Punjab Research Group

Detailed programme: Punjab Research Group Conference 31 March 2018

Saturday, March 31, 2018

DETAILED PROGRAMME

09.30- 09.45:         Registration

09.45- 10.00:         Welcome Address: Prof. Pritam Singh, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford.

10.00-11.30:          Session I     Language and music  

Chair: Jaskiran Bhogal, London School of Economics, United Kingdom

10.00 – 10.25:       Breaking Barriers: Role of Punjabipedia in Reaching out to Global Readers of Punjabi Language

Dr. Rajwinder Singh¹ and Dr. Jasvir Kaur²,  1. Assistant Professor, Department of English, Punjabi University Patiala and 2. Assistant Professor, Department of Literary Studies, Punjabi University Patiala

10.25-10.50:         Punjabi Popular Music Past and Present: Cultural Assertion or Cultural Erosion

Dr. Ajay Verma¹ and Dr. Kulbir Singh Dhillon², 1. Assistant Professor, Department of English, Punjabi University Regional Centre, Bathinda and 2. Professor & Head, Department of History, and Dean Colleges, Punjabi University Patiala

10.50-11.30:          Discussion

11.30-11.50:          Coffee Break

11.50-13.20:          Session II    Gender studies  

Chair: Dr. Meena Dhanda, University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom                   

11.50-12.15:          Punjab’s modernity still leaving behind menstruation as an un-talked taboo topic.

Aleena Qaiser, Forman Christian College, Lahore

12.15-12.40:          Nevertheless She Persists

Simi Singh, Universty of British Columbia, Vancouver

 12.40-13.20:          Discussion

13.20-14.00:          Lunch Break

14.00-14.15:          Conference Announcements regarding Publications, Scholarships and Research Projects

14.15-15:45:         Session III Social and art studies   

 Chair: Prof. Eleanor Nesbitt, University of Warwick, United Kingdom

 14:15-14:40:         British Punjab 1849-58: A Study in Imperialism

 Fozia Umar, PhD Candidate, Department of History, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad and Visiting Fellow, Royal Holloway University of London

14:40-15:05:        Scheduled Castes Welfare in Punjab: Exploring the Extent of Awareness about Government Schemes
Dr. Lakhvir Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Punjabi University Patiala

15.05- 15.45: Discussion

15.45-16.05: Coffee Break

16.05-16.50: Session IV History and study of religions

Chair: Prabhsharandeep Singh, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

16.05-16.30: Journey of Jamia Khair Ul Madaris from Jalandhar, India, to Multan, Pakistan (1931-1951)
Fakhar Bilal, PhD Candidate, Department of History, Royal Holloway University of London

16.30-16.50:          Discussion 

16.50-17.05:         Deliberation on/Announcement of Best Presenter Award

17.05-17.30:          Coffee Break

17.30-18.30:          1984-When the sun didn’t rise (film screening)

Teenaa Kaur Pasricha, Independent Film Maker

We would expect everyone in the audience to make a voluntary contribution of atleast £3 to this which goes to the film maker Teenaa Kaur Pasricha.

18.30-19.00:         Discussion and interaction with the film maker Teenaa Kaur Pasricha, Independent Film Maker

19.00-19.15:         Vote of Thanks

A small world in a faraway land

Days of struggle: The Komagata Maru Memorial at Coal Harbour, Downtown Vancouver, frames the painful past of Indian immigrants to Canada

The sawmill town of Paldi was named by Mayo Singh after his native village in Hoshiarpur distric

The sawmill town of Paldi was named by Mayo Singh after his native village in Hoshiarpur distric

Visitors read about the ordeal of migrants at an exhibition in the Gur Sikh Temple

The Gur Sikh Temple at Abbotsford that won the National Historic Site status in 2002

Back in time: Sculptures of Bhai Kanhaiya and injured soldiers at the Gur Sikh Temple in Abbotsford

(this article is also available at http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/spectrum/a-small-world-in-a-faraway-land/544596.html)

Spectrum

Posted at: Feb 18, 2018, 1:30 AM; last updated: Feb 18, 2018, 1:30 AM (IST)
A small world in a faraway land
The history of Sikh heritage in Canada boasts of values of community living. It tells about Punjabi immigrants who moved to Paldi and Abbotsford and painted strokes of inherited culture

Rishi Singh

The Sikhs who first stepped on the western-Canadian soil were on their way to attend commemoration of Queen Victoria of England Diamond Jubilee in 1897. These soldiers were followed by more Sikh soldiers who travelled through Canada for the celebrations of the Kind Edward VII in 1902. The number of Sikh settlers began to rise, especially, 1904 onwards. The ‘white community’ thought that the Sikhs were getting better jobs and this lead to racial tensions. Realising the challenges, Sikhs organised themselves socially and politically and formed Khalsa Diwan Society in 1907. It was during this time that the first gurdwara was established at West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver.

In an attempt to dishearten South Asians from settling down in Canada, the then Canadian government introduced the infamous “continuous journey” regulation in 1908. The regulation put forward a condition that only those who reached Canadian ports after travelling continuously from their country would be allowed to land on its soil. In the year 1914, a large number of passengers, majority of them Sikhs, sailed to Canada on the ship Komagata Maru were refused entry under the new law. To make matters worse, women and children under 18 were not permitted to come along with men to Canada until 1920s, when the law changed and families began moving in.

A high engagement with the democratic institution of the nation prompted the Sikhs, led by Khalsa Diwan Society, to ask for the right to vote. In 1945, war veterans from the World Wars were granted the right to cast votes in the provincial elections. In 1947-48, the Canadians from South Asian descent were allowed to vote both in provincial and federal elections. Thus, gaining full rights of a Canadian citizen.

