'Bringing South Asia and the entire world to Surrey'
Credit to Author: Cheryl Chan| Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2019 01:15:19 +0000
Imagine this: A South Asian international expo, boasting about two dozen pavilions, welcoming the world to Surrey in the summer of 2022.
That’s the pitch Upkar Singh Tatlay and Alex Sangha made to Surrey city council on Monday.
“This event will bring South Asia and the entire world to Surrey,” Tatlay told councillors during a presentation. “It will truly be an international event that has not been done before in this format anywhere, to our knowledge, at least in North America.”
Called Sundar, which means “beautiful” in Sanskrit, the event would be like a mini Expo ’86 that would highlight South Asian culture — given that about a third of Surrey residents have South Asian heritage — but also showcase other cultures that make up the city’s multicultural population.
Organizers envision about 15 to 25 pavilions or exhibitions by South Asian countries, other countries and jurisdictions, as well as corporations.
It would be held at Bear Creek park, where plans are underway for a new upgraded track-and-field sports stadium, during the summer about three to five years from now.
On Monday, Tatlay and Sangha made a formal presentation to council to seek the city’s support, including help in preparing a business case it can present to the provincial and federal governments.
Sangha, a counsellor and social worker, said the event would be an antidote to negative reports of South Asian youth involved in drugs and gangs in the news, and would instead celebrate South Asian culture and achievement and promote intercultural understanding and diversity.
“There is so much discrimination against so many groups of people now and it’s getting worse and worse. I feel this is one way to counteract that,” said Sangha in an interview before the presentation.
He came up with the idea eight months ago during a conversation about the revitalization of Vancouver’s Punjabi market — a “fabulous” event — but it was time for Surrey to get the spotlight, he said.
Like Expo ’86, making Sundar work would require all levels of government, as well as the community and corporate sector, to be on board. Vancouver benefited from the investment put into Expo ’86, said Sangha. “Now we need an investment for Surrey and put Surrey on the map.”
An international expo will also boost Surrey and the region’s economic activity, tourism, and garner global media coverage, he added.
The proposal has received more than 20 letters of support from politicians and organizations such as Simon Fraser University and Vancity and other cultural, community and business groups.
Councillor Mandeep Nagra had earlier submitted a letter of support for the proposal.
Following the presentation, Mayor Doug McCallum said the proposed event “shows a lot of promise.” He said staff is expected to get back to council with a report in a few weeks.