Meet Ridham
The Good Sorts at Good Sorts is a series that brings our people out from behind the scenes and into the spotlight.
In the spotlight this week is Ridham Dhawan. Born in New Delhi in India, Ridham moved to Canada to broaden his horizons and to attend Okanagan College in Kelowna as a post-graduate student. Ridham is now a familiar face on the team at Good Sorts. We sat down with Ridham to learn more about his story.
Where did you grow up before moving to Canada?
I call India home and there are certainly numerous things that I love about my country. I was born and brought up in the capital city of India, New Delhi.
What is unique about home?
The people – there are so many different cultures, cuisines, and costumes that make India very diverse, yet unified.
What brought you to Canada and ultimately Kelowna?
I landed here in Kelowna, Canada in August of 2019 to earn a post-graduate diploma in Human Resource Management. I haven’t got long to go now and am looking forward to graduating this coming December. It’s been quite the journey for me from finding a place to call home and settling in mentally, emotionally, and socially.
Tell me about the culture at home.
I’m from a Hindu community in New Delhi. The people that live there speak both Hindi and English. Our culture has exquisite taste in food (and drinks too!). There are also many traditional belief systems in Indian culture with respect to values and ethics. As you and I were discussing earlier, arranged marriages are still incredibly popular. However, the idea of a “love marriage” is steadily sliding into almost all metropolitan cities in India. Indians value their parents the most till the last moment of their life and always choose to stay with them. I’m blessed to be a part of this beautiful country and culture.
What was your profession prior to joining Good Sorts?
Before joining the team at Good Sorts, I worked as a hotelier in various management positions and as a travel analyst. I worked back in my country with some pioneer hotels and travel agencies. Coming to work for Good Sorts has helped me to adapt and learn a lot of new things – learning is experience.
How do you like to pass the time?
I love to play badminton and ping pong in my free time or explore new places around the Okanagan and Canada. I like to keep fit too, though I wouldn’t describe myself as a ‘gym freak’.