In Memory of a Remarkable Man – Dr. Gurdev Singh Gill

We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Dr. Gurdev Singh Gill on Dec 17, 2022 in Chandigarh, Punjab, India. Dr. Gill made Canadian history as Canada’s first doctor of Indian descent and the first South Asian to graduate from the University of British Columbia’s medical school in 1957. Dr. Gill practiced medicine … Read more

SASI moves to Building K!

After almost 19 years after the work started to establish the Center for Indo Canadian Studies, staff at SASI moved offices from Building F to Building K at UFV. On October 12th, we held a farewell party where many friends of the Institute came out and shared beautiful stories and memories that they had made … Read more

Dr. Ambedkar Emancipation Day at UFV

On Oct 14, in commemoration of Emancipation Day – the day that Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar embraced Buddhism, the SASI and CHETNA organized a discussion on the annihilation of caste. A painting of Dr. Ambedkar installed at the UFV library was unveiled in the presence of members of the community, Dr. James Mandigo, Acting President and … Read more

Building Solidarity: Anti-Casteism at UFV

On September 19th, the SASI and UFV Library hosted a welcome back to campus event for students in the Library Rotunda that focused on creating an anti-caste UFV campus. Artist Raghavendra K.V. Rao donated a painting of Dr. Ambedkar to UFV Library where it will serve as a reminder of our commitment to anti-caste work. … Read more

Dr. Christine Moliner, Visiting Scholar from O.P. Jindal University

Dr. Christine Moliner from O.P. Jindal University, Haryana came to SASI as a Visiting Scholar in June to undertake research on the local Punjabi diaspora. During Dr. Moliner’s visit, she held two presentations at the SASI: one with MA student Prabhjot Kaur titled ‘Enough Schooling: Migration to Canada & Aspirations of the Youth in Panjab’ … Read more

SASI Research Awards

The South Asian Studies Institute (SASI) received a $15,000 matching grant from the British Columbia History Digitization Centre Program. With the grant SASI aims to digitize, preserve, and provide open access to Dr. Norman Buchignani and Dr. Doreen Indra fonds in the South Asian Canadian Digital Archive. The fonds consists of 2.5 linear feet of … Read more

O.P. Jindal Global University officials visit SASI

On January 11, 2023 Dr. Sanjeev P. Sahni, Advisor to the Vice Chancellor and Professor of Eminence along with Mr. Akhil Bhardwaj, Additional Director, Office of International Affairs and Global Initiatives from O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), Sonepat, Haryana, India visited the SASI offices. Mr. Walter Foreman, UFV’s Associate Director, International was kind enough to … Read more

Scholars and practitioners meet to discuss Youth, Crime Prevention and Sports

The South Asian Institute hosted the Youth Crime Prevention and Sports Colloquium in partnership with UFV’s Dept. of Kinesiology and the Dept of Criminology and Criminal Justice. The two-day event on November 25 to 26 brought together researchers, scholars, and practitioners to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of sports participation in reducing criminal behaviour. The … Read more

LANGAR, the centuries old tradition of serving humanity and serving community meals.

Writer: Antoinetta Holierhoek The SASI and UFV’s Library partnered together in the Langar Project and created a thoughtful exhibit on the history of Langar. Special Collections Librarian Mary-Anne MacDougall arranged the display with a culturally sensitive eye for design and detail. Langar… I’m ashamed to say that I only learned about the deeper meaning of … Read more

Meeting to promote cooperation between the Institute of Indian Studies and the South Asian Studies Institute

Mr. Walter Foreman, Associate Director of International Relations, University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), visited the Institute of Indian Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS), on October 5, 2022. He held meetings with Prof. Chanwahn Kim, Director of the Institute of Indian Studies, and Prof. Rajiv Kumar, Research Professor at the Institute of Indian … Read more