Organiser of the Komagata Maru voyage of 1914; 1861-1954
Baba Gurdit Singh
A businessman in Malaya, Baba Gurdit Singh chartered the Komagata Maru in 1914 to challenge Canada's ban on Indian immigrants. He escaped after the clash at Budge Budge, lived in hiding for seven years, and later served in Akali and Congress politics.
The voyage
Born at Sarhali in Amritsar district, he joined his father in Malaya in 1885 and prospered as a contractor. He formed a shipping company, leased the Japanese ship and the ship left Hong Kong on 4 April 1914. It reached Vancouver on 23 May with 376 passengers, of whom only a few were allowed to land. It returned to Budge Budge on 29 September, where passengers clashed with troops and police.[EoS][EoS]
After
He gave himself up at Nankana Sahib on 15 November 1921, was freed, then jailed again in 1922. He served as acting president of the Akali Dal in 1926 and led a Sikh walk-out at the Gauhati Congress. He lost an election to Partap Singh Kairon in 1937, and passed away at Amritsar on 24 July 1954.[EoS]
What the sources disagree on
Images
The crowded deck of the Komagata Maru at Vancouver in 1914, with Gurdit Singh in front, photographed by Leonard Frank.
Leonard Frank, 1914. Vancouver Public Library (as credited on Commons). Public domain. Source
