Early Life
Dhalla was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba to an immigrant family from Punjab, India. She first attracted international attention in 1984, when she was ten years old and living in Winnipeg's north end. When Indian soldiers took part in military actions at Punjab's Golden Temple, Dhalla wrote a letter to Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, professing support for the Indian government and dismissing Sikh demands and concerns. "Dear Prime Minister… I am writing to you since I am worried about India because there are so many fights, especially in Punjab state...I don’t know why they want a separate state and so many other desires. I don’t know why Indian people don’t think about their betterment and their part of share for India. You will settle all of these things, I hope as soon as possible, If I can help in any way please let me know.”. Gandhi personally replied to Dhalla's letter and referred to it at a press conference held in the months before her assassination.
Dhalla received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Political Science from the University of Winnipeg in 1995. She moved to Toronto in the same year, and graduated with a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 1999. She later co-owned a chain of chiropractic clinics in Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga and Aurora with her brother, Neil Dhalla. Dhalla has also pursued a career in acting, working in India for six months and playing a leading role in Kyon? Kis Liye? (translated as Why? and for Whom?), a Bollywood-inspired Hindi-language film shot in Hamilton, Ontario. She finished second in the Miss India Canada pageant in 1993.
Dhalla volunteered for Winnipeg Liberal candidate David Walker in the 1988 federal election, and later became a prominent member of the Winnipeg Young Liberals. In 1998, she was elected as youth representative of the party's standing committee on multiculturalism. Dhalla supported Paul Martin's bid to become Liberal Party leader in 2003.
Read more about this topic: Ruby Dhalla
Famous quotes related to early life:
“... business training in early life should not be regarded solely as insurance against destitution in the case of an emergency. For from business experience women can gain, too, knowledge of the world and of human beings, which should be of immeasurable value to their marriage careers. Self-discipline, co-operation, adaptability, efficiency, economic management,—if she learns these in her business life she is liable for many less heartbreaks and disappointments in her married life.”
—Hortense Odlum (1892–?)