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The Komagata Maru was a Japanese steam liner that sailed from Hong Kong to Shanghai, China, Yokohama, Japan, and then to British Columbia, Canada, in 1914, carrying 376 passengers from Punjab, India, most of whom were not allowed to land in Canada and were returned to India. Of these, 340 were Sikhs, 24 were Muslims, and 12 were Hindus, and all were British subjects. This was one of the most notorious "incidents" in the history of exclusion laws in Canada and the United States designed to keep out immigrants of Asian origin. Paddle steamers - Lucerne-Switzerland Left: original paddlewheel from a paddle steamer on the lake of Lucerne. ...
Shanghai (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Shanghainese: ), situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in East China, is the largest city of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Yokohama ) is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture and Japans largest incorporated city,[1] with a population of 3. ...
Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Official languages none stated in law; English is de facto Flower Pacific dogwood Tree Western Redcedar Bird Stellers Jay Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Parliamentary representation - House seat - Senate seats 36 6...
Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 Punjab (meaning: Land of five Rivers (c. ...
A Sikh man wearing a turban The adherents of Sikhism are called Sikhs. ...
A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ...
This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation). ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Asian people. ...
Singh's initial idea Gurdit Singh, from Sarhali, Amritsar, was a well-to-do businessman in Singapore who was aware of the problems that Punjabis were having in getting to Canada. There were "continuous journey" restrictions contrived in the Canadian exclusion laws to exclude asians through institutional racism. Singh wanted to get round these initially by hiring a boat from Calcutta to Vancouver. His aim was both to help his compatriots whose journeys had been blocked Amritsar (Punjabi: ), meaning Pool of the Nectar of Immortality, is the administrative headquarter of the Amritsar District in Punjab, India. ...
Institutional racism (or structural racism or systemic racism) is a form of racism that occurs in institutions such as public bodies and corporations, including universities. ...
This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ...
Vancouver (pronounced: ) is a Canadian city in the province of British Columbia. ...
Immigration controls in Canada At that time, Canada had recently passed several bills limiting the civil rights of Indians, including the right to vote, to hold public office, to serve on juries, or practise as pharmacists, lawyers, and accountants. Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ...
Indians were not targeted by open exclusion laws from Canada, as was the case with the Chinese. India, like Canada at the time, was part of the British Empire. The Imperial authorities in London had noted Indian resentment when the White Australia policy was put in place in 1905 and was in turn adopted by New Zealand. The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ...
London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom. ...
This badge from 1906 shows the use of the expression White Australia at that time The White Australia Policy is the prevailing term used to describe a collection of racist Australian policies which restricted non-white immigration and promoted white, European immigration from 1830 to 1973 with related policies enduring...
When Canada started making provisions to block immigration from India, it was warned by London to be cautious in its approach, and to be aware that its actions might inflame nationalist fervour in India. This in mind, an ingenious method was devised. To be admitted to Canada, immigrants had to come by "continuous journey" from their country of birth and enter with at least $200 cash on their persons.
This Continuous Journey regulation did not mention race or nationality and on the surface seemed fair and applicable to all immigrants. It was however an open secret that the regulation was to apply only to people from British India. Canadian Pacific did run a very lucrative shipping line between Vancouver and Calcutta. However, the Canadian government forced the company to stop this service. It was now impossible to come via continuous journey to Canada.
This was one of many hidden measures that Canada undertook to enforce a hidden "white Canada" policy. To put these measures in context, restrictions on Asian immigration were being enacted at a time when Canada was accepting massive numbers of European immigrants (over 400,000 in 1913 alone - a figure that remains unsurpassed to this day.)
In chartering the Komagata Maru, Gurdit Singh's goal was to challenge the continuous journey regulation and open the door for immigration from British India to Canada.
