Brampton, Canada: A park named “Komagata Maru Park” will be having its grand opening on Saturday, June 22, from 11 am to 11:30 am.
According to information extended by Regional Councillor (Wards 9 and 10) Gurpreet Singh Dhillon, the event will include:
- A traditional Smudging Ceremony.
- Speeches from Mayor Patrick Brown and Members of Council.
- The official ribbon cutting ceremony.
- Symbolic tree planting with descendants of the survivors.
- The Springdale Library, located adjacent to the park, will also be hosting events after the park opening.
- The park is located at 10705 Bramalea Road and features a playground, splash pad and picnic area.
The playground equipment is designed around the idea of a ‘library in the park’. The shape of the slides, climbers and park equipment spell the word IMAGINE.
The park is named after the Komagata Maru ship and pays tribute to those who were on the ship, and honours all immigrants, their struggles, triumphs and contributions to the mosaic of Canada.
MUST READ BOOK on KOMAGATA MARU:
The event will be the first Canadian commemoration of the Komagata Maru ship outside of British Columbia, Canada.
The SS Komagata Maru ship departed from Hong Kong in May of 1914, transporting immigrants, largely from the Punjab region of India, to Canada.
The ship was met by Canadian officials at the Port of Vancouver and denied entry due to Canada’s Continuous Passage regulation, which was brought into force in 1908.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on May 18, 2019 formally apologized in the House of Commons for the Komagata Maru incident in 1914, in which hundreds of Sikh, Muslim and Hindu passengers were denied entry to Canada and forced to return to an uncertain and ultimately violent fate in India.