Interview with Mrs. Darshan Bains

Interview with Mrs. Darshan Bains, who was born in Duncan and raised in Chilliwack after her father (Gayani Harlal Singh Bains) migrated to Canada in 1906. The interview focuses on her stories as well as the stories of her family, particularly her father, an early Sikh settler in Canada. Her father was a devoutly religious Sikh man. He taught his children and others in the community to be proud of who they were, no matter how they appeared to others. Darshan Bains and her siblings were taught everything about their culture and religion even though they never went to India. Her father was heavily involved in working at the Sikh temple (Gurdwara) in various locations in Canada. Moreover, during that time, he was the head Granthi in Canada. Mrs. Bains's family first moved to Abbotsford and then to Agassiz in 1945. Due to floods, they settled in Chilliwack in 1945. She was the first South Asian Canadian woman to become baptized Sikh. This is a full-length interview that was conducted by Nirakshik Chand on 22nd February 1997.