Encounters

To contribute to Encounters, follow CIRCLE's Encounters Guidelines.


Nepal Field School

These blog posts have been contributed by student participants of the Nepal Field School (May 5-26, 2025), the theme of which is "Culture and Sustainable Development." During the field school, students learn about current development dynamics, opportunities and challenges in the context of Nepal. They encounter the history and culture of Nepal through visits to historic sites, meet with local development and human rights organisations, and learn about the country's culture, politics and economy from local experts.

Students visit three different geographic regions of Nepal to understand regional variations in development issues and culture: the mountains of Ilam in eastern Nepal, Chitwan National Park in the southern Terai, and numerous sites around the Kathmandu Valley. Participants in the field school include students from International Development Studies, Political Science, Anthropology, Environmental Science, Biological Science, Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, and Criminal Justice and Public Policy. The field school is led by Dr. Andrea Paras (Director of the Guelph Institute of Development Studies), in partnership with Broken Earth and Accomplish Holidays.

CIRCLE: An intercultural gift to the university and community

Research-intensive universities like the University of Guelph are a gift to society. These institutions attract the leading minds in their fields, addressing challenges and seizing opportunities to advance the understanding of pressing issues.  

Their work is for society’s good. Where else would you find this sweeping range of talent under one roof? Nowhere.  

Revealing the unseen: Gender and caste in Bollywood

As a South Asian, it is no surprise that Bollywood has been an integral part of my upbringing. From vibrant musicals to emotionally charged dramas, Bollywood films have been a source of joy and a bridge to my cultural roots. As one of the largest and most influential film industries in the world, it continues to shape the identities and experiences of millions.

An International Undergrad Student’s First Research Experience: My MITACS Globalink Encounter at the University of Guelph

What do you get when you combine electrical and computer engineering with soil science? In my case, you get a MITACS Globalink Research Internship.

Through this program, I joined the University of Guelph in June 2022, to work with soil scientist Prof. Asim Biswas. My semester exams at Jadavpur University had just ended, and I was both eager and nervous about my first international journey to the other side of the globe.

Engaging with My Indian Roots via Trinidad and Tobago

From 1842, indentured labourers (including half of my ancestors) were sent to the Caribbean, with large Indian populations moving to Trinidad, Jamaica, and British Guiana. The system endured until 1917. British-made famines were common during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, making indentureship schemes attractive. Certainly, indentureship was better than the slave trade it replaced, but it was grueling all the same.

Friendship in South India

I glanced at the poster hung on the South Indian yoga ashram’s wall, and read to myself the phrase displayed, “what you really need to know is what you want out of this life.”

I laid down on my mat and thought about these words. I found myself in a South Indian ashram in 2016 as part of my ongoing training and education as a certified yoga instructor and registered therapist in Canada, and a result of my own personal journey of healing and growth in my life.

Enabling an Open Mind: Conducting Disability Research in India


Research usually begins with a quest to learn something about others. But in my case, I learned something about myself at the same time. In 2019, I was fortunate to spend a month talking to people with disabilities (PWD) in Delhi and Lucknow. This was part of a larger research project conducted by two think tanks, LIRNEasia in Sri Lanka and Vihara Innovation Network in India that were keen to understand how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can improve the life conditions of PWD.

News Archive