File 01: Bachan Kaur Alamwala

Group photograph of Alamwala family. From left to right: Surinder Kaur Brar née Alamwala, the oldest daughter, Sarwan Singh Alamwala, and Bachan Kaur Alamwala née Saran. Standing in the back is Jasvir (Jessie) Singh Alamwala, the oldest son. Sitting in their parents' laps, from left to right, Awtar (Jerry) Singh Alamwala, the family's second son, being held by Sarwan Singh, and Jagtar (… more

Photograph showing an unidentified bride and groom surrounded by at least three generations of the Alamwala family. Both bride and groom have haars on. The bride is wearing a beaded Indian salwar suit, while the groom has a light-coloured turban and a dark-coloured suit. Sarwan Singh is standing, last-right, wearing a dark-coloured suit with a flower pinned to his suit. Bachan Kaur is sitting… more

Portrait photograph of Sarwan Singh Alamwala. He is dressed in a light-coloured suit with a striped tie.

Photograph of a young Daljit Singh. He is wearing a dark-coloured, striped suit, white dress shirt, tie, and dark dress shoes. The background is a light curtain. The photo was taken at Yucho Chow's photography studio in Vancouver's Chinatown, a studio which was known to photograph people from marginalized communities. more

Audio interview of Bachan Kaur Alamwala and Jasmer Kaur Alamwala taken on May 19, 2008. The interview starts with questions related to Bachan Kaur's and Jasmer Kaur's life in Canada, their villages in India, and the years when they both got married. Bachan Kaur moved to Canada to reunite with her husband, Sarwan who was working at a sawmill in Honeymoon Bay. She moved in 1949 with the… more

Photograph taken in a photography studio of four people. From left to right: Daljit Singh Alamwala, Sarwan Singh Alamwala, Nsibe Kaur Puri, and Bhajan Singh Puri. The men are formally dressed, while Nsibe Kaur is wearing a light-coloured, formal two-piece blazer and skirt, with her head covered.

Group photograph of the Alamwala family, which include (from left to right) Surinder Kaur, Bachan Kaur, Jasvir Singh, and Sarwan Singh. Surinder Kaur has her hair in two braids, and is wearing hoop earrings, and a patterned shirt. Bachan Kaur is seated, and is wearing a set of earrings and a necklace. Jasvir Singh's hair is in a joora, and he is sitting on his mother's lap. Sarwan Singh… more

Photograph taken in a studio of the Alamwala family. From left to right: the youngest son, Kuldip Singh, is sitting on Daljit Singh's lap. Next, is Kulwant (Kelly) Kaur sitting in her mother, Jasmer Kaur's lap. Harminder (Harvey) Singh, the oldest son, is next to Jasmer Kaur. Standing in the front is Sukminder (Jinder) Singh, the second oldest son. Jasmer Kaur is wearing a patterned… more

Photograph of an unidentified woman. She is shown with her head covered by her chunni and is wearing a dark fur coat.

Photograph of an unidentified man taken by the Government of the Dominion of Canada. He is wearing a light-coloured turban, a dark-coloured suit, and boutonnière on his collar.

Transcription of interview of Bachan Kaur Alamwala and Jasmer Kaur Alamwala taken on May 19, 2008. The interview starts with questions related to Bachan Kaur's and Jasmer Kaur's life in Canada, their villages in India, and the years when they both got married. Bachan Kaur moved to Canada to reunite with her husband, Sarwan who was working at a sawmill in Honeymoon Bay. She moved in 1949… more

Narrative of Bachan Kaur in which she describes her biography from her childhood in Punjab, India, to her marriage and finally, her immigration to Canada. Bachan Kaur first came to Lake Cowichan, where her husband worked at the Honeymoon Bay mill. Later the family moved to Abbotsford, where they had a 10-acre farm in 1968. In Abbotsford, Bachan Kaur worked at a cannery and cared for her children… more