From Bombay to Vancouver

The Ghadar Movement by Rana Preet Gill examines how racism under colonial rule and xenophobia in Canada led to this lesser-known struggle that saw people in India work with the diaspora in an effort to overthrow British rule

- Rachna Mehra

Almost everyone has an opinion about the past, but it is uncommon for a veterinary officer, inspired by a chance visit to the Andamans’ Cellular Jail (now a memorial and museum), to write a book on the Ghadar Movement. In doing so, author Rana Preet Gill has breached the boundary of pedantic historical writing and presented the struggle of Ghadarites in a more comprehensible way.

The Ghadar Movement; A Forgotten Struggle highlights both the national and international influences that shaped the movement, and the interconnection of people from Bombay, Bengal and Punjab to the widespread network of emigrants in Canada (a dominion of the British Empire) and the US, who consolidated the movement. Among the various causes of emigration at that time was the colonial state’s harsh tax regime that pushed the peasantry into a cycle of impoverishment. Many men from Punjab initially moved to the South Pacific Coast Islands as guards and later to Canada and USA seeking better work opportunities. In the 1900s, early settlers from different districts of Punjab landed on the West Coast of the US, where the work required intensive physical labour. Aside from peasants, there were student dropouts and those who had served in the British police and army but were dissatisfied with their ranks and emoluments. The intent to relocate overseas came from the need to earn money and send it back to families to facilitate their escape from poverty.

By 1908, there were more than 3,000 Indians in Canada. None of them planned to become involved in any activity that could jeopardise their future. Yet, the experience of racism faced in India and the continuation of prejudice and xenophobia outside made it difficult for them to survive with dignity. They decided to unite and fight for their rights in foreign lands as well as organise themselves to spread awareness about the exploitative conditions under British rule.