South Asian Studies Institute

All of us at the South Asian Studies Institute (SASI) at the University of the Fraser Valley, are so proud that our Director, colleague, and friend Dr. Satwinder Kaur Bains was presented the King Charles III Coronation Medal by Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin and Premier of British Columbia David Eby in Vancouver today!
Satwinder is being celebrated and recognized for her significant contributions and outstanding achievements. Her dedication to service and impressive accomplishments have earned our respect and that of our community and country. The award recognizes Canadians like Satwinder who have had a positive impact particularly in the areas of diversity, sustainability, and the environment.

University of the Fraser Valley Joanne MacLean, UFV President UFV Research Office Canadian Museums Association / Association des musées canadiens City of Abbotsford - The Hub Of The Fraser Valley Ufv Sasi South Asian Canadian Digital Archive

(2/2) Announcing our second group of sponsors for
2024 Annual Bajwa Dhami Community Golf Day fundraising event.
Their generous and valuable support will help us raise funds to undertake important research initiatives at the South Asian Studies Institute.

(1/2) We are very thankful to our sponsors for 2024 Annual Bajwa Dhami Community Golf Day fundraising event.
Their generous and valuable support will help us raise funds to undertake important research initiatives at the South Asian Studies Institute.

We have a list of South Asian names in our latest digitized Fraser Mill accident log. Help us give life stories to these names. Reach out to us if you recognize anyone in the list or if you know anyone who worked at Fraser Mills

SASI acquires a rare print of Emily Eden’s "Portraits of Princes and People of India" (1844)

Most of Emily Eden’s sketches are portraits of prominent Sikh rulers, while others portray remarkable figures of fakeers (religious devotees), jemadars (headmen), Akalis (Sikh religious devotees/ soldiers), horseman, dwarfs, Sh*tr Sawar (camel riders carrying dispatches), Tartar traders from Tibet, wrestlers, and Zamindars (landowners) of that era..

Read more about this on our blog website here:
https://blogs.ufv.ca/sasi/2024/05/29/sasi-acquires-a-rare-print-of-emily-edens-portraits-of-princes-and-people-of-india-1844/

The South Asian Studies Institute congratulates Dr. Tzu-I Chung on her reappointment as a member of the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board for a term of four years.
Dr. Chung's dedication to the heritage sector is well known and much appreciated by us in BC and now in Canada.
Well done Dr. Tzu-i Chung!

Royal BC Museum Tzu-i Chung Canadian Heritage BC Museums Association

https://lnkd.in/eZszFikK

Happy Asian Heritage Month! The month of May offers an opportunity for Canadians to celebrate the diverse culture, history and heritage of Asian communities in Canada. Together, let's reflect on and learn about the many achievements and contributions that Canadians of Asian heritage have made and continue to make across Canada!

April 14th marks the first day of the official calendar of Bangladesh. This special day is celebrated with much joy among the Bengali communities across the world. Happy Pohela Boishakh or Bengali New Year!

Puthandu marks the Tamil New Year and it is the first day of the Tamil calendar. May this year be filled with an abundance of joy and prosperity for all. Happy Tamil New Year!

Happy Vaisakhi! May this harvest festival fill your life with prosperity, happiness and success.

Today is Holi, the Festival of Colours! We at SASI hope you have a happy Holi filled with lots of colour, laughter, and joy!

Happy Nowruz! We at SASI hope this new day is filled with health, happiness, and time with family and friends.

Ramadan Mubarak! The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is observed by Muslims globally. A month of fasting, praying, and reflection, we hope your Ramadan is filled with family, community, and joy!

Happy International Women’s Day! Today we celebrate and honour women’s and girls’ social, economic, cultural, and political achievements globally. It is also a day for us to recognize the struggles women have gone through and continue to go through as they fight for equity, equality, and their right to exist. We hope today is a day filled with positivity, unity, advocacy, and celebration.

Come join us tomorrow at the Vancouver Maritime Museum's Open House! It is free admission and there will be storytelling, activities, and family fun!

Happy Lunar New Year! It is the Year of the Dragon, and our SASI team would like to wish a happy new year to all those who celebrate. May your year be filled with love, health, and prosperity!

Our February Newsletter is now available. If you are interested in learning more about upcoming programs, reading our online blogs and viewing our Biennial Report (2022-2023), you may view our newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/ufv/news-from-the-south-asian-studies-institute-633656

February is Black History Month! This month, we honour the stories of Black Canadians and recognize Black culture and heritage. Although often not acknowledged, Black Canadian communities have a deep history in Canada. It is important to recognize this legacy and we hope that during this month (and every other month) you will get a chance to reflect upon and learn more about Black Canadian stories. Happy Black History Month!

