What are the advantages of having a Kannada Sangha in Toronto?

Shambhavi Shankar – 2^nd prize

There are many advantages to having a Kannada Sangha in Toronto. Listed in this essay are some of them.

I had the good fortune to live in India for 8 years before my family moved here, Canada. Not all kids get the same opportunity. I feel the Kannada Sangha here provides the same environment for those who have never experienced India. It gives them the opportunity to explore the language, culture and heritage of India (Kannada) while being away from it.

The Kannada Sangha also provides a chance for people to interact with each other, giving them a place and time to socialize with kids and adults of the same kind. My parents use the Sangha as a place for me to practice my Kannada speaking skills.

People can use the Sangha as a place to showcase their talent. Every time we celebrate a festival, there is a show to go along with it and what would a show be without participants? Here kids and adults can get stage skills while having fun. The Sangha can also be a source of entertainment to people. What would a show be without an audience? People who enjoy musical and dance performances might like to watch and support the participants who volunteer to entertain them.

I’m guessing that most people don’t have their whole family living here with them in Canada. When they move to Canada friends usually replace their families. The Sangha provides a place for new families to meet old ones and vice versa. Meeting people can be really helpful as those people can guide you through problems like finding accommodation, buying the first car etc.

Volunteering. A thing that all high schoolers are expected to do. The Kannada Sangha can be a place that students use as a place to volunteer. Think about it; would you rather volunteer on weekdays wasting precious homework time or do it on the weekend? I can understand why people might not want to volunteer during the weekends. But, why not volunteer at a place that you have to go to? Instead of watching performances, put that time to better use (and volunteer)!

The Sangha is also like an affiliate program where people meet each other for business purposes. People that just immigrated to Canada might use this as a place to find jobs. Managers and Office owners could use this as a place to find people looking for jobs. This is good for both the sides of the situation as people need money (and water) to survive and employers need employees to work for them. And because without employees, there would be no offices or industries; let alone thriving offices or industries.

Oh yah, one final reason. When you have a Kannada Sangha in Toronto, all your shows and performances will surely be in Toronto (or the neighbouring area). I myself, live in Mississauga. Now you might be wondering why I brought this up. If the Kannada Sangha shows are in Toronto and I live in Mississauga, it doesn’t take very long for my family to drive to the performances. Still don’t get it? The shorter the drive is, the less gas you waste. The less gas you waste, the more environmentally friendly it is!!! I’m just joking!!!!!