Shilpashree Jagannathan

On Thursday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs suspended its visa services to Canada in light of “growing anti-Indian activities, politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada,” forcing many of the country’s nationals here to reconsider their travel plans.
“My infant child does not have a visa to India so I might have to change my travel,” a mother said, answering questions from New Canadian Media on Wednesday.
“What if India creates problems in giving visas and Overseas...

A Toronto-based activist organization working on many of the anti-caste movements has issued a public statement opposing the “Hinduphobia” petition e-4507 to the House of Commons.
The statement from South Asian Dalit Adivasi Network (SADAN) comes as a reaction to the ongoing petition demanding recognition of Hinduphobia as a term to describe anti-Hindu prejudice and discrimination.
“We caution that supporting this petition will have a disastrous impact on the safety of religious minorities, c...

Just days after India, the world’s largest rice exporter accounting for 40 per cent of global rice exports, imposed a ban on non-Basmati rice exports, Chandan Kumar Raja Nandakumar started a WhatsApp group named “Rice Availability Across Canada.”
The group’s mission: To share real-time updates on rice stock in grocery stores across the country.
“Our aim was to assist the community in sourcing rice,” said the Brampton, Ont. resident. With a membership of more than 900 South Asians, the group s...

Shots were fired at the doors of Scarborough cinema in the early hours of Thursday morning.
No one was injured in the shooting, according to Toronto Police, but the door to the Woodside Square Cinemas was hit by bullets. Police requested people who may have information about the incident contact them.
Woodside Cinemas, which screens South Indian films, is next to Woodside Plaza in the Toronto suburb. It’s a popular hangout for South Asians, but in recent years theatres across Canada that show...

Vancouver resident Raj Gnanasekaran is a Tamil movie buff and already has a ticket for opening day of the new movie, Jailer, starring Rajnikanth.
But he won’t be watching the film in Vancouver on Aug. 9 — he is driving to Bellingham, Wash. to see it at Regal Cinemas.
He did the same drive to watch the recent box office hit, Ponniyin Selvan: 2. Gnanasekaran would rather cross the border so he can watch films in high-quality theatres such as Cinemark, Regal and AMC, which he says provide superi...

Calgary-based Shravani Kumar, 33, was having a typical Friday until she read the news of the Indian government banning non-Basmati rice exports.
The software engineer, originally from the South Indian state of Karnataka, said the news turned her day into a hectic one. The export ban comes 10 months after India added 20 per cent duties on rice exports, making it even more expensive. Kumar had to quickly strategize and find ways to stock up on rice amidst the new restrictions.
Rice is a fundame...

This First Person piece was written by Shilpashree Jagannathan, a freelance journalist who lives in Toronto. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
It was a typical Monday morning. Almost.
My kids were sitting at the breakfast counter while getting ready for summer school, however, there was an unusual silence in the air. Without hesitation, I began addressing the elephant in the room.
The conversation we had revolved around how to stay safe in case they ev...

I am Cassandra (Cassy) Nazareth, a Mumbai-based environmentalist and founder of Nazareth Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that works on SDGs for Warli women in Aarey forest. Growing up, I witnessed my sister Rohini's personal journey as a queer individual. During a time when acceptance of queer identities was not as widespread, I embarked on a path of love and unwavering support. Rohini challenged gender norms as a self-assured "tomboy." While I now understand that using the term "to...

A recently released Netflix movie called ‘Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway’ has ignited a flurry of conversations regarding cultural differences between Indian and Canadian parenting styles and their impact on immigrant parents.
Naina, a newcomer to Canada who settled in a condo in Mississauga with her two-year-old daughter and has requested her name be changed for this article, has dealt with discrimination firsthand. After the move to Canada, the toddler felt the absence of her grandparents, who us...

The third and last warship Canada is sending to the Indo-Pacific region this year as part of its defence strategy is officially on its way.
Anita Anand, Canada’s defence minister, made the announcement at a Canada Indian Arts Festival in Etobicoke on May 27 — an event which celebrated the South Indian performing arts, and featured guests like Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and Consul General of India, Apoorva Srivastava.
“As part of our Indo-Pacific strategy, we aim to strengthen...

Brampton, ON, the ninth largest city in Canada, has become the third Canadian jurisdiction to include caste as a protected category.
On May 17, the Brampton city council unanimously passed the motion tabled by Councillor Gurpartap Singh Toor and seconded by Mayor Patrick Brown.
The council’s diversity and equity office will now develop a framework with the Ontario Human Rights Commission to implement this motion. Including caste as a protected category will have implications for various proce...

When Kate Winslet said, “Young women should enjoy their life instead of worrying about how they look,” it stuck a cord with me. I am one of those women who struggle with body image issues in a society heavily influenced by unrealistic beauty standards and societal expectations, and Kate’s statement was empowering.
I grew up listening to unsolicited advice about wearing clothes a size bigger than what I wear; everyone took a free ride to comment about my bra and how big it was. I have spent mo...

Chaitra Coelho, an Oakville-based accountant, has been on a waitlist for a bank safe deposit locker for almost two years now, but she hasn’t been given one yet. She has accounts at Scotiabank and TD, but neither has lockers available to service new customers.
Coelho is an immigrant from India, and culturally, South Asian women cherish their gold jewellery, passed down from generation to generation. South Asian immigrants make up seven per cent of Canada’s population.
“I need a bank safe depos...

Mayor and council in Burnaby, B.C. have voted to add caste as a protected category in the city’s code of conduct. The motion, tabled by Councillor Sav Dhaliwal on Monday, was passed unanimously to include caste as a protected category in city policies.
This follows two recent steps taken by Canadian jurisdictions to ban caste-based discrimination specifically.
Last month, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal penalized two people for using casteist slurs against a person belonging to a l...