我和妻子当时在印度担任教师，后来决定移民加拿大。我们考虑的是当时年仅五岁的儿子的未来，觉得他能在加拿大接受更好的教育。
My wife and I were working in India as teachers when we decided to immigrate to Canada. We were thinking of the future of our son, who was five at the time, and we felt he might get a better education in Canada.
当时，我根本没有想到，卡尔加里——或者阿尔伯塔省——最终会成为我和家人的家园。
At that time, I had no idea that Calgary — or Alberta — would eventually become the place my family and I would call home.
和许多印度人一样，一想到移民，我考虑的就是整个加拿大，而不是某个省或城市。当然，安大略省的布兰普伦和不列颠哥伦比亚省的萨里拥有规模庞大的印度裔社区，因此这些地方在印度广为人知。但在我与那些想要移民的人交流时，吸引他们的simply是加拿大本身——这是一个充满机遇、多元与全新开始的国家，而不是某一座特定的城市。在漫长的六年里，我一直在等待。随后在2008年，我收到了加拿大移民、难民及公民部的一封信，要求我为体检和其他相关手续做好准备。
Like many Indians, when I thought about immigrating, I thought about Canada as a whole rather than any particular province or city. Of course, places like Brampton, Ont., and Surrey, B.C., are well-known in India because of their large Indian communities. But in conversations I've had with others who wanted to immigrate, the draw is simply Canada — a country of opportunity, diversity and new beginnings rather any specific city For six long years, I waited. Then, in 2008, a letter arrived from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada asking me to prepare for a medical examination and other formalities.
信封上压印着一片枫叶。这个画面从此永远镌刻在我的记忆中，成为加拿大以及我家即将展开的新生活的象征。
The letter carried the maple leaf embossed therein. That very image became permanently etched in my mind as the symbol of Canada and of the new life awaiting my family.
当我终于抵达多伦多皮尔逊国际机场时，我激动得心跳加速。身旁是同样兴奋的妻子和我们12岁的儿子，他几乎喜不自禁地跳了起来。我们终于抵达了梦寐以求的国度。
When I finally landed at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, my heart was throbbing with excitement. Beside me was my equally excited wife and our 12-year-old son, almost dancing with joy. We had landed in our dreamland.
但梦想也意味着奋斗。2009年很艰难，因为加拿大正经历一场严重的经济衰退。我之所以搬到多伦多，是因为我以前的一些学生住在那里。但有人建议我搬到温哥华，因为不列颠哥伦比亚省正在筹备2010年冬季奥运会，那里的工作机会可能更多。我听从了这条建议，并取得了保安执照。
But dreams also demand struggle. The year 2009 was difficult because Canada was going through a harsh recession. I had moved to Toronto because some of my former students lived there. But I was advised to move to Vancouver because British Columbia was preparing to host the 2010 Winter Olympics and there might be more job opportunities there. I followed that advice and secured a security guard's licence.
我至今仍记得在加拿大工作的第一天。我作为保安人员的第一份工作是在温哥华的CBC大楼。对于此前也曾在印度担任电视主持人的人来说，站在CBC大楼内是一种非同寻常的感受。我心想：一名前电视主持人如今在CBC工作。哇！刹那间，我的梦想又插上了翅膀。
I still remember my first day of work in Canada. My first assignment as a security guard was at the CBC building in Vancouver. For someone who had also previously worked as a television presenter in India, standing inside CBC was an extraordinary feeling. I thought: a former TV presenter from India is now at CBC. Wow! Suddenly, my dreams had wings again.
很快，我加入Red FM担任新闻主持人，重返新闻和广播行业。2013年，Red FM在卡尔加里设立电台后，我有机会来到这里，于是我选择迁居此处。
Soon, I joined Red FM as a news presenter, returning to journalism and broadcasting. When an opportunity arose in 2013 after Red FM established a station in Calgary, I chose to move here.
阿尔伯塔给了我巨大的机遇。在这里，我建立了自己的新闻和广播事业，养育了家庭，买下了第一套住房，并深度参与社区事务。我有幸在卡尔加里大学评议会任职两届，并参与推动社区各项倡议，其中包括反种族主义委员会。这些经历让我明白，公民身份不仅关乎一个国家给予我们什么，也同样关乎我们回馈什么。
Alberta has given me tremendous opportunities. Here, I built my career as a journalist and broadcaster, raised my family, bought my first home and became deeply involved in the community. I had the privilege of serving two terms in the University of Calgary Senate and contributing to community initiatives, including anti-racism committees. These experiences taught me that citizenship is not only about what a country gives us; it is equally about what we give back.
经历这些迁居时，我从未把自己看作是从一个彼此分离的地方搬到另一个地方。多伦多是加拿大，温哥华是加拿大，卡尔加里是——对我而言将永远是——加拿大。在多伦多，我是一名自豪的加拿大公民；在温哥华，我是一名自豪的加拿大公民；如今在卡尔加里，我仍是一名自豪的加拿大公民。即使Red FM在美国或阿尔伯塔（如果它是一个独立主权国家）开设新台，我也绝不会选择去那里。我的梦之国是加拿大。
Through all these moves, I never thought of myself as moving from one separate place to another. Toronto was Canada. Vancouver was Canada. Calgary was — and for me will always be — Canada. I was a proud Canadian in Toronto, a proud Canadian in Vancouver, and I remain a proud Canadian in Calgary. Had Red FM opened a new station in the U.S. or Alberta (if a separate sovereign country), I would never have opted to go there. My dreamland was Canada.
