April is Sikh Heritage Month in B.C. and is a special time for celebrating Sikh culture, art, and history, as well as honoring the invaluable contributions of the Sikh community to Canada. It carries great significance for Sikhs as it was during this auspicious month that Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last human Sikh Guru, established the Khalsa order. Vaisakhi, typically observed on the 13th or 14th of April, not only signifies the formation of the Khalsa, but also symbolizes the beginning of the spring harvest when farmers pay tribute to and thank God for the abundant harvest while praying for future prosperity.
Please visit our new book display located in the Asian Centre foyer, dedicated to the traditions surrounding Sikh Heritage Month and the celebrations of Vaisakhi. The display will be on until April 30.
Entrance to Special Collections. UBC Archives Photograph Collection. UBC 1.1/15912
The Rare Books and Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room will be closed on Tuesday, June 10, for staff training. Normal satellite reading room hours will resume on Wednesday, June 11. We apologize for any inconvenience!
LC32 M37 2022
हर दिन नया दिन / ओरिसन स्वेट मार्डेन / दिल्ली : अमर साहित्य सदन
PK409 T74 S27 2020
सारस्वतसाधना के आयाम : आचार्य गोकुलप्रसाद त्रिपाठी स्मृति ग्रंथ / संपादक, राधावल्लभ त्रिपाठी / दिल्ली, भारत : न्यू भारतीय बुक कॉरपोरेशन
PK2098.41 P34 C46 2023
छोटे शहर की बड़ी बिरादरी : (उपन्यास) / रमेश उपाध्याय / नयी दिल्ली : शब्दसंधान प्रकाशन
PK2098.42 I58 B53 2023
बीच धार में : कहानी-संग्रह / विनोद दास / गाज़ियाबाद, उ. प्र. : अंतिका प्रकाशन प्रा. ली
PK2099.25 A36 Z46 2023
गुलाबी गलियारे : संस्मरण / डॉ. अंजु दुआ जैमिनी / नई दिल्ली : अयन प्रकाशन
PK2099.42 A762 N395 2023
नायिका : उन्नीसवीं शताब्दी के रंगमंच पर : नटी बिनोदिनी / सुलोचना वर्मा / नोएडा, उत्तर प्रदेश : सेतु प्रकाशन
The Asian Library is currently hosting a display featuring hina ningyō andkoinobori in celebration of Girl’s Day and Children’s Day.
Hina ningyō are a set of dolls that represent the emperor, empress, attendants, and musicians in ancient court dress. They are set up on a tiered platform in celebration of hina matsuri (doll festival), a festival for girls held on March 3. The hina ningyō featured in the display, on loan from Gage Dierkes, were purchased from a Japanese gift store in Honolulu, Hawaii and given to her family in 1974 by her grandmother. Hina matsuri is celebrated by the family by eating hishimochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes) and drinking shirozake (made with rice malt and sake).
Koinobori (carp streamers) are carp-shaped banners, flown in celebration of Children’s Day on May 5. In Japan, carps are a symbol of success, due to the ancient Chinese legend of a carp swimming upstream and becoming a dragon. The black carp represents the father, the red one the mother and the blue one the son. Traditionally, koinobori, were flown to celebrate the health and prosperity of male children, but the practice has come to include children of all genders.
The Japanese lanterns in the background are on loan from the Westside Japanese Language Society and were constructed by Akira Furuzawa. These Japanese lanterns, called chōchin are commonly displayed during matsuri (festivals).
On Sunday, February 18, Asian Library welcomed approximately 800 participants as part of Kids Take Over UBC, which is hosted by UBC Campus + Community Planning. The event brought together campus partners to host family-friendly activities in their venues and across the campus. Asian Library partnered with Nitobe Gardens for koi and garden-themed display activities, and offered games and storytimes for family members of all ages. Student librarians Nobu Kawaguchi, Fin Bartels and Grace Park supported the programming alongside the rest of the Asian Library team.
Kids Discover Asia: Discover Asian Games – Ages 5+
10:00am-4:00pm
Lunar New Year Riddles
1:00-3:00pm
Hopscotch
3:00-3:40pm
Japanese karuta Card Games and Korean Board Games
Kids Discover Asia: Asian Language Storytimes & Kamishibai – Ages 0+ (*Storytimes are conducted in both English and Asian languages)
Origami: Discover the art of origami and make koi fish and other animals and objects with paper.
