CI correspondent: Moving ahead, I would like to know about the role model in your life.
Dr. Kapoor: There is no one role model for me. I take inspiration from Guru Gobind Singh ji, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, and Bhagat Puran Singh ji. I have been reading books since my childhood and they inspire me to do more every day to benefit others.
Bhagat Singh and Guru Gobind Singh ji (not talking about the religion) are among those who sacrificed their lives for serving humanity. Such personalities are revolutionaries and they inspire me to think out of the box and have always had an impact on my life right from my childhood.
Bhagat Puran Singh is a great inspiration person for me. He spent his entire life helping others and sharing their sorrows. He would provide free medical treatments, food and shelter. He was nobody but his work made him somebody. At the time he died, there was nothing in his pocket but had touched millions of lives. He is an unsung hero of Indian subcontinent and his story needs to shared with others across the world. He should have been nominated for noble prize to acknowledge his contribution. There are few people who have courage to serve humanity selflessly. And, Bhagat Puran Singh was one of them.
CI correspondent: Please share your feelings about Canada changing in the last 10 years. I am putting this question as per the Indian population residing here. What do you think of as how the India community has turned into the one of the largest immigration groups in Canada?
Dr. Kapoor: Yeah! You are right. Definitely, Canada is changing. I have been living here for the last 13 years as I immigrated to Canada in 2000. Right from the day I came here, I met first generation Indian Canadians and recent immigrants. There have been several changes since then. Today’s generation has added dynamism to multicultural Canada.
However, if I think from a doctor’s point of view, I learnt that the South Asian community does have unique issues; either it could be higher incidence of heart disease, diabetes or the type of healthcare resource utilization. We need to do research to understand these issues and better help South Asian Canadians.
As far as business is concerned, there are many successful big companies that are established by south Asians. These companies are making huge contributions to the Canadian economy. People belonging to the South Asian community are taking active part in politics, as there are many MPs and MLAs in Canada that come from South Asian background. It does help increase political clout in Canada and serve South Asians better.
Canada had several South Asian cultural events such as IIFA/TOIFFA awards which helped non South Asians understand cultural differences.
As lots of Indian Canadians come from agriculture background, they are learning decreased use of pesticides in Canada and are trying to use similar techniques in India. This will help curb the use of excess pesticide use and perhaps promote others to grow vegetables and food with low or no pesticides in India. This is a great example where Indian Canadians are not only contributing to the Canadian economy, but also sharing our Canadian way of living with their families in India. This could help lower the burden of cancers in India.
CI correspondent: That’s really good. You have a well-established social circle. You meet many people daily and there might be situations where you do find a person you meet who is not pleasant (or negative), how you deal with such situations?
Dr. Kapoor: Well, life is a bouquet. Everybody has their own color. Sometimes it is pink, sometimes blue. People do question me and want to know why I am doing things that I do, either it could be regarding to DIL Walk foundation or upcoming Patiala Dreamz movie.
When I meet a negative people, I draw positive inspiration from them. In fact, when I meet a person who is not pleasant or negative, I admire that person as my hero. They make me a better person and help me better articulate my ideas. They make me understand my weaknesses, and motivate me to push the limit. They help me achieve impossible. Whatever I am today is because of such people. When people say that I can’t do this, I take it as a challenge and work hard to achieve those goals.