The Sakhi Group of KWC

Has a sweet, innocent voice inside you ever whispered “I wish I too could do it!”?
What do you do when that happens? Do you ignore it? Do you take a pause and acknowledge it, but then let it go? Or do you respond to it with a “Why not” and turn that spark into a fire? Sakhi Group of KWC is one such inspirational example.

Tejal Upadhyay moved to Canada from Gujrat, India in 2008. When she first attended the Kitchener multicultural festival, she was fully immersed in the beautiful performances from Africa, China, Scotland, Ireland and various other countries. Being a dancer and of Indian background, she wondered why there were no Indian performances! Indian cultural values, dance and music were an integral part of her, which led her to form a group where like minded people could connect and follow their passion. 

The Sakhi group was formed in 2014. The word “sakhi” means a friend. The group’s purpose was to have a friendly environment where it was easy for people to come together and participate in dances, skits, songs and other cultural activities. The journey wasn’t straight forward. Although the Indian community here had a lot of potential, the fire inside was missing. The ladies assumed that being far from home, they couldn’t be their true self. Tejal motivated them to come together and accomplish things beyond the daily grind. They had their first performance at Gayatri Parivar of Western Ontario’s annual event, which had attendees from Cambridge, Hamilton, Mississauga, Brampton, Milton, Kitchener and Waterloo.

That one performance was all they needed. It gave them immense confidence and excitement. Creative juices started flowing. The group started making DIY props. Ideas came to their mind naturally during store visits. They would stay on top of the latest traditional dance songs and choreography despite being in Canada, bring gorgeous attires and accessories from India or shop for them locally. More and more people got interested in enrolling their kids for such performances.

Word spread about them. Different cultural groups requested them to perform. So far, Sakhi group has performed at Kitchener multicultural festival, Guelph multicultural festival, Carabram festival in Brampton, ICA Mela, Organized Indian festival at the Ken Seiling Museum, Diwali function at County Hills Community Center, GCA Diwali function, performed at different festivals at Ram-Dham and Sai-Dham temples and conducted yoga day celebration at Sai-Dham temple. They conducted a fashion show showcasing a variety of Indian traditional attires. The group gave a platform to amateur Indian artists like tabla and mridangam players. They organized an interview with Arvind Vyas ji who came to Waterloo in 1940’s. Knowing his struggle as an Indian in Waterloo made people more grateful for what they have now in this foreign country. The story and motivation is shared before every performance so the audience can understand and feel connected to the performance. They do audience participation sessions after their performances, so people can also dance, get to experience Indian dances in a light weight manner.

 

For each performance, Tejal coordinates with the event organizers, selects songs, edits the audio files, does choreography, plans practice sessions, arranges beautiful dresses, jewelry and traditional props; and does everything possible to make sure the performance happens smoothly!

The Sakhi group is funded by Tejal and her husband, Tushar Upadhyay. They think that if their time, energy and money can bring joy to others, it’s totally worth it. They bring costumes and accessories from India and let performers borrow them free of cost. For kids' practices, they make sure there are always yummy snacks to keep them extra motivated. Tushar also helps create props using his creative and artistic mind. He takes care of the technical arrangements during the performances. The whole Upadhyay family has been very supportive of one another’s cultural initiatives and are a great asset to the society.

As per Tejal, it is important to have proper knowledge of the area in which you want to take initiative. That knowledge gives confidence to keep going despite failures or negativity around you. Be consistent in your efforts so people know that they can depend upon you. If your intentions are right and you keep positive energy, negative energy will be transient. If an idea comes to your mind, pursue it. Make things happen! Like Mahatma Gandhi said “Be the change you want to see in the world”!