Vaidehi Bhagat
Chairperson, Panorama India
Vaidehi Raut is an accomplished self-employed businesswoman, with master’s in business management. With more than 25 years of professional experience in the hospitality industry, she has made significant contributions to leading hotels in India, Hong Kong, and Toronto at a corporate level. As the Founder and President of Global Sea Services Ltd, Vaidehi showcases her entrepreneurial skills and leadership providing specialized marine services.
Beyond her business achievements, Vaidehi has demonstrated remarkable talent in the arts and sports since her school and college days. She actively participated in various artistic endeavors, including dance, dramas, and sports. Her dedication to Bharatanatyam and folk dancing has earned her numerous awards and gold medals at the inter-college level. She has represented India in prestigious folk-dance festivals and charity shows across the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.
Community service holds great significance in Vaidehi’ s life. As the Chairperson of Panorama India, she leads the organization in organizing the India Day Parade and Republic Day Celebrations with the support of Consulate General of India in Toronto. Through her efforts, Vaidehi brings together diverse Indian organizations and state communities, fostering unity and providing a common platform to celebrate India's rich cultural heritage.
Vaidehi’ s commitment to empowering women is evident in her role as a Founding Board member of the Indo Canadian Women Foundation (ICWF). This not-for-profit organization serves as a supportive platform for over 700 businesswomen and entrepreneurs, organizing business expos and motivational events to guide women towards achieving their aspirations.
Additionally, Vaidehi serves as a director of community outreach on the Board of Brilliant Minds Group (BMG), a notable not-for-profit organization focused on assisting newcomers to Canada in settling down and realizing their career and life goals.
Guided by the principle of “VasudhaivaKutumbakam” (World as one family), Vaidehi promotes inclusivity and values that strengthen the bonds among people. She encourages individuals to engage in activities that foster mental and physical growth, advocating for a healthy and harmonious way of life.
With her extensive experience, diverse talents, and unwavering dedication to community service, Vaidehi Raut continues to make a significant impact in various fields, enriching the lives of others, and fostering unity within multicultural communities.
Arun Chauhan
Executive Director
Arun is a result-oriented professional with 17 years of experience in Sales, Marketing, Call Centre Solutions, and Event Management combined. Represented clients across various industries, including Healthcare, Telecommunications, Newspaper and Food Industry. Working directly with people for over 14 plus years and thoroughly understand people, regardless of different cultures, demographics, age-groups, ethnic backgrounds and different motivations. He is also part of various community groups and fairly active in representing the community on various occasions/celebrations throughout the year. He loves Cricket and ardent fan of Team India!
Apart from that, Arun runs a little TV show, “Himachali Darpan,” along with his partner Bhagya where they try to educate and invite the North American audience to Explore Himachal!
Ravi Rawlani
Executive Director Finance
Ravi Rawlani is a General Manager of Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport, he has worked in the Hospitality industry for over 20 years in India, Middle East and North America. He has completed his M.B.A from Jamnalal Institute of Management studies in Mumbai, an active member of Indian community helping new immigrants settle in Canada. Ravi is a Food enthusiast and likes to explore different cuisines of the World.
Nagendra Krishnamurthy
Director – Community Relations
Nagendra is part of the leadership team of Tata Consultancy Services – Canada. After completing his education in Bangalore, he worked at Mangalore, Jodhpur, and Mumbai in India prior to coming to Toronto, Canada.
Nagendra has been active in various community organizations and initiatives as a volunteer and has most recently served as the President of Kannada Sangha, Toronto, and as the Chairman of the Parent Council at Williams Parkway Senior Public School, Brampton. He is a member of an advisory committee and coordinates language classes on behalf of Kannada Sangha Toronto in the Greater Toronto area. He is a recipient of the Ontario Volunteer Service Award.
While Cricket was his first love, lately, he has taken up playing badminton in the winters and golf in the summers. He enjoys watching his kids play hockey from the stands and is an avid fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nagendra lives in Mississauga with his wife and two kids
Nidhi Sachdev
Director Social Media
Nidhi Sachdev is a Financial Risk Management professional with a leading Canadian Bank.
She holds an MS in Information Systems from University of Toronto and an MBA from Delhi University. She has over 15 years of industry experience in IT, Training and Financial Risk Management.
Nidhi has been in Canada for 17 years and has been an active member of community activities. She actively participates in various cultural events in the GTA.
A trained Kathak dancer, she is passionate about performing and visual arts. She is always up for a challenge, especially ones that allow her to express herself creatively. She also loves gardening.
