ARRIVAL LOUNGE
A NEW VISION FOR MY FUTURE
Areej Amer is completing her third year of a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree at the University of Guelph.
By AREEJ AMER
Like many South Asians, I grew up watching Bollywood movies. When I first arrived in Canada in 2013, they were like a piece of home for me.
So I was thrilled to have the opportunity to learn about women in film – the ones working behind the camera as writers, producers and directors – when I enthusiastically signed up for the research assistant position with the Canada India Research Centre for Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at the University of Guelph. It is an interdisciplinary hub for cutting-edge research on India/Indian diaspora, a gathering place for faculty, students and community partners who are interested in research related to India and Indian diaspora.
My role was to assist with the Women in Films and Media Conference funded by the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute.
Even though I had read the abstracts and reached out to presenters as part of the planning and preparations, I still felt a jolt of excitement when University of Guelph president Dr. Charlotte Yates stepped up to inaugurate the conference.
“The title of this conference – Towards New Visions – is very fitting,” she said. “With an impressive line-up of speakers, this conference will serve as a platform for a discourse of new ideas.”
The experience was eye-opening. I was inspired learning about the struggles that women face, their stories of facing rejection, and overcoming adversity to challenge the traditional gender roles, attitudes and beliefs portrayed in Hindi cinema.
Some speakers made me laugh; some made me tear up. For example, Elahe Hiptoola shared her story about studying law in Mumbai, founding a boutique in Hyderabad, and also producing films such as Hyderabad Blues. She reminisced about asking strangers on the street to act in her movie. Bhavani Iyer shared how she used the grief of her father’s passing as inspiration for writing fascinating stories.
What inspires her? “I keep a diary,” she said. “Writing is cathartic for me and it inspires me.”
I felt a close, encouraging connection with the presenters as they worked behind the scenes to bring movies to life. Women like Dr. Sharada Srinivasan and Dr. Aysha Viswamohan inspire me with initiatives such as CIRCLE. Such initiatives are important; they allow students like me to connect with South Asia, to dream big and find a space for ourselves through the stories of people who started out just like us.
I left the conference feeling content and excited for the future, my mind buzzing with ideas and questions. And now I’ll be the one asking the questions: almost right away, I was recruited as a student writer for CIRCLE, to curate research profiles and stories. I look forward to this opportunity to showcase research related to India and Indian diaspora. I’m eager to continue learning in an interdisciplinary environment at CIRCLE.
• Areej Amer is a student writer for CIRCLE. She is completing her third year of a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree at the University of Guelph. This article is an edited version of the original published at the CIRCLE website, canadaindiaresearch.ca.
• For more on CIRCLE, please visit canadaindiaresearch.ca/connect. Interested in participating in the growing global community of CIRCLE? Write to indiaresearch-L@uoguelph.ca.