getbrutal:

This is Nav Bhatia with his ‘actor/rapper’ friend at an NBA game. In my previous post, I was more focused on his ‘friend’, but after some internet research, I feel that this dude deserves some more god damn recognition.

The 58-year-old Sikh is also the most famous Indian face on the North America NBA circuit with his official anointing as the ‘Super Fan’ of the city-based NBA team called Toronto Raptors for creating a record of watching over 500 games.

“I am the only Super Fan anointed by the NBA. Each season, I spend $300,000 to buy 3,000 seats out of the total 20,000 for games held in Toronto and distribute them free to Indian kids to watch these games from front rows. The images of our kids in turbans and Indian dress beamed into millions of homes make white people aware of our identity,” he says. 

Want to know why he does this?

“I was walking into a Bell cellphone repair centre when a white guy, who was talking on the phone, said loudly: ‘Honey, I have to go now, my cab is here.’ Seeing my turban, this guy thought I am a cab driver. I was so hurt that I decided to do anything - spend any money - to change stereotypes about us,” says Bhatia.

So what, though, right? It’s an easy mistake to make, it’s not like he’s ever been discriminated against when looking for a job, or even getting white people’s leftovers? WRONG

This super successful man started his Canadian dream with odd jobs.

“Though I held a degree in mechanical engineering from California State University, I couldn’t find a job because of my turban. Finally, a Chinese car dealer gave me a break as a salesman. Within three months, I sold 127 cars and was promoted as manager,” he narrates.

Impressed with his track record, Hyundai offered him to turn around a troubled dealership. Bhatia not only turned it around within a year but also bought it in 1989.