Remembering The Contributions Of A Sikh Pioneer Jack Uppal

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By Balwant Sanghera

Any time a pioneer from the Indo-Canadian community passes away, the community loses not only a very valued member and a rich resource but also a part of its heritage and history. Jagat (Jack) Singh Uppal, who passed away on May 4, was one of the pillars of the Indo-Canadian community. The huge and diverse gathering of well-wishers at his funeral on May 11 was indicative of his popularity.  Former Appeal Court Judge, attorney general and a close confidante of Jack, Wally Oppal summed up Jack’s contribution to the community and society very well in his eulogy.  It is pioneers like Jack Uppal and many others who paved the way for our community to flourish.  It is due to their hard work, sacrifices and perseverance that to-day the Indo-Canadian community has become one of the most resilient, visible, powerful and generous communities in Canada.

Occasions like this are a good way to reflect upon our community’s trials, tribulations as well as its successes and failures. We have just celebrated the hundredth anniversary, in 2013, of the Gadar movement and paid very fitting tributes to our heroes of the movement affectionately remembered as Gadari Babey. Their sacrifices not only contributed hugely to the freedom movement in India but also in gaining a respectful place in foreign lands including Canada, U.S and U.K. Getting rid of the British rule in India paved the way for Indians abroad to be treated with respect. Not only that, it opened up a lot of avenues for our pioneers to be successful in business, professions and a variety of other fields. This year, the community is busy in remembering the Komagata Maru tragedy. Our younger generations in particular need to know as to what kind of racism, discrimination and abuse our ancestors had to face here on a daily basis.

There is an old saying that people who forget their history are forced/condemned to repeat it. Let us hope that we don’t have to come to that point. However, it is worthwhile to make sure that we always remember what our community and pioneers had to go through every day. Similarly, we shouldn’t forget the sacrifices of brave souls like Mewa Singh who sacrificed his life so that our community could live in peace here. The centenary of his execution in 1915 will be next year. Thus, all of these three centenaries are a good way to pay tribute to our fearless pioneers. At the same time, it gives us an opportunity to do some navel gazing and deal with the issues facing the community. These include drugs, gangs, domestic violence, alcoholism, elder care, alienation of youth, lack of a suitable community centre/sports complex/drop- in centre etc.

One thing that is sorely lacking in our community is the lack of a unified voice for the community. Nearly every other community has some sort of organization, society or association that speaks for the entire community. However, in our community there is no such organization. This writer has been approached by a number of prominent members of our community stressing the need for such an organization that will speak on behalf of the community whenever there is a need for the same. Not only that, such an organization can also act as an advocate for the community. This is not an easy task. Our community has grown a lot over the years. Also, there are people with very diverse as well as divergent interests and needs. Consequently, to form such an organization that will represent all of such interests and have confidence of the entire community is going to be a big challenge. Nevertheless, we must be willing to give it a try. Our media –electronic and print -can play a crucial role in this regard. This will be a small token of appreciation for our pioneers. They can’t be thanked enough for their countless sacrifices, hardships, perseverance and toughness. They did this   so that the ensuing generations could have a better life in this wonderful country.

Balwant Sanghera is a retired School Psychologist and Community Activist. He can be reached at [email protected].

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