Arranged marriage

This document describes Bhagwant Kaur's journey, how she immigrated to Canada in 1939 with her two young children to reunite with her husband, Indar Singh Gill. Her immigration journey included travelling on a train from Punjab to Calcutta, Empress of Japan, and the CPR Empress of Japan. Bhagwant Kaur and Indar Singh's love is captured through their daughter, Dr. Kuldip Gill's poem "Samran: Hand to Hand to Hand."

Creator: Bolan, Kim

Newspaper clipping titled, "Happy With the Arrangement", highlighting the story of Surjit Singh and Joginder Kaur Kalsi who had their marriage arranged when they were young, in a Punjabi village. They speak about how they believe an arranged marriage ensures a good marriage. However, the article further stipulates how according to studies done, many young South Asian Canadians are more skeptical of the traditional arranged marriages. The article, written by Kim Bolan, was published in the Vancouver Sun.

Creator: Bolan, Kim

Newspaper clipping titled, "Modern Marriage: Young nurse willing to give 'arranged' nuptials a go - on her own terms," highlighting the story of a 26-year old Indo-Canadian nurse, Preet Bains, who is willing to try an arranged marriage as she believes that modern arranged marriages are more flexible than they used to be. She states that this will allow her to find someone she is compatible with on an educational and interest level, on her own terms. The article was published in the Vancouver Sun and written by Kim Bolan.

Creator: Singh, Mayo, 1891-1955

Letter from Mayo Singh to H. S. Malik describing the situation between his daughter Jogindar Kaur and Karnail Singh.

Creator: Singh, Mayo, 1891-1955

Letter from Mayo Singh to H. S. Malik describing the situation between his daughter Jogindar Kaur and Karnail Singh.

Audio interview of Karm Singh Manak, an Indian Immigrant. Karm Singh Manak immigrated to Canada in 1921 from Banga in Punjab, India. In this interview, Karm Singh Manak is talking about his immigration to Canada, struggles, schooling and work. He also talks about his struggles with racism and how he countered it. Moreover, he talks about his work history, politics, wars and the labour union strikes.

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, Sucha Singh

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.

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.

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.