By Harvinder Sandhu
Special to South Asian Post

Twenty years ago there wasn’t any television programming targeting B.C.’s rapidly growing Punjabi community.
A petite chemistry teacher from Burnaby mixed up the right formula to change all that.
Jaswant Johal, an immigrant from Punjab herself who previously had lived in the UK, recognised the community’s desire to reconnect with their homeland. She started a radio show, “Punjabi Beat”, playing mainly Bhangra songs, both old and new, for the culture-hungry Punjabi community.
“The phones lines lit up within the first 15 minutes with requests,” says Johal reflecting back at those initial days of a media career that has since spanned twenty years, with countless television shows and community events in-between.
Today, the name Jaswant Johal is known across households. She was a pioneer bringing Punjabi entertainment and news from back home, to the immigrant community living in Metro Vancouver.
“I saw how much our community was missing their homeland,” she says. “There was nothing for them, on radio or television. I wanted to give them that connection.”
It wasn’t easy. There were many obstacles, both from the mainstream media which controlled the airwaves and also, from within the community itself.
“There was no free television air-time available from the local stations and all the available community air-time was taken by a rival,” explains Johal. “I had to buy air-time at an incredibly high rate which I paid for myself.”
Her energy to do more and to achieve success in this industry was fuelled by her determination to accomplish what many said impossible.
Her first show on a commercial channel, Punjabi Profile, was an immediate hit.
At that time there were very few Punjabi music videos so Jaswant remedied that problem by flying to England and recording performances of pioneering bands such as, Apna Sangeet, Malkit Singh, Heera Group, Premi, Bally Sagoo, Johnny Zee (Stereo Nation) and many others.
On the flight over, she pulled out the manual of the recording camera she had rented, studying it while tending to her 4-month-old baby sleeping next to her.
Thanks in part to the exposure gained on Punjabi Profile, these up and coming groups were able to find promoters to book live gigs here in B.C.
Amongst a new generation of Punjabi youth who had grown up in Canada, the songs of these UK revival bhangra groups hit upon a hunger for music and rhythms from their Punjabi roots.
Besides showcasing music and entertainment, Punjabi Profile also provided in-depth interviews with prominent members of the Punjabi community: former MP Herb Dhaliwal, Dr. Gurr Singh (neurosurgeon), Judge Gurmail Gill, and former Attorney General, Wally Oppal.
 “Launching the show was tough,” recalls Johal. “There were no Punjabi speaking professionals like camera operators or editors that had industry experience. I took various courses to master every aspect of producing a show, from camera work to advanced post-production.”
Johal was not only the producer and host; she was also the sales-person. A one-woman-show, she persevered through the difficult times to make the show a success.
With her rise followed the success of others. She hired and trained many staff members from within the community in areas of editing, camera operation, sound and even sales. By her account, she trained and employed in some capacity or another many people who are working in the TV media business today.
Some of those staff members went on to launch their own shows to compete with Punjabi Profile.
Twenty years later, Punjabi Profile is still running strong. The same, however, cannot be said of many of those competitors.
“I have a very unique and strong connection with my audience. I can ‘feel’ what they want, what their challenges are. When I sit in front of camera, I can feel the personal connection with each one of my audience,” explains Johal, attributing that connection for her show’s success.
Over the years, Johal has also maintained an active interest in the community’s social issues. Many people would call her with immigration, spousal and youth issues.
“There was not a lot help back then in dealing with social issues that today’s new immigrants take for granted. I felt I had to help my community,” says Johal.
This combination of understanding social issues and a direct connection with her audience led Johal to create an unprecedented event for Punjabi women, ‘Teeyaan Da Mela’. A hugely successful all day event, it attracted over 13,000 women of all ages, from the U.S., Alberta and all over B.C.
 “It was copied as many of my shows have been, but it was never duplicated,” says Johal confidently.
So what lies ahead for her next twenty years?
“For me, as well as maintaining my media, it’s time to explore the many avenues still untouched by South Asian community. I feel I have only touched the tip of the iceberg in tapping into my potential. What I have achieved so far is the absolute minimum,” she finishes.

The shows Jaswant Johal created and produced in chronological order 

1. Punjabi Beat (Radio) - 1989

2. Punjabi Beat TV Show - 1992

3. Punjabi Profile -1995 - on Chek6 featuring what’s new in the community, interviews, (political, community, informative), artists profiles, concert promotions, special events and entertainment.

4. Original Punjabi Beat -1996 - music videos & interviews from UK

5. Sanjha Punjab -1997 - featuring Hindi Punjabi and Pakistani segments to encourage unity amongst  South Asian community.

6. National Punjabi Profile -1997 - Punjabi entertainment show which aired across Canada on Vision TV

7. Watno -1998 - Entertaining segments with interviews airing across Canada

8. Rangla Punjab -1998 - Music videos from Punjab

9. Mix Masala -1998 - Featuring success story from the community and health segment.

10. Canada Beat -1998 - featuring Canadian art and artists

11. Catch 22 -1999 - top 22 films and video clips

12. Asian Variety Show -1999 - Top Bollywood entertainment (this show is very similar to Entertainment Tonight)

13. Weekly Hindi Films -1999 – Program played for 5 years.

14. Weekly Punjabi Films -2000 - Program played for 5 years.

15. Punjabi Dramas -2002 - Featuring stories of Punjabi and household cultural issues

16. News from India -2002 - Punjabi weekly news review

17. Pakistani Dramas -2003 - Featuring stories of household cultural issues

18. Sadabahar Naghmae -2003 - evergreen songs/ classics targeted audience 40+