Desis in Diaspora launched on June 10th at the Sikh Heritage Museum. Keynote speakers included Parliamentary Secretary for Sport and Multiculturalism Ravi Kahlon, MLA Mike De Jong, Mayor Henry Braun, UFV Dean of Arts Dr. Jacqueline Nolte, solo artist Jagdeep Singh Raina, and Buncy Pagely, a third generation Canadian.Jagdeep Singh Raina (b.1991), is a Canadian artist from Guelph, Ontario. He holds an MFA degree in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design and has been an artist in residence at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, the Fine Arts Work Center, and the Camden Arts Centre/Slade School of Fine Art.The precarious history of these communities’ lives in overlooked materials: books, oral history manuscripts, VHS tapes, records and cassettes tucked away in cardboard boxes, yellowing photographs in peeling albums stuffed in cupboards and shelves, in basements, on sporadic online databases, and in the research of scholars who have dedicated their lives to painstakingly recording a history lived in the margins.- Featured Exhibit Jagdeep Singh RainaBuncy Pagely, is a long time activist hailing from Victoria. Her family’s history is an example of the persevering spirit of early immigrants to BC shores. Buncy has contributed widely and with great depth in service to the community, and has been acknowledged for her volunteer commitment. Her volunteer work is diverse and covers many fields, such as the promotion of multiculturalism and cross-cultural health initiatives.The South Asian Studies Institute is grateful to the Canadian Museums Association and its awarding of the Dr. Shirley L Thomson Young Curators Award which helped fund the exhibit.