Punjabi Press and Immigrant Culture in British Columbia between Wars by Raj Kumar Hans

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Punjabi Press and Immigrant Culture in British Columbia between WarsAuthor(s): Raj Kumar HansSource: Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 33, No. 16 (Apr. 18-24, 1998), pp. 885-888Published by: Economic and Political WeeklyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4406664

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Punjabi Press and Immigrant Culturein British Columbia between WarsRaj Kumar Hans

The Punjabi press in British Columbia during the inter-war years is arich source of information on the immzigrantsociety in Canada and

the way Punjabi immigrants were struggling to integrate into thatsociety without losing their ethnic identities.

SOUTHASIANSmade theirappearancen

Vancouver,westernCanada tthebeginningof the centurymuch after the Chinese and

Japanesehad done. It occurred at a timewhen anti-Asian sentiment was at its peak(RSampat-Mehta,FirstFifty yearsof SouthAsian mmigration: HistoricalPerspective'in RabindraN Kanungo ed), South Asiansin the CanadianMosaic,Montreal1984,pp13-31; Hugh Johnston, 'Patterns of Sikh

Migrationo Canada,1900-1960' in

JosephT O' Connell et al (ed), Sikh Historyand

Religionin the TwentiethCentury,Toronto1988,pp296-304). In 1907,anti-Asianriotsled to the terminationof subsequentsouthAsian mmigration.Asianminoritiesbecamethe target of all possible discrimination,humiliationand attacks JamesG Chadney,The Sikhs of Vancouver, 1984, p 27). AsDoreenIndra ascogentlydemonstrated,he

Anglo-Canadian ressof Vancouverbecameanimportant ehicle for racistoutpourings.The leading dailies devoted considerableattention o south Asians, portraying hemin stigmatic ashionandas not normal.Till

late 1970s the Vancouver press "created

reasonablyoherent, alue-laden tereotypesof south Asians...Thesestereotypestend toconformoconservativemiddle-classAnglo-Canadianviews of ethnicity".Indraneatlydraws mplicationsof such mediaportrayalfor the ethnic minorities: There has neverbeenanyregard or how subordinate roupsmightbe affectedbytheirportrayal, nd the

newspapershave neverdeveloped effectivemeans for minority group individuals toredresspressdistortions.Presscoverageof

politically powerlessethnicgroupswas andis what theowners,editors andreportersof

the press wish it to be" (Doreen M Indra,'South AsianStereotypes n the VancouverPress' in Ethnic and Racial Studies, 2: 2

1979).Whatdo these 'politically powerlessethnicgroups'do to surviveand ive in suchhostile environments?

The firstphase (1904-13) of south Asian

immigration o Canadaprovedto be full of

anxietyandhardships or theimmigrants naccount of tense race relations leading to

KomagataMaru ndGhadr evolution NormBuchignaniand Doreen M Indrawith Ram

Srivastava,ContinuousJourney: A Social

HistoryofSouthAsiansin Canada,Toronto

1985,pp32-67; HughJohnston,TheVoyageof Komagatamaru:The Sikh Challenge toCanada'sColorBar,New Delhi1979;Sohan

Singh Josh, Tragedy of Komagata Maru,New Delhi 1975; his Hindustani GadarParty,NewDelhi, 1977-78;and Khushwant

Singh and SatindraSingh, Ghadar 1915:India's FirstArmedRevolution,New Delhi,1966). The south Asian immigrantswere

primarily economic immigrants and not

politicalbut were drawn nto the vortex of

political action by the hostile policy andattitude of the Canadian and British

governments. They were put under closesurveillance by the Canadian mmigrationofficials of BritishColumbiapushingthemfurtherowardpoliticalawareness ndaction

(HughJohnston, TheSurveillanceof IndianNationalists n NorthAmerica, 1908-1918',BC Studies,No 78, 1988, pp 3-27; also seeNormanBuchignaniandDoreenIndra, ThePolitical Organisationof South Asians in

