The Star ePaper - Star2 - 29 Jul 2018 - Page #7 http ://mystar.newspaperdirect.com/ epaper/ services/OnlinePrintHandler.ashx ?issue=? 8432018072 ...
STAR2,SUNDAY 29JULY 2018 Culture 7
By TERENCE TOH [email protected] IT was one of the darkest moments in the history of immi A passage for equality gration in the world. In 1914, a wealthy Punjabi contractor named Gurdit Singh chartered a Japanese Ranjit Singh Malhi's new book sheds new steamship, the Komagata Maru, to transport 376 passengers, mostly light on the tragic Komagata Maru incident, of Punjabi origin, who wanted to immigrate to Canada. a dark piece of Canadian history. The others on board were Muslim and Hindu passengers - all looking fora new start in a major catalyst for the Ghadar Komagata Maru passengers in the new country. Movement, where many diasporic wider context of British imperial The sea-faring journey from Indians, enraged by the incident, ism, global white supremacy agen Hong Kong was a long and ardu returned home to expel the British da, diasporic revolutionary move ous one. And there were risks from their homeland. This inci ments, and India's independance ahead on land, too. dent certainly changed the course struggles. The Komagata Maru's passage, of history. The Komagata Maru Affair, pub in many ways, was also a direct However, not everyone remem lished by Ranjit's company TQM challenge to Canada's immigration bers it today, which is something Consultants Sdn Bhd, also contains rules, which had become increas that local author and historian Dr the author's own interpretation ingly strict - and anti-Asian in sen Ranjit Singh Malhi wants to and analysis of the incident, as timent - at the turn of the century. change. His latest book The well as comparisons to present The ship arrived in Vancouver Komagata Maru Affair lays out the day immigration issues. He exam on May 23, 1914. Due to racial dis story behind this gruesome trage ines, for example, how Canada's crimination and fear of economic dy. immigration policy has discarded competition, the conservative ''The Komagata Maru incident its past discriminatory practices Canadian Government refused to proved beyond doubt that Indians towards Indian immigrants and let its passengers offthe ship. were treated as stepchildren of adopted progressive policies over The passengers, as history the British Empire in the white time. remembers, were denied entry to dominions. They did not have Ranjit, a prolificauthor, has Canada and forcedto return to an equal status with white citizens," written more than 20 books on uncertain and ultimately violent says Ranjit, 64, during a recent history, management and person What happened on that crowded ship Komagata Maru in 1914 has become, fate in India. interview in KL. al development. He has a degre for many scholars, emblematic of an entire period of Canadian history Afterover two months of being "The important lesson we can in History from Universiti Malaya! characterised by xenophobia, racism and exclusionary immigration policies. stuck in Vancouver's Coal learn from the Komagata Maru (1977) and a PhD in History from Harbour, the ship was forced to incident is that we should always KL'sAsia e University (2015)! some elderly Sikh individuals, and managed to gain access to sail back to Budge Budge, West uphold racial equality, fair play He first heard about the some of whom personally knew Canadian newspapers (of the peri Bengal in India. and justice. None of us should be Komagata Maru incident and the Gurdit, who informed him about od) through archivist Melanie Upon arrival, the discriminated because of the col plight of the South Asian immi the incident. Ranjit then wrote a Hardbattle fromSimon Fraser passengers refused our of our skin, race or reli- grants back in 1976, while doing short paper on the Komagata University in Canada. to board a train gious belief," he adds. research in Universiti Malaya Maru affair. In 2015, he devoted He managed to pick out about back to Punjab. Ranjit's book. divided under historian Tan Sri Khoo Kay an entire chapter in his PhD thesis 20 factual errors commonly found This stand-off into nine chapters, Kim. During his university days in to it. in current narratives on the led to a series examines the experi the mid-1970s, he Ranjit points to how the Komagata Maru incident and the of protests. ences of the also interviewed Komagata Maru incident came Ghadar movement. The British back into the spotlight in 2016 "For instance, Gurdit Singh, the Indian police when Canadian Prime Minister charterer of the Komagata Maru, and troops Justin Trudeau issued a formal was a wealthy contractor and a then opened fullapology for the massacre. long-time resident of Serendah fireand 19 MAGATA He also learntthat the Indian (Selangor) during the British passengers THE KO Government is planning to Malaya days and not that of were killed. FFAIR build a memorial for the Singapore or Hong Kong as incor U A S ol MAR •''"' PotltlC Komagata Maru victims in This massa ,.,111, lntP •n•d• rectly stated or implied by several conllt alo" r,om c cre was a tnatan E•ct,. Budge Budge, and there are leading historians," says Ranjit. � plans for a Bollywood movie on "Gurdit is an admirable figure the story. These were signs, the whose deeds should always be author says, that his book needed commemorated." to be released. The Komagata Maru Affair was Ranjit spent nine months on the launched at the Royal Selangor book, working every day. He trav Club in KL on July 24 by High elled to the national archives in Commissioner of India to Malaysia 1 India and Singapore forresearch, Shri Mridul Kumar, with Sikh organisation Khalsa Diwan Malaysia president Santokh Singh Randhawa and Tan Sri Khoo Kay 'The important lesson we Kim in attendance. can learn from the Komagata Maru incident is that we TheKomagata Maru Affairis available should always uphold racial at RMSO (softcover) and RMBO equality, fair play and justice,' (hardcover). Contact: 012-335 0555 or said author Ranjit. - SIA [email protected]. The book will HONG KIAU/The Star soon be available online.
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