Sushma Datt - Burnaby

Sushma Sardana is a well known radio-personality in the Indo-Canadian community throughout British Columbia.

Known simply as Sushma to her listeners, she was born in Kenya, began her broadcasting career in England with the BBC, and moved to Vancouver in 1972.

Her private radio station, 'Rim Jihm', broadcasts on an FM sideband to more than 20,000 special radios which listeners in British Columbia and neighboring Washington have purchased in order to receive its signal.

She was the first Hindi and Punjabi announcer at CJVB Radio in Vancouver until 1978 when she started her own station. Today she also broadcasts on the Community and Multicultural television channels.

Sushma provides the Indo-Canadian community with a wide range of news and entertainment programming and has produced educational and informational programs for radio, television and for use in schools.

As well, Sushma is heavily involved in the Indo-Canadian community promoting classical Indian dancing and chairing the Indo-Canadian Women for Freedom and Speech organization and is active as an MC and fundraiser for various cultural and charitable organizations.

For the past 19 years she has been a source of inspiration for aspiring broadcasters in the Indo-Canadian community, and produced programs which enhance the Canadian mosaic and encourage cross-cultural understanding.