Audio

This section includes a variety of rare oral history interviews from Simon Fraser University’s Kohaly Collection and Indo Canadian Oral History Collection. The diverse individuals featured here were pioneers in the South Asian community and their stories, histories, anecdotes, and experiences build an evocative image of life in Canada. These rare oral histories are also a reflection of early scholars and historians whose dedication preserved a community’s story. You can navigate through each audio file by viewing the title card associated with it and seeing the topics that each discusses. Digitized for the very first time, we also feature two rare speeches given by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his visit to Vancouver in November 1949. Prime Minister Nehru specifically came to Vancouver because of its historically strong South Asian presence and speaks to topics such as partition, the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the role of Indians outside of India, and the similarity of values between Canada and India.

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