Amit Nayak
Executive Director Vendor Management
Amit has a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and MBA from “University of Madras”. He has worked for several MNCs both in India and Canada. Currently, he is working as the Sales Manager for Jokey North America Inc. Amit has been active in various community organizations for over 20yrs. He not only has the motivation to affect positive changes in the community, but also wants to be at the forefront of that transformation. Other than Panorama India, Amit is the sitting President of Canada Odisha Society of Americas (www.canosa.ca), Secretary of Satsang Canada (www.satsangcanada.com) and Director of The Odisha Society of the Americas (www.odishasociety.org) . In past, Amit served Panorama India as a Board Member from 2006-2008.
Sumita Sinha
Vice Chair
Sumita Sinha is a professional in the Corporate IT field for over 25 years. She is a Bachelors in Computer System Engineering from BIT Mesra – India. She is a passionate folk singer and event host who has actively participated in community events and services in India, Australia, and Canada. Sumita is a pioneer in bringing Bihari Folk Music and Dance to various GTA platforms, including the prestigious Panorama Stage. She is very passionate about showcasing Indian Culture and Traditions. She is also a member of the organizing committee of Bihar and Jharkhand Association Of Canada. Sumita is a hardworking individual who balances her work, family, and social commitments very well.
Milan Verma
Director, Digital Media & PR
Milan moved to Canada in 2019 and has been working for the past 12+ years in the IT industry. In Canada and earlier in India, she has always been active in community service right from her school and college days to organisations she has worked and volunteered for.
She is very passionate about showcasing Indian culture and Traditions. She has been actively organizing and participating in cultural festivals like ganesh poojas, sai sandhyas and Satsangs.
She is trained in Hindustani Classical Music and has won many accolades during her school days in U.A.E, Engineering College in Coimbatore, Infosys in Pune, Reval in Gurugram, Ion trading in Noida and now Oanda in Toronto. She has also been a Radio Jockey and Event planner at Infosys and has been part of the Social committee at all the companies she has been working with. She also ran an event management company Rangmanch and then Hola Entertainment to pursue her passion. In addition to this, she also has two you tube channels, TheMilanVerma where she captures her music covers and self composed songs and TechBahu where she uses her IT passion to create videos to guide people with how they can do things easily online.
She is a very hardworking, dedicated and committed individual who balances her work, family and Social Commitments very well.
Mani Bhandari
Mani is a multifaceted individual whose professional journey is marked by versatility and dynamism. Currently working with the BMG Group in Toronto, her expertise spans an impressive array of domains, including Volunteer Management, Community Outreach, Generative AI Technologies (such as ChatGPT), Corporate and Senior Events, NGO Administration, and Strategic Grants Management.
In addition, Mani is the visionary Founder of AI Empower Consulting www.aiempower.ca and collaborates on freelancing projects with Sagepresage Consulting, (www.sagepresage.com) a renowned Risk Consulting company. Her strategic thinking, coupled with her acumen in Social Media Marketing and Conflict Resolution, defines her as a leader in her field.
Mani's commitment extends beyond her professional life, evident in her active role in community service and volunteering with organizations like SGI Canada, Panorama India, BTTB, HTCC, and many others.She is a compassionate listener to keep helping in community . Outside work, she engages as a Level 8 Google Guide, photographer, and sports enthusiast, excelled in basketball,& table tennis, and enjoys sharing insights on healthy living.
Nagendra Hamsala
Director Vendor Management
Nagendra moved to Canada from India in 1999 after completing his Engineering from BITS, Pilani and MBA from IIM. He is part of the leadership team at one of the Big 5 consulting firms. He is a firm believer in humanity and is active in various community initiatives as a volunteer and a leader. He served multiple times as the General Secretary and is currently serving as the Vice President for TACA (largest Telugu association in Canada). He is an avid traveler, having travelled 53 countries and counting. He used to play league cricket and tennis. He lives in Mississauga with his wife and daughter.
Advisory Member
Dr. Thomas Thomas
Executive Director
A strong leadership is an important factor for making an organization successful. It is the act or process of influencing people to perform assigned tasks willingly, efficiently and competently by giving equal representation for all the regions and encouraging youth and women’s involvement.
Dr.Thomas Thomas is a successful businessman, philanthropist, politician, and community leader from Toronto, Canada. He is a hardworking, intelligent, honest and reliable team player with excellent communication skills. He served the community as Former President, FOKANA, Former Treasurer, Toronto Malayalee Samajam, Former President, Canadian Malayalee Association, Former Director, Panorama India, Patron, Canadian Malayalee Association, Former Secretary, Christian Ecumenical Fellowship, Former Member, Pastoral Council and Parish Council, Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustee, DPCDSB, Director, Ontario School Trustees Association, Director, Canadian School Trustees’ Association and Regional Vice President, FOMAA, Canada.