Here's How A Canadian Sikh Immigrant's Love For Basketball Helped Him Deal With Racism
From being a millionaire with two businesses to his name and a Toronto Raptors superfan, Canadian Sikh immigrant Nav Bhatia has come a long way.
When Bhatia immigrated to Canada from India in 1984 he couldn¡¯t find work with a qualification as a mechanical engineer. In the early years Bhatia was at the receiving end of a bevy of insults for belonging to the Sikh community.
More recently, a Canadian journalist, Muhammad Lila took to Twitter to share the beautiful story of a superfan of the Toronto Raptors basketball team in which he shared Bhatia's journey through the years.
Bhatia chose to fight the insults and prejudice with a positive attitude. When he finally landed a job with a a Chinese car dealership owner, Bhatia sold 127 cars in the first three months, became manager and today owns that dealership along with two others in Ontario ¨C Hyundai Mississauga and Genesis Mississauga.
¡°As a brown turbaned guy with an accent he couldn¡¯t get a job as an engineer, so he wound up working as a car salesman at dealership in a rough part of town,¡± Lila wrote.
¡°In any other city (looking at you, MIL), a guy like Nav might stand out. But not in Toronto. We¡¯re a place where immigration works. Multiculturalism works. Ask anyone who¡¯s been to a Raps game and they¡¯ll tell you it¡¯s the most diverse place in the world,¡± Lila wrote.
In the Twitter thread Lila also highlights how Canada has opened it's door to immigrants now and taking a jibe at US President Donald Trump, Lila wrote, ¡°That while the world is building walls, Canada is building bridges. A guy like @superfan_nav is our best symbol of that.¡±
Read the thread below:
#1
With the #Raptors about to hit the global stage, I¡¯m going to share a story about what makes Toronto, and Canada, so special. It¡¯s about a guy you¡¯re going to be seeing a whole lot of.
¡ª Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) 26 May 2019
A Thread.
[Hint: It's about racism, sports, and why you'll end up cheering for ?]
#2
When you think of the Raps, you probably think of Drake on the sidelines, as the team¡¯s biggest fan.
¡ª Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) 26 May 2019
The thing is, he¡¯s not.
In Toronto, we love @Drake. But there¡¯s someone else who symbolizes everything great about Toronto and Canada. pic.twitter.com/qWPCs5TRHK
When you think of the Raps, you probably think of Drake on the sidelines, as the team¡¯s biggest fan.
¡ª Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) 26 May 2019
The thing is, he¡¯s not.
In Toronto, we love @Drake. But there¡¯s someone else who symbolizes everything great about Toronto and Canada. pic.twitter.com/qWPCs5TRHK
This is Nav Bhatia. You're going to see a lot of him waving his towel on TV.
¡ª Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) 26 May 2019
He's 67 years old and still cheers louder than your teenage nephew. If you've ever been to a Raps game, you can't miss him.
But here¡¯s what most people don¡¯t know: pic.twitter.com/3S8gs0PS0T
He¡¯s been at every single Raptors home game since 1995.
¡ª Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) 26 May 2019
That' right: Every. Single. One.
Through Damon, Vince, CB4, a zillion coaches, blackouts, blizzards, you name it.
Big deal, right? Wait, there¡¯s more. pic.twitter.com/zdjf6vf4Ck
Bhatia came to Canada as an immigrant in the ¡®80s with almost nothing. As a brown turbaned guy with an accent he couldn¡¯t get a job as an engineer, so he wound up working as a car salesman at dealership in a rough part of town.
¡ª Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) 26 May 2019
Devastating, right?
Nope. Not for Nav. pic.twitter.com/d6qLhsJ4Ur
He sold 127 cars in just ninety days. It¡¯s a record that stands to this day. He did it the old-fashioned way, by being honest (and yes, some catchy radio ads). He was so good that he eventually bought the dealership. Crazy, right.
¡ª Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) 26 May 2019
Guess what¡¯s crazier? pic.twitter.com/K1so1Jagdq
He later bought another.
¡ª Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) 26 May 2019
Back in 1995, when the businesses weren¡¯t doing well, he still bought season's tickets. They cost a lot, but he didn't care. He loved the team. Even those ugly purple dinosaur logos. He wore them with pride. pic.twitter.com/b2Yt9LqKis
If you go to a Raps game, you¡¯ll see his big ass huge goofy smile, on the baseline.
¡ª Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) 26 May 2019
When you¡¯re an immigrant, nothing feels more Canadian than waving a Canadian flag while cheering your team. Sports is the great equalizer. pic.twitter.com/2S4pP1dZo8
You¡¯ll hear a dozen languages, see black guys in dreads hanging out with Korean guys eating poutine. In other cities, that would be weird.
¡ª Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) 26 May 2019
In Toronto, it¡¯s perfectly normal. It¡¯s how the 6ix rolls.
Take this pic. How many colors/ethnicities can you see? At least a dozen. pic.twitter.com/ni5zxD5SZu
So when you see a guy like Nav, you¡¯re not just looking at a superfan.
¡ª Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) 26 May 2019
You¡¯re looking at the story of Toronto.
It¡¯s why a guy like Charles Barkley loves the city. It's why @Shaq @KingJames and others others come here every summer.
It¡¯s what makes Canada special. pic.twitter.com/uXekDkPKvY
That while the world is building walls, Canada is building bridges.
¡ª Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) 26 May 2019
A guy like @superfan_nav is our best symbol of that.
He¡¯s not just a guy from Toronto. He *is* Toronto.
A place where people work hard, make it, and still care enough to give back. pic.twitter.com/K5do9KqjgE
Basketball can be more than just a game.
¡ª Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) 26 May 2019
When the finals tip-off on Thursday, the world is going to see Toronto being Toronto: Diverse, strong, caring.
And there¡¯ll be a 67-year old Sikh turbaned guy leading the charge.
And you know what, we're okay with that.
END pic.twitter.com/7bPtkutTP8
And that's not all Nav Bhatia is doing his bit to dispel the anti-immigrant fear among kids too, by buying them tickets to the Raptors game and showing them 'they belong'.
When his dealerships started doing better, he could¡¯ve called it a day.
¡ª Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) 26 May 2019
Instead, every year he spends $300K of his own money to send kids ¨C mostly from brown, immigrant families ¨C to Raptors games.
He does it to show them they belong.#Raptors pic.twitter.com/Sav5gKTNdK
He also has a foundation that raises money to build basketball courts for kids. Bhatia's story is proof that sports is a level playing field and huge source of integration; it has the power to dispel negatives like racism.