This book has single handedly been the most important book ive ever read in my life and i recommend it to all canadians and canadian sikhs alike, to help them understand the strong and rich history from which we come from. His parents were from a small village in hoshiarpur district, jalwehra. Our history gurdwara the khalsa diwan society was first established in 1912 by the pioneers in the community, the new modern building of gurdwara sikh temple dates from 1969. The canadian government had issued prohibition against their entry and the british ships had refused to accept any punjabi travelers. This cumulative history of the sikhs in canada is a valuable account not only for. The founder of the sikh religion was guru nanak who was born. The first people from india to migrate to british columbia were sikhs from northern india mainly from punjab. According to historians, justin trudeau is the first nonsikh person to ever be greeted with jaikare at sri darbar sahib. Some of the incidents are there in the granth, which are not according to gurmat. Ive followed the issue of sikh extremist violence quite closely for over 30 years.
The komagata maru incident of 1914 still remains a very important historical anecdote in canadian history as this was the first time canada turned away migrants. Roli books presents sikh heritage a history of valour and. Some significant moments in sikhcanadian history 1897 sikh lancers and infantry regiment visited vancouver after celebrating queen victorias diamond jubilee in london, england. By 1908, the first sikh gurdwara place of worship was established in vancouver. The remarkable story of a once forgotten war hero and early canadian pioneer.
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion, and the basic sikh belief is represented in the phrase ik onkar meaning one god. One of the first sikh soldiers allowed to join the canadian army, he fought with canadian troops in france during world war i. This twoinone board book includes my first sikh boy book and my first sikh girl book, two wonderful childrens books about young an uncommon road. Sukhdev singh jalwehra sikhiwiki, free sikh encyclopedia. Sukhdev singh jalwehra, born april 1st, 1949 in daroli khurd, jalandhar punjab, is a sikh separatist and revolutionary writer. An uncommon road is an uncommon book, dispelling enduring. Yet sikhs are still deeply misunderstood by many canadians. Vic dhillon is a sikh canadian politician and current member of the legislative assembly of ontario. Sikh history holds stories of the many women who helped in many ways to shape the faith. Canadian sikhs are often credited for paving the path to canada for all south asian immigrants as well as for inadvertently creating the presence of sikhism in the united states. Punjabis traveling to foreign land in search of better jobs were being discriminated against at the begining of 20th century.
This is a collection of essays exploring issues of scriptural authority, social history, gender, diaspora, and national and religious identity from a perspective solidly grounded in rich historical sources, put together in honour of one of the leading specialists in sikh studies of. Khan of pakistan wrote in his book crisis of leadership about the bravery of the sikh soldiers during the indopak war. Canadian sikh history book by surjan singh now enjoy bulk discounts on books as mentioned below these discounts are in addition to the discounts on individual books visible as bulk discount for books in cart. This updated edition draws in new research exploring the legal issues surrounding the incident and delving deeper into the motives of the passengers and their. Ubc press the voyage of the komagata maru the sikh.
There are endless experiences of being sikh canadian. I would say to listen to the katha of suraj parkash. In 1897 a contingent of sikh soldiers participated in the parade to celebrate queen victorias diamond jubilee in london, england. Books on sikh history and punjab history jsks online. The central sikh shrine is the harmandir sahib or golden templelocated in amritsar, india. In sikhism, women are the foundational basis of sikh religious life. Sundeep singh guliani my first biases of gandhi arose from the fact that, throughout his lifetime, gandhi expressed many antisikh views, ranging from attacking the symbols of the sikh faith to encouraging sikhs to abandon parts of their culture and religion in favor of reabsorption into hinduism. How canadian sikhs struggled out of the fringes and into the mainstream. Sardar jaiteg singh anant, a prolific punjabi writer from canada sent me the book, an uncommon road. In a quiet corner of a kitchener, ontario graveyard rests the headstone of pte. Th history of the sikhs in british columbia has most often been written from an outsiders. How canadian sikhs struggled out of the fringes and into the mainstream by gian singh sandhu, the founder of world sikh.
Becoming canadians is the story of the canadian sikh community, told in the words of. The sikhs places of worship are called gurdwara or gurus house where the sikh holy book called guru granth sahib is kept. Sikhism preaches that people of different races, religions, or sex are all equal in the eyes of god. It is the insiders p rspective that gives this book special signifi cance.
Sikhism was founded in the punjab region in india in the 15th century by guru nanak dev. The oldest existing sikh temple in north america and a national historic site of canada. Impressive book, should be required reading for all. In this section you will find over 280 books on sikh history covering each and every aspect and all the periods of sikh history. Indocanadian history asian canadian history research guides. A sikh girl, india girl from india find india on world map. The indocanadian community started around the late 19th century. The komagata maru, just as it is a tragic element of canadian and punjabi migration history, is also demonstrative of the determined nature of the sikh men who would abide by any laws, despite the obvious level of racism, to enter, and become citizens of canada. Sikh canadian history vancouver asian heritage month society. Widely publicized atrocities in the mid80s came to define canada s sikhs.