Paldi — When a town became home

In Western Canada, the Sikh communities began prospering in cities like Duncan, Victoria, Vancouver, Abbotsford and Mission. Soon a sawmill town was established by Mayo Singh, a Sikh, who named the town Paldi after his native place Paldi in Hoshiarpur. In 1916, he went to Cowichan Valley seeking better source of timber and an appropriate site for establishing a sawmill. Slowly and steadily, the area around his sawmill began to grow like a town. Many workers, who were Japanese, South Asian, Chinese and whites began to settle there. The place had a Gurdwara, company store, post office and a Japanese community hall. As Paldi prospered, the place became a home away from home for many families. In tandem with the Sikh principles, Mayo Singh shared his earnings with the Duncan community. His donations to the Duncan hospitals are still talked about and appreciated. The sawmill stopped working in 1945 and that slowly put an end to the community living that saw amalgamation of several cultures in Canada.

Another fascinating fact that takes one to the golden days of Paldi is the making of a school.

In 1920, the first school in Paldi was built on a hill amidst huge stumps and debris of a former logging area, as mentioned by Carolyn Prellwitz in her article in Cowichan Valley Citizen. At the time when Canada celebrated its 150th year of existence, the one-room school at Paldi became symbolic of diversity and inclusion. Carolyn informs that all building material for the school was donated by the Mayo Lumber Company. Parents and others provided the labour and other equipment. The piano was personally given by Mayo Singh. The school photographs from the 1920s to 1960s featured Sikhs, Japanese, Chinese and Caucasian students, demonstrating rich diversity at Paldi.

The once-upon-a-time town of Paldi has disappeared, but what remains there is a Gurdwara Sahib. The gurdwara building has symbolic prakash of Guru Granth Sahib on the upper floor. The ground floor has a room with some old images that are put on the wall, pointing to the glorious days of Paldi. An image shows certificate of honours given to Mayo Singh by the government of Canada. There is an image of Mayo Singh meeting Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Indian Prime Minister of India, on his visit to Canada.

Abbotsford — Footprints of history

Nearly an hour from Vancouver, on the South Fraser Way, in the city of Abbotsford is located a Canadian Heritage Site, a gurdwara, known as Gur Sikh Temple. Soon after moving to Canada, I was fortunate to engage and work with the Fraser Valley Sikh community on a Canadian Sikh Heritage project that is the Gur Sikh Temple.

The site of the gurdwara opened in the year 1912 with support from Khalsa Diwan Society. As per the newspaper reports then, during the inauguration of the Gurdwara Sahib, a large number of Sikhs and non-Sikhs joined in the congregation. There are two floors on the gurdwara — the second floor has the prakash of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the ground floor has a kitchen. Sunder Singh Thandi and Arjan Singh were instrumental in the making of the gurdwara. The one-acre land was bought by them adjacent to the mill, where 50 Sikhs worked. The owner of the Trethway Lumber Company donated the lumber for the gurdwara. It took Sikh community three years, beginning from 1908, to construct the gurdwara that formally opened in 1912.

In 2002, Khalsa Diwan Society asked the Historic Sites and Monuments Board to consider the gurdwara for National Historic Site status. In July 2002, the gurdwara received the recognition. Khalsa Diwan Society got the gurdwara building restored and reopened in 2007. The upper floor has prakash of Guru Granth Sahib. Currently, ground floor is used as exhibition space. The exterior of the Gurdwara Sahib has a gabbed roof. There are sculptures of Bhai Kanhaiya and injured soldiers being served water by him in the gardens of the Gurdwara premises. The exhibitions and sculptures make visitors curious about the Sikh history.

The teaching of tenth Guru of Sikhs, Gobind Singh, Manaski Jaat Sabhe eke Paichanbo recognises all mankind as a single race of humanity. It connects with the Canadian core values of equality and respect for cultural differences. Embracing this ethos, the Sikh community has played an important role in enriching the country’s institutions with its contributions. Canada is marching ahead, but at the same time is not forgetting its historic defining moments. It is rather preserving, conserving and sharing them with all. Those visiting Canada must make an effort to include Paldi and Abbotsford in their itinerary to experience the feel of Punjab while away from Punjab and to celebrate Canadian Sikhs’ glorious heritage in faraway lands.

The Punjab Research Group has been hosting conferences at least twice a year since 1984, and was established as an inclusive and all-embracing forum to provide a platform for discussion and debate on issues pertaining to East and West Punjab as well as the Punjabi diaspora. During the past 34 years, the PRG has provided space for academics to interact with each other regardless of territorial or disciplinary boundaries. This is especially important given the often-strained relationship between India and Pakistan, which has prevented discussion and dialogue between scholars of East and West Punjab.

Our first conference for 2018 will be held as a one-day event on 31^st March in Oxford. We welcome submissions from scholars, academics, young researchers, journalists, artists, and activists for an inter-disciplinary discussion focusing on the theme of ‘Punjab: Past, Present and Future’.

Speakers are invited to give paper-presentations/performances that can cover a broad range of content, including, but not limited to: history, philosophy, politics, gender, religion, environmental studies, economics, diaspora issues, linguistics, literature, poetry, arts, and culture.

We particularly welcome proposals exploring the genesis of Punjab, intersections between the ‘3 Punjabs’, going beyond the 1947 borders: to deepen our perspective on the ‘connected histories’, and to envision interrelated futures, of the region.

Please submit abstracts (200 words) and CV to Raj (RS Mann) at punjabresearchgroup@gmail.com by 15^th February 2018. Submissions from grad/postgraduate students are encouraged.

If you would like to register as a guest for this event, please book a ticket using our online form at (https://tinyurl.com/y93n4ncd). The registration fee is £10 per person. There is no registration fee for kids under 16 when accompanied with fee paying elders.

(more…)