The curator of an exhibit at the Museum of Surrey is hoping to shine a light on the shared historical contribution and sacrifice of Punjabi and Canadian troops.
Steven Purewall is the curator of the Duty, Honour & Izzat exhibit and author of a book of the same name looking at that that history and its absence from Canada’s national story.
“There were thousands of people in Flanders’ fields during an iconic moment of Canadian history that have been left out traditionally in classrooms and museums,” he told Global News.
“It’s almost like selective amnesia, it’s not included in the story.”
Purewal points to the second battle of Ypres in 1915, one of the Canadian military’s first defining moments, as an example.
Canadian troops were lauded for holding off a German advance, despite repeated gas attacks, in a moment that’s become iconic of Canada’s First World War story.
“We’re told that Canada came together as a nation on the battlefields of Europe,” Purewal said.
“What the Punjabi soldiers did during the First World War was it really enabled that story to unfold — without the participation of Punjabi soldiers, Ypres would have been lost. The Canadian forces wouldn’t actually have been able to hold the line at Ypres because it was the Punjabis who came to reinforce them.”
The absence of that contribution from Canada’s museums and school curriculums is something Purewal hopes to see change.
As Canada marks the 50th anniversary of its official multiculturalism policy, South Asian children and other students of colour often still don’t see themselves reflected in the country’s history, he said.
“If you see yourself in these history books there is a sense of belonging,” he said.
“We have a story that places Punjabi troops, fighting side by side, shoulder to shoulder with Canadian troops, bearing the burden of the responsibility of citizenship.”
Punjabi and Canadian soldiers were fighting together for the same British Crown, he added, when just a year earlier would-be immigrants from the Punjab were turned away from Vancouver in the Komogata Maru incident.
B.C.’s Ministry of Education says it does not include specific lessons “about the backgrounds of soldiers who have fought for or in support of Canada,” but there is “significant flexibility” for teachers and students to explore topics of interest.
Purewal has also written and directed the heritage film Promises looking at the overlooked role of Indian soldiers alongside Canadians in the Italian campaign of the Second World War, though said funding and support from provincial and federal agencies has fallen short of what he’d like to see.
Vancouver police Const. Sukvinder Sunger, who plays a soldier in the film, said Canadians and Indians’ shared military heritage wasn’t something he learned growing up.
“As I got older, I educated myself and did some reading and found out there was actually quite a bit of connection between my forefathers and World War One and World War Two,” he said, noting service is a key tenet of the Sikh faith.
“I’m a father and I want to pass that information on to my children.”
Const. Jagpreet Ghuman, who also plays a soldier in the film, said it was hard not to get emotional putting himself in his grandfathers’ shoes.
“Growing up as a kid in South Vancouver I always thought of Remembrance Day as a significant holiday, but I never thought of it as a significant holiday for South Asians or other ethnic groups,” he said.
“The men that fought in that war ensured that I could stand here today with a turban and a beard in a Vancouver Police Department uniform.”
Purewal, meanwhile, says he intends to continue growing the project, which is now in its seventh year.
“What this shows to other minorities is that there are people like them, visible minorities, that are playing a part in the development of this country,” he said.
The Duty, Honour & Izzat exhibit runs at the Museum of Surrey free form 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Nov. 14.
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