On February 22nd, Rails, Jails and Trolleys will be screening at the KDocsFF: Journeys in Solidarity, Metro Vancouver’s premier social justice film festival, distinguished by its commitment to community, dialogue and activism. It is programmed to be screened in honour of “Radical Humanity.” The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Director Henna Mann and social activists that supported the documentary including Anita Lal, Bal Dhillon, Jagdeesh Mann and Mo Dhaliwal.

To learn more about screening timeline of Rails, Jails and Trolleys, you may read our recent blogpost here: https://blogs.ufv.ca/sasi/2024/01/23/timeline-of-rails-jails-and-trolleys-screenings/

If you are interested in attending the film screening and Q&A, please visit www.KDocsFF.com. Tickets are available now at https://viff.org/series/kdocsff-2024/.

We hope to see you there!
KDocsFF 2024: Journeys in Solidarity KDocs FF: Metro Vancouver's Premier Social Justice Doc Film Festival

January is Tamil Heritage Month! Today we wanted to recognize the diversity and beauty within Canada’s South Asian Canadian community. As we continue to grow SACDA’s collections, we hope to gather more materials recognizing and celebrating Tamil heritage. We invite anyone interested in contributing materials to get in touch and email us at [email protected].

Join the Rotary Club of Abbotsford Sumas and UFV’s Community Health and Social Innovation Hub for conversations around advancing equity in our community.

For this special event on January 22, UFV and CHASI welcomes global health expert Salome Bukachi for an informative presentation on Community Resilience in Pandemic Prevention followed by a panel discussion (panelists to be announced).

Salome Bukachi is the Commissioner, Lancet-PPATS Commission on Prevention of Viral Spillover, a Member of the One Health High-Level Experts Panel led by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programm (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), as well as a professor at the University of Nairobi's Department of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies.

Refreshments will be served, and all are welcome. This will be a hybrid event, and a Zoom event link will be shared for remote participants. Entry is by donation, in support of the UFV-SUS Food Bank

LOCATION
UFV Abbotsford, Room B101 & Zoom, V2S 7M8

Please join us this Friday for 'Becoming Human: Using Literature to Legitimize Identity,' a presentation and dialogue with Dhahan Prze finalists Deepti Babuta, Jameel Ahmad Paul, and Balijit.
EVENT DETAILS
November 17th, 2023
1-2:30pm
K Building, SASI offices
Please register: https://dhahanprize.com/event-registration-ufv-with-2023.../

Happy Diwali from the SASI and SACDA team! Please stay safe and we hope you will be able to spend time with loved ones today to enjoy the Festival of Lights 🪔

'Haq and History' opens tomorrow at the Golden Museum and Archives. The exhibition tells the story of Punjabi immigrants working sawmills in the 1920s, the challenges of sourcing Punjabi food in Vancouver in the 1960s, and the memories of life in the now-abandoned town of Paldi in the 1940s.

The exhibition also includes stories of the gurdwara in Golden which was the first in North America well as other stories of the Punjabi community.

November is Hindu Heritage Month. As SACDA continues to grow each day, it is our goal to be inclusive and representative of all South Asians in Canada. We therefore hope to gather more materials incorporating South Asian Hindu heritage to our collections. We invite anyone interested in contributing materials to get in touch and email us at [email protected].

On November 7th, Dr. Satwinder Bains will be speaking on a panel titled 'State of Sikhs in Canada' along with Balpreet Singh, Rumneek Johal, and Jindi Singh.

EVENT DETAILS
November 7th at 6PM
Surrey City Hall (13450 104 Ave, Surrey, BC)

Please register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/state-of-sikhs-in-canada-tickets-743853013387

Please join us for a screening of Unarchived (National Film Board of Canada) on November 7th, from 12-3pm in K153 (UFV Abbotsford campus).

All are welcome - Admission is free!
Refreshments will be provided.

Please join us for 'Becoming Human: Using Literature to Legitimize Identity,' a presentation and dialogue with Dhahan Prze finalists Deepti Babuta, Jameel Ahmad Paul, and Balijit.

EVENT DETAILS
November 17th, 2023
1-2:30pm
K Building, SASI offices
Please register: https://dhahanprize.com/event-registration-ufv-with-2023-dhahan-prize-authors/