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Women Empowered

Chalisa R. – Dedicated to serving her community

BY SYDNEE WALCOTT

Chalisa R. is a former model, a current television host who has a lot of MC work within and outside of Canada, and a musician since childhood.

Born to parents of Guyanese descent, Chalisa had a fun childhood with a very strong family upbringing. She was very indulged in her culture through cultural events and religious activities.

Academics and music also enriched Chalisa’s childhood, along with her cultural background. Her academic ventures led to her receiving a Degree in Economics and a Masters in Finance, receiving both her Degree and Masters at the Toronto Metropolitan University, formerly Ryerson University.

Performing has been part of Chalisa’s life since she was four years old, entertaining people at cultural events, fundraisers and charities. She studied Indian classical music through playing the harmonium, dholak, and the tabla, singing and classic Indian dancing. The foundation stemmed in Bharatanatyam for Chalisa before branching over to Bollywood. Through singing, it granted Chalisa the opportunity to accompany one of India’s top singers, Mister Anup Jalota, on tour in countries like: Guyana, Trinidad, Suriname, the United States and here in Toronto.

As a former model with experience in pageants such as Miss India International and Miss India Canada, Chalisa and her mother wanted to provide young Caribbean girls with a platform to showcase their beauty and talent through a cultural experience. This became a reality of 2015, when the mother and daughter duo launched the first DIYA Divas – Miss Diwali Pageant.

The first pageant sold out and received significant responses. The models strutted the stage in a colorful sari of their choice, showcased their retrospective talents and finished with an answer to a Diwali-themed question to determine the final score. The pageant concluded with: Miss Dannilian Motilal declared as the inaugural queen, with Miss Anjeli Bisson serving as the first runner-up and Miss Pooja Maharaj being the second runner-up.

Over the years, the pageant has grown. Every year, the pageant brings in international superstars like: Raymond Ramnarine, Terry Gajraj, Shiva Lakhan and Brian Mohan, to name a few.

“It’s given me a perspective on many different aspects like cultural, morals, values and also helps me to appreciate what our beautiful city Toronto has to offer, our diversity and our acceptance as a city and country.”

The pageant has provided the contestants with the opportunity to compete internationally in pageants like Miss Diwali Nagar in Trinidad and Tobago. It also gave them the opportunity to be advocates within the community, with some of them furthering their modelling careers. Prior to becoming contestants in the DIYA Divas – Miss Diwali Pageant, all except for one girl had no prior modelling experience. However, Chalisa and her mother helped the girls gain experience through training and molding them into being comfortable being on stage, speaking publicly, showcasing their talent and modelling. They worked dutifully training the girls: how to walk on a runway, hold their saris, and carry their Indian outfits.

“It’s a very gratifying and very proud moment the night of the events,” said Chalisa, who enjoys seeing how the contestants strengthen from where they started with them to the night of them being glorious and glamorous on stage.

What Chalisa also loves about the DIYA Divas – Miss Diwali Pageant is that she can use the funds raised from the pageant to donate back to the temples in the GTA. She is passionate about keeping her legacy alive and uniting the community.

Along with being gifted as a model and musician, Chalisa is also a gifted MC with a wide range of experiences. Recently, Chalisa travelled to England, where she MC’d an event along with: Gajraj, Ravi B x Nisha B and Kaylan Kedar. Her MC talent also took her to India, where she was a host to quite a few dignitaries, such as: the High Commissioners of India, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica, to support the Caribbean culture that was brought to India through not just only her, but other artists including Gajraj. For Chalisa, being able to take her talent as a MC across the world, especially to the motherland, is an experience she will always be grateful for.

Currently, Chalisa is the host of her own TV show, Tropical TV. The nationwide show is Canada’s Number One West Indian TV Show, which can also be accessed by others across the world through the show’s YouTube Channel.

Thus far in her life as an MC, Chalisa has travelled across the globe and experienced different cultures, traditions, and has enjoyed meeting people ranging from: artists, promoters, performers and regular day-to-day people. These experiences have broadened Chalisa’s horizon. She has learned about the way people communicate with one another, the way they live, their culture, and how everyone coherently lives in this lovely place called Earth.

“It’s given me a perspective on many different aspects like cultural, morals, values and also helps me to appreciate what our beautiful city Toronto has to offer, our diversity and our acceptance as a city and country,” said Chalisa.

Outside of her career in the entertainment industry, Chalisa is a big advocate within her community. She affiliates herself in both multi-faith workshops, events, and fundraisers around the city. She works with many imams within the Islamic faith, several pundits, as well as Hindu spiritual leaders in the GTA, Trinidad, Guyana and Florida.

She also was raised in an entrepreneurial family, and they have several businesses across the city. The first is Tropical Escape Restaurant and Lounge, a restaurant in Brampton that has now been in business for 20 years. Chalisa and her family continue to appreciate the love and support their restaurant and catering has received from the community.

The second is Full Worth, a Caribbean-based grocery store in Toronto. Full Worth is not just one of the first West Indian stores, but the largest in Toronto.

Chalisa feels super blessed and grateful for all the opportunities she has been given as her career continues to grow. She looks forward to embracing whatever opportunities are in store for her in the future.

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