On December 16, the Winnipeg Jets, a National Hockey League team, will celebrate the South Asian community in Manitoba at their second annual South Asian Heritage Night.
Art, music, dancing, and cuisine will all be a part of the celebration. Performers of South Asian heritage will showcase their music and dance at the event that will take place before the Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche game.
A rendition of the United States national anthem and renditions of the Canadian national anthem in Punjabi and English will both be part of the pre-game entertainment. The Amber Trails School choir, which is predominantly made up of students from South Asian backgrounds, will be performing this.
With Punjabi's recent rise to third place in Canada's language usage, behind the two official languages, this will be the first big professional sporting event to feature the singing of the Canadian national anthem in the Punjabi language.
Our second annual South Asian Heritage Night presented by @canadalifeco will celebrate Manitoba’s vibrant South Asian community with the incorporation of food, music, dancing and art!
Additionally, DJs with South Asian ancestry will be playing tunes influenced by South Asian culture from all over the world during the heritage night festivities. Some of the names mentioned in the release include DJ Hira, DJ General Band DJ Nish.
The Winnipeg Punjabi Arts Academy will be performing not only musical numbers but also dance numbers and drum and dhol sets at the Canada Life Center, formerly known as the MTS Center and home stadium of the Jets. During the intermission, there will also be a performance by the Indian School of Dance.
Southeast Asian specialties will be prepared by Vishwajit Bhati, a chef of Indian descent who got his training in India. These will include traditional butter chicken and saag paneer bowls, tandoori chicken pizza, and gulab jamun for dessert, at various concession locations.
There will also be an awards ceremony to recognize South Asian individuals making a difference in the world of sports and community service. Notable figures will be honored, including Dampy Brar, a professional hockey player who has played in multiple leagues across Canada. Brar is actively involved in growing the game through Apna Hockey, a network based in South Asia that mentors hockey talent from South Asia. Other honorees will include Randeep Sidhu-Saini, Reetu Chahal, Vivek Bhangria, and Armaan Dhillon.
The venue will also host the opening of an exhibit titled "We Are Hockey" on December 6. The exhibit is curated by Dr Satwinder Kaur Bains of the South Asian Studies Institute at the University of Fraser Valley. The huge impact that South Asians have had on the sport of hockey will be further highlighted in the exhibit.
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