Desi News Corp - Index

Desi News Corp - Desi News - July 2009 - Index

We will rock you!
The Masti team.
BACK ROW L-R: Syma Shah,
Sanya Bhutani, Pooja Narang,
Shibani Rana FRONT ROW, L-R:
Jyoti Rana and Salima Rawji
stacles, the people always came.
On other fronts, I admit, this has
been an up-and-down year. But
I will share a story with you. I
was at lunch wth someone who
launched his first film at M!M!M!
He’s a well known name today.
We got talking about how this
has been a challenging year, and
I told him how tough it was on
some days, how frustrating. He
just looked at me and said, ‘But
you guys have to keep doing this.
You gave people like me a platform,
and I will always cherish
that.’ To be honest, that teared
me up. He’s a dear friend, but at
that point he was not speaking
as a friend, he was endorsing the
event as an artiste, endorsing
what we do. And that meant a
whole lot.”
Mathur has a marketing
background and Rana is a
trained techie. They each bring
distinct strengths to M!M!M!.
M!M!M! is Abhishek’s brainchild,
he’s the creative genius
behind it, says his proud partner.
“He also has incredible budgeting
skills, and will find
money where we didn’t think
there was any to be found! This
is a not-for-profit event, not
many people realize what it
takes to pull it off each year.”
Asked to elaborate on her
own role, Rana bursts into
laughter.
“Me? I’m useless! I do everything
Mr Mathur tell me to! Okay,
officially, my title is director of
operations. I work with the entire
team and the sponsors, and
make sure that everything is
working well, that we deliver. But
though every member’s contribution
is unique, every member can
do everything. We all take on any
task that needs to be done, and
we all support each other in a
wonderful, wonderful way.”
The core team shares an incredible
synergy, says Rana.
“We plan a two-hour meeting.
At the end of four or five
hours, we are still at it. Several
pizzas later someone will say,
‘Wait a minute, what time is it?’”
Their families, too, are very
supportive. Not as in, ‘What a
great idea, carry on,’ says Rana,
The festival is Abhishek
Mathur’s brainchild
but actually pitching in in various
capacities.
“Oh my God, yes. They say,
‘Jyoti-Abhi-M!M!M!’ in one
breath, as if it’s one name! Our
cousins are part of it, I can call
any of them and say I need
them to do this and know that
it will be done; my sister is part
of the core team. There are
days, specially in the run-up to
the event, when we are all tearing
our hair out and there is a
lot of, ‘Why do you guys do
this?’ But M!M!M! is a family
undertaking. Family is the crux.
That’s one of the reasons why
we keep the event free, so
people can come out as a family
and enjoy all that we have to
offer, together.’
Both Mathur and Rana are
Dubai-based now, and go back
and forth between Toronto and
Dubai. Mathur is the cultural
producer for Global Village, an
event park there, and Rana
works in event management
with Big Ball, a charity event for
the media industry that rehabilitates
schools in conflict zones
with UNICEF.
They have two children, Satya,
8, and Sia, 3, “going on 40!”
With work, kids and M!M!M!,
their days are more than busy.
On the day of this interview,
Rana had four meetings backto-back,
followed by an event.
Ditto for the following day, before
she caught a flight to
Dubai.
“Hopefully, I’ll sleep on the
plane! But coming in, I saw six
whole movies. I refused to sleep
– I thought when am I ever
going to have the uninterrupted
The women behind the success story
Born in New Westminster,
BC, Salima Rawji has
travelled extensively,
soaking up the culture. As team
lead since 2002, Salima’s connection
to art and community has
helped her fuel this year’s theme
of celebrating local talent. “I see
Masala!Mehndi!Masti! (M!M!M!)
as a household name like TIFF
or Caribana. I see artistes birthing
their careers at the festival
and celebrating their massive
success.”
Pooja Narang has been
committed to M!M!M! since its
inception in 2001. The festival’s
in-house publicist, Pooja
is also a communications officer
for the Ministry of Government
Services of Ontario.
She credits the festival with
helping her develop communication
skills. “I started out as a
somewhat shy girl, who would
go on stage with a tiny mousey
voice. Today, I am like a lion
on stage!”
Born and raised in Hamilton,
Syma Shah, moved to
Toronto as a way to change her
life. M!M!M’s operations executive
is the “go-to” girl for the
festival. One year, hearing through
her walkie talkie screams
to come to the main stage
immediately, Syma rushed
from backstage worried that
there had been an emergency
– only to find Pooja and Jyoti
pushing her forward to lead the
audience in a group dance to
soca/chutney music!
time to watch all these movies?”
Running around, getting
stressed, it’s part of their
psyche.
“I can honestly say, I think we
enjoy the adrenalin rush! We love
what we do, we love that others
love what we do. The stress? It
goes with the territory! It’s been
a fun journey and we are growing
and getting better and enjoying
every step of the way.”
– SHAGORIKA EASWAR
Sanya Bhutani’s love for art,
music and dance drew her to
M!M!M! in 2004. Today Sanya
leverages her passion for the arts
and South Asian community to
lead in the festival as the People’s
Choice awards producer. The
elementary school teacher finds
that work often does not end with
the ringing of the bell as she also
takes part in many after-school
activities, and her recently launched
clothing business often keeps
her nights occupied along with
her planning for M!M!M! “In all
of the work that I do, I make time
to enjoy life to the fullest by
spending time with those that I
love. M!M!M! is a project that I
am truly passionate about and get
pleasure from doing.”
The youngest member of
the M!M!M! team, Shibani
Rana, brings a fresh perspective
and approach to the festival.
After attending countless
South Asian events with her
mother as a young girl, at which
she was often bored to tears,
Shibani is determined to help
keep M!M!M! current and
interesting. “At other festivals,
the performances just didn’t
pique my interest. M!M!M!’s
mission is to showcase our
culture in a way that interests
all generations.”
She describes M!M!M! as the
highlight of her summer and
is involved in multiple aspects
in her role as festival administrator.
– SAFIA BARTHOLOMEW
July 2009 Desi News 11