Charles Foran, a Canadian author and now a CEO with the Institute for Canadian Citizenship generously introduced me to Haroon Siddiqui, a prolific journalist and a writer. I'm glad he did! I read Mr. Siddiqui's opinion columns for "The Toronto Star" over the years (he was the editor of the news paper's opinions section) and I was especially looking forward to our meeting.
Our portrait session took place in the comfort of his welcoming home, and it turned out to be every bit as engaging as I imagined it would be. His keen mind, humour and unflinching views on Canadian social and political issues seems to reflect his unique point of view, as an insider and an outsider all at once. As an immigrant myself, I completely identified with his recounting of a journey back to Mumbai, visiting with his ailing mother in hospital. Many of us who came to Canada, leaving behind our loved ones, experienced similar scenes and feelings.
The series "Hyphenated Canadians" and my conversations with immigrants taught me that we have so much more in common, despite our different backgrounds, ethnicities and religions.