By Promod Puri

The grey stucco building at the southeast corner of Main Street and 6th Avenue in Vancouver was once a vibrant hub for the Indo-Canadian community in the early '70s and part of the '80s. It served as a media center and home to several small businesses owned by community members. (The building is now levelled for new construction in the fast-growing community of Vancouver's Mount Pleasant.)

Among its most notable occupants were veteran broadcaster Sushma Datta and her business partner Nizar Dhamji, who had their recording studios for TV and radio broadcasting in the building.

Before Sushma and Nizar moved in, the building hosted the first Indo-Canadian radio programming, led by the late Malkiat Parhar in the '60s. Mr. Parhar, a pioneer broadcaster, was a community icon involved in numerous ventures and always ready to offer guidance and services.

In 1978, The Link newspaper moved its offices from Winnipeg to the building chosen for its convenient location just a few blocks from our apartment.

Frequent visitors included lawyer-turned-politician Ujjal Dosanjh, who regularly dropped off his column for The Link. The legendary Indo-Canadian photographer Chandra Bodalia also began his photojournalism career in this building, working for The Link.

Besides the prominent media outlets, the building housed several businesses catering primarily to Indo-Canadian communities.

Mr. Dhami operated his drafting business here, and later, prominent clothing wholesaler Mr. Ram Mahtani set up his headquarters. Mahtani was the main supplier of fabrics from Japan to almost all the Indian stores in Vancouver’s Punjabi Market. He later bought the building.

(Mr. Dhami passed away recently, and Mr. Mahtani and his wife Satya also passed away several years ago.)

Additionally, a non-profit organization staffed mainly by Indo-Canadians operated in the building, providing community assistance. During the height of the Khalistan movement, a few individuals started the "Khalistan embassy" and ran a magazine promoting the separatist cause by renting a room in the building.

Ace Accounting, owned by a humble Ismaili gentleman, offered professional accounting services on the ground floor.

Masal Graphics, an advertising promotion product supplier owned by the cordial couple Madanpal and Channi Salooja, also had an office here. Their son, a teen at the time, was a natural salesman, selling promotional pens to everyone he bumped into.

The two-story Main and 6th building was always bustling with traffic and activities, creating a friendly and collaborative atmosphere.

Despite offering different products and services, it often felt like we were all part of a joint enterprise. Sushma and Nizar occasionally hosted musical mehfils on their premises, with Nizar himself being an ace singer of Hindi film songs and ghazals.

One of the highlights of working in the building was the lunchtime, which featured a smorgasbord of home-cooked food shared by everyone. The aroma of paranthas, spiced dishes, and desi pickles filled the offices, creating a communal and joyful dining experience.

While we were all busy pursuing our individual endeavours, the building itself contributed to happy days filled with sweet memories. The building at Main and 6th could have been a historical site from the Indo-Canadian perspective! But now, it sits in the memory lane for all those who worked here and visited the place.

Promod Puri is a veteran journalist and author and founder of the first Indo-Canadian English language newspaper The LINK.