Others before self... No better adage befits the lives of Anu and her husband, Arun Srivastava. When the couple arrived in Canada almost three decades ago, they brought with themselves dreams, hopes and a family culture steeped in social welfare. Their journey to Canada and becoming power couple celebrities among the Indo-Canadian community and beyond is interesting as well as inspiring.
A family of luminaries
The paths of two educated and selfless humans – one born in Ottawa and the other in Uttar Pradesh – crossed and combined a magnificent family lineage that boasts of freedom fighters, scientists, writers, poets, academicians, judges and civil service officers. They were both luminaries, contributing to India’s development in the field of education, research, freedom, social upliftment, literature... the list goes on.
Anu’s paternal grandfather, Mahashay Chitra Sen Nigam, was a renowned freedom fighter, among Lala Lajpat Rai’s closest confidants and known to Madan Mohan Malviya. “He worked for the poor, was one of the founders of DAV College in Kanpur, established the Kanpur boys’ orphanage, built roads, schools and institutions, believed in the Shuddhi Movement and was monumental in women’s welfare even if it meant risking his life.” Anu’s paternal grandmother, Ramkali Devi, was a revolutionary in her own terms. An entrepreneur by heart, she was the one who created and multiplied family assets. “She pawned her jewellery and to buy land on which she got the first family house built, all by herself. When she passed away in 1958, the family had 44 properties. She had also ensured that every family member received high education and remained rooted to family values.”
Anu’s maternal grandfather, Munshi Daya Narain Nigam, wrote for Zamana, a pro-independence local newspaper in Kanpur, also launched and printed by him. He was a close friend of the great Hindi litterateur, Munshi Premchand. The family is proud to have the original manuscript of Sare jahan se acha, Hindostan humara, one of the most sung and famous Hindi patriotic songs, by Iqbal. “My father, Raj Kumar Nigam, was a distinguished academic who served the United Nations in Africa and was also instrumental in the success of the first International Science Congress India hosted in 1968, which Indira Gandhi, the prime minister then, inaugurated. Soon, he became the government’s representative delegate to science congresses held abroad.”
Arun was born in Ottawa but spent a large part of his early life in Ahmedabad, where his father, Dr. Harish Chandra Srivastava, India’s leading carbohydrate chemist and among the world’s top four, set up India’s first carbohydrate chemistry laboratory in the Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (ATIRA), a revolutionary institution on textile research in Ahmedabad.
Talking about his family, Arun says, “My father was Ph.D. in biochemistry in the USA under a Nobel laureate with a postdoctoral fellowship in Ottawa but returned to India in the 1960s. All my childhood memories are from Ahmedabad where my parents formed a legacy through education and social work.” Arun’s mother, Saroj, too was an active member of various institutions in Ahmedabad including the Apang Manav Mandal, an organisation working for the handicapped.
Life in Canada
Anu was still in college when she married Arun. She completed her bachelor’s with a gold medal after marriage, topped her university in masters and took an MBA degree. Arun, an MBA himself, was working as a product manager in Ahmedabad, but the young couple, on a whim, decided to try their luck in Canada. While Arun arrived in Canada first, Anu joined him almost a year later and immediately started working as a budget analyst at Princess Margaret Hospital.
She threw her full support behind Arun in every way possible as he pursued education in Canada. “Despite my qualifications, I had to start at the bottom. But soon, I earned my Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation, while doing odd jobs,” Arun says.
After a brief stint in jobs, Arun joined PayStation in 1989 as an accountant. Almost a decade later, Arun took over the 50-year-old company as the previous owner wanted to retire. “I am now its sole owner.”
The Srivastavas welcomed their son, Rahul, into this world in 1990. He is an engineer from McMaster University and Ivey’s MBA from Western University. Their daughter Richa, born in 1996, has a bachelor’s degree in medical science and master’s in public health from Western University.
Charity is a way of life
For almost a decade, Anu worked with the hospital sector. Her philanthropic journey started at a young age when she was working at William Osler Hospital and initiated a medical aid drive to the Gujarat earthquake victims in 2001; Arun also lent his fundraising support for free physiotherapy and opened clinics for them.
“When my father underwent a heart surgery at the Trillium Health Partners – Mississauga Hospital, he felt that it was his duty to give back to the hospital. He wrote them a big donation cheque and asked me to volunteer at the hospital,” shares Anu, associated with the hospital since 2004 and continues to help raise funds.
Anu has been the co-chair of the Trillium Diwali Gala Fundraiser, a relentless supporter, donor and a prominent team member of Trillium Health Foundation. She has ardently supported the Foundation and The Kothari Group for the much-needed medical infrastructure in India and currently is devoting her energies to the Hospital Redevelopment Campaign.
Exciting things were waiting to happen when Anu joined the municipally owned Rose Theatre as the financial controller. “I was in-charge of the Department of Arts, Culture and Theatre Division in the City of Brampton when IIFA was signed by the premier of Ontario for Toronto. Since I was engaged with programming and entertainment for Rose, they chose me to organise the IIFA events in Brampton which put international spotlight on the city. It was a huge responsibility.” Undoubtedly, Anu rose to the occasion, and made IIFA Buzz Brampton a resounding success and in the process. “I garnered a lot of attention and also realised this field is more fun than finance,” she laughs.
Anu embarked on yet another significant journey to volunteer for an organisation to reinstate its purpose and charisma. “I was asked by the Consul General of India in Toronto, Hon. Preeti Saran, to lead Panorama India as the chair and build the organisation’s profile.” During her leadership tenure, the India Day Parade in downtown Toronto rose to phenomenal heights. Leveraging her diverse contacts with Bollywood stars, she introduced the celebrity stars which helped them multiply the audience.
Anu proved her entrepreneurial spirit when she founded the ARRA Arts, an organisation committed to fostering socio-economic development through arts, music and culture. The launch event of the organisation showcased the world-famous performer, Shabana Azmi, in the theatrical play, Broken Images, followed by world class events. ARRA Arts partnered with the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival during TIFF 2020 with three renowned women film directors of blockbuster movies.
In 2018, the couple sponsored a family project through Aim for Seva under which a student hostel for only girls was built in Unnao (Uttar Pradesh, India), a village close to Anu’s hometown. The underprivileged girls get education and financial independence through living and learning in these hostels.
“The aim was to give back to India, leave a piece of legacy that our forefathers created. We feel blessed to be loved and accepted by both the countries.” The family has maintained Indian traditions by celebrating Indian festivals and have made contributions to the Hindu Heritage Centre in Mississauga.
Anu says they have imbibed values by example. “I have always tried to maintain a pious atmosphere at home.” Rahul has learned to play the tabla, while Richa was taught vocal Indian classical vocal music.
“Many think that philanthropy is our way of getting into politics. It’s not. We are doing what our family taught us,” says Arun. “Conversely, I incurred business losses for devoting too much time when I was the president of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce.”
Leisure for Arun means spending time with family, listening to classical music, playing tennis and enjoying theatre. Anu, however, uses her free time for humanitarian causes with leading health and wellness organisation for V Serve Canada as their executive director. I got the opportunity to take online Bhagavad Geeta lessons. It gave me a lot of courage and guidance to swim through turbulent times.”
“We are nothing compared to the achievements of our family and heritage who served the country as freedom fighters and civil servants,” Anu says humbly. Those who have been touched by the Srivastavas’ compassion will disagree.