Kamagata Maru revisited: Bramptonian paid rich tribute on centenary commemoration

Rationalist Society Ontario-Brampton and Indo Canadian Workers Association-Brampton jointly put up a mesmerising show in Brampton on Sep 14,2014. Chinguacousy Secondary School’s auditorium witnessed this historic event on the part of South Asian Community where people participated with full enthusiasm with national fervor and felt pride to be associated of their forefather’s revolutionary past by paying rich tribute in a jam packed hall of 700 seats.

The event started with a brief Speeches delivered by Joginder Singh Grewal and Dr Baljinder Singh Sekhon, Amrit Singh Dhillon  followed by a historic play ‘SUTEY SUTEY PANIAN CH AA GIA UBAL’ (Silent water set on fire) written and directed by Harkesh Chaudhry of Lok Kala Mach-Mullanpura Punjab India who endured enormous pain for the preparation of drama within eleven days. Mr Harkesh was here in Toronto on a short visit from India.

Addressing the audience, Dr Baljinder Sekhon castigated the Harper regime whose immigration policies are going back to the 1914 era when Canada pursued racist policies to maintain Canada a white country. He said, the latest changes in immigration laws (C-24) will make more difficult for new immigrants and existing Asians families in Canada to sponsor their beloved ones.  Mr. Joginder Grewal spoke about the historical importance of Kamagata Maru event which compelled Canadian Government to bring changes in their immigration policies.

Play set out in the atmosphere of 1900s era giving inch by inch details of then peasant’s miserable conditions and hardship when farmers were not able to feed their families because of atrocious high taxation rate. Consequently, the per capita income dwindled from Rs 28 to 18 from 1880 to 1899. India faced about 25 famines in last fifty years of 19^th century which were manufactured by British rule and their wheat stock piling policies. Under those precarious socio-economic situations of India; Sardar Gurdit Singh, a businessman from Amritsar hired a ship from a Japanese Company by paying $11,000 so that 376 persons could sail direct from India to Vancouver in their pursuit of better livelihood. Filled with dreams on the foreign shores, these passengers were faced with the harsh Canadian Immigration laws, implemented by ruthless Immigration Officer W.C.Hopkinson who has also served Indian Police under British rule. Hopkinson with the help of his informer Bela Singh and Harnam Singh managed to infiltrate Kamagat Maru passengers and their Vancouver based supporters i.e. Khalsa Dewaan Society and Gadar Party. His conspiracy bore fruits and he successfully sent the ship back to India in order to maintain Canada a White Country, the prime motto of then Canadian government.

Upon the return to Indian shore, Kamagata Maru passengers were faced yet another blow from British rulers as they were fired upon when about 20 passengers were killed, several injured and (barring few) rest of them faced imprisonment. Play ends with raising burning questions from the audiences, whether it is justified to brand Gurdit Singh merely a  businessman? Whether it is appropriate to derecognise role to Gadri Leader Sohan Singh Bakhna? Is it easy to forget the martyrdom of Kartar Singh Sarabha? Is that proper homage to Bhagat Singh without realising his dream?

It is pertinent to note that all criminals on the side of Canadian government were killed by Gadarites. Hopkinson, his informer Harnam Singh and Arjan Singh were killed in Vancouver on Sep 3 and Sep 5 1914 whereas Hopkinson was shot dead in the court room by Mewa Singh on October 21, 1914. Bela Singh relocated to India but revolutionaries did not spare him and killed him in 1935. 

The play was a visual retreat with fantastic cut to cut scenes and  able to convey its message forcefully that audience was not able to move a bit. It narrated all the historic incidents in an absolute dramatic way. Set was beautifully designed by Balraj Shokar, imbibed with so many lyrical compositions enacted by more than ten characters so was the music on its heights. All the songs sang during the play were taken from the annals of Gadar Lehar publication.  

