Devina Zalesky
A Survivor's Drive to Reach the Top Devina Zalesky first discovered she was a survivor at just
seven years old. Life had been happy and carefree in her
small village of Nausori, Fiji, where her father ran the family
rice plantation. Then one day a cyclone ripped through
the town. Flood waters rose to the door of the family’s modest home,
built on stilts four feet above the ground. Curious to see the wrath of
the storm, Devina, a name that means divine, leaned out the door —
and was swept straight into the deep water. All that was visible was
her waist-length hair, floating on the surface of the water. In a bit of
“divine” intervention, her father reached in, grabbed a fist-full of that
hair and pulled her to safety, gasping and sputtering. His daughter
survived, his farm did not.
Spotlight
Chandra Bodalia Image of Giving
The sun is shining down on a grinning
little boy licking his ice cream, which is
dripping down his chin. In another photo,
sitar legend Ravi Shankar looks regal as he
stands, arms crossed, in thoughtful contemplation.
In yet another shot, former United States
president Bill Clinton smiles broadly as
he looks right into the lens of Chandra
Bodalia’s camera.
These photographs are among nearly
three million images that Bodalia has captured
over the last three decades.
The Inspired Sufi by Azim Jamal
Making the Most of Time
Sometimes you have to slow down
to speed up. One day, I came home
to a busy work schedule. My son,
Tawfiq, wanted some attention from
me and I ignored him, focusing on my
computer work. He stood right beside
me, not letting me work. I spent two
hours trying to shrug him off. I did not
get much of my work done and Tawfiq
was disappointed at his dad’s lack of
interest. The next time this happened, I
went on my knees and gave Tawfiq my
heart, attention and love. Within three
minutes, he was so satisfied that he went
on to play and I had a good hour and fiftyseven
minutes to work on the computer. Sometimes in life, slow is fast.
Feature Story
Gary Dhaliwal
Built for Success
When people mistook Gary Dhaliwal’s youth as an impediment, it simply
made him hungrier to succeed.
Right after graduating from high school in 2005, Dhaliwal founded
Mainland Civil Works Inc., a one-man excavation business. Initially, he worked
small jobs in and around the Surrey area. Soon, through word-of-mouth and
a reputation for jobs done well and on time, Dhaliwal began picking up bigger
contracts.
Unsung Hero:
Saroj Sood
One For All
Saroj Sood has a gift for lifting the
spirits of those who are afraid, lonely
or sad.
Sood, 78, is the unofficial den mother
for the 53 senior residents in the Progressive Intercultural Community
Services (PICS) Society assisted-living
care facility in Surrey. Whether she’s
planning a birthday party for someone’s
two-year-old granddaughter, hosting a
sing-a-long or organizing weekly social group
meetings, Sood is all about “one for
all; all for one.”
Politics:
The Canadian Dream?
We’ve all heard the
countless stories of
foreign-trained doctors
who end up driving taxis
. . . We are bringing in
hundreds of thousands of
immigrants, based on their skills and qualifications,
who are not able to utilize
their skills once they arrive
in Canada.
Power Players
Anmol Mattu
Most memorable moments: Leading my under-14 B.C. Summer
Games team to second place against
a strong Fraser Valley team in the
semi- finals. Playing for the under-
13 boys and girls teams in the 2008
provincials and leading both teams
to second place and averaging 26
points per game. Playing for the
senior girls basketball team and
averaging 24 points per game.
Stellar Students
Zorast Gustavsp
Success strategies you swear by: Something that I use quite frequently when it
comes to studying for a test or making a presentation
is visualization. A while back I had
found this to work in other facets of my life
and decided to try and apply it to school. For
example, before a big test I will sit down for
five minutes before I begin to study and imagine
myself finding the answers to all the questions
that are going to be on the test. I then
visualize my teacher handing the test back to
me a week later with the mark on the top that I
desire. After genuinely believing what my mind
has fabricated I will open up my text book and
begin studying. This strategy gets you into the
right mindset before you study, which is usually
half the battle.
