RE212 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Aurangzeb, Namdev, Guru Granth Sahib
Document Summary
If a picture speaks a thousand words, then this photograph reveals something of a tragic play. In may 1914, over 300 sikh immigrants (and 12 hindus and 24 muslims) from india boarded a japanese steam ship, the komagata maru in hong kong, bound for vancouver. These immigrants, led by mr. gurdit singh, were seeking economic opportunities and new beginnings across the british empire in the young dominion of canada. Sikh immigrants had preceded them, establishing canada"s earliest south. But canadian authorities, bowing to racist and ethnocentric sentiments among local white christians, refused to admit the immigrants. But this incident is only part of the story. Hailing from the region (now state) of punjab, in. India, sikhs have long immigrated to many parts of the world, including canada. Sikhs, a valuable part of canada"s mosaic, are a quintessential diaspora community. It will simply anticipate our more detailed overview.
