Student Testimonial: Vijay
Vijay's Bio: Vijay Saravanamuthu participated in the University of Toronto’s Summer Abroad Program in Mumbai, bringing a deep interest in urban justice, community health, and storytelling to this immersive academic experience. A fourth-year part-time mature undergraduate student pursuing a double major in Health Policy and English, with a minor in Health Humanities, Vijay approached the program as both a student and a future practitioner. His final project, Chasing a Dream, explored queer migration and belonging in Mumbai through the lens of film, memory, and lived experience—offering a walking tour that wove together diasporic longing, cinematic references, and the complexities of navigating urban life as a queer newcomer.
Beyond the classroom, Vijay brought warmth, curiosity, and a love for all things sensory to the experience. A self-proclaimed sun-chaser with a soft spot for blooming flowers, spicy food, and block-printed fabrics, he could often be found soaking up the vibrancy of the city with a camera in one hand and a snack in the other. His light-hearted spirit balanced beautifully with his commitment to thoughtful dialogue, and he consistently contributed to a learning environment that was both intellectually rich and emotionally grounded. Vijay’s participation reflected a genuine desire to build more just, inclusive cities—and to do so with both heart and humor.
He gained a rare opportunity to learn about systemic inequality and what it truly means to reflect on his own positionality as an individual. Read his testimonial below to get a taste of what it's like to study in India.
How was your Summer Abroad Experience?
The Summer Abroad experience was profoundly impactful academically, personally, and politically. It offered a rare opportunity to step outside the confines of traditional classroom learning and enter a space where theory, lived experience, and embodiment intersect. The program challenged me to think more deeply about the ethics of place-based learning, and it encouraged a level of reflection that doesn’t often happen in conventional university settings. It was immersive in the truest sense of the word.
What was the most impactful moment of your summer in India?
The queer walking tour led by local activists was the most impactful moment for me. As someone who identifies as queer, I was deeply moved to see queerness not only included in the curriculum, but centered with care and complexity. It wasn’t about token inclusion; it was about tracing queer histories and experiences that have long been marginalized, particularly in Indian contexts. The tour challenged dominant narratives around pride and visibility and offered a more situated, intersectional understanding of queer survival and resistance in urban space.
What was your favourite place you visited and why?
Our visit with Urbz in Dharavi stood out as a turning point in how I understand urban development. The team’s framing completely reoriented my assumptions about informal settlements. Rather than treating these areas as sites of lack or dysfunction, they highlighted them as dynamic, innovative, and deeply embedded in the social fabric of the city. It was informative and transformative in its invitation to unlearn. That kind of reframing is a powerful pedagogical act.
How did the reality of India compare to your expectations before the trip?
Like many diaspora-identifying individuals, I arrived in India with layered expectations: some shaped by memory, some by media, and others by academic readings. I anticipated feeling like an outsider, but Mumbai’s layered complexity allowed me to both belong and observe. What inspired me most was how intellectually alive the city is: the clarity and criticality with which activists, artists, and everyday residents speak about systemic issues was deeply affirming. Mumbai shattered simplistic narratives and revealed the importance of contextual, ground-level knowledge in ways no textbook could.
What were the most interesting takeaways you got out of the Summer Abroad course?
One major takeaway was the necessity of place-based learning to truly understand systemic inequality. You can’t theorize urban justice without being attuned to the micro-geographies of resistance, exclusion, and care. Another insight was how justice is not only about structures or policies. Rather, it’s about power, storytelling, memory, and the ability to reimagine the city from below. The course also underscored how knowledge itself is political and asked me to unpack important questions: What is knowledge? Who produces it, who gets heard, and how do we as students engage ethically with that knowledge co-create new understandings?
How did this experience influence your understanding of global issues and social justice?
It taught me that global issues—whether inequality, migration, or gender justice—are never abstract. They are historically produced, spatially anchored, and emotionally charged. Social justice must be locally situated and responsive to lived realities. The course pushed me to examine how colonial legacies continue to shape urban landscapes, and how solidarity must be practiced carefully, with attention to voice, representation, and accountability.
In what ways did you grow or change as a person during the Summer Abroad program?
I became more intellectually grounded and emotionally agile. This program taught me how to hold complexity without collapsing into cynicism or defensiveness. I learned how to sit with discomfort, listen more deeply, and reflect on my own positionality—not just as a student, but as a diasporic observer with layers of privilege. It deepened my commitment to engaged, ethical learning, and to building relationships rooted in care rather than extraction. As a mature student, I often find it difficult to build and maintain relationships with my peers. This Summer Abroad experience has helped me grow and bond with my classmates, this group will always be special.
Would you recommend this Summer Abroad program to other students?
Absolutely! But, with a few caveats that require a willingness to be vulnerable, to unlearn, and to question your assumptions. This program is not tourism. It’s an invitation to reflect on what it means to study “abroad” in a place still reckoning with colonial violence, caste oppression, and global inequity. That said, it is one of the most transformative experiences I’ve had, and I believe more students should have access to learning that is this immersive, intentional, and critically grounded.
Did your experience in India enhance your understanding of your field of study or Indian culture?
Yes, profoundly so. As someone working within public health and social systems, this course offered a vital, real-world understanding of how urban conditions impact access to care, well-being, and dignity. It also expanded my understanding of Indian as a constantly shifting terrain of histories, identities, and contradictions. It reminded me that culture is lived and contested, not static or easily romanticized.
What advice would you give to a student who is planning to go to India for the first time?
Arrive with curiosity, not certainty. Read widely, but hold space for the city to teach you directly. Be mindful of your positionality—especially if you hold privileges related to race, class, gender, or global mobility. Respect local rhythms, prepare for sensory and emotional intensity, and bring humility into every interaction. And practically speaking: stay hydrated, take breaks, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Can you describe a memorable learning experience you had outside of the traditional classroom setting?
Our field visit to the red light district was unforgettable, not because of shock or voyeurism, but because of how ethically it was facilitated. We were encouraged to reflect on the structural conditions that shape sex work, rather than reduce people to narratives of victimhood or sensationalism. It reminded me that meaningful learning happens in spaces where you are both challenged and held, and where the voices of those most affected are treated as experts in their own right