By Zile Singh
Baba Niranjan Singh Dhillon, grandfather of Sardar Manjit Singh Dhillon, former Vice President of the Sunset Indo-Canadian Seniors Society, Vancouver, and Sardarni Harjit Kaur Dhillon, a well-known activist of Indian Mahila Association, Vancouver, was one of the pioneers of Gadar Movement who came to Canada in 1906. He worked at the Central Province Railways as Foreman. Baba Niranjan Singh played important roles and held pivotal posts in the Association. Born in 1882 in village Pindori Ladha Singh in District Gurdaspur, Punjab, he breathed his last in 1971. He wrote many revolutionary poems. Manjit and his elder brother Daljit recite by heart those patriotic poems at every weekly gathering of the Society.
Dr. K. Srikar Reddy, the Consul General of India, San Francisco recently unveiled a portrait of Baba Niranjan Singh Dhillon at the ‘Gadar Memorial Hall”, 5 Wood Street, San Francisco in the presence of a large number of Diaspora and Dhillon’s family members.
The Hall, previously known as “Yugantar Ashram,” was bought and renovated by the Government of India in 1973 when Sardar Swaran Singh was the Foreign Minister. The then Ambassador of India in the United States, Mr. T.N. Kaul inaugurated it and opened the doors of the Hall for public. The Memorial is open to the public from 10 am to 2 pm every Saturday.
Mr. Daljit Singh Dhillon, the elder son of Baba Niranjan Singh, turned 101 years on September 5th this year. His birthday and the event of unveiling of Baba Niranjan Singh’s portrait were celebrated by the Seniors Society on September 17, 2024. Speakers spoke about Niranjan Singh’s life and the importance of freedom in every human being’s life.
Gadar Movement is the saga of courage, valor and determination of overseas Indians who had come to Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom either for higher education or for economic opportunities. They imbibed the fire and zeal of revolutionaries and became the trail blazers of freedom struggle for their motherland, India. They may have lived ordinary lives, but they left an extra-ordinary legacy. As the Gadar Party’s movements were under radar in Canada because of the British colony, some of the Gadaris in Canada had to shift to California to give momentum to the movement. They formed an association called “Hindustan Association of the Pacific Coast” in San Francisco. A building was purchased with funds raised from the community, primarily Punjabi farmers and farm and lumber mill workers and was named Yugantar Ashram to run the activities of the Association.
“Freedom is earned with trials and tribulations, often at the cost of many lives.
With unity, responsibility, equality, and feelings of fraternity, freedom thrives”- Zile Singh.
