Bhai Gurdit Singh

In 1908, the Canadian government attempted to stop Sikh immigration by passing a “Continuous Voyage Order” requiring prospective immigrants to travel to Canada in an uninterrupted journey, which was not possible since ocean steamers could not travel directly from South Asia to Canada. In 1914, Bhai Gurdit Singh chartered the Japanese vessel, Komagata Maru, to bring Sikh immigrants to Canada, and arrived in Vancouver with 376 Sikhs on May 23, 1914. The ship was anchored in the Vancouver harbor for two months, while the Sikh community through the Khalsa Diwan Society petitioned the government to allow them to enter. Though the Komagata Maru was escorted out of Canadian waters by naval guard on July 23, 1914, Singh’s leadership and courageous act stand in defiance against discriminatory law and serve as a test case revealing the racism of the time.