最近，我主持了一档广播访谈节目，讨论公投问题。所有参与节目的来电者都支持阿尔伯塔继续作为加拿大的一部分。这些来电者都有南亚背景，来自不同群体：老年人、尚未成为加拿大公民的永久居民、受教育程度各异的阿尔伯塔工薪阶层和中产阶层人士，以及大学生。
Recently, I held a radio talk show about the referendum question. Every caller who participated supported Alberta remaining part of Canada. The callers were all of South Asian background and represented different backgrounds: seniors, permanent residents who were not yet Canadian citizens, people with varying levels of education, working- and middle-class Albertans and university students.
然而，他们的诉求却惊人地一致：没有一位来电者支持阿尔伯塔独立。他们中的许多人担心，分离将加剧针对少数族裔社区的种族歧视。还有许多人表示，像他们这样的移民不会选择阿尔伯塔定居，因为他们所了解的情况令他们担忧，分离后自己将不会受到欢迎。
Yet their message was remarkably similar: Not one caller supported a separate Alberta. Many of them feared that separation would lead to increased racism against the racialized communities. Many of them also said that immigrants like them would not pick Alberta as a place to move because what they know about separation makes them concerned they won't be welcome.
当然，一次电台热线互动并不能代表所有阿尔伯塔省民的想法。但倾听这些声音，进一步印证了我在加拿大生活期间一直以来的感受：我社区中的许多人并不认为自己的阿尔伯塔身份与加拿大身份彼此冲突。我也不这么认为。
Of course, one radio phone-in cannot represent the views of every Albertan. But listening to those voices reinforced something I have experienced throughout my Canadian journey: many people in my community do not see their Alberta identity and their Canadian identity competing with each other. Neither do I.
即使是体育运动，对我来说也体现了这种加拿大情怀。我是卡尔加里火焰队的忠实球迷，但如果火焰队落后、埃德蒙顿油人队晋级，我会立刻转而为油人队加油。我也同样能享受多伦多枫叶队获胜的喜悦。归根结对我来说，重要的是加拿大的胜利。
Even sports reflect this Canadian feeling for me. I am an ardent Calgary Flames fan. But if the Flames fall behind and the Edmonton Oilers advance, I quickly start cheering for the Oilers. And I can equally enjoy a victory by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ultimately, for me, it is Canadian success.
我理解许多阿尔伯塔人对渥太华政府怀有真实的不满。对于联邦政策、均衡拨款、资源开发、省级管辖权，以及阿尔伯塔在联邦体制内是否获得足够尊重等问题，都值得进行严肃讨论，绝不应轻易予以否定。就个人而言，特鲁多政府推出的电动汽车强制令，面对我们漫长而严酷的冬季，一直让我难以理解。即使在卡尔加里，我自己的电动车有时也会让我苦不堪言，长途行驶更会是一场噩梦。
I understand many Albertans have genuine grievances with Ottawa. Concerns about federal policies, equalization, resource development, provincial jurisdiction and whether Alberta receives sufficient respect within Confederation deserve serious discussion. They should never simply be dismissed. On a personal note, the EV mandate by the Trudeau government never made sense to me for our brutal winters. Even in Calgary, my personal EV gives me a hard time at times and the long hauls would be a nightmare.
这些问题可以通过友好协商解决；当渥太华听取意见并撤销电动汽车强制令时，我对此深表感激。但分离对我而言并不是答案。
These matters can be resolved amicably, and I appreciate it when Ottawa listened and repealed the EV mandate. But separation is not the answer for me.
加拿大并不完美；任何联邦体制都有瑕疵。然而，家庭内部的分歧并不意味着这个家庭必须分崩离析。当手臂受伤时，我们不会抛弃它，而是会用悬带固定它，并将它留在身边、紧贴心怀。
Canada is not perfect; no federation is. But disagreements within a family do not necessarily mean that the family should break apart. When an arm is broken, we don’t abandon it; we support it in a sling and keep it close to our heart.
当阿尔伯塔人作出这一历史性选择时，我会投票支持阿尔伯塔继续作为加拿大的一省留在加拿大。我也会继续支持一个更强大的阿尔伯塔：它将自信地捍卫自身的宪法权利，并在联邦体制内获得应有的尊重。
When Albertans make this historic choice, I will vote for Alberta to remain a province of Canada. I will also continue to support a stronger Alberta that confidently protects its constitutional rights and receives the respect it deserves within Confederation.
我来到这个国家时，心中怀揣着梦想，头顶着一片枫叶。那片枫叶对我而言，至今仍具有深厚的个人意义。
I arrived in this country carrying dreams beneath a maple leaf. That maple leaf still means something deeply personal to me.
我们不必在“做骄傲的阿尔伯塔人”和“做自豪的加拿大人”之间作出选择。我们可以——也应该——两者皆兼。
We do not have to choose between being strong Albertans and proud Canadians. We can — and should — be both.