On October 23, 2025, the South Asian Studies Institute (SASI) and the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) held the first of five Community Gathering events, launching a series focused on Honouring Indigenous–South Asian Canadian Relations and Building Intercultural Futures. Carrying the Light marked the beginning of a vibrant partnership between SASI and MOA, celebrating connection and shared futures.
Held in the impressive Great Hall of the Museum of Anthropology, the event — titled Carrying the Light — opened with a warm welcome from MOA Director Susan Rowley. She introduced Deborah Sparrow, who shared beautiful Musqueam storytelling, grounding the evening in the ancestral lands on which the gathering took place.
Dr. Garry Fehr, Associate Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies, and Dr. Satwinder Bains, former Director of SASI, spoke next, offering words of gratitude and recognition. They also thanked Tzu-I Chung, Curator of Public Programs and Engagement at MOA, whose coordination efforts were instrumental in organizing this first event in the series. Susan Rowley also read remarks on behalf of Dr. Jatinder Mann, SASI’s Director, who was unable to attend due to illness.
The artistic performances added a rich cultural dimension to the evening. Kathak artist Palak Dhimān brought the ancient North Indian storytelling tradition of dance to life, weaving movement, rhythm, and narrative in a performance honouring teachers, renewal, and the triumph of light over darkness.
Award-winning poet Tāriq Malik, accompanied by Daksh Kubbo on sitar, shared new works inspired by fall harvests, flooded rivers, and the luminous poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz. His verses reflected on migration, memory, and the enduring light that carries communities forward.
The evening was a beautiful intercultural celebration of resilience, transformation, and shared futures, marking the beginning of a meaningful collaboration between SASI and MOA — and a fitting tribute to the Festival of Lights.
