Moving Image

VHS tape of Baltej Singh Dhillon at a banquet/seminar put on by the Sikh Education & Research Centre of Windsor. Footage of the banquet and the singing of shabads goes until 1:53:11. The remainder of the tape is composed of various news coverage of Baltej Singh Dhillon and the ensuing court battle to allow RCMP officers to wear turbans in uniform.

Creator: Thandi, Ossi Kaur

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Ossi Kaur was born in Fraser Mills, BC. Ossi's grandfather came to Canada at the turn of century. He and Ossi's father worked at the mills and lived in a company house on site. When Ossi's family went to India, her father remarried. She and her brother did not return to Canada and stayed back in India. In 1925, she married Sucha Singh after getting a letter from his uncle, Sunder Singh Thandi, asking her to help him immigrate to Canada. While on the boat to Canada, she was pregnant with her first child. The couple settled in Abbotsford, and although she found living in Abbotsford lonely, she grew accustomed to it. She used to work on the family farm, while Sunder's daughters and Harry Singh's daughter used to visit her frequently. This is a full-length interview conducted on July 15, 1996 by Nirakshik Chand at Mrs. Ossi's residence in Abbotsford.

Creator: Thandi, Sunder

Creator: Thandi, Sucha Singh

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Sucha Singh Thandi in which he describes his uncle, Sunder Singh Thandi. Sunder singh Thandi migrated to Canada 1906-1907, He was in his thirties when he decided to move from Punjab, India. He was a farmer and was involved in agricultural sector. He wanted to explore more places, as that time many people were moving to different countries, therefore, he decided to visit Canada with the intentions of returning back to his home country. This interview was recorded on June 14th, 1996.

Creator: Thandi, Sunder

Creator: Thandi, Sucha Singh

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Sucha Singh Thandi describing his uncle, Sunder Singh Thandi. Sunder Singh came to Canada in 1906. In India, he used to buy animals and sell them. He came to Canada for a trip, with a plan to work, make some money, and return home. He got on the boat from Calcutta, and when he arrived, he worked hard and resided in barns or bunkhouses. He was close to the friends he met on the ship because none of them knew English. He moved to Abbotsford and worked at Mill Lake before purchasing a farm of 60 acres. In 1947, he was married and together he and his wife took care of their two foster daughters. During war times, Sucha Singh went to play a central role in the Heritage Sikh temple. He also donated the steel Nishan Sahib. He died in 1953 of throat cancer at the age of 90. This interview was conducted on June 22, 1996 at Abbotsford.

Creator: Thandi, Sucha Singh

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Sucha Singh Thandi was 19 years old when he came to Canada. His uncle wanted him to come to Canada to help him with the farm and get more education. Sucha Singh was married before coming to Canada, and it was arranged to marry a woman who had been born in Canada. When the young couple reached Hong Kong, they went to a temple and stayed there for 2 days before travelling to California and taking a train to Canada. He started to work on his uncle's farm before he passed away, but continued to live with his aunt until she passed away. He then started to drive a truck delivering sawdust to farms. This is a full-length interview recorded on June 22, 1996.

Creator: Brar, Gurdev

Video footage from various scenes of South Asian Canadian daily life. Video includes shots of people gathering in parks, South Asian grocery stores and other business, as well as scenes of South Asian owned farms. Gurdev Brar is featured in the footage as he describes the farm he owns and operates.

Creator: Ratzlaff, Ben

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Ben Ratzlaff about his work with Sunder Singh's dairy farm. Ben and his family moved to British Columbia because of the promising future. He started to work at Sunder Singh's dairy farm where he and his family were given a place to live. He held high opinions of Sunder Singh. Ben knew about farming since he was raised on a farm. Ben describes how he got to know many of the South Asian works, and often invited some for tea and snacks. He also describes how he had once helped a man by the name of Jassa Singh, to hide from the government by sending him to Saskatchewan. Ben quit his job with Sunder Singh in the late 1940s. This interview was conducted by Nirakshik Chand on August 26, 1996.

Creator: Rai, Gian

Interview with Gian Rai about his immigration to Canada. Gian Rai's grandfather came to Yuba, California where his brother Dalip worked. His father came to the US with a student visa, but started to work. He fled the US after the government was told about him violating the visa terms. Gian Rai was one of the only educated ones in his village, and he became the Sarpanch at the age of 24, making him the youngest Sarpanch in the village. After leaving his village with his siblings and moving to America where they met their father, they took a bus to cross the border to Canada. After arriving, he did not attend university and started to work in a mill despite his student visa. When the government found out about the violation of his visa, his father found a family that helped to find a girl for Gian Rai to get married to, making him a Canadian citizen. Gian Rai describes how he regrets not finishing his studies at the University of British Columbia. This is a full-length interview conducted on June 24,1996.

Creator: Power, Gurdial Singh

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Gurdial Singh Power. Before coming to Canada, Mr. Gurdial Singh Powar had a central government job. All of his brothers came to Canada after he settled down. He came to Canada for a better life, but he misses his job in India. Gurdial Singh describes how he was very comfortable with reading, writing, and talking in English. When he first arrive, he started by working as a helper in the garage. After he got his work permit, he started working in the garage full-time. When he went to the immigration office for an interview, he was asked questions related to the mechanical line after he told them what he was doing in Canada for a living. His paperwork was passed quickly. This is a full length interview conducted on June 10, 1996 by Nirakshik Chand.

Creator: Hara, Tina

Interview with Tina Hara about her experiences growing up in Canada. Tina Hara was born on April 27th, 1975 in Victoria, BC. Her parents had immigrated to Canada on October 6, 1972, from Punjab, India. Tina describes how she always felt she was different from other kids at her school. Many kids called out to her and said racist things in elementary school. She thinks that if she was born in India, her life would have been different. This is a full-length interview conducted on July 4th, 1996.