Desi Today Magazine
What these famous community personalities have to say about their favourite city they call their home
SURREY MERI JAAN
I have lived in Surrey for over 25 years. When I moved from Mumbai to Canada, Surrey welcomed me with open arms. I embraced it with ease, making this city the first choice for my family, my home and my medical practice. Surrey is one of the most multicultural city with ethnic diversity. It taught me reading and writing Punjabi. It is the city of culture, music, art and languages. Surrey’s Fusion festival is another avenue to get exposed to different ethnicities and languages. Also it gives an opportunity to explore different cuisines. Surrey has been also called an ‘Intelligent City’.
This Place has given me a lot — fresh air, fresh water, safe food, safe accommodation and a place to practice my medical profession, for which I will be always thankful. This is the reason I give back a lot to the community by enhancing the Youth Programs here. There are numerous Parks and Open Space to Connect with Nature. The Biggest Khalsa day Parade (Nagar Kirtan) outside Punjab in April puts Surrey on Global map with a congregation of over 375,000.
Surrey will continue to grow healthy to show the rest of the World about peaceful co existence with love, tolerance, respect, kindness, brotherhood and compassion.
Let us all collectively build this great city together.
Dr Pargat Singh Bhurji (Pediatrician)
“I love Surrey because it is a City of Parks, Festivals, Diverse People, and the City of the Future! You find the best Indian food and Bollywood and Bhangra Banquet Hall Parties in Surrey. Surrey has affordable ‘newly built’ housing and jobs of all sorts with major employers. The new City Hall and Central City Library in the new civic square are beautiful iconic buildings. And only in Surrey can you find a shopping mall attached to a major university (SFU). What a brilliant idea to add to the vibrancy of the downtown core. I love Surrey. “
Alex Sangha, Award winning author, social worker, and human rights activist
I’ve lived here for the past 23 years and Surrey is a great place to raise a family. Surrey is very family oriented with access to modern parks and recreation facilities that we use often. My children have attended elementary and high school in Surrey, and played sports in all areas of this growing, diverse, and vibrant city. There are all types of sports and activities for children, teens, adults, and seniors to choose from. As well parents can meet one another, whether in the rink, on the field, and elsewhere. The geographical location of Surrey allows for close access to bridges and highways. It is easy to navigate through the city and access various infrastructures for shopping, business, and other resources. The City of Surrey is home to the largest RCMP Detachment in Canada as well as E Division Headquarters, and I’m very proud to live, work, and raise my family here.
Superintendent Manny Mann, Investigation Services Officer
Surrey is the place that kept Punjabi and music alive in me. If it was’nt my Punjabi language, who knows I could have been an all together different guy. I always tell kids don’t be ashamed of your own language be it Hindi, Urdu or Punjabi. It is due to Punjabi language, I am getting into the StarWalk honor. I am a proud Punjabi Canadian. I sing about Surrey in my songs. Surrey’s unique Punjabi and Canadian culture played a big role in making me who I am. It is this dichotomy between my funky pop star looks and my core Punjabi accent that makes my fans go crazy .
Jazzy B, Singer and 2016 BC Entertainment Hall of Fame StarWalk inductee
