South Asian Canadian women--Interviews

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: 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.

Creator: Gill, Lucy Tej

Interview with Lucy Tej Gill about her life growing up in Canada. Lucy Tej Gill's father migrated to Canada in 1905 when he was 14. He was sent to Canada by his brother and his wife. In Canada, he was allowed to live with a white couple for a short period. Lucy Tej Gill describes how her father was discriminated against on almost a daily basis. In the 1920s he used to own a car, but in the 1930s he could no longer afford it. He worked in various labour jobs and soon he owned a cattle farm. After getting married in the early 1920s his wife joined him in Canada in 1925. She was one of the first South Asian Canadian women in their neighborhood, but was soon joined by another South Asian Canadian woman from Vancouver who heard about her. Lucy Tej Gill and her siblings used to help at the dairy farm after coming back from Sabers. She and her siblings were the first South Asian Canadians going to school, but found no difficulty in making friends there. It was not until she was in high school that she saw other South Asian Canadians in school. Lucy Tej Gill and her sister used to talk in English to keep secrets, which helped their mother in learning English as well as spelling. Lucy Tej did not speak Punjabi until she got married and had to talk in Punjabi with her in-laws. This is a full length interview which was conducted on June 27, 1996.

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: Bains, Satwinder

Interview with Mrs. Satwinder Bains. Mrs. Satwinder Bains came to Canada on 16th November 1975. Migrating to Canada was a decision taken by her parents. When they travelled to Canada, Satwinder and her family did not bring anything except clothes and quilts. She was 19 when she moved to Canada. She cried while leaving India as her friends and family were there but, she was also excited to explore new places and experience new adventures. While traveling on a plane with the other Indians, she and her father were the only ones who spoke English and helped to guide everyone through the whole flight. Satwinder Bains recalls how in Canada, she was discriminated against for her race, was frequently asked if she could speak English, and had her academic credentials not recognized. It took some time before she was comfortable in Canada. She wanted her children to know where their parents came from so she and her husband took them to India for a year, but the kids could not settle there. This is a full length interview which was conducted on 7th August 1996 by Nirakshik Chand.

Creator: Bains, Darshan

Interview with Mrs. Darshan Bains about her mother. Mrs. Darshan Bains' mother was Jagdish Kaur. She was a devout Sikh and was very family oriented. She taught her kids about the Sikh culture and religion. This is a full-length interview that was conducted in February 1997.

Creator: Bains, Darshan

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.