Canada, 1904-1920' in Jorgen Dahlieand Tissa Fernando (eds), Ethnicity,Powerand Politics nCanada,Toronto1981,

pp202-32). This was reflected n thehighlypoliticised mmigrant ress hatbecameactiveon the Pacific coast. Several papersmadetheir appearance n Vancouver, the most

importantbeing, Free Hindustan,Swadesh

Sewak,KhalsaHerald, TheAryan,Sansar,TheHindustanee,andCanadaand India inthe first two decades of the century.Noneof these publicationshada long life. Eitherthe deportationof the editor or financialdifficulties wouldbringanabrupt nd to the

paper (see Norman Buchignani, 'Biblio-

graphy: A Review of the Historical and

Sociological Literatureon East Indians in

Canada' n Canadian EthnicStudies, IX, 1,1977, pp 91-92; Khushwant Singh andSatindra Singh, op cit, p 15 and n 23;

Buchignani and Indra, 'Political Orga-nisation'p226, n25;NGeraldBarrier, Sikh

Emigrants and their Homeland: TheTransmission f Information,ResourcesandValues in the EarlyTwentiethCentury'inN G Barrierand VerneA Dusenbery eds),TheSikhDiaspora, Delhi 1989, pp 69-71).

By theendof thewar, heimmigrant resshaddramatically hanged.Thecompletebanon south Asian immigrationand the failureof theGhadrreduced hecommunity o less

than 1,000 survivors n Canada,deprived tof the active leadershipand in the face ofrelentless anti-Asian propaganda eft it toevolve its own strategemto adjust to the'Canadianwayof life'during he'QuitYears'between the wars. South Asians quietlyworked towardconsolidating their family,economic and community organisation."Energyused for political protest in the

previousdecadewasdirected oward urningCanada the host into Canada the home. Arecentsurveyof the Punjabipress in NorthAmericapoints o thepressbeingan mportantsourceof historicalreconstruction.Darshan

Singh Tatla observes: "ThePunjabimediatells us more about the mental,emotionaland historic world-view of the Punjabidiaspora than any other source" (DarshanSingh Tatla, 'Minor Voices: The Evolutionof the Punjabi Press in North America'in InternationalJournalof PunjabStudies,I:1, 1994).

The only publication to be launched in1929 andsustained ill 1936

duringhe

periodunder review was India and Canada: AJournal of Interpretationand Information.It waspublishedandeditedsingle-handedlyby KartarSingh. Since it was a powerfulintervention n race and ethnic relations namulticultural et veryracistsocial environ-

ment, a brief account of KartarSingh'spersonalitys inorder.HereachedVancouverin 1911at heageof 22. Hewaswelleducatedwhile in Punjaband "service to India wastheburningpassion"of his early youth.Thefirst step toward such service was takenwhenhe establishedaSikhschool inPunjab.Thencircumstances ook himto Canada.He

was "well versed in the Sikh religion andcould speakon its doctrineswith force"andthe communitywelcomed him. He put his"whole energy in doing educational work

among our people, throughthe mediumoflectures and a night school" at Vancouver

(Indiaand Canada1:1,June1929). Besideseducational work, he launched a monthlynamedKhalsaHeraldwhichhecouldsustainfor two yearstill 1913. He was also the ointeditorofanother ontemporary aperSansar

(1912-14) which wasbroughtoutbySundar

Singh, an MD. Neither had any capital torun the papersand largely dependeduponsubscriptions and funds from the KhalsaDivan Society for their press endeavours.Their ndependent tandbrought heKhalsaDivan Society into conflict and the latter

stopped ts financialassistance. At thistimeKartar Singh also carried his surnames'Hundal' and 'Akali' which he soon after

dropped orever. Due to his abilitiesKartar

Singhwaspromoted o thebodyof directorsof the Guru Nanak Mining and Trust

Company. He was also given additional

charge of secretaryof the Company. Butafter confrontation with the Diwan heremoved himself from Vancouverand went

Economic and Political Weekly April 18, 1998 885



to Calgary(Kesar Singh, Canadian SikhsandKomnagataaruMassacre Part1)1989,

pp 96, 111, 198 and 213).KartarSingh soon shifted to Toronto in

1914 from where he brought out the

TheosophicalNews fortwoyears 1914-15).But 'burningpassion' to serve India and its

peoplemadehim launchCanadaandIndia:AJournalof Information nd Counciliationin

July1915 which survivedtill 1917 (see

Tatla 'Minor Voices', p 78. But he faultswhile saying that Canada and India was

published romVancouver,SinghandSinghalso err n ascribing ts editorship o Sundar

Singh.CfGhcadar 915, p 15,n23.) Besidesthese papershe also published influential

pamphlets f thetime under he auspicesofCanadaIndia Committee. (Some of thesewere(a)A Callfor CanadianJustice, 1915;

(b) TheHindu Case, 1915; India's Appealto Canada or An Account of Hindu

hnmnigrationo the Dominion, 1916. SeeNorm Buchignani, 'Bibliography', pp 92and99.) He lived in Toronto and otherpartsof Ontariotill 1929 trying to adaptto theCanadianways of life. Being a baptised('amritdhari')Sikh he had to make 'greatsacrifice'by discardinghis hairandturban.

