It’s been a rich life for construction materials specialist Prakash Joshi of Surrey, B.C., with enough highlights to write a book – which he has, publishing his memoir, titled Life in Four Continents.
And on June 26 another chapter was added as Joshi was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.
Joshi’s was one of 61 appointments announced by the governor general. His citation stated he was recognized for “contributions to materials testing and quality control inspection…(He has) developed innovative testing procedures for new materials technologies, particularly in the construction industry.”
Joshi recently recalled with a laugh that when he first received notice of his appointment, in an email to his work address, he summoned IT to make sure it was legitimate. Then he told his wife but otherwise had to keep the news to himself until the official announcement.
“It was hard for me because you cannot be excited,” he said.
“I kept it bottled up until the 26th and then when it announced, the first thing I did, I paid respect to my mother. I touched her feet.
“And the first thing she said was, ‘OK, that’s good. Bless you. Now go to the temple and thank the Almighty.’ So that’s what I did.”
Learning from elders
Joshi frequently refers to learning experiences and words of wisdom from family elders in describing his rise from modest roots in Uganda, born into a family with origins in Gujarat, India.
A seminal moment was visiting a leper colony with his grandfather.
“You are 10, and one day he takes you to a cowboy movie, and the other day he is donating to a leprosy village,” said Joshi.
“We are all Hindus…he was a very spiritual guy, and I kind of picked up those things from him.”
When you see the despair in their faces, Joshi said, “You have a different outlook towards life.”
Joshi fled Uganda’s Amin regime at the age of 20, eventually settling in British Columbia. In 1976 he graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s chemical and metallurgical technology program.
His career spans 50 years and two principal employers in addition to teaching and service at numerous professional associations. After 30 years with Amec Earth & Environmental, he joined Metro Testing and Engineering, where he still works as a senior materials engineering technologist.
In the 1990s, Joshi became the first practitioner in his field to be given a professional limited licence.
“I had to design my own scope on materials testing and inspection and forensic investigation, to go to the EGBC (Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia), saying, ‘Look here, this is my scope. I want a licence,’ and they gave it to me,” he said.
“I enjoy my work,” said Joshi, noting his career has been bookended by major rail projects.
Forty years after testing the prototype SkyTrain for Expo ’86, he is now overseeing quality control testing of the concrete guideway segments for the Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension.
After receiving the Order of Canada, Joshi received tributes from the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of British Columbia (ASTTBC) and BCIT. He joined the ASTTBC board of directors in 2022 and continues to mentor emerging professionals through EGBC.
Joshi has worked with Punjabi, Nepali, Bangladeshi and Ugandan professional and philanthropic associations as well as the humanitarian group Initiatives of Change, among numerous others.
“The biggest thrill I get is to help foreign professionals from all walks of life,” he said. “Parents have spent so much money on their education, and they come here and they cannot find a job in their field, so I’m mentoring and guiding them. It’s something that I can do only if I’m working.”
Adventures in forensics
As a forensics specialist, Joshi is asked to identify causes of project failures, including one case where a worker was thrown high into the air.
He found traces of brass under his microscope, indicating, he said, not a materials failure but an equipment impact incident.
“When materials fail, then they call me ‘Inspector Clouseau,’” he said.
His biggest supporter, and an active humanitarian in her own right, he said, is his wife Darshana. Their home has a temple that welcomes visitors from all faiths.
His memoir follows his journey across four continents and includes encounters with spiritual leaders and humanitarians such as the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu.
“I won’t downplay the awards,” said Joshi. “They do mean something to me, but all the things I’ve done is not for awards. It was my upbringing.”
He added, “When you want to help somebody, it shows in your eyes, and when it shows in your eyes, there is some other energy, whether it’s from Krishna, Christ, Buddha, wherever it is from.
“It gives you empowerment, gives you that positive energy.”
