In 2010-2011, with the support of a grant from the UBC Community-Based Learning initiative (now a part of the Centre for Community Engaged Learning, http://students.ubc.ca/about/centre-community-engaged-learning), the Punjabi Oral History Program commenced. Based in the Punjabi 300 (third year) Punjabi course, the program enabled students to interview local writers–while reading locally-produced literature–and produce short video projects that explored issues that emerged in interviews. Overall, the class explored the experience and expression of Diaspora, through the medium of Punjabi-language literature.

An exciting feature of the initial year of our program was our participation in the ground-breaking exhibition on Bhangra, Bhangra.me, which took place at the Museum of Vancouver in 2011. Our students collected stories about the ongoing history of Bhangra in greater Vancouver, and contributed these to the exhibition. See more about the award-winning exhibition at http://www.bhangra.me/.