Kneesocks 2018-19

Portrait #2

October 18, 1906

I remember when water was scarce, when I used to long for the sweet taste of cool liquid on my lips. All of the village would gather at our Gurdwara and pray for hours, longing for the skies to bless us with rain, shower our fields, and relieve us from our hunger and thirst. Now, I am surrounded by water, day and night, night and day. It pains me to see all of this water and not be able to take one little sip.

October 25, 1906

Every day, I wake up early to watch the sea. Waves jump and dance everywhere I look and it almost seems as if they have emotions of their own. Ajit Bhai and Babu never watch the water. When the sea pushes me back and forth, back and forth, and my stomach starts twisting and turning inside and out, I unfold my blanket and wrap myself in it. The blanket still smells like home, like Ma’s spices, like sunshine and the breeze. The ship smells like sweat and vomit, but holding the blanket to my face brings me back to our mud hut. One of the twins would always be sitting on the straw mat in the far corner and Tanuja, my sister, would be taking care of them. Ma would be cleaning the hut, often holding one of the twins in her arm. She would cook mornings and evenings, making the little food we had into a feast and never eating one bit until we were finished. The food here is like ash, tasteless and colourless. It doesn’t provide me with much hope for what the food in the new country will be like. Babu didn’t tell us much about the new country. “We will have a home, clean water, and food in our bellies,” he says whenever I bring it up. “That is more