Ghadar Movement helps in shaping contemporary Canada:VC
“The Ghadar Movement has played a big role in the creation of contemporary Canada, free of social tribulations of racialism, radicalism and zealotry, which were once the hallmark of that country and became one of the main reasons of triggering the Movement during the second decade of the 20thCentury” said Punjabi University’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr. B.S. Ghuman
Ghuman while inaugurating the Dr. Ganda Singh Memorial Lecture on “Empire, Economic Nationalism and Ghadar Movement”, organised by the University’s Department of Punjab Historical Studies as its annual feature at the Senate Hall here today. The Lecture was delivered by the prominent historian, Prof. Sukhdev Singh Sohal from GNDU, Amritsar, even as Dr S.K. Bhatti, HoD, highlighted the activities and achievements of her department since its establishment by Dr. Ganda Singh. Dr. Jaspal Kaur, Dean Research and Professor of History proposed vote of thanks.
While highlighting the role of renowned historian and scholar of History, Dr Ganda Singh in establishing the Department of PHS and establishing new traditions of research methodology, Dr. Ghuman said that it was essential to revisit the realms of history to get a clearer understanding of the present and the future courses of action to be adopted to avoid many a wrongdoing and transgression. He also released the printed Lecture, delivered by Dr Mridulla Mukherjee from JNU, New Delhi on “Secular Nationalistic Tradition of Punjab” last year
Dr Sohal, in his lecture, while erasing the misconception that the Ghadar Movement was merely a political movement, said that “it hinged on the economic critique of colonialism and imperialism. The Ghadar narrative was structured in a situation when the British Empire was expanding geographically, ideologically and politically, even as the Ghadarites knew the economic sinews of the Empire.” The interesting aspect of the whole story behind Indians’, especially the Punjabis’, more so the enterprising farmers’ migration to the North America was ‘economic’ which remains the fact even today, who looked forward towards fortune-making opportunities in the province of British Columbia. The process was precipitated as immigration to Australia had been stopped under their Immigration Act, Prof Sohal said. Dr. Sohal also highlighted the concept of Ghadarites’s analysis of character of British Empire with a view to chart out their political battle in a revolutionary zeal and zest