12:30-1:00pm
Kite Bookmarks: Create kite bookmarks to celebrate the Lunar New Year using discarded book covers.
1:00-1:30pm
Koinobori (Carp Streamers): Construct your own carp streamer, a Children’s Day tradition in Japan.
2:00-3:30pm
Mehndi by Meet: Experience beautiful henna skin decorations (space limited).
2:00-2:30pm
Origami: Discover the art of origami and make koi fish and other animals and objects with paper.
2:30-3:00pm
Squiggly insects and flowers: Make insects and flowers with pipe cleaners.
Kids Discover Asia: A Japanese Garden Exploration – All ages
10:00am-4:00pm
In addition to the above activities, UBC Asian Library and UBC Botanical Garden invite you to explore the magic of Nitobe Memorial Garden. Stroll along the pathways, take in the peaceful sights, sounds and smells while completing a scavenger hunt and connecting with nature.
We acknowledge that the UBC Point Grey campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam).
On Tuesday, February 6, approximately sixty-two in person participants and twenty-seven online participants attended a hybrid panel discussion featuring a documentary film on human rights violations in Japan. The event, which was hosted by UBC Asian Library and the Department of Asian Studies, centered around the film Watashitachi wa Ningen da! ワタシタチハニンゲンダ! (We are Human!) which was produced in 2022 by director Ko Chanyu, a second-generation Zainichi (‘residing in Japan’) Korean journalist and filmmaker.
This free public event, offered concurrently as part of UBC’s Arts Studies course, ASTU 201: Canada, Japan and the Pacific: Cultural Studies, highlighted the work of panelists with expertise on the history of contemporary issues of (im)migration, labour, and racism in Canada and Japan.
After watching a filmed interview by Director Ko, Dr. Ayaka Yoshimizu, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Asian Studies & UBC-Ritsumeikan Academic Exchange Programs, moderated an enlightening discussion with panelists Dr. Christina Yi, Associate Professor of Modern Japanese Literature, Department of Asian Studies, and Dr. Evelyn Encalada Grez, Assistant Professor of Labour Studies Program, Sociology and Anthropology, Simon Fraser University.
Dr. Yi addressed the history of Zainichi Koreans and the Japanese government’s policies towards them as the foundation for subsequent policies regarding immigrants and refugees. Dr. Encalada Grez presented on similar human and labour rights issues in Canada, notably the migrant farm workers who are an essential part of Canadian and BC agriculture, yet are subject to inhumane living conditions and restrictions of basic human freedoms.
The following additional resources were recommended for those interested in furthering their knowledge:
PK1718 R3119 A6155 2023
मास्टर अंशुमान / सत्यजित राय ; बांग्ला से अनुवाद, मुक्ति गोस्वामी / दिल्ली : रेमाधव पब्लिकेशन्स
PK2098 K3839 N37 2023
नरेंद्र-मोहिनी : पवित्र प्रेम में सर्वस्व त्यागने और प्रतिशोध की अग्नि में प्राण तक अर्पण करने की रोचक कथा! / लेखक, देवकीनंदन खत्री; संपादक, एम. आई. राजस्वी / नई दिल्ली : Fingerprint! Hindi, प्रकाश बुक्स इंडिया प्राइवेट लिमिटेड का एक प्रकाशन
PK2098.32 A779 P34 2023
पहाड़ कथा : कहानी-संग्रह / दिनेश पाठक / ग़ाज़ियाबाद, उ. प्र. : अंतिका प्रकाशन प्रा. लि
PR4034 P7155 2023
प्राइड एंड प्रेजुडिस : गर्व और पूर्वाग्रह / जेन ऑस्टेन ; अनुवादक, आलोक रंजन / नई दिल्ली : Fingerprint! Hindi, प्रकाश बुक्स इंडिया प्राइवेट लिमिटेड का एक प्रकाशन
PR9796.5 B65 A5155 2022
परियोंवाली पहाड़ी और अन्य कहानियाँ / रस्किन बॉण्ड ; अनुवाद, भगवंत अनमोल / नई दिल्ली : प्रभात पेपरबैक्स
