83. Gurudwaras, Kabbadi And Politics
The first turbaned Sikh, an Amritdhari, Mr Gopal Singh Sidhu, was allowed to join the Canadian police a year ago, recently, the first Canadian kabbadi Cup
http://www.bci.org/religiousunity/NewsArt/Gurdwaras, Kabbadi and Politics.htm |
| (The Tribune, August 7,1993) "The Sikhs have more problems than others. But to my mind, they are an active, enthusiastic and hardworking people. They are an integral part of the Canadian community." Out of 1,50,000 Indians living in Metro Toronto, 80,000 are Sikhs", informed my host as we sat sipping coffee in the revolving restaurant atop the highest tower in the world, the Sean Tower. "What are the main activities of Sikhs in Canada?" I asked. "The Sikh community in Canada is quite active socially and politically. We have also tried to preserve our cultural heritage, in the past two years, we have built three new gurdwaras at a cost of $ 10 million. In all, now there are nine gurdwaras in Toronto where every evening a large number of people gather," Mr. Singh enthusiastically told me. Coffee over, in the lift fast descending the tower, Mr. Singh offered to take me to a newly-built gurdwara near his home in Brumpton. I accepted the invitation. Speeding along the marble-smooth highways that characterise the whole of North America, I pondered in my heart how lucky I was to have received the warm hospitality of my home in distant Canada. The Sikhs first came to Canada some 100 years ago through West Coast in Vancouver. Most of them were army men. However, like most other Indians, they migrated in large numbers in1972 in search of jobs and better living conditions. | |
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