Spring is in the air and, in this season of renewal, NetIP Toronto is already blossoming!!
We had a great first quarter and I was pleased to see so many of you participating and enjoying our events which included a Visit to the Textile Museum, South Asian Heritage Day at the ROM and GMAT and LSAT 101.
I am particularly pleased to announce that this newsletter is packed with event information from every pillar committee.From a Dinner Circle for Entrepreneurs to a Guided Tour to the Swaminarayan temple; a screening of Made in India at the Hot Docs Festival to a special community alliance with Hope House – your NetIP Toronto Board is working hard to ensure that you receive maximum value and benefit from your membership.
Details of all the events can be found below and I hope that many of you are able to attend and participate.
As always, NetIP Toronto is committed to provide its members with a one stop venue to meet other like minded professionals. We want to help you enhance your personal and professional development through workshops, seminars and conferences.
This is your organization and the more you put in it, the more you will get out of it.
Regards,
Salima Syerah Virani President - Toronto Chapter The Network of Indian Professionals
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Community Service
NetIP Toronto is pleased to announce a special Community Alliance partnership with HOPE HOUSE
We invite all our members to attend a social evening on Wednesday, April 14th with the Hope House team and learn about the project and how to get involved.
Come by and meet and mingle with your peers and support a great cause!
Here are the details:
Date:Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Time: 7 pm onwards
Venue: Babaluu Supperclub, Yorkville, Toronto
Light tapas will be served. There is no admission fee to attend the event.
About Hope House
In 2004, 'Born into Brothels' won an Academy Award and told the powerful story of young children in Calcutta's red light district struggling to break a cycle of poverty and prostitution.
Soon after, the film makers set up 'Kids with Cameras' a non-profit organization that teaches the art of photography to marginalized children in communities around the world. Kids With Cameras uses photography to capture the imaginations of children, to empower them, building confidence, self-esteem and hope.
Kids With Cameras plans to break ground in early 2010 to construct Hope House (Asha Niwas). The Hope House Fundraiser will take place on May 27th at Palais Royale in Toronto.
Professional Development
So you want to be an entrepreneur, eh?
An entrepreneur is not a person, but a personality, the personality that dreams. There are challenges and there are rewards.
Entrepreneurs are innovators.Is an entrepreneurial spirit inherently genetic or is it a skill that can be learned?
If you are an entrepreneur or someone that aspires to be one then join a group of like minded persons that will share unique experiences on their entrepreneurial quest.You will also receive valuable insights on entrepreneurship, the rewards and the pitfalls and learn about the ten truths every entrepreneur should not ignore!
The dinner circle will be led by Syerah Virani who is a lawyer turned entrepreneur, a speaker and a coach to new entrepreneurs.
In order to ensure maximum participation, we have very limited spots available for the Dinner Circle and this event is open only to registered members of NetIP Toronto.
Here are the details:
Entrepreneurs' Dinner Circle
Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010
Time: Arrival and Networking at 6.00 pm
Dinner: 6.30 pm
Venue: The Fifth Elementt, 1033 Bay Street, Toronto
Tickets: $30 per person (includes a three course meal)
There are very limited seats available for this event so book yours now! Click HERE to reserve your tickets:
The Cultural Awareness Pillar of NETIP Toronto invites you to a fun-filled day of architecture, peace, tranquility and culture on Saturday, May 1, 2010
NETIP Toronto is pleased to coordinate a guided architectural and museum tour of the newly-constructed BAPS Swaminarayan Complex in North York. The tour includes an interactive view of this cultural wonder, and will be followed by a healthy vegetarian lunch.
ABOUT THE COMPLEX: Thousands of tonnes of fine marble and limestone were hand-carved by over 1,800 craftspersons at 26 sites in India. Over 24,000 individually carved pieces were shipped to Canada and assembled in Toronto over a period of 18 months. All of the masonry is load bearing, with no reinforcement from ferrous material such as steel -- not even in the foundation! This unique structure was built to last 1,000 years.
The tour includes a video presentation of the building's construction, a tour of the cultural museum, and a walk-through of the main temple and meditation zones. Please refer to the attached publication and rules of engagement, which include directions and transportation options.
