100th Anniversary - Sangha Family

June 9th, 2006 by admin

VANCOUVER – Last Sunday saw the large pioneer Sangha clan get together in Vancouver to celebrate family patriarch Briam Singh Sangha’s arrival to Canada 100 years ago.

Joining the Sangha family for the celebrations were politicians from all stripes including NDP MLAs Raj Chouhan, Jagrup Brar and Harry Bains as well pioneer son and current BC Attorney General Wally Oppal and MLA Dave Hayer along with federal MPs like Sukh Dhaliwal.

“One hundred years ago, a courageous and an enterprising young man from a faraway land decided to make Canada his home against all odds,” said Raj Chouhan, NDP critic for Multiculturalism and Human Rights. “While we are here to celebrate Mr. Sangha’s successes and the greatness of his spirit, we must not forget the struggles our pioneers went through in their own times to ensure that we - the future generations – could live with our heads held high.”

Chouhan went on to describe Mr. Sangha’s disappointment and struggle when less than a year after his arrival, the government brought down new legislation that took away voting rights from South Asians.

“After much effort, the voting right was returned to the community in 1947. But it was not an easy accomplishment,” said Chouhan.

“We must not forget the tenacity and determination of pioneers such as Mr. Sangha that made it a mission of their lives to fight the injustices and inequities of the time. I am enormously proud of my own party’s record – called CCF at the time - in aiding the work of these committed individuals.”

Chouhan stressed the need to make this information available for younger generations so they are not oblivious to important historical facts and struggles.

“I would like the concerned bodies to consider including this historical information in classroom reading materials as well as making it a formal part of the curricula. Our youth should have the opportunity to learn not only of our historical achievements but also about our society’s failings – an effective way to ensure past mistakes are not repeated,” concluded Chouhan.

Source: The South Asian Link Newspaper (www.thelinkpaper.ca)

Posted by admin in archive |
Print This Article or leave a response or trackback