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Indo-Canadian appointed to Order of Canada
Social entrepreneur Firdaus Kharas, recipient of 100+ international awards, was appointed as Officer of Canada advancing social change through human-centred media
Firduas Kharas / Image – Firdaus Kharas
Ottawa-based Firdaus Kharas, an Indian-born social entrepreneur, humanitarian and mass communications media producer, was appointed to Order of Canada (O.C) for the year 2023. He was appointed an officer of Canada for advancing social change through human-centred media.
One of Canada’s highest honors, the O.C. list recognizes those who have made significant contributions to Canada. The 2023 list includes 78 accomplished Canadians including authors, artists, journalists and indigenous leaders. The annual list of appointees was released on December 28 by Governor General of Canada Mary Simon.
Reacting to the honor, Kharas said, “I am deeply moved to receive this high honor, which is especially meaningful to me as an immigrant. Although a high achieving community, Parsis are a miniscule community numbering only 3,600 in Canada, so it is extremely satisfying to be noticed in this way.”
Aside from this honor, Kharas is the recipient of the Doctor of Laws (LLD) by Carleton University, Canada. Thiel College, Pennsylvania, conferred the Distinguished Alumnus Award to him in 2005. He was recruited as a honorary fellow at the American InterContinental University. As per Kharas’s website, he also received the United Nations Peace Medal.
Kharas is the chairman and executive producer of Chocolate Moose Media. He creates animated public service announcements and videos that transcend boundaries. He has worked on projects focused on diabetes, Zika virus prevention, domestic violence etc. “I choose projects that are oriented towards improving or saving lives,” he told the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton campus where Kharas received his Master of Arts, in International Affairs in 1980.
While receiving his distinguished alumnus award in 2015 at Carleton, Kharas in his address to the graduates mentioned the importance of following one’s passion and “don’t let anyone stop you.” Kharas has won 100+ international awards for his work which also includes the George Foster Peabody Award in 2006.
The award was for a campaign produced by Chocolate Moose called ‘The Three Amigos HIV/AIDS Prevention program’, a series of public service announcements that used humor to set up pointed reminders that condoms are important to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. The ad was introduced across South African television channels during the height of the AIDS crisis in 2005. Condom sales were said to have tripled after that, and Kharas along with everyone else on the project was credited with saving 18,000 lives a year, as a result.
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