"Bystrenuous fforts andmuchstruggling"he "succeeded in penetratingthe spirit ofCanadianism".n Toronto and Ontario he"worked as a labourer n the open on thestreetsshovelling snow..., worked on farmsand... experiencecold in its worstphases".He acquiredproficiency n Englishby "self

studyandreading"and held positions fromthe "humblestday worker...to that of anoffice manager orlargeandreputable irms

andseveralotherpositions of considerableresponsibility" (India and Cantada. 1:1,June 1929).

Kartar ingh eft hiscomfortable lacementin Toronto in 1929 in order to carry on

community service at Vancouver where

majority of his compatriots lived. He

impressed upon the south Asians the

importanceof the press that "no group ornationcan fully advance without its paper"because it not only becomes a vehicle ofinformation uthelpsinachieving solidarityandunity or hecommunity.He wasworkingovertime orthepaper- attimestill2 O'clock

in the morning, setting the Punjabi(Gurmukhi)ypeshimself.Indiaand Canadawas welcomed and well received by theotherwise hostile press of Vancouver. TheVancouverStarwhileppreciatinghequalityof theinaugural umber aidof Kartar ingh"that,while he has lost none of his passionfor Indiaand his fellow-countrymen here,he has absorbed much of the Canadian

viewpoint". The Vancouver Daily Presslauded the energy and enthusiasm of theeditor. Kartar ingh, deserves the goodwillof the public for his self-sacrificing labourin endeavouring to clear up misunder-

standings that have arisen with regardto

immigrantSikh in Vancouver.The WesternTribuneof Vancouver was struck with theforce of the editorials of KartarSingh and

hoped hat"Hisperiodicalmayeasilybecomea very importantmediumof interpretationbetweenthepeoplesof distantIndiaandthe

public of Canada". The press in easternCanadawasequallyappreciative f theeffort.As the Hamilton Herald

putit: "Mr Kartar

Singhhas becomea Canadiann all respectsof habit andthoughtandcitizenship. He isdesirous of having his compatriotsdo thesame...He s anxious to interpret heSikh tothe Canadianand vice versa." Witnessand

Homestead, a Montrealpaper,devoted anentirearticle o Kartar inghand hisjournalentitled 'Canadianisation f the Hindu'. Ittalked of 'great editorial capacity' andconcluded hat hey"could ill columns with

interestingmatteroutof India and Canada.The aim of the 'journal' was to "place

before the Canadianpublic the truthand

nothingbut thetruth,aboutthepeople from

north ndia,nowresident nCanada" nd"toinform,hroughtsPunjabiection, hepeopleof northIndia here and at home, about thelife institutions, problems, requirements,standards nd dealsofCanada".Kartar inghintelligentlyhighlighted he achievements fsouthAsians n order o impresshisCanadianreadersof the efforts of his compatriots onaturalise o the land of theiradoptionevenin the face of adversecircumstances. n theinaugural umberhepublishedaphotographof BhagatSinghDhami who toppedthe listof successful graduates n electrical engi-neeringof UBC. The rise of several south

Asians from abourers o successful farmersand ndustrialistswasgivenduespace.Sucheffortswere llustratedwith hecaseofKapoorSingh who had workedas a laboureron aroad gang and then rose to be the largestindependentoggingand umbermill peratorof VancouverIsland. He employed a largeworkforceincluding Canadians.IronicallyKapoorSingheventhoughabigindustrialistdid not enjoy the rightto vote whereashisCanadianworkersdid (India and Canada,11:1,March 1930). Ishar Singh, who hadarrived in Vancouver around 1910, wasinterested in mechanical engineering. He

worked as labourer,became a partner n alumber mill at Mission, then established a

generalstorein Calgary n partnershipwitha Canadian.Thereafter sharSingh movedto Winnipegto become a motor mechanic.There his self studyin appliedscience and

engineering led to his inventing the 'penpointextractor'whichhe sold to some localinterest.He came back o Vancouver n 1922where in collaborationwith his friends hestarteda logging campon the Island. Ishar