The voyage Hong Kong became the departure point. The ship was scheduled to leave in March, but Singh was arrested for selling tickets for an illegal voyage. He was later released on bail and given permission by the Governor of Hong Kong to set sail, and the ship left Hong Kong on April 4 with 165 passengers. More passengers joined at Shanghai April 8, Moje arrived in Yokohama on April 14. It departed from Yokohama on May 3 with its complement of 376 passengers. and arrived in Burrard Inlet, near Vancouver, on May 23. "This ship belongs to the whole of India, this is a symbol of the honour of India and if this was detained, there would be mutiny in the armies" a passenger told a British officer. The Indian Nationalist revolutionaries Bhagwan Singh, Barkatullah and Balwant Singh joined the ship on route. Balwant Singh was head priest of the Gurdwara in Vancouver and had been one of three delegates sent to London and Indiia to represent the case of Indians in Canada. Ghadarite literature was disseminated on board and political meetings took place on board. April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ...
April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ...
April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (105th in leap years). ...
May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ...
Indian Arm extends north (to the upper right of the photo) from Burrard Inlet, in this view from the southeast at Burnaby Mountain. ...
May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ...
An engraving titled Sepoy Indian troops dividing the spoils after their mutiny against British rule gives a contemporary view of events from the British perspective. ...
Map of India. ...
It has been suggested that Revolutionary be merged into this article or section. ...
Captain Bhagwan Singh (1916 – 1995) was a diplomat, a radical student leader, army officer, Indian Administrative Service officer, High Commissioner of India to Fiji and a devoted social worker. ...
Maulavi Barkatullah was a freedom fighter and nationalist from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, India. ...
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Southall, UK. A Gurdwara (Punjabi: , or , ), meaning the doorway to God, is the Sikh place of worship and may be referred to as a Sikh temple. ...
// Indo Canadians are Canadians whose origin traces back to the nation of India. ...
The Ghadar Party was an organization founded by the Indians(mostly Punjabis, of the United States and Canada in June, 1913 with the aim to liberate India from British rule. ...
Arrival in Vancouver When the Komagata Maru arrived in Canadian waters, it was not allowed to dock. The Conservative Premier of British Columbia, Richard McBride, gave a categoriacal statement that the passengers would not be allowed to disembark. Meanwhile a "Shore Committee" had been formed with Hussain Rahim and Sohan Lal Pathak involved. Protest meetings were held in Canada and the USA. At one, held in Dominion Hall, Vancouver, it was resolved that if thepassengers were not allowed off, Indo-Canadians should follow them back to India to start a rebellion (or Ghadar. The shore Committee raised $22,000 dollars as an installment on chartering the ship. They also launched a test case legal battle in the name of Munshi Singh, one of the passengers. On July 7, the full bench of the Supreme Court gave a unanimous judgement that under new Orders-In-Council, it had no authority to interfere with the decisions of the Department of Immigration and Colonization. The Japanese Captain was relieved of duty by the angry passengers, but the Canadian government ordered the harbour tug, Sea Lion to push the ship out on its homeward journey. On July 19, the angry passengers mounted an attack. Next day the Vancouver newspaper The Sun reported: "Howling masses of Hindus showered policemen with lumops of coal and bricks... it was like standing underneath a coal chute". The British Columbia Conservative Party (also known as the Tories) is a conservative political party in British Columbia, Canada. ...
Categories: Stub | British Columbia premiers ...
Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Official languages none stated in law; English is de facto Flower Pacific dogwood Tree Western Redcedar Bird Stellers Jay Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Parliamentary representation - House seat - Senate seats 36 6...
Sir Richard McBride (December 15, 1870-August 6, 1917) was a British Columbian politician and founder of the British Columbia Conservative Party. ...
July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ...
July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ...
The government also mobilised HMS Rainbow, a decommissioned ship of the Royal Navy standing idle in the Esquimalt. Under the command of Commander Hose, with troops from the Irish Fusiliers, 72nd Highlanders, and the 6th DCOR regiments. In the end, only 24 passengers were admitted to Canada, since the ship had violated the exclusion laws, the passengers did not have the required funds, and they had not sailed directly from India, another requirement to make entry more difficult. The ship was turned around and forced to sail back to Asia, departing on July 23. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ...
The Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. ...
July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining. ...
Return to India The Komagata Maru arrived in Calcutta, India on September 26. Upon entry into the harbour, the ship was forced to stop by a European gunboat, and the passengers were taken prisoner. The ship was then diverted approximately 17 miles to Budge Budge, where the British intended to put them on a train bound for Punjab. The passengers wanted to stay in Calcutta, and marched on the city, but were forced to return to Budge Budge and reboard the ship. The passengers protested, some refusing to reboard, and the police opened fire, killing 20 and wounding nine others. This incident became known as the Budge Budge Riot. (IPA: [] Bengali: কলকাতা) (formerly ) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. ...
September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 96 days remaining. ...
Budgebudge is a town in the south-western suburbs of Calcutta, on the eastern bank of river Hooghly i. ...
Gurdit Singh managed to escape and lived in hiding till 1922. He was urged by Gandhi to give himself up as a true patriot. He was imprisoned for five years. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948) (Devanagari: मोहनदास करमचन्द गांधी, Gujarati મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી), called Mahatma Gandhi, was the charismatic leader who brought the cause of Indias independence from British colonial rule to world attention. ...
Memorials and depictions
In 1951, the government of the new Republic of India erected its first monument and it was at Budge Budge to commemorate the massacre at Budge Budge.
A plaque commemorating the 75th anniversary of the departure of the Komagata Maru was placed in the Sikh gurdwara (temple) in Vancouver on July 23, 1989. Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Southall, UK. A Gurdwara (Punjabi: , or , ), meaning the doorway to God, is the Sikh place of worship and may be referred to as a Sikh temple. ...
July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining. ...
1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
A plaque commenmorating the 80th anniversary of the arrival of the Komagata Maru was placed in the Vancouver harbour in 1994.
In 2004, Ali Kazimi's feature documentary Continuous Journey was released, This is the first in-depth film to examine the events surrounding the turning away of the Komagata Maru. The primary source research done for the film led to the remarkable discovery of rare film footage of the ship in Vancouver harbour. Eight years in the making Continuous Journey has won over ten awards, including the Most Innovative Canadian Documentary at DOXA, Vancouver 2005, and most recently, Golden Conch at the Mumbai International Film Festival, 2006 Ali Kazimi (b. ...
A movie about the incident titled Exclusion by director Deepa Mehta is scheduled to be released in 2006. Exclusion, formerly known as Kamagata Maru, is a forthcoming movie to be directed by internationally acclaimed director, Deepa Mehta starring Amitabh Bachchan, John Abraham, Seema Biswas, Kabir Bedi and well-known British actor, Terence Stamp in lead roles. ...
Deepa Mehta (born 1950 in Amritsar, India) is an Indian born Canadian film director and screenwriter, based in Toronto. ...
References - Johnston, Hugh J.M., The Voyage of the Komagata Maru: the Sikh Challenge to Canada's Colour Bar. Delhi: Oxford University Press. 1979.
- Kazimi, Ali, Continuous Journey, feature-length documentary about the Komagata Maru. 2004
- Singh, Kesar, Canadian Sikhs (Part One) and Komagata Massacre. Surrey, B.C.: 1989.
- Ward, W. Peter, "The Komagata Maru Incident" in White Canada Forever: Popular Attitudes and Public Policy toward Orientals in British Columbia. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2d ed., 1990, pp. 79-93.
- Robie L. Reid, "The Inside Story of the Komagata Maru" in British Columbia Historical Quarterly, Vol V, No. 1, January 1941, p. 4
External links - Pioneer East Asian Immigration to the Pacific Coast: Komagata Maru
- Continuous Journey - an award-winning feature length documentary by Ali Kazimi. The only in-depth film account about this "incident"
- Komagata Maru Voyage
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