Selected characters of the same drama team, presented second play “Bhoot” (Ghost) written by Bramptonian author Kulwinder Khera, reflecting the ideology of rationalist movement against superstitions and unscientific culture prevailed in south Asian community. It’s a tale of a young girl who is fighting with her oneself in pursuit for her love. Her inner conflict is narrated in a way that her parents start believing that their house is under some demonic attack. They try to bring in Baba and Gyani ji etc who are just interested in making money. The friend of the girl’s father intervene and find out the inner conflict of young woman and expose the cultural backwardness of his friend, at last he manage to convince the parents not to be a victim of society but to play a leading role to change it.

The artists who played roles in two plays and one chorographic event were Samar, Amninder, Antarpreet Kaur,Navnoor, Ram Singh, Vikramjit,Amarjeet Kaur, Karamjeet, Sharanjeet Singh Raju, Sumeet, Anita and Bupendra Singh. Lightings were managed by Kulwinder Khera, Surjeet Malli, Music was conducted by Navnoor who also took responsibility of Production.

The best attraction of the event was a magic show, performed by Scott Dietrich. His interactive magical tricks were widely enjoyed by kids and wholeheartedly appreciated by youngsters and elders too. Programme lasted about five hours.

The unique programme came out with a thunderous success despite all odd and ruckus created by some dissident elements and some ex-member of Rationalist society. Some scrupulous elements were active thru media and fundamentalist religious organisation who once threatened to protest against this programme on some unfounded rumors of so-called blasphemy. Undoubtedly, the success and high turn out on the venue is the real testimony of a complete rejection of anti-social elements and a victory to democratic aspirations of the masses.

Kamagata Maru: Unfinished agenda of Left and Democratic Forces

One has to understand its historical importance in proper context when we commemorate the centenary of Kamagata Maru event, which was a blot of Canadian racist past. A Japanese vessel charted by Gurdit Singh and Balwant Singh boarded with 376 passengers from different communities of India was sailed to Canada but was kept on the Vancouver harbour  for two months and finally forced to returned under naval gunboats surveillance on July 23,1914 just to keep Canada intact a ‘WHITE COUNTRY’. Colonial government of British India dealt with Kamagata Maru with iron hand and opened fire in September 1914 upon arrival in Calcutta port and killed at least 20 ill-fated passengers.  Those were the days when human rights and right to live with pride, equality and dignity was a reserved commodity for white skinned Europeans only.  It’s evident that 400,000 European immigrants landed in Canada in 1913 but Canada closed the doors for mere 376 Indian.

The racist reactionary actions of the Canadian Government was very well perceived by immigrant Indian community, precisely in USA and Canada. It left a great impact on the leadership of Gadar Party which later gave birth to Indian Communist movement spearheading its heroic struggle against the yoke of exploitative British Imperialism.

Britain fought two world wars and Indian suffered huge human resources, 74,187 and 87,000 Indian soldiers were perished in WW I,WW II respectively (Canadian were 64,990 and 45,400) and millions lost their lives due to British managed famine in India. In 1943 when Delhi based British Govt officials sent report to Winston Churchill about the famine which killed over 3 million people in Bengal, his immediate reaction was, ‘then why hasn’t Gandhi died yet?’. He further commented, ‘I hate Indian, they are beastly people with a beastly religion. The famine was their own fault for breeding like rabbits’.

This deep rooted hatred of the yesteryears hasn’t vanished yet; yes, it has changed its color, tactics and characteristics. When you see hundred of thousand highly qualified Asians immigrants in Canada driving a cab, trailers, working in factories and warehouses doing sundry jobs, it’s there. When you see Pat Pimm MLA (B.C) ridiculing indigenous people on the claim of agricultural land issue, it’s there. When you see Harper Government introducing Bill C-24 to steal Canadian citizenship, it’s there. When you see immigrants are deliberately discouraged to invite their family members i.e. parents, spouse or children, it’s there. When you see flyers being distributed in Brampton and York University; targeting immigrants callously, It’s there.  When you see work permit workers are being treated beyond the ambit of the constitution, it’s there and so on so forth.

Kamagata Maru, under Gurdit Singh is still hope for the hopeless and the people who are at the receiving end of religious, caste, creed, national, color discrimination. He allowed all religious communities to board a voyage to a land where they all could realise their dream. That world is still non existence in true sense. Let us strive for a world where humanity is far from all the man made curses which it is suffering from.

Photo: Google