Singh also got interested in aviation and

eventually left for Los Angeles in 1927 to

join the WarrenSchool of Aeronautics.In

1929 he finished the flying course in theCaliforniaSchool of Aeronauticsandhe washonoured by the community by awardinghim $ 626 on that occasion (India andCanada,Pbi, ed, Vol I,No 2, May29, 1930,

p3). BackhomeinVancouver,heperformedanair-jump t MahonParkon May26, 1930froma height of 2,000 feet andentertainednotonly his compatriotsbut a largenumberof Vancouverites as it was the firstdemonstration f its kind. Anotherexampleof meteoric rise of hardworking and

enterprisingCanadianPunjabiswasprovidedbyHarnam inghwho hadmovedtoCalgaryin 1912 andstarteda smallpigfarm.By 1930he owned a big farm of wheat 450 acres onthe outskirtsof Calgarycity besides beingthe biggest pig farmer of the area.

Another area where the process ofCanadianisationwas marked,was the worldof sports. For 19 years Lachman Singhstunned the Vancouverites by holding hisownagainst he ikesoftherenownedwrestlerJack in the middle weight championship.ThereafterGober,TigerDaula,JagatSinghand Ganda Singh became familiarfiguresamongthewrestlingfans in Canadaand theUS. Vancouver Sikh boys also excelled in

hockey. The East India Hockey Club wasformed in 1933. In February1934 it hadreachedthe final of the O B AllanCupbutlost to theVarsityClub whichhad taken hebest players from the defeated teams.However, heverynextyear n 1935,theEastIndiaHockeyteam won the MainlandGrass

HockeyLeagueTrophyas alsotheOBAllan

Cup. An interesting pointabout the playerswas that most of them were truckdrivers:

'They sell wood in the day time and arefamiliar igureson the streetsof Vancouver,and play hockey in the evening".This wasseen as part of the "process of theCanadianisation f andassimilationby, thesecond generation of the east Indians inCanada,of thelife andwaysof thiscountry",whichcontinuedbut was India and Canadalamented, "unnoticed".

UnderstandablyKartarSingh paid greatattention to the community's collective

identity, its travails and tribulations, itsmomentsof joy andcelebrationsatcultural

programmes,and to the need of unity and

solidarity for respectable living. He wrotehis editorials in Punjabi with great com-

passion.Heremindedhisreaders f hundredsof lives lost in Canada.While some became

martyrs everaldied unsungwhileenduringthe discrimination and fighting the

oppression. He paid tribute to poor andhumble Dhian Singh who died in March1930 in Vancouver his son was murderedin 1926 andhe was seeneverySundayquietlysittingin a cornerof the gurudwara.Dhian

Singh's other son LachmanSingharrivedn

May1930 oblivious of the factthathisfatherhadalready xpired.Kartar ingh hoped hat

886 Economic and Political Weekly April 18, 1998



everyone from the communitywould treatthenewlyarrivedas son or brotherand "weall will learn a lesson that one's sorrowis

everyone'sandone'sjoy is everybody'sandthateveryIndianborn s of our own life andblood". A calamity could cause collective

grief n a smallcommunity.Thepaper haredits sentiments with the workers and thedirectorsof KapoorLumberMill when itwas

destroyedn a fireon

August19, 1930.

The estimated oss amounted o $ 2,50,000.A letter from the Kapoor Mill expressedgratitude o thepaperand other membersofthecommunitywho came osympathisewiththeaffected but lamented he lack of wider

support rom the community.He urgedthereaderso ear from heChineseandJapanesewho had rushed to the mill to provideimmediate succour and relief to their

compatriots.The Indian national movement and its

leadersoccupied argespacethroughout heexistence of India and Canada, as did thescholarsand otherdignitariesvisiting North

Americaatthe time.RabindraNathTagorevisited Vancouverwhere he KDS on behalfof the community presented the NobelLaureatewith a purseof gold and assuredhim n theiraddress o himonApril15, 1929that"weshalldo ourutmost oproveourselves

worthy itizensof this andof Canadawhereinwelive, as well asIndia, he motherlandromwhence we have come". In return he poetgave a long addressadmiring heir efforts.He said "I am glad to find that this KhalsaDivanSociety is the centre of yourown lifein BritishColumbia.Thatis quite rightand

properandgood. For without that binding

link you are bound to fall to pieces." Headvised:"you should do your very best to

proveyourselves 'good Canadians"' Indiaand Canada, 1:1 June 1929). Long articleswerewrittenon SarojiniNaidu, Jawaharlal

Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, PherozeshahSethnaand other national eaders. Nehru'scelebratedpresidential ddress o the fourthsession of the Indian NationalCongress atLahore was printed in full. The civildisobedience movement and the British

oppressioncreatedwave of angeramongtheIndian Canadians as news about it were

published nIndiaandCanada.'Endeavours

were madeto consolidate the programmesof cultural ejuvenation ndnewawakening.Tagore's visit gave fillip to the idea of

establishing on India-Canada nstitute. Its

purposewasto instruct ndeducate he southAsian children in understanding bothcountries. A piece of land to build anauditoriumand a libraryhad alreadybeen

purchased.Aneedof'WarCouncil nServiceof India' was felt to combat the anti-India

propagandan Canada and America. Aftera great deal of debate and deliberations'CanadianHindustaniCongress'wasformedon August 17 at a general meeting held at

the Vancouver gurudwara.A 13-memberexecutivewasformed n whichKartar inghwas elected joint-secretary.The presidentBabuKapoorSingh inspiredthe people byhis spiritedaddressandurgedfor sacrificesforthe causeof independenceof India.TheCanadianHindustaniCongress(CHC)sentfunds in instalments o the Indian National

Congress. Lateron CHC also raised fundsto send to thedefence committeeof Lahorewhich was tryingto send an appeal to the

PrivyCouncil againstthe deathwarrant or

BhagatSinghandhis two comrades.In factthe VancouverKhalsaDivanSociety (KDS)and all the IndianCanadians xhibitedgreatconcern for the freedomstruggle in India.The KDShadbeenradicallynationalist ightfrom its inception in 1907. In a July 1930advertisementt appealed o thecommunitymembers:"Friends, t is the duty of us all- India born - to serve to the maximum our

dear countryand wounded countrymen ncollaborationwith theCongress."The KDS

organisedseveralmeetingsfor thatpurposeandalsoperformed bhog'ceremoniesat thedeath of Pandit Motilal Nehru and at the

hangingsof BhagatSinghand hiscomrades.The news of the involvement of large

number of Indian women in the freedom

struggle in India inspired the south AsianCanadian women to form the Canadian

PunjabiWomenAssociationorraising undsforthemovement edbythe IndianNational

Congress.BhagwantKaurof Victoriawrotea spiritedarticle in which she talked aboutthe shameful 'dual slavery' of women

attributing t to the lack of education. Shewrotehighlyof SarojiniNaiduwho was then

thecommander f themovement fterGandhihadbeenimprisoned.Sheurgedothersistersto follow herexamplebynotwastingmoneyonunnecessary omfortsandbycontributingliberallyto the Congress funds. Indeedthewomen sent funds in instalments to the

secretary f the VolunteerReliefCommittee,

Bombay specifically for the relief of the

injuredwomen and children.This initiative

inspireda few otherwomenalso to enter he'worldof men'. Threeof them,BasantKaur,

Bhagwant Kaur and Paritam Kaur, wereelected to be partof the 23 representativesfrom Duncan National Conference to

participatein the July 27 Conference ofVancouverwhich resulted n the formationof the Canadian HindustaniCongress.

Lest he aboveaccountgivesan mpressionthatIndiaand Canadawas the mirrormageof the hostile Vancouver press, onlyhighlightingthe achievementsandbrighterside of the southAsiancommunity,attentionis drawnhere to the highly critical stanceof the cultural-self strongly presentin the

paper. In the very first numberin which

Punjabi ectionwas ntroduced,Kartar inghreminded his compatriots in their own

language the harm they (he used the

expression 'we') had done to each otherinCanadabymutual ealousies andbickerings,by pursuing selfish ends while beingimmersed nmerry-making nddrinking.He

gaveaclarioncall toeverycompatriot ojointhe marchforward.A few months' laterhe

expressedhisanguishat theunrulybehaviourof his people at a meetingin the VancouverSikhTemple.In the sameissue of thepaperthe

communitywas

reprimandedorharmful

tendencies in an essay entitled 'BribesandJealousies'.