Thats not something that typically makes it into mainstream history, however, especially with the likes of vimy or passchendaele that are usually thought of as solely canadian victories. The final and last guruship was bestowed upon a combined institution of holybook granth immersed in the guru granth sahib ji and people. Sikh foundation of canada celebrating the rich history. New book celebrates life and journey of guru nanak south. Becoming canadians is the story of the canadian sikh community, told in the words of thirtysix pioneers who left behind everything they knew. But a new book a graphic novel, really from canmorebased renegade arts entertainment explores the history of the ief, particularly its sikh. Graphic novel explores history of sikh veterans in the. The founder of the sikh faith, guru nanak dev ji challenged the centuries old status quo of the brahmin dominated social structure. He passed matriculation in 1967 from public high school, panchhatnarur, district kapurthala under the auspices of the panjab university. Sikhs consider that vegetarianism and meateating are unimportant in. Sikh immigrants story is as canadian as chaat, dal and. The voyage of the komagata maru is an extensive revision, reappraisal, and expansion of hugh johnstons authoritative history of the komagata maru incident, first published in 1979. Sikh women always have been, and will always be, the backbone of the khalsa panth. Gian singh sandhu will attend a vancouver book launch of an uncommon road.
Nonetheless, taken with a grain of salt, the book offers a engaging, if sometimes exasperating, overview of sikh history. How canadian sikhs struggled out of the fringes and into the mainstream at cbc studio 700 700 hamilton street at 7 p. Sikhism is a world religion with 27 million followers worldwide, with majority of their population in punjab, india. A history of valour and devotion, was recently published by roli books to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of guru nanak dev, the founding prophet of sikhism. Baba gurdit singh, leader of komagata maru passed away. The great sikh warriors gateway to sikhism foundation.
Tara singh hayer, 64, founder of the indocanadian times founded in 1978, the oldest and largest punjabilanguage weekly in canada and an outspoken critic of sikh militancy, is shot dead in the garage of his surrey, b. History repeats itself in surveillance of canadian sikhs looking for justice. An uncommon road and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. There are special books covering the important events of sikh history such as the 1984 operation blue star on golden temple and 1984 sikh massacre in which hundreds and thousands of innocent sikhs were killed ruthlessly. Buckam singh, once forgotten sikh canadian war hero. Veterans story inspires sikh community philip walker, record staff november 10, 2008. The book includes 229 colour photographs and an index of 64 photographs of sikhisms historic gurdwaras in india and outside of india. It has been my humble endeavour to present to the student of the sikh history, a comprehensive account to understand the present sikh dilemma in the current of their history.
Justin trudeau became the first nonsikh in history to be. What indians need to understand about sikhs in canada. The second anglosikh war is the wartsandall story of the conflict that led to the downfall of the sikh empire. Canadian sikh history canadian sikh heritage history. This book traces the history of valour and devotion of the sikh community, which. The book is an account of gian singhs personal life in canada and the turbulence in punjab.
Khushwant slngh 19152014 authored over fifty books including a train to pakistan, a twovolume history and religion of the sikhs. Suddenly, the issue of sikh terrorism, which had been a closed file in india for over twenty years, turns into a major diplomatic feud. The pioneers were men, mostly sikhs from the punjab. This shabad is from sri raag, and was composed by guru amardas ji, on ang 34. Through research by the sikh heritage museum of canada, this ground breaking timeline exhibit with original artifacts features new facts about the link between canada and sikhs dating all the way back to 1809 when the governor general of the province of canada from 18431845, charles metcalfe 1st baron metcalfe was serving as a civil servant for the british east india company. Thats why if a wellstudied person does the katha of suraj parkash, it will be more clearer than when you read. Sikhs are very brave and they have a great craving for. The sikh nation recognizes the equality of all human beings. Continuing his innovative approach to history writing from the first anglosikh war, amarpal singh augments the narrative of the campaign with battlefield guides that draw on eyewitness accounts and invite the reader to take a tour of the battlefields, either. Photograph of sikh girl courtesy of michael freeman photography. The book is especially relevant for canadians as it shows us much about canadian history. Women can participate in any religious function or perform any sikh ceremony or lead the congregation in prayer. A young sikh girl, amritsar, india, during the annual procession of the granth sahib the sikh sacred book kept in the golden temple around the city. Canadian sikhs number roughly 500,000 people and account for roughly 1.
Usually, prominent sikh personalities whove contributed immensely to the khalsa panth get honored with jaikare but this time it was the canadian pm. Widely publicized atrocities in the mid80s came to define canadas sikhs. How canadian sikhs struggled out of the fringes and into the mainstream by inderjeet singh. Buckam singh, one of the first sikhs to live in ontario, and one of nine who. Canadian army as a sikh, and a soldier at that, one believes that sikhism and the warrior ethos are imbued in ones self. The first wave of sikh settlers arrived in canada in the early 1900s. The two narratives run in parallel throughout the book. One may not agree with some of the interpretations, but the book has enough for anyone remotely interested in sikhs in canada to read it.