EVENT DETAILS
What: Guided Tour of BAPS Swaminarayan Complex
Where: BAPS Swaminarayan Complex, 61 Claireville Drive (near Finch and Hwy 427), Toronto (See Mapquest link:
The Political Awareness Committe of NetIP Toronto invites you to the World Premiere of “MADE IN INDIA”
PART OF THE HOTDOCS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
Hotdocs- North America’s premier documentary film festival along with FILMI, the South Asian Film Festival presents Made in India on Sunday, May 2, 2010
Made in India, is a thought-provoking and drama-filled documentary that follows an American couple – Lisa and Brian Switzer to India as they desperately try to “outsource” their pregnancy in India’s unregulated but growing reproductive industry. There they meet Aasia, a poor Muslim woman in Mumbai who agrees to help for the right price to help bring her family out of poverty. As the due date nears however, things become far more complicated than either Aasia or the Switzer’s bargained for. It’s a jarring true story not to be missed!
EVENT DETAILS
What: Made in India – part of the Hotdocs documentary film festival
Where: Cumberland 2 (Cumberland and Avenue Road) Toronto
Before and After: We will meet at 6:15 pm before the show at the main entrance. Afterwards we will walk to a nearby cafe to meet, network and discuss the documentary in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.
Tickets price: (includes hotdocs service charge and paypal fee).
Members - $15.00
Non-Members - $17
New Members - $40 (includes entry + membership until December 31, 2010)
NETIP Toronto has secured a limited number of tickets to this event, so please register early.Click HERE to purchase your tickets online now:
The Toronto Chapter of Network of Indian Professionals hosted its inaugural event yesterday at the new offices of Heenan Blaikie LLP in the newly opened Bay Adelaide Centre in downtown Toronto.
The keynote speaker at the event, Former Prime Minister, Right Honorable, Jean Chrétien, welcomed the chapter and its members inspiring them to celebrate their differences and to be proud of their distinctiveness while remaining an integral component of the nation’s fabric and contributing to its and their own progress. He recognized the contributions made by South Asians in Canada and reminisced fondly about his visits to many countries in South Asia including India and Pakistan during his term as Prime Minister of Canada.
The evening commenced with an address by Syerah Virani, the incoming President and Founder of the Toronto Chapter. “Too often we settle for something simply because it’s there and it’s good enough. However, once you learn to settle for nothing short of excellence, the results are really quite extraordinary. It is time for Toronto to usher in an organization for South Asians that is not just good but that aspires for Greatness! And, that is my vision for NetIP Toronto” said Virani.
One of the key elements of the evening was the announcement of the new board of directors for 2010. “One other thing that I have learned” said Virani as she introduced the Board, “is that if you want to achieve greatness, you Get the Right People on the Bus! You do not skimp on talent. Your people are your biggest assets and key resources.”
The Board of Directors made an impressive line-up indeed with some of the brightest individuals from the South Asian community, who are all unswerving in their commitment to serve this organization.
Present at the event was Ajay Chopra, the Vice President of NetIP North America who is also the individual who started the ball rolling by first bringing the NetIP annual conference to Toronto in September 2009 and then working very closely with Syerah Virani to establish the local chapter.
Also in attendance was Aruna Paramasivam, the President of NetIP North America who formally opened the new Toronto chapter with these words, “The establishment of the Toronto Chapter is the crystallization of a strategic growth plan for NetIP as it becomes an organization with truly international reach”
In a room overlooking Toronto’s magnificent skyline, over a hundred South Asian professionals mingled and interacted with each other. If the calibre of the Board of Directors and the energy of this inaugural event is any indication of the measure of an organization, one can certainly expect great things to come from NetIP Toronto.
The Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the overall achievement and advancement of South Asian professionals. The primary focus of the organization is to foster a bond among South Asian professionals to unite and support each other on a local and personal level.
NetIP evolved in Chicago in 1990 initially as a small-scale forum for South Asian professionals to network with each other. Today, the organization has expanded to include over 3,000 members in 22 cities across United States and Canada. Its members comprise successful, talented, socially responsible and dynamic South Asian professionals all across North America.
For media enquiries please contact:
Syerah Virani, President, NetIP Toronto at
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Syma Shah, VP, Communications at
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