 Banta Singh and Dhan Kaur Sangra with five of their children in Rutland, B.C. in 1937 |
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The
perspective and journey of a Sikh family who came to Canada 100 years
ago, as they too celebrate 150 years of British Columbia. Around this time last year many members of my family sat down to plan a 100-year celebration of our family in Canada. We then spent the next three months collecting photos, facts and stories. What resulted from this venture was incredibly fantastic. We published a historical brochure, produced a professional documentary, collected more than 300 photos and celebrated with more than 400 of our friends and extended family at a grand party last November. Let me take you on our journey. . . My grandfather, Bantoo (Banta) Singh Sangra, was born in 1891 in the village of Jandiala, located in the district of Hoshiarpur (near Mahilpur) in Punjab, India, the son of Hira Singh and Gango Kaur Sangra and the brother of Nagina Singh and Jai Kaur Sangra. My grandmother, Attri (Dhan) Kaur Lasher was born in the late 1800s in the village of Sarangowal in the district of Hoshiarpur in Punjab, India, the daughter of Isher Singh and Harbans Kaur Lasher and the sister of Ganda Singh and Jiwo Kaur Lasher. The journey to Canada In 1907, Banta Singh decided to leave Punjab in search of a better life. He left Punjab via ship and travelled to Hong Kong en route to Canada, along with some of his fellow villagers from Jandiala. Upon arriving in Canada, he worked at various sawmills in parts of B.C. for about 14 years and travelled back to Punjab in 1921 to marry Dhan Kaur. Banta Singh and Dhan Kaur returned to Canada in 1923 to settle in Port Alberni. Banta Singh worked at the Bainbridge sawmill in Port Alberni, which operated from 1917 to 1927. The mill was internationally famous for the size and quality of lumber produced, and was one of the only two mills in B.C. that produced long timbers. While working at the Bainbridge
sawmill, Banta Singh narrowly escaped a serious injury. As a result of
this incident and the fact that there were very few Punjabi women
living in Port Alberni at the time, my grandparents decided to move to
Rutland (near Kelowna) in 1925 to start farming. Upon settling in Rutland, they purchased the first of two farms. The first farm, purchased in 1925, was an apple orchard located on a hill a few miles from Rutland. The second was a vegetable farm located closer to Rutland and purchased in 1933. In addition to growing apples and vegetables, they raised chickens and pigs and kept cows and horses. Not having a great command of English at that time, Banta Singh would sell his crop and animals at the local farmers' markets by using sign language. It was also in Rutland that six of their seven children were born (one was born in Jandiala), Bakhshish, Harry, Gurdial, Sucha, Baldev, Charanjit and Naseeb. My grandparents would spend hours working on the farm, while their eldest son Bakhshish Singh cared for his younger siblings. From all accounts, my grandmother played a large role in ensuring the success of the farms. Banta Singh and Dhan Kaur ensured that their children were exposed to the culture and customs of Canada. On many a weekend Banta Singh would take the children to the movies and each and every Christmas they would put up a tree to take part in the holiday festivities. While the family had settled and adjusted to life quite well in Rutland, Banta Singh still had a very special place in his heart for his ancestral village. In December 1937, he decided to return to Jandiala, along with the family, to take care of family-related matters after his mother and brother passed away due to the plague that had ravaged parts of India. The voyage back to Jandiala Before boarding a ship to return to Punjab, the family spent about one week at the Sikh Temple on Second Avenue in Vancouver. Upon arriving in Jandiala in early 1938, by way of Hong Kong, Calcutta and Jalandhar, the family lived in a traditional house that was quite typical for the time. Having grown up in Canada, the children were not content in their new surroundings. As a result, upon Dhan Kaur's urging, Banta Singh decided to build a new home for his family in his ancestral village. Construction of the new home (based on the "Haveli" style of architecture predominant in parts of Pakistan the Northern India at the time) began in 1938 and concluded in around 1940. Return to Canada Banta Singh attempted to return to his farm in Rutland after the Second World War, but was unable to do so due to the lack of transportation at the time. As a result, he was forced to spend sometime away from his family, which was still in Jandiala. Banta Singh eventually made his way back to Canada in March 1947. Upon his return to Canada, he was disheartened when he learned that his farm in Rutland was confiscated by the authorities because of the non-payment of water taxes by the person who had leased his farm. Rather than returning to Punjab, Banta
Singh decided to move to Youbou, British Columbia to work at the
Cottonwood sawmill. His two sons, Bakhshish and Harry joined Banta
Singh in Youbou from Punjab, after attending college in Mahilpur in
1950, while another son, Sucha Singh joined them shortly thereafter. Establishing roots in Canada All of Banta Singh and Dhan Kaur's children started to establish roots in Canada. Banta Singh returned to Canada for a short period in 1962 and again in 1971 with Dhan Kaur, at the urging of their children. He died on Jan. 17, 1977, while still longing to visit his ancestral village of Jandiala, and our grandmother passed away on Aug. 13, 1987. Extending the branches Banta Singh arranged for each of his children to marry into respectable families in Punjab. The Sangra family has enjoyed, and continues to have, a strong bond with its entire extended family. Both my grandfather and grandmother were individuals of great character who passed along the virtues of hard work, honesty, humility and a high regard for education to each of their children. Their children, in turn, have passed along such virtues to their grandchildren, which is evidenced by the fact their grandchildren and their spouses have gone on to become successful professionals (including, but not limited to, doctors, engineers, journalists, lawyers, nurses and teachers). It is solely because of their hard work and dedication to family and Canada that many of us are where we are today. Why not share your journey to success with us? Email: [email protected] |
