An Inclusive and Inspirational Night of Recognition and Celebration for Building Strong Communities
Drishti Media Group celebrated its 11th year publishing the power of innovation and excellence. It hosted its seventh annual Drishti awards gala on Friday, November 19, 2021, at the stunning and exquisitely decorated Aria Convention Centre, Surrey, attended by more than 900 guests. Drishti Awards Gala Night was a unique and remarkable moment filled with inspiration, empowerment, appreciation, and celebration. Every component of the gala night, starting from the ‘Royal Crystal Palace’ themed red-carpet entrance to the ballroom, captivated the guests and made it one of Canada’s luxurious and impressive events. The accessible entrance embraced by Brian Jessel BMW gave a luxurious and outstanding feeling to the gala.
Drishti Media Group was thrilled to acknowledge and celebrate the innovative and excellent work of individuals and organizations that have brought extensive expertise and devoted time and energy in making their community more caring, dynamic, inspiring, healthy, and outstanding. Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity are fundamental to the success of the Drishti Awards.
We are designing a multidimensional approach to ensure that the Drishti Awards gala is a place where people from every background feel like they belong and contribute. We thank the members of the selection committee, Nemy Banthia, Puneet Sandhar, and Bobby Pawar, for devoting their time and effort to finalize the winners of 2021. “All the winners elucidate power not through their knowledge or competence, but rather through how they inspire, encourage, and empower others—which is why it’s significant to recognize and celebrate their remarkable achievements,” said Nawal Tandon, President and Founder of Drishti Media Group.
The stunning cocktail reception sponsored by An Elegant Touch Home Staging and Design before a sumptuous dinner was great and gave the participants an enormous opportunity to network and consolidate their relationships. The exclusive Ice Sculpture, red carpet decorated with a royal look and LED screens on both sides, and Pose 360 video booth in the cocktail lounge, was an incredible attraction. The Drishti Awards acknowledged the most successful community members: business leaders, philanthropists, community activists, artists, health care innovators, young professionals, athletes, and organizations for bringing their extensive expertise in building a diverse and healthy civil society.
The evening began with the dazzling and fusion performance by world-renowned Shiamak Dancers, who captivated the audiences’ visual and auditory senses with their collaborated performances with contortionists. Our sincere thanks to the entertainment sponsor, ML Emporio Properties, for their kind support.
Our Emcee, Zara Durrani, kept the proceedings moving with their witty banter and interactions with guests and honorees.
For the first time, there was an Indigenous acknowledgment. Chief Harley Chappell of Semiahmoo First Nation, Surrey, was introduced by the Surrey Board of Trade CEO Anita Huberman. He was recognized and presented the trophy by Nawal Tandon, Founder and President, of Drishti Media Group.
There was a special community award for Surrey Hospitals Foundation. The Board Chair, Harp Dhillon and member, Sonia Virk received the well-deserved award from Balraj Mann, Chairman of BM Group.
There were two special awards, one for an individual, sponsored by Canada India Network Society (CINS), and the other for an organization sponsored by IC-IMPACTS. The award for building Canada-India links was presented to Stephen Dooley, Executive Director, SFU, by City of Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum and Dr. Arun Garg, President of CINS. The award for Strengthening Canada-India Bond through Co-Innovation was presented to Mitacs Canada. Rajat Sharma, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, received the honor on behalf of Mitacs Canada from Milan Mann, Vice President BM Group, Dr. Nemy Banthia, CEO & Scientific Director and Barj Dhahan, Board Chair, IC-IMPACTS. Our Emcee for the evening, Zara Durrani, handled the show with finesse and competence.
The packed audience featured such dignitaries as Members of Parliament, Randeep Sarai, Sukh Dhaliwal, and John Aldag. Raj Chouhan, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of BC, NDP MLAs Jinny Sims and Jagrup Brar, City of Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, Langley City Mayor Val van den Broek and Consul Manjish Grover from Consulate General of India Vancouver.
The audience also had the opportunity to witness a stunning fashion show by one of India’s most talented fashion designers—Charu Parashar, and by a local designer Armaan DBG by Davi Bains Gill, showcasing many elegant designs for men and women. The models’ hair and make-up were done by Vancouver’s award-winning Hair and make-up artist, Pink Orchid Studio. The dinner sponsor of the evening was Teja Foods. Dessert sponsor Terra West Group provided different styles, flavors, and designs of cakes from Anjan’s Delights with their well-designed and unique cake that tasted incredibly delicious.
A massive shout out to our Gala sponsors, whose generosity made it once again possible for Drishti Magazine of its Annual Awards Gala for the seventh year! The Title sponsor for the seventh annual DRISHTI Awards was BM Group of Companies. Sponsors for this year’s gala included Teja Foods, ML Emporio Properties, Envision Financial, Desjardins, Brian Jessel BMW, An Elegant Touch Home Staging and Design, Terra West Group, Prospera Credit Union, Natu’oil Services, Spring Travels, BCIT, Simon Fraser University, Port of Vancouver, Nature’s Path, Goyal Group, Odyssey International, Olive Fertility, FASKEN Law Firm, Bharat Jewellers, Essex Collision Services, The Ron Basra, Golden Tree Jewellers, Tangerine Developments, Forever Group, Arora Immigration, Amandeep Duggal Mortgage Broker, Keyways Mortgage Inc; Charu Parashar, Armaan DBG, Pink Orchid Studio, IC-IMPACTS, CINS,Jassal Signs, A-1 Sports, CIVIC Hotel, Cropped Studios, VTV Canada, Raycom, Magna Productions, Silk Lounge, and Aria Convention Centre.
