Baba Gurdit Singh
Encyclopedia
Baba Gurdit Singh was born in 1860 at Sarhali
, in Amritsar District Of British Punjab province (India). He chartered a Japan
ese ship, the Komagata Maru
, in 1914 to go to Canada
, reaching Vancouver
on May 23, 1914. The government did not allow the ship to anchor. The ship was attacked by the police at night. The attack was repulsed by the passengers and it created a great stir among the Indians in Canada. This is known as the Komagata Maru incident.
and he declined the British offer of a jagir
after the annexation of the Punjab. Later on, his father Sardar Hukam Singh Dhillon went to Malaya
where he settled down as a contractor.
and Malaya as a contractor. He returned from there in 1909. In 1911 he raised his voice against forced labour. He wrote to the Government complaining against officials who forced poor villagers to work for them without remuneration, and when he received no response, he exhorted the people of his village to refuse to be subjected to begar (forced labor).
ese ship, the Komagata Maru
, in 1914 to go to Canada
, with the aim of helping his compatriots whose journeys to Canada were being blocked. The government of Canada had put restrictions on the entry of Indians.
The ship, renamed as Guru Nanak Jahaj, had a total of 376 passengers out of whom 351 were Sikh
s and 21 Punjabi Muslims. The ship sailed from Hong Kong
to Vancouver
on April 3, 1914. The obstructions put up by the alien authorities and the hardships faced by its passengers turned them into staunch nationalists. The ship reached Vancouver on May 22, 1914 and it was not allowed to anchor and was attacked by the police at night. The attack was repulsed by the passengers and it created a great stir among the Indians in Canada. This is known as the Komagata Maru incident.
An agreement was reached and the ship sailed back to India. It reached Calcutta on September 29, 1914. However, the passengers were not allowed to enter Calcutta; they were rather ordered to board a Punjab-bound train especially arranged for the purpose. They refused to do so and many of the passengers were killed, a great many escaped.
Gurdit Singh was aware of the problems that Punjabis were facing in getting to Canada due to exclusion laws. He was apparently also aware of the January, 1914, regulations when he chartered the Komagata Maru, with the purported goal of challenging the continuous journey regulation
and opening the door for immigration from India to Canada. He believed he could circumvent this law by hiring a boat to sail from Calcutta to Vancouver.
At the same time, in January, 1914, he publicly espoused the Ghadarite
cause while in Hong Kong. The Ghadar Party was an organization founded by Indians of the United States
and Canada in June, 1913 with the aim to liberate India from British rule. It was also known as the Hindi Association of the Pacific Coast.
, he made a voluntary surrender at Nankana Sahib
and was imprisoned for five years.
In 1937, Pratap Singh Kairon
, the future Chief Minister Punjab and then an Akali
nominee, entered the Punjab Legislative Assembly
, defeating the Congress
candidate, none other than Baba Gurdit Singh of Sarhali.
Baba Gurdit Singh later settled in Calcutta where he died on July 24, 1954.
Baba Gurdit Singh had one son Baba Balwant Singh. Baba Balwant Singh had two sons and five daughters. Both his sons died in late seventies and early eighties. His eldest daughter Harbhajan Kaur had the privilege of meeting Baba Gurdit Singh and listening his tale of the Komagatamaru voyage. All his daughters are married and live in Amritsar .
Sarhali
Sarhali is a city and a municipal council in Tarn Taran district in the Indian state of Punjab.-Origins:Nearby village Dadehar is more than 400 year old. It was created by a man named Dadehar who originated from Malwa in search of new land, along with his nephew Sarhali. Both families traveled...
, in Amritsar District Of British Punjab province (India). He chartered a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese ship, the Komagata Maru
Komagata Maru
The Komagata Maru incident involved a Japanese steamship, the Komagata Maru, that sailed from Hong Kong to Shanghai, China; Yokohama, Japan; and then to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 1914, carrying 376 passengers from Punjab, India. The 356 of passengers were not allowed to land in...
, in 1914 to go to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, reaching Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
on May 23, 1914. The government did not allow the ship to anchor. The ship was attacked by the police at night. The attack was repulsed by the passengers and it created a great stir among the Indians in Canada. This is known as the Komagata Maru incident.
Early years
His grandfather, Sardar Rattan Singh Dhillon was a high-ranking military officer in the Khalsa Army and had fought against the British during the Anglo-Sikh warsAnglo-Sikh wars
There have been two Anglo-Sikh wars:*The First Anglo-Sikh War *The Second Anglo-Sikh War...
and he declined the British offer of a jagir
Jagir
In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...
after the annexation of the Punjab. Later on, his father Sardar Hukam Singh Dhillon went to Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
where he settled down as a contractor.
