Alamwala, Bachan Kaur

Photograph showing an unidentified bride and groom surrounded by at least their family. Both bride and groom have haars on. The bride is wearing a beaded salwar kameez suit, while the groom is wearing a light-coloured turban and a dark-coloured suit. Sarwan Singh is standing, first from the right, wearing a dark-coloured suit with a flower pinned to his suit. Bachan Kaur is sitting next to the bride, wearing a salwar suit.

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 couple's two children, daughter Surinder, and son Jasvir. Jasmer Kaur also immigrated to Canada to join her husband, and in 1959 arrived with her eight month old son, Harminder. The interviewer asks them questions related to the pay their husbands received at that time from the mill in Honeymoon Bay. Bachan and Jasmer tell their experiences of working on a farms and wearing dresses outside the house.

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 with the couple's two children, daughter Surinder, and son Jasvir. Jasmer Kaur also immigrated to Canada to join her husband, and in 1959 arrived with her eight month old son, Harminder. The interviewer asks them questions related to the pay their husbands received at that time from the mill in Honeymoon Bay. Bachan and Jasmer tell their experiences of working on a farms and wearing dresses outside the house.

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 has a white buttoned shirt, belt, and dark slacks. The background is a patterned drape.

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 next to the bride, wearing a salwar suit.

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 (Jag) Singh Alamwala, the youngest son, being held by Bachan Kaur. The family is seated on a sofa together. Bachan Kaur and Surinder Kaur are wearing dresses. Sarwan Singh is wearing a dark-coloured suit. The photograph's estimated date is during the 1960s in British Columbia, Canada.

This is the combined interview between Bachan Kaur Alamwala and Kusum Soni, the coordinator for the South Asian Studies Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley. The interview is set in Bachan Kaur's house, with Bachan Kaur sitting in an armchair with a blanket covering her lap. She has a scarf covering her head and is wearing a multi-coloured shirt. The interview was for the 'Where Are the Women' collection with Bachan Kaur giving information about her childhood, marriage, separation from her husband, how she sent letters to her husband, and how she prepared to immigrate to Canada.

This is a brief biography of Bachan Kaur from her childhood in Punjab, India, to her marriage and eventual motherhood, and finally, her immigration to Canada. Bachan Kaur first came to Cowichan, where her husband worked at the Honeymoon Bay mill. Later the family went to Abbotsford, where they had a 10-acre farm in 1968. In Abbotsford, Bachan Kaur worked at a cannery and cared for her children. After being in Canada for six years, Bachan Kaur began sponsoring other members of her family.

Bachan Kaur is sitting on an armchair in her home near a window. Her head is covered and she is wrapped in a blanket.

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 on her mother's lap, Jasmer Kaur. 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 salwar suit, and her head is covered with a white chunni. Daljit Singh is wearing a dark suit and tie. The three young boys are wearing formal dress pants, bowties, and sweaters. Kulwant Kaur is wearing a white, ruffled dress.