The couple started giving back to Collingwood with Bingo.
For this week’s edition of People of Collingwood we sat down with Eswar (E) and Shashi (S) Prasad, recent Order of Collingwood recipients.
Q: For how long have you lived in Collingwood?
E: We came to Collingwood from Lindsay, Ont. in October 1983. I had been working for Blue Mountain Pottery for six months before that, since May 1983.
I had two responsibilities. One was to modernize the plant and build a new line of products for them.
The second was a predecessor to Sensor Technology; it was a new company called Blue Mountain High Tech Inc.
When Blue Mountain Pottery went out of business in 1985, we had the opportunity to move to the United States... but Shashi wasn’t very excited about moving to Manhattan. (laughs)
The alternative was to live in Canada and pick up the company we had been building. We chose the latter.
We renamed it to Sensor Technology because we were selling sensors. In 1985, Sensor Technology was truly born.
Q: When you moved here in 1983, what was attractive to you about this area?
E: I was looking for a change. (Shashi) wasn’t working yet. We had agreed she would stay home with our daughter until she was five years old.
I had been coming and going from Collingwood for years. It’s a small town, like Lindsay.
S: There weren’t the attractions of Collingwood like there is now.
E: I had a contract with (Blue Mountain Pottery) and I thought that at the end of the contract, they would let me go or offer me another position.
All these things happened before my contract ended.
Q: Was Sensor Technology building underwater communications devices back in 1985?
E: Yes. I worked on them when I was at Queen’s University prior to coming to Collingwood. They were used, at that time, for underwater communication. It was the height of the Cold War and everybody was trying to find where the heck the Russian submarines were. This was a fantastic technology for that.
Q: Can you tell me a little bit about the volunteer work you do in the community?
S: In 1986 or 1987, I met a lady who was part of the Welcome Wagon. She came to the Sensor Tech office to welcome us and she gave me information about a ladies club called Quota Club.
Quota Club was an international club that did fundraising for people who are hearing impaired. I found it was very interesting. They were doing something for the community.
I joined them in 1988. We did a lot of fundraising.
I also joined the Sister City Committee.
The Quota Club used to run canteens for Bingo at the Leisure Time Club. They used to need younger people to carry things. I was one of those younger people. (laughs)
I was with them until about two years ago when they finally closed.
What we decided to do as ex-members of the club was... get together for lunch every six to eight weeks, and at every lunch we each donate $10. When it’s at $500 we do a lottery and whoever’s name gets picked gets to choose the cause.
E: Talking about the Bingos and fundraisers, it became sort of a family affair for us. I was travelling quite a bit because of the business but when I was in town I wanted to spend time with family.
So we ran the canteen and worked at the Bingos together.
Mentors are very important. Barbara Weider was one of my mentors. She drafted me into reviewing proposals for the Georgian Triangle Economic Development Corporation. That was about the time we had the Shipyards closing. We had a lot of unemployment.
I think the ‘survivors’ of the Shipyards put forward a proposal to start an organic farm with shares being sold as a corporation. Every week we used to get vegetables. We became shareholders!
These were the kinds of things that intrigued me because the community would come together with a little bit of help.
The farm was there for three or four years, after which they picked up enough commercial market that they bought back all the shares.
I think that’s one of the more successful team ventures that ever went through Collingwood.
S: We travel a lot but for the last 10 or 11 years, we spent more time in town.
Things happen here.
Q: Can you tell me about the foundation you’ve built in Collingwood?
E: It’s called the Prasad Family Foundation. It was formed at our retirement in 2010. The whole idea was that we could flow some of our money into that.
The money is donated to local causes.
Local is the big word there, because we feel indebted to the community of Collingwood. We’ve been here for 36 years and we’ve received a lot of support. We had absolutely marvellous people who came to work at Sensor Tech. We still feel those relationships.
There are a number of charities we support, such as My Friend’s House, Georgian Triangle Humane Society, Home Horizon’s Barbara Weider House, the (Collingwood General and Marine) Hospital is the big one, and Hospice Georgian Triangle.
So far, it’s contributed just under $250,000 to local causes.
S: It started out slow, but every year we are increasing it. It’s important to us that our children continue things. Our daughter Niru runs Sensor Tech. Our younger daughter oversees the foundation.
We all physically give time, but most local organizations do need financial support.
E: There’s no administrative expenses. We just manage it with our two daughters.
We are in a position where we can be financially supportive of causes. Shashi is excellent at accounting. I can give speeches. These are things we can do much more easily than Bingo. (laughs)
Q: When you first heard you were receiving the Order of Collingwood, how did you feel?
E: She was in India photographing tigers! Shashi is a photographer.
I saw the letter. I figured it was probably the tax bill.
I opened it up and I had to read it a second time. I didn’t believe it. I thought we were anonymous in town. We never had a high profile. We’re not socially active.
That night, I sent Shashi a note that said she’d be glad to know we’re getting the Order of Collingwood.
We knew Barbara Weider got it twice: the Order and the Companion.
S: I was actually reading his email sitting in a Jeep in India. There were other photographers there too. I said we’d been nominated for the Order of Collingwood and they asked what it was. I tried to explain it to them. I don’t think I understood it fully! (laughs)
E: Frankly, I’m surprised we even got (the Order of Collingwood). There are so many people in town who do a lot more work locally.
Q: What does the future hold for you?
S: Well, things can change in the speed of a second.
E: We will help in however we can, but our work is winding down. I’ve been teaching for 10 years in Toronto, and I don’t know how much longer I’m going to do that. People our age are beginning to fade away. We’re attending more funerals than birthdays.
If we can get the next two generations to continue some of the work we started, I think we’ve achieved the purpose of our life.
For our feature People of Collingwood, we’ll be speaking with interesting people who are either from or are contributing to the Collingwood community in some way, letting them tell their own stories in their own words. This feature will run on CollingwoodToday every Saturday. If you’d like to nominate or suggest someone to be featured in People of Collingwood, email [email protected].