Education
Gurdit Singh received little education in his childhood, partly due to the harsh treatment of his teacher which caused him to leave school. However, at the age of 13, he privately acquired elementary education so as to be able to correspond with his father in Malaya.British Malaya
Gurdit Singh visited Malaya in about 1885 and conducted business in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Malaya as a contractor. He returned from there in 1909. In 1911 he raised his voice against forced labour. He wrote to the Government complaining against officials who forced poor villagers to work for them without remuneration, and when he received no response, he exhorted the people of his village to refuse to be subjected to begar (forced labor).
Legacy
Though he himself was a well-to-do fisherman in Singapore, Gurdit Singh chartered a JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese ship, the Komagata Maru
Komagata Maru
The Komagata Maru incident involved a Japanese steamship, the Komagata Maru, that sailed from Hong Kong to Shanghai, China; Yokohama, Japan; and then to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 1914, carrying 376 passengers from Punjab, India. The 356 of passengers were not allowed to land in...
, in 1914 to go to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, with the aim of helping his compatriots whose journeys to Canada were being blocked. The government of Canada had put restrictions on the entry of Indians.
The ship, renamed as Guru Nanak Jahaj, had a total of 376 passengers out of whom 351 were Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s and 21 Punjabi Muslims. The ship sailed from Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
on April 3, 1914. The obstructions put up by the alien authorities and the hardships faced by its passengers turned them into staunch nationalists. The ship reached Vancouver on May 22, 1914 and it was not allowed to anchor and was attacked by the police at night. The attack was repulsed by the passengers and it created a great stir among the Indians in Canada. This is known as the Komagata Maru incident.
An agreement was reached and the ship sailed back to India. It reached Calcutta on September 29, 1914. However, the passengers were not allowed to enter Calcutta; they were rather ordered to board a Punjab-bound train especially arranged for the purpose. They refused to do so and many of the passengers were killed, a great many escaped.
Gurdit Singh was aware of the problems that Punjabis were facing in getting to Canada due to exclusion laws. He was apparently also aware of the January, 1914, regulations when he chartered the Komagata Maru, with the purported goal of challenging the continuous journey regulation
Continuous journey regulation
The Canadian government’s first attempt to restrict immigration from India was to pass an order-in-council on January 8, 1908, that prohibited immigration of persons who "in the opinion of the Minister of the Interior" did not "come from the country of their birth or citizenship by a continuous...
and opening the door for immigration from India to Canada. He believed he could circumvent this law by hiring a boat to sail from Calcutta to Vancouver.
At the same time, in January, 1914, he publicly espoused the Ghadarite
Ghadar Party
The Ghadar Party was an organization founded by Punjabi Indians, in the United States and Canada with the aim to liberate India from British rule...
cause while in Hong Kong. The Ghadar Party was an organization founded by Indians of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada in June, 1913 with the aim to liberate India from British rule. It was also known as the Hindi Association of the Pacific Coast.
Later years
Baba Gurdit Singh escaped and remained underground for many years until 1920 when, on the advice of Mahatma GandhiMahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
, he made a voluntary surrender at Nankana Sahib
Nankana Sahib
Nankana Sahib , earlier known as Rai-Bhoi-Di-Talwandi, is a city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is named after the first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev, the central figure in Sikhism who was born here, so it is a city of high historic and religious value and is a popular pilgrimage site...
and was imprisoned for five years.
In 1937, Pratap Singh Kairon
Pratap Singh Kairon
Pratap Singh Kairon was the Chief Minister of the Punjab province , and is widely acknowledged to be the architect of post-Independence Punjab Province. Moreover, he was an Indian independence movement leader...
, the future Chief Minister Punjab and then an Akali
Shiromani Akali Dal
The Shiromani Akali Dal , translation: Supreme Akali Party) is a Sikh nationalist political parties based in Punjab. The current party to be recognized by the Election Commission of India is the one led by Parkash Singh Badal...
nominee, entered the Punjab Legislative Assembly
Vidhan Sabha
The Vidhan Sabha or the Legislative Assembly is the lower house or the sole house of the provincial legislature in the different states of India. The same name is also used for the lower house of the legislatures for two of the union territories, Delhi and Pondicherry...
, defeating the Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
candidate, none other than Baba Gurdit Singh of Sarhali.
Baba Gurdit Singh later settled in Calcutta where he died on July 24, 1954.
See also
- Komagata Maru incident
Baba Gurdit Singh had one son Baba Balwant Singh. Baba Balwant Singh had two sons and five daughters. Both his sons died in late seventies and early eighties. His eldest daughter Harbhajan Kaur had the privilege of meeting Baba Gurdit Singh and listening his tale of the Komagatamaru voyage. All his daughters are married and live in Amritsar .