Abbotsford

Creator: Gill, Sewa Singh

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Sewa Singh about his move to Canada as well as his father's story of working in Canada in the early 1900s. Sewa Singh spent his childhood tutoring and helping out at school, as well as working on his 15-acre family farm. His father came to Canada in 1906, to work on the railroad, while sending money frequently to his family in India. After losing his job, he went to the United States and worked as a farm labourer and lived in a barn. He returned to India to attend to his family in 1932. He returned to Canada in 1935. When he came back, Sewa Singh was with him. Sewa Singh and his father stayed in San Francisco for two months before they finally reached Canada. Sewa Singh found a job as a janitor in a sawmill in North Vancouver. Both of them lived in the bunkhouses with 12 others and one cook. Sewa then got another job at the mill and a raise of 5 cents. Sewa Singh always kept short hair and was clean shaven. Sewa married a Canadian woman and settled down. This is a full-length interview recorded on June 27, 1996 conducted by Nirakshik Chand in Abbotsford, BC.

Creator: Gill, Indar Singh

Interview with Indar Singh Gill about his move from India to Canada. Indar Singh Gill was born on 5th April 1913 In Punjab. He came to Canada on December 12th, 1930 via a steamer ship called "Empress of Japan" with his two brothers. His uncle was already a resident in Canada therefore, he sponsored them here and helped them in their initial days. According to Mr. Gill, farming in India was tough in those days as there was a lack of resources and technologies. Because of these situations, seventeen-year-old Indar Singh decided to move abroad in search of a financially stable life. This is a full-length interview recorded on August 27, 1996.

Creator: Gill, Najar

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Mr. Najar Singh Gill was thirty years old when he moved to Canada in 1963 from Punjab. He was a farmer in India and also the first member of his family to come to Canada. Mr. Najar's wife was a Canadian citizen and she sponsored him. He then moved to Canada with his daughter who was only one and a half years old at that time. Further, Mr. Gill knew several friends and acquaintances in Canada who were from the same village, all of whom helped him to start his new life. He first started to work in Mission in a mill and then came to Abbotsford.This is a full-length interview recorded on June 4, 1996, conducted by Nirakshik Chand at Mr. Fateh Chand's residence in Abbotsford.

Creator: Gill, Nash

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Nash Gill about his life growing up in Canada. Nash Gill's family immigrated in 1949. Nash's father, Indar Singh Gill, was already a Canadian resident therefore, Nash got his citizenship directly. Gill was only one and a half years old when he moved from Punjab to Canada with his mother. He grew up in Mission and his family used to visit the gurdwara in Abbotsford weekly. He was one of the few South Asian Canadians in his school. In high school, during graduation, he was the only South Asian Canadian in his class. He spent his summers berry picking. Nash Gill describes how during the Great Depression, his father started working for Kapoor Lumber, and later on, he built his own mill, calling it Fraser Valley Sawmill. This is a full-length interview recorded on August 30th, 1996 conducted by Nirakshik Chand at Mr. Gill's law office in Abbotsford.

Creator: Gill, Dalip Singh

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Dalip Singh Gill. Dalip Singh moved to Canada in 1982 to attend his nephew's wedding. He traveled around Canada and noticed that there were no independent schools that had been founded by a South Asian Canadian. He found that South Asian Canadian children did not have the opportunity to know about their culture, which led him to start his school that combined both the BC curriculum plus heritage/culture and language courses. He wanted to create a school that had a purpose of providing quality education with South Asian cultural elements included. In 1983, Dalip Singh was invited to a meeting regarding the possibility of having a school as part of their new temple. After the meeting, he found a great deal of people supported his idea. That day he started to contact the parents that were interested in putting their kids in school. On the first day of school, there were 80 students. Khalsa Diwan decided to form a separate committee for the school which led to the establishment of Dasmesh Punjabi school. He prematurely retired from the training teacher's school in India. In 1986 they introduced the tuition fee. In 1996, they had two buildings for the school. This interview was recorded at Dasmesh Punjabi School by Nirakshik Chand.

