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MyBindi.com, one of Canada's leading on-line South Asian destinations, repeated their earlier success with a 2nd Annual MyBindi Awards Show at the hip Phoenix Theatre on Nov. 7. According to Manisha Bawa, one of the founders of mybindi.com, the aim of the MyBindi Awards Show is to recognize the talents and contributions of South Asians in Canada. "This is a people's choice forum, and winners are selected based on the results of on-line voting. Thousands of people have voted online to select their favourite artists, entertainers, media personalities and community leaders."

Toronto's talented film-maker Deepa Mehta was honoured with a Special Achievement Award. Deepa, who hurried back from a shoot, was 'apologetic' about her casual appearance. "What makes this so special is that it comes from my own community. I just had to be here," she said Says organizer Sandeep Bawa, "This event is about showcasing the contributions of South Asians within our own community as well as to the mainstream. Several of the nominees have been recognized as Gemini and Juno-nominees. It's time our own community recognized our own achievement in these arenas."

It was a glamorous red-carpet affair, a gathering of some of Canada's finest talent, and an evening of flashing bulbs, Joan Rivers look-alikes, live performances, awards presentations and a host of celebrity appearances.

Close to 1000 people turned up to enjoy the show, with a VIP guest list that included Raptor's biggest fan Nav Bhatia, weatherman Harold Hosein, City's Merella Fernandez, rapper Maestro, OMNI's Indira Naidoo Harris, Khush Panthaky and Mo-D, former Mayor Barbara Hall, tennis champion Bobby Mahal, MP Gurbax Malhi, Global's Neha Bhupal, and the cast of Bollywood/Hollywood.

The following were the winners of the evening in each category. The awards were presented in Oscar style with multiple nominations and well-known personalities like Harold Hosein, the weatherman, reading out 'And the winner is...' in his best voice.

Favourite Media Personality
Robin Gill (Global TV)

Most Committed Community Organization
Association of Women of India in Canada (AWIC)

Favourite Actor/Comedian
Jazz Mann

Special Achievement
Deepa Mehta

Most Talented Classical Dancer
Deepti Gupta

Favourite DJ
Baba Khan

Favourite Musician/Band
Gurpreet Chana

Favourite Singer/Songwriter
Kiran Ahluwalia

Best Stage Production
Step Up - Bollywood or Bust

Favourite Film/Filmmaker
Nisha Pahuja - Bollywood Bound

Special Events Programming
Magic Feet Canada

While accepting the award, AWIC Secretary, Devi Taneja, said, "To my extraordinary colleagues who give an extraordinary number of hours towards making a difference to the community through our Social Agency - AWIC. Our women work hard behind the scenes to meet the needs of our people". Smriti Dev, Director, IT/Education thanked the supporters of AWIC. This award confirms that AWIC stands for "A Celebration of Culture. A Beacon of Hope".

Organizer Sandeep Bawa thanked the many nominees who have worked hard to raise the profile of South Asians in Canada. Co-Founder Manisha Bawa added that the evening was "as much about being Canadian as it is about being South Asian." Hence, the evening included fusion and mainstream presenters, guests and performances by Lal, Deesha, Sukalyan and the Orient Dance Company.

The 2nd Annual MyBindi Awards Show was presented by Royal Bank and Daniels Homes, and in partnership with Telus Mobility, OMNI, Flow 93.5 and the Weekly Voice among others.