Ambica Sharma, Curator

Ambica Sharma is a Montreal-based multidisciplinary artist donning hats as an actor, dancer, poet and broadcaster. Her passion for lifelong learning has motivated her to explore creative pursuits in areas which are quite different from her education; a master’s degree in Biosciences from IIT Roorkee, India. Her work in film and theater includes lead roles with New Brunswick Theater Company and a key role in an upcoming Canadian feature film. She presents a live radio show with Radio Humsafar (1610 AM) & for CKUT McGill (90.3 FM). Her poems have appeared in publications and anthologies in India and Canada. Her keen interest in performance poetry has led her to perform at multiple platforms in North America. She choreographs and performs Indian dance forms through her dance group in Montreal. Currently, she has been developing a dance theatre piece on immigrants with the support of Montreal Arts Council.

Rekha Vaishnav - Panelist

Rekha is a registered and licensed Social Worker mental health professional. Rekha is the founder and Executive Director of MEHAR (Mental and Emotional Health Awareness Renaissance) and a Social Worker in Community Mental Health. She is also a Vice Chair in the board of MIAG , a charitable organization for diverse communities. MEHAR is an outcome of her passion to nurture her connection with art, her personal experiences of mental health challenges and commitment to mental health awareness. As a Creative Head of MEHAR , Rekha creates and develops artistic projects using theatre , films , poetry and skits on mental health . MEHAR's theatrical project “I am still Me”, Poetry project "Mann" and the documentary film are an outcome of her expertise in mental health and passion for art . She provides operational and creative leadership to all projects of MEHAR and strongly believes that art is a powerful tool to create awareness for our wellbeing

Harleen Bhogal - Panelist

Born in Montreal, Harleen Bhogal is a South Asian writer, artist and educator, whose practice is entrenched in feminist and anti-racist principles and community-building approaches. As an educator, she uses arts-based approaches, ranging from visual arts to spoken word, to facilitate grassroots youth programming. Harleen understands that artistic self-expression in safe and loving settings can become a catalyst for collective healing and inducing transformative change and is dedicated to creating these spaces in her community. Her debut poetry collection, Lullabies for Warriors, will be releasing on September 30, 2021, at local bookstores, and online at Chapters Indigo, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

Shyam Anandampillai - Panelist

Shyam Anandampillai MSc(A), MA is a queer South Asian creative arts therapist and a licensed psychotherapist with postgraduate degrees in Drama therapy and couple and family therapy living in Montreal. He has 7 years of experience working with individuals, couples, families and groups in community and private settings, dealing with mental health issues, relational conflicts, and minority stress issues in LGBTQI folks and people of color. He is currently working at McGill University Canada, in the wellness hub, specifically, the Pride team for university students struggling with gender and sexuality issues. He works from an attachment lens, trauma informed lens, minority stress perspective and uses tools from CBT, Mindfulness, Drama therapy and systemic therapies in his work. He is passionate about helping people express their unconscious thoughts, expand their repertoire of expressiveness, and make connections with others through the power of creative arts. He is also a co-facilitator on the workshop titled “Layers of Intimacy” which explores layers of our personality and how they influence our understanding of ourselves and our ability to make deep meaningful connections with others, especially in the queer community. He has a private practice and works virtually these days.