Dr. John Kershaw

President, SICI

Dear Colleagues,

It is an honor and a privilege to assume the Presidency of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute. I thank each of you for the confidence you have placed in me, and I look forward to working with you. Your continued support of SICI in the coming year is going to be more important than ever. Last year when I was elected Vice-President/President Elect, I still held hope that the pandemic would pass quickly, and we would return to normal by the first of the new year. Little did we know that 2021 would be worse than 2020.  Delays in vaccine roll outs and new variants fuelled the second wave. I helplessly watched as India was particularly hard hit in the early months of 2021.  Many friends and colleagues were personally impacted. I could see the growing concern and grief during the virtual meetings we had leading up to the Indian Members' Council Meeting and the Annual General Meeting. We all hope the worse is behind us now.

India is a land of contrasts. I have come to realize what I love the most about India are its contrasts. They are what makes India such a magnificent place. This past year, SICI has been a mirror of those contrasts. All of us faced campus closures, shifts to alternative delivery methods, COVID-19 on our campuses and among our family members. Yet we still managed to keep programmes going, fund new projects, engage in new initiatives, attract new members, and keep the dialogue with the Indian and Canadian governments going. SICI has proven to be a dynamic organization. It is this dynamic that has enabled us to persist and grow over the last 52 years!

This past year we started many new initiatives including engaging industries, Canadian provincial governments, and Indian state governments. With the signing of the MOU with the Saskatchewan government, we are beginning to see these initiatives pay off. However, we still have a long way to go and much work to do. I strongly believe that SICI’s long-term stability is going to be achieved by diversifying the bases of our funding. To achieve this, our member institutions are going to be critical. Your contacts with local industries and government representatives will be vital to these efforts. We need to articulate SICI’s value propositions and the strength of our bi-national collaborative network. The Executive Council and the India and Canada Offices will be meeting more regularly this year as we push these efforts forward. Your help and your insights will be vital to the success of these initiatives.

As I close, I want to express my heart felt thanks to our former President, Dr. Mini Shaji Thomas. It was a pleasure to work with her and learn from her. She took control of SICI during a very difficult time and left us in a much better position moving forward. I also want to thank Dr. Prachi Kaul and all of the India Office Staff for their efforts and organizational capacity that has kept everything moving forward. The Canadian Office has always been there for me and quick to act on urgent tasks. SICI is very fortunate to have such a dedicated and competent staff in both the countries.

As travel restrictions allow, I hope to visit many of you in both countries. Keep safe and healthy, and please let us know if there is anything we can do to enhance your collaborative efforts between our two countries.

Thank you,