A case of extra-marital ffairs n whichahusband filed a suit against his own

villageman for taking away his wife fromhim was reportedwith deep concern. The

communityand religious leaders' attemptsto resolve the issue outof court- as it would

bring 'shame' to the community- did nothave the desired effect on the parties.Eventually the advocate of the paramourargued in court that the appellant had to

prove hathewasreallymarriedo the woman.And since the husband failed to producewitnesses to thateffect (themarriagehavingbeen performed in India), the case wasdismissed with costs to the husband.Sinceit was a first case of its kind, it was seenas having serious repercussions for the

communityas a whole (India and Canada,Pbi ed, II 1, April 1, 1931, p 3; II, 2 April13, 1931,p2). Anothercaseof similarnaturebut more serious, involving one Pooran

Singh, the then secretaryof the VancouverKhalsa Divan Society, in a criminalconnection with one Sham Kaur whomurderedher husbandMeharSinghearnedthewrathof Kartar ingh's pen.(Fordetails

of the case see India and Canada, Pbi ed3, 1, January 1931, pp 1-3). He lamentedthe misuse of theholy places andexpressedhis anguish in his poetical appeal:

O!Sinners,CharlatansndCriminals;Repentandprayonyouknees ocleanseyourheartsontheauspicious irthdayftheTenthGuru,for the sake of God, for the sake of guru,forthesakeofyourself, or thesakeof Indiaand for the sake of community.O! theCondemnednd heVainglorious, ehumble.Andyou, mydearpeople;Electfive honestandhumbledevotees in whom the peoplepose theirtrust.

Pooran Singh's involvement createdconsternation n the community leading toanenquiryby a committee institutedby theKDS andinvestigations nto theaccountsof

gurudwara undsby a charteredaccountant.It was discovered that he had embezzled$813 and had tried to cover up these byfraudulent ntries nthebooks. Kartar inghwas so enraged that he devoted the entire.issue of India and Canada (III: 1) to thiscase highlighting the degradation of the

community. He wrote a scathing editorialposing disturbingquestions:

Economic and Political Weekly April 18, 1998 887



Whathashappenedo Indiansof Canada?

Whyhavetheynotbeen able to workotherthanconstructing urudwarasn the last20

years, he workbiggerandbroadernscopeaccordingotheawakening f the ime thanthe petty divisions of regionalism andsectarianism?Whyhaven'tthey madetheideaofIndia nd ndian ationhoodhemain

purposeof their ives? What s the reason

they have not come out of the mud of

regionalismand sectarianism o think ofIndiannationhood ven aftercoming o this

enlightenedand?(Translationmine).

Thereis a long diatribe on the tendencyof charlatans who had come to occupypositionsof controloverthe resourcesof the

communitybyfoolingthe nnocentmembersatlarge.But he carefully solated the cliqueresponsibleor his rom he arger ommunitywhoinfact wereseen asthe innocentvictimsof their misdeeds. He emphasised the

importance fexposingthe rregularities ndmisdeeds of these few for the constructivework orthe

community'sprogressivemove

forwhich continuoushardwork,dedicationandsacrificesweresolicitedfromeverybody.

The messy affairsof the Khalsa Divan

Society and the community also seem tohavebadlyaffected hepublication. t seemsto have been suspendedfor a long time. Itwasonly when theheatand dust had settled

down, after the worst days of 'Great

Depression' were over, that an effort wasmade to revive the paper in 1936. In hiseditorialKartarSinghxpressedhishappinessthat a new awakening had dawned uponIndianCanadiansandtherewas a growingnumber of the dedicated, honest and

hardworking mongthem. He said the timehad arrived to continuously carry on the

constructive programmesspecially in theareasof thecommunityife where therehadbeen tremendous improvements, and to

openly discuss the areaswheresuch effortswere needed. This could only be achieved

stepbystep hrough onstant igilandefforts,he pointedout. But that seems to be the lastbraveattemptby KartarSinghas IndiaandCanada disappeared hereafter Vol II: 2,

September 1936).A close study of the Punjabi Press in

Canadaoffers anopportunity o look at the

'quietyears'of southAsian culturefrom an

angledifferent rom whatis available n thestudies thatdo notuse this historicalsource.A comparative view of the English and

Punjabi editions of India and Canada

providescontrasting magesof southAsians.

AlthoughtheEnglisheditionshighlighttheefforts of Canadianisationby south Asiansand thenationalmovementof India, heydonot cover the internalaffairs of the comm-

unity. It is only in the Punjabieditions thatwe are ntroduced otheworldofsouthAsianculture with pathos. It provides a windowto thecommunity ife thewayothersourcesdo not.

