No matter how long you've been in a country, your home is always your home, says Shiv Sharma.
"I love my mother tongue and mother land, that's what I always miss," he said. "Even though we have all the facilities here, still there is something that connects ourselves with our roots."
Sharma is the host of CHLY radio's Apna Sur Sangeet, meaning Hour Tune in Music, and has been in sa国际传媒 for the past 12 years. However he still misses and feels connected to his home in Punjab in northern India.
The show focuses on all things Punjab i-- the culture, music, language and more.
Many people in the community don't understand the northern Indian culture and Sharma feels its up to him to educate people. He's been doing that for the past year. The show -- the only of its kind on the Island -- is celebrating its one year anniversary this month.
"So many people have prejudices regarding other communities," he said. "This is to clear that. I like to tell people, especially the new generation about our roots, about what our culture is."
Sharma said sharing information about his culture can not only clear up misconceptions, it can also educate younger generations. He was a teacher in India with a Masters in English and a bachelor degree in education and said doing the show keeps him in touch with the use of language and culture.
He said the show, which is done in English, has something for everyone.
It features all kinds of Indian music, remixes, classical, Bollywood tunes and more.
There are about 300 Punjabi families in Nanaimo, Sharma estimates, but the CHLY show reaches Victoria, the mid Island and is heard clearly in Mission, Vancouver and Surrey on the Lower Mainland, areas with a high percentage on Punjabi people.
However it's not just Punjabi speaking people tuning in, Sharma said.
"There are a lot of non-Punjabi speaking people, they like to listen to Punjabi music," he said. "Most of the calls I get during the show are non-Punjabi speaking people. Nine of ten calls are from non-Punjabi speaking people."
Sharma also teaches Indian cooking classes through Nanaimo Parks and Recreation, which are also usually filled with people from other backgrounds, because as he says Indian people know how to cook Indian food.
Tune into Apna Sur Sangeet Sundays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on CHLY 101.7 FM radio. You can e-mail Sharma at [email protected] or look up the website www.chly.ca