Chief Rainbow- Dr.Brij Sood
Dr.Brij Sood & Family.
Dr.Brij Sood - 50th Anniversary.
Dr.Brij And wife Nirmala with Governor (Centre)
Dr.Brijendra Sood C.M.,M.B.,Ch.B., L.R.C.P.Lond., M.R.C.S.Eng., F.R.C.S.Ed., F.I.C.S., D.Obs.R.C.O.G.
Dr.Brijendra Sood has had a interesting and colorful career. He was born in India in 1927 in a medical family, was raised in Kenya,East Africa. His father was Dr Faqir Chand Sood who practiced in Kenya from 1929 to 1970 and after retirement came to live in Calgary. After completion of his High School in East Africa and two years of College in Lahore (1944-1946)India, he went to England where he obtained his medical degrees from University of
Birmingham.
After internship and
residency training in
England he returned home to
Kenya where he joined Her Majesty’s Overseas Civil Service as a Medical Officer.
His first two years were spent working in bush hospitals looking after Leprosy and TB cases.
He was involved in looking after many a wounded during the Mau Mau rebellion.
Dr.Sood and his family were pioneers in a way. They were the first family ever to immigrate into Canada from East Africa. He came to Canada in 1964 having obtained his Fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. After a year in Manitoba in a small community Deloraine, he came to Banff. He was well liked in
Deloraine,
Manitoba,
because of his community involvement.
The local Boy Scouts Group needed a Scout Leader and he soon found himself in charge as a Scout Master, being a First Class Boy Scout himself
during his youth days.
In
Banff he became a very popular
doctor especially with North American Indians who considered him one of them.
Because of his compassionate attitude and excellent care he provided to his Indian patients,
in 1967 at a very colorful ceremony in
Banff, Stoney Indians west of
Calgary under Chief Walking Buffalo admitted
him into the tribe as a blood brother and Honorary Chief naming
him Chief Rainbow.
Medical Service:
While practicing in Banff in 1966, Dr.Brij Sood became an examiner for
St John’s Ambulance Brigade.
After his move to
Calgary in 1967,
he got himself involved in the work of
St. John’s Ambulance Brigade that he had first joined as a student while in College in
India in 1945.
He has been a volunteer worker with this
organization in
India, Africa
and
Canada.
He has served this
organization in
Calgary since 1974 and his long and dedicated service earned him the Order of St. John
which he received from the Governor General Jean Sauve in 1987.
For many years he was a Divisional Surgeon and for the last six years he has been Area Surgeon to the Brigade with responsibilities for
maintaining high standard of training and efficiency.
Because of his long and excellent service and active involvement,
this year Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth has made him an Officer of that Order, the insignia of which and he will be receiving from the Lt. Governor of Alberta, at an investiture on May 18, 1995.
For many years he also helped Operation Wheel chair in
Calgary.
He served on the Medical Staff Executive of Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary for many years and was President and subsequently Chief of Staff. In Calgary General Hospital Dr.Sood served on the Executive of the Dept. Of Family Practice and Dept. Of Surgery. At present he is the Treasurer of Archives and Museum Committee of that Hospital on which he has served for the last six years. He has been very active in the Calgary Medical Society and has been on its Executive for the last seven years. Dr.Sood is the current President of the Society. Being a first class magician, he is the resident magician of Calgary Medical Society and has entertained members and their families at Society’s
Christmas Party every year for many years.
In 1983, Dr.Sood got the ball rolling to get the Calgary General Hospital start non-smoking areas in the building. At a quarterly medical staff meeting he moved the first resolution designating the auditorium of the Hospital as a smoke free area in the institution. This was voted very favorably by an overwhelming majority and since that day slowly and progressively the
Calgary General
Hospital
has totally banned smoking in the building.
His travels overseas always turn into a busman’s holiday. In every instance he has been called upon to attend to medical emergencies. To give a few examples, he had to perform a tracheostomy on a child on board a passenger ship in the Bay of Biscay. He was called upon to revive a Chinese patient on a flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong and recently had to treat a sick French lady on an Air France Flight from Djibouti to Paris. Before Air Ambulance Services started in Alberta he flew many a time to oil drilling stations in the
Arctic
to treat and bring back sick and injured patients, thus being
the first flying doctor in the Province.
Cross-cultural, Community, Church & Social Service:
In spite being a new arrival and struggling to get established in
Canada and raise a young family he found time to become involved in community affairs. In
Calgary he noticed a lot of bias and prejudice against immigrants. With the help of other concerned Calgarians he was instrumental in founding Calgary Multicultural Centre in 1975. This group was formed to build cross-cultural bridges and not to create ethnic ghettos. Now Calgary Multicultural Centre is a very vibrant and thriving institution with a building of its own. It is interesting to know that since those years
Canada has been recognized as a Multicultural nation by our Government.
