In the centenary year since the outbreak of the First World War, many organisations have staged events to mark the contribution, and in some cases the sacrifices, made by many who fought in the conflict.
VANCOUVER – Half a million Punjabis fought alongside Canadians in World War I, but most of us wouldn’t know it.
In an attempt to fill those gaps of knowledge, Surrey resident Steven Purewal has put together an exhibit spotlighting their contributions ahead of the 100th anniversary on Remembrance Day of that war.
The exhibit is called Duty, Honour & Izzat, and shines a light on a bit of history Steven Purewal, who put it together, says has been largely ignored by many, including those in India itself.
“The history has been lost not only in the West, it’s been lost in India as well, but we have a huge Punjabi community in the Lower Mainland, and it’s directly relevant to them,” notes Purewal.
Purewal, a British-born Indian, has been collecting primary artifacts from WWI pertaining to the involvement of Punjabis, such as war medallions and propaganda art. He said that the Sikh side of the story has been grossly underrepresented and even the public school system completely bypasses that aspect of its history.
Purewal says part of his motivation comes from the fact the school system doesn’t normally touch on the contributions of Punjabis — so he hopes high school students have a chance to take in this exhibit.
“What I’ve heard — and I have three children growing up in Surrey and it’s a concern of mine — when World War I history is taught, there’s no mention of the Indian soldiers, and what happens in the classroom is there is a sense of detachment from that story.”
You can see the display at City Centre Library until November 2nd.
Then it will move to the Surrey Archives from November 4th to 15th.