Note

[Theearlierversion of this article was presentedataninternational eminaron Indian mmigration

to Canada,organisedby the Centre orCanadianStudies, M S University, Baroda in 1996. I amthankful to the Shastri Indo-Canadian nstituteand theGovernmentof Canada for awardingmea fellowship in 1994 to conduct research inVancouver on which this paper is based. Mythanks to all the participants n that seminar fortheircomments.I amespecially grateful o HughJohnston f SimonFraserUniversityorhissupportto my academicprogrammewhile in Canadaand

TerryCrowley of University of Guelph for hiscomments and criticism.]

1 II, 2, April 1930, pp 6-10. The entire issueof thefirstPunjabiedition was devotedto thenews on the movement- 1,1 (May22, 1930),pp 1-4; I, 3 (June 5, 1930) pp 1 and 3; I, 4

(June 12, 1930) p 1; I, 9 (July 17, 1930), pp2-3; 1, 11 (July 31, 1930), p 2; I, 14 (August21, 1930), pp 3-4; 1, 15 (August 28, 1930)pp 2-3; 1, 17 (September 11, 1930), p 2; I,18 (September 18, 1930), p 3; 1,22 (October16, 1930) pp 3-4; 1, 24 (October30, 1930),pp 1-3; II, 1 (April, 1931), pp 1-2; and 11,2

(April 13, 1931), pp 1-2).

UNIVERSITY OF

____ OXFORDQueenElizabethHouse, InterationalDevelopmentCentre

South Asian VisitingScholars ProgrammeQueenElizabethHouse s the multidisciplinaryentreof developmentstudiesat OxfordUniversitynd he nucleusof a world-wide etworkfscholars.Thepurposeof the Visiting cholarsProgrammes to enable

scholarsof exceptionalalibrewithoutstandingcademicand researchtrackrecordsromBangladesh,ndia,Nepal,Pakistan nd Sri Lankaocome to QueenElizabeth ouse o pursueoriginalesearch n a socialscience project on South Asia. Those working on South Asian

anthropology,evelopment tudies, economics, environment,enderstudies, ontemporaryistory,nterationalelations,olitics rsociologyareencouragedo apply.Theprogramme articularlyelcomesyoungscholars, speciallyhose whohavenot hadanyprevious pportunityo

studyabroad,as wellas established enioracademics,who seek the

opportunityf sabbaticaleaveto complete ubstantial iecesof work.

Thescholars reexpected o be inresidence n Oxfordor heir esearchand to make use of librariesand other academic facilities of the

University,o whichheyhave ullaccess.The cholars realsoexpectedtocontributeoresearcheminars ndconferences t theUniversity.

Applicationand Selection Procedure

Thosewishing o be considered orthe Programmehould applytoDr Nandini Gooptu, Director, South Asian Visiting Scholars

Programme, ueenElizabethHouse,21 StGiles',OxfordOX1 LA,UK.

Please enclose a full dossier consisting of curriculum vitae, a

detailed research proposal and copies of two pieces of recently

published or unpublished written work to reach us by 15 May 1998.

Please also arrange for three referees to send confidential

references directly to Dr Gooptu by this date. The tenure of the

scholarships is flexible, varying from one term (eight weeks) to (in

exceptional cases) three terms (nine months/one academic year). A

limitednumberof scholarshipawards are available from the Programme

covering a modest stipend towards subsistence and accommodation,an

inexpensive return air ticket from the scholar's country of normal

residence and academic affiliation fees. Applications for affiliation,

without stipend, are welcomed from those who have independentsources of funding. Non-stipendiaryaffiliationsare offered strictlyon the

basis of academic excellence. An academic affiliation ee of up to ?1200

per term is payable by the non-stipendiaryscholar to Queen Elizabeth

House to cover all academic charges and the use of University acilities.

We encourage applicantsto seek fundingfromagencies and institutions

in their own countries, as well as from the British Council, the Ford

Foundation, he ODAor other similargrant-makingbodies.

Fax: 00 441865 273607. Email:[email protected].

Closing date for receipt of applications: 15 May1998.

888 Economic and Political Weekly April 18, 1998

Documents

Punjabi Press and Immigrant Culture in British Columbia between Wars by Raj Kumar Hans