Creator: Gidha, Daljeet Kaur

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Mrs. Daljeet Gidha describing her move to Canada. Mrs. Daljeet Gidha came to Canada on August 6, 1995, at the age of 24. She was a teacher in India and taught maths and science to kids from grades 2-8. Her family owns land in Haryana and a house in Bhopal where she lived and completed her education. She came to Canada because her father had arranged her marriage to a man who was in Canada. Daljeet's husband moved to Canada in 1993, after changing many jobs in India. She was very nervous while traveling alone to Canada as she knew no one except her in-laws. Mrs. Gidha's family thought that life in Canada would be very advanced with more success opportunities. Because of this, they sent their daughter to Canada. In the interview, Daljeet speaks about the struggles she has faced since her move to Canada.

Creator: Budzunski, Evelyn

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Evelyn Budzunski. Evelyn Budzinski was the first teacher hired at Dasmesh Punjabi School in 1986. She had always been interested in the Sikh community, but did not know if her beliefs and religion would be a problem in her being employed at a Sikh school. The school taught all necessary subjects stated under the BC curriculum, as well as some extra subjects related to the Sikh faith, such as Punjabi. In the initial days, being the only teacher meant she did not have any breaks, not even have a break to eat her lunch. After hiring more teachers she was able to take breaks and enjoy professional input. She has learned a lot about the Sikh community and hopes that different cultures can learn about each other as well. This is a full-length interview recorded on May 28, 1996.

Creator: Brar, Pritam

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Mr. and Mrs. Brar came to Canada on May 31, 1959. They were sponsored by Mr. Brar's sister. Mr. Brar started working at his brother-in-law's farm in his earlier days. Soon after, he took a job at the Calgary Public Library and he worked there for 2 years and 10 months. He then started teaching and continued to do so for another 60 years. Mrs. Pritam Brar worked at a monastic institution and took care of the elderly. She was allowed to bring her kids to her work and was able to study in a Catholic school. In 1979, the family moved to Abbotsford and bought a raspberry farm. Before coming to Canada, Mr. Brar planned to start a law degree but was unable to do so. He then served in the air force, before getting his Bachelor of Arts and moving to Canada. Mrs. Brar used to work as a Headmistress of a high school for 3 years in India. The couple decided to come to Canada because they did not see any future in India due to the violence that occurred during the partition. This is a full-length interview recorded on July 12, 1996, at Mr. Brar's residence in Abbotsford, BC. The interviewer is Nirakshik Chand.

Creator: Bhardwaj, Binder

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Mrs. Binderpal Bhardwaj about her move to Canada. Mrs. Binderpal Bhardwaj was born in Punjab on September 8th, 1971. Although she comes from a Hindu background, she was married in a Gurdwara as there were no mandirs in the area. Because of this, she also retains some Sikh beliefs. After her arranged marriage, Binder was sponsored by her husband and she immigrated to Canada in 1990. She brought clothes, jewelry, and her dowry from India.The moving experience was new for her, as she found that Canada was quite different from India. She took English classes from a church to improve her fluency and she also learned to drive, which was also a hard task for her. Further, it was not easy to find a job in the initial days, as every employer expected some experience. She had one daughter. This is a full-length interview recorded on May 28th, 1996 at Mrs. Bhardwaj's residence in Abbotsford, BC. The interviewer is Nirakshik Chand.

Creator: Banga, Nand Singh

On the 90th Birthday of Nand Singh Banga, people gathered at the Gur Sikh temple, Abbotsford, to be a part of this occasion. The celebration began with prayers that are written in The Guru Granth Sahib (The Sikh Holy Book). Further, a kirtan was organized for everyone sitting inside the main hall. Mr. Banga received a siropa (an orange turban) as a gesture of respect from the Head Granthi.