In the early years East Indian community was tiny. Dr.Sood with the help of a few others started India Canada Association which helps East Indians enter the mainstream of life in Canada and promotes East Indian culture. This organization which represents about 15000 East Indians in Calgary recently celebrated its 25th anniversary in Calgary. On the demise of a family member and subsequently with the increase of East Indian population after the arrival of refugees from Uganda in 1972 he felt the need for a religious Hindu organization. He was one of the founders of Hindu Society that now has a
Hindu
Temple in the City catering to the religious and spiritual needs of a fifteen thousand Hindu community.
He has served as President of all these organizations and has left these vibrant groups in the hands of younger members.
Till recently
he was one of the Trustees of Calgary Hindu Temple. He has given
talks on TV on medical topics relevant to East Indian population.
It is of interest that at the time of the assassination of Prime Minister of India Indira Ghandi, he openly preached that immigrants should consider themselves Canadians first and keep their religion at home. This gave him a bad name in a segment of the community and for some time he was on a hit list of the extremists. His bold stand, however, earned him great respect in the East Indian community of Calgary, which he has continued to serve. Because of his excellent record of community interests he was appointed to serve for two years on the Alberta Heritage Council.
In 1993 after the earthquake in India he helped raise nearly $20,000.00 for relief of victims of that disaster.
Currently he is on the Board of Directors of Calgary Hospice Society. He hold many public appointments like Medical Examiner for Immigration Canada, Civil Aviation Canada, Consultant to Govt of Alberta, Medical Director Park Ambulance Service, Medical Consultant to Immediate Response Service Calgary etc. etc.
Awards: 2007.
He has received many awards:
1. Honorary Indian(North American Chief) named Chief Rainbow 1967 by Stoney First Nations of Alberta
2. Govt. of Alberta Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to Ethno-Cultural Development. 1984
3. Order of St John. 1984
4. Outstanding Service Award. India Canada Association of
Calgary. 1984
5. Award of Excellence in Professional & Occupational Field. 1995.
6. OFFICER of the Order of St John 1995
7. Outstand Service Award. Hibdu Society of Calgary. 1995
8. Nominated as Immigrant of Distinction 1999, 2000, 2007.
9. Outstanding Physician of the Year 2000.
Calgary Medical Society.
10. COMMANDER of the Order of St John. 2002
11. Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Medal. 2002
12. MEMBER of THE ORDER OF
CANADA. 2002
13. Presidential Citation from International Brotherhood of Magicians for promoting the Art of Magic. 2003
14. Ciatation from THE SENATE of Canada: In recognition of status as a role model for Asian-Canadian Community. 2003
15. “100 Physicians of the Century”.
Alberta Medical Associaion & Colle of Physicians & Surgeons
16. Certificate of Merit.
Calgary Medical Society
17. Lifetime Achievement Award. National Indo-Canadian Council of
Canada. 2005
18.
Alberta Centennial Medal. 2005.19. “WIZARD” Award. International Brotherhood of Magicians.20. “Eagle Feather” Award. Chiniki First Nations
Dr.Sood is still in active medical practice. He plays golf and is a great stage magician. In this field he has entertained audiences in In India, Pakistan Uk., USA and also performed at Rideau Hall for the Gvernor General in
Ottawa.
His wife is Narindar and they have two daughters and one son. Rupa is the eldest and she is a business woman living in Seattle, Washington. Veena is an actress and has appeared in many TV shows and movies. Manoj is also an actor and is known as the Muslim Archie Bunker on account of his role in the current CBC show Little Mosque on the Prairie”
Chief Rainbow- Dr.Brij Sood
Dr.Brij Sood & Family.
on January 26th, 2009 at 3:41 am
Great to know about our history and you have done well for your self in Canada. I am new in Canada and still trying to establish my self would request you to kindly allow me to stay in touch with you.
Regards,
Sidharth Sud
(647) 456-7474
REPLY
Thanks, Sidharath.
Where do you live in Toronto?
And where is your parentage from?
on July 10th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Respected,
I really feel proud when iI read about success stories of Indians,especially Sood’s in Canada.
We live in Toronto
on November 19th, 2009 at 5:48 am
I am a musician based in Vancouver,BC CANADA.
It’s so interesting and fulfilling reading about Soods from
around the globe.
on November 21st, 2009 at 10:58 am
Dear Dr. Sood, It was indeed a great pleasure to read about your back ground, career and other social activities including various awards and recognition you have earned. Internet has brought us closer. Through our website you will be able to know about various social and medical related activities of Sood Sabha Chandigarh. When you find time,,please visit our website: www.soodsabhachd.org and recently we have put extracts from book “Origin and History of Soods” so that our children where-ever they are should know more about our community. We also propose to put the entire book shortly.
We shall be pleased to publish your brief bio data alongwith your photograph in our quarterly magazine SOOD SANDESH.
Please accept greetings on behalf all the members of SOOD SABHA CHANDIGARH - ( Of-course it is an elected body )
With regards,
SURINDER SOOD
GENERAL SECRETARY
SOOD SABHA, SOOD BHAWAN: soodsabhachd@gmail.com
SECTOR 44-A CHANDIGARH surinderspsood@gmail.com