning and see around 30 emails. Every day is different. Every weekend pretty much is devoted to the communities. I do not have enough time with my family. But when I accepted this job I knew all the challenges and I was prepared for this. I have two older kids and have grand kids and I make sure I squeeze a little time out of my busy schedule to spend with them. As a chief of police you are entrusted for some very important things and trusted to ensure that your community feels safe and secure, trusted that the funding that you are given is spent appropriately. There are all sorts of different expectations of the police chief. With 30 years of experience in police and with your leadership role, are you contemplating to join politics in the near future? I do not know about it. This question has asked by many people. First of all we are seen publicly and we do have our opinions. Our opinions are based on what we see every single day in our community. My predecessor was hugely engaged in community. (Questions compiled by Sudipto Maity) |
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