Video

Creator: Gill, Indar Singh

Interview with Indar Singh Gill about his experiences moving to Canada. Indar Singh Gill's uncle was already a resident in Canada therefore, he helped Indar Singh with the government documentation. Eventually, with his uncle's guidance, Indar immigrated to Canada in the year 1930, when he was only 17 years old. Gill's uncle used to feed them even though he did not have a job. Indar Singh used to stay at Mayo Lumbers. He was then sent to Kamloops to pick tomatoes for three months, $54 was his wage. In 1932, he started to work at Kapoor Lumber Company. Indar Singh took over the lumber mill after the previous lumber owner retired. At one point in the interview, Indar Singh speaks about the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, and talks about the forced removal of Japanese Canadians. This is a full-length interview recorded on January 6th, 1994.

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: Gill, Lucy Tej

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

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.

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: Dhaliwal, Paul Singh

Interview with Mr. Paul Singh Dhaliwal describing his life, particularly focusing on his move to Canada and the changes he faced. Mr. Dhaliwal's father lived in Canada for several years but died before bringing his family to Canada. Paul Singh came to Canada in 1932 at the age of 16 and lived with his uncle, Bhagat Singh. While on his journey to Canada he met some people who helped him cook his food and get his health examination done. He and his uncle used to work at Greenlake Mill. After that mill shut down in winter, he lived with his uncle in Abbotsford where his uncle had property and a house, before going to Ducan to work at Hillcrest mill. During the Second World War, Dhaliwal attempted to sign up for service, but was denied after taking the medical exams. During the war, it was easy for him to find work. After the war, and after the British left, it was easier for him to travel to India and back. In 1945, he was spotted by an American promoter while wrestling and he was given a passport, allowing him to travel. He went from place to place and wrestled in high profiled matches. He made hundreds of dollars per match. In 1950 he decided to quit wrestling and was married. Afterward, he focused mostly on his trucking business. This is a full length interview recorded at Mr. Paul's residence.

Creator: Dhaliwal, Jaspal Singh

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Jaspal Singh Dhaliwal describing his life and his move to Canada. Jaspal Singh was born on December 22, 1968, in Sangrur, Punjab and he came to Canada in 1993 by being sponsored by his wife. Although it was an arranged marriage, they both knew each other since his wife used to live in the same village as Jaspal's uncle. His wife moved to Canada in the year 1990 and came back to India after 3 years to marry Jaspal. It was Mr. Dhaliwal's parents who decided to send him to Canada as they saw Canada as the land of opportunities and believed it would lead to his success. This is a full-length interview recorded on July 18, 1996.

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, Bim

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Bim Banga. Bim Banga was born in New Westminster on December 3, 1932. In the interview, Bim Banga speaks about his father and his experience coming to Canada. Bim Banga also recalls what it was like growing up in British Columbia. He and his 5 siblings went to the Queen Elizabeth Elementary, while his father worked in Mohawk Lumber Company. In 1938, his family went to India except for his father, his older brother, and himself, who stayed back to work. When Banga was 24 he stopped wearing a turban. In 1950, Mr. Banga, along with his brother and father went to India so Bim and his brother could find potential spouses to get married to. When they came back, he started working on Sunder Singh's dairy farm. Later on, he was able to open his own. They moved to Mission and when he wanted to work in a mill, his father took over the dairy farm. In 1960, his fiancee came and they were married. This is a full-length interview that was recorded on July, 30th 1996 at Mr. Banga's residence.