By Arti Panday
Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, Dancing Damsels held their fifth annual awards ceremony at Toronto City Hall Council Chambers on March 3.
Established in 2013 by Mary Ashok, Dancing Damsels hosts four flagship events throughout the year, this being the first.
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success,” Ashok said, quoting Henry Ford in light of this year’s International Women’s Day theme, #PressForProgress.
Dedicated to promoting art and women empowerment, the non-profit association recognizes women across the GTA for their outstanding achievements in a number of fields including politics, community leadership and healthcare.
Dancing Damsels presented the Rambihar sisters, Dr. Sherryn Rambihar, Dr. Nadira Rambihar and Dr. Vanessa Rambihar, awards for their exemplary contributions to health and community. The sisters, who have been practicing in their fields for 13, ten and four years, respectively, each spoke at the event and provided insight into how they value their roles.
“I find it very liberating that my role as a mother or a community member can also enhance my ability as a professional and in that way I can truly help make a difference,” said Dr. Sherryn Rambihar, a cardiologist.
As a physiatrist, Dr. Nadira Rambihar works with disabled individuals, including athletes, as they do rehabilitation and says she is inspired by her patients every day.
“Women leaders need to get into positions of leadership to have their voice heard,” said Dr. Vanessa Rambihar who is a family doctor and the Associate Program Director for the Family Residency Training Program at the University of Toronto. “It’s a great time for women to be at the table in leadership roles across the field, as we see today.”

Also among the award recipients was Ontario’s Minister of the Status of Women, Honourable Harinder Malhi, the province’s first woman Sikh Minister who was presented with an award for her outstanding accomplishments in politics.
“We now stand at 45 per cent of women in the Ontario cabinet. I’m proud to be part of the face of change here in our province,” Minister Malhi noted. “Very soon, I will be announcing the strategy to support the economic empowerment of women. Because we need to remove barriers that are keeping women from reaching economic equality in Ontario – in their wages, their workplace and their leadership.”
Other dignitaries in attendance included Member of Parliament Iqra Khalid and Honourable Dipika Demerla, Ontario’s Minister of Seniors Affairs.
Dancing Damsels’ media spokesperson, Salome Paryag, emceed the event. Originally from Trinidad, Paryag noted that the organization “is the medium to building a better Canada one community at a time.”
In celebration of Mother’s Day, Dancing Damsels’ next event will be held at the Oasis Banquet and Convention Centre on May 13.