For the techie
Growing up in New Delhi, India, Sumit Madan, 32, didn’t touch a computer until he was 17. “My mother took me to a computer learning institute where they gave basic training,” recalls Madan, who moved to Ottawa two years later to attend university. All too familiar with the red tape of India’s bureaucracy, Madan realized that technology was the key to efficiency.
Today, Madan is neck-deep in technology and functionality. As head of quality assurance at Lusight Research, he leads the testing team. His wife, Mohina Lal, teaches computer science at a high school.
Madan is already introducing his daughter, Ameya, 4, and son, Kashyap, 1, to the world of technology. They use educational apps such as ABC Phonics, ABC Tracing, Numberland and even Hindi Cards for learning his mother tongue. But, he says, it’s important to incorporate some gadget-downtime, too. “When we come home we put the phones in their charging station,” says Madan, who lives in Toronto’s Riverdale neighbourhood. The aim is to keep offline until the children are in bed, which, he admits, is a challenge. “Information is a bunch of noise — there’s too much spam, too many people talking without fact-checking. It’s our responsibility to help kids filter it.” The perfect Father’s Day: “A vacation with the family to California. Santa Monica seems like the perfect mix of beach and a nice city.” Best to-be-received gift: “I think money is better spent on experiences because they create memories. I would love the new iPad, but it’s more of a want than a need — I see it as a toy that would be great to make movies.”