Ahmedabad, May 6, 2004
(IANS)

Entrepreneurs in Canada's rapidly increasing Gujarati community have come together to form the Gujarati Businesses Association (GBA) to help new immigrants in finding a job or setting up a business.

The first-of-its-kind organisation in the North American country, the GBA was launched in October last year and has a membership of about 400. The aim is to cross the 1,000 figure by the end of the current year.

"Newly arriving immigrants need all the help in the new place. I came across a number of Gujaratis, just landed in Canada and going through a rough patch trying to find a job or set up business," said Mukund Purohit, executive member of the association.

"Though there were informal mechanisms to help each other, we felt the need for a formal organisation and launched the GBA," Purohit told IANS here.

While there is an Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce, it actively pursues bilateral trade issues and there was space for a community-based organisation too, he said.

Purohit, who runs V-Care Group Ltd., an immigration consultancy firm in Toronto, explained that the focus of the GBA was not solely on business. The organisation also actively promoted Gujarati culture.

"Our meetings start with cultural programmes. Moreover, we are going to launch a Gujarati language serial on television, which will be the first of its kind. In fact, our organisation is alternatively titled Garbo after the popular Gujarat dance," he said.

Purohit is visiting the state in preparation for a trade show to be held in September aimed at providing an opportunity to increase linkages between business people in Gujarat and Canada.

"Take the case of Canada-based importers. They import various commodities from places other than Gujarat. Gujarat-based suppliers have a ready market if they know more about opportunities, pricing and so on.

"For example, Gujaratis are fond of Sankheda furniture but there is not a single shop in Canada dealing in that variety. That is a huge market that Gujarat-based traders should explore," he said.

The trade show will be organised in association with the Vishwa Gujarati Samaj (World Gujarat Society) and Gujarat Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

State Chief Minister Narendra Modi has responded positively to the GBA's proposals and promised the necessary support, said the Canada-based entrepreneur who had participated in the state government's Vibrant Gujarat celebrations in September last year and again in January this year.

The GBA also focuses on those who plan to immigrate to Canada and has opened a centre in Ahmedabad to provide guidance.

"While interacting with newcomers we often see that they come with a distorted picture of opportunities in the foreign land. Some have little idea which career options are hot there and which are not. Or, which is the best place for your business or career," Purohit said.

Gujaratis form the second largest community in Canada among people of Indian origin after Punjabis. They have an estimated strength of about 800,000 million, and the number goes up by about 6,000 to 7,000 every year.