Indo-canadian Community In Bc Has Come A Long Way In The Last 120 Years

The issue of international students is the latest sore point hitting our community. The arrival of international students especially from the Punjab in large numbers has caused our community a lot of concern. . Both of our electronic and print media has been covering this issue in a very rational and comprehensive manner. There is no doubt that a vast majority of these international students are decent, hardworking and law abiding. They are making every effort to fit in. However, there are only a handful of them who have difficulty in adapting to the new environment and get into trouble. Regardless, they need our support and guidance.

By Balwant Sanghera

Since our ancestors set foot on Canadian soil more than 120 years ago, our community has been through a lot of highs and lows. Till 1947, it had been an arduous struggle for our pioneers in this country. Stark racism, outright discrimination and a pervading hostile environment of hatred had made life here extremely difficult for our ancestors. On top of that, their right to vote was taken away in 1907. This deprived them of their participation in pursuing professions and other normal activities. The restrictive immigration policy at that time presented another major challenge for our elders. The number of Indo-Canadians, most of them Punjabi Sikhs, reflects this situation.

By 1904, there were 258 Sikhs in Metro Vancouver. For the next three years, 5,000 immigrants, mostly Sikhs from Punjab, came to Canada. As mill workers their preferred place of residence, of course, was the Vancouver area. On January 19, 1908, the first Sikh Parade (Nagar Kirtan) took place to celebrate the opening of the Khalsa Diwan Society’s Gurdwara at 1866 West Second Avenue in Vancouver.1914 saw the tragedy of the Komagata Maru when 376 passengers were not allowed to land in Burrard inlet. By 1918 the Indo-Canadian numbers had dropped to as low as 700. The turning point came in 1947 when India got its independence from the British rule and Indo-Canadians were granted the right to vote. This made it possible for Narnajan Singh Grewal, the first Sikh to get elected as Alderman (Councillor) in Mission, BC. In 1954. Grewal would again make history when he was elected mayor of Mission in 1954. This set the stage for future political leaders like Moe Sihota and many others from our community in Canada.

Early 1970s brought a huge wave of young and mostly well educated people from the Punjab to Canada. Their arrival in large numbers changed the entire dynamics of our community and its place in Canada. Most of these people went on to become outstanding professionals and business owners. By the turn of the 21^st century, our community had become one of the most powerful, visible, generous and resilient communities in Canada. To-day, Indo-Canadians are in the forefront in every field, be it politics, business, media, technology, sports, education and a lot more. As our community has grown and prospered, so have the challenges facing it. Youth and gang violence, alcoholism, huge expenses on weddings and exploitation of international students by unscrupulous elements are just some of the issues staring us in the face.

So far other issues are concerned; a lot has already been done to address them. However, what we lack is the co-ordination and a concerted effort by our community leadership to meet these challenges head on. With the resources at our disposal and clout of our community at every level, there should be little difficulty finding suitable solutions. All we need is the will to do so.

Balwant Sanghera is a retired School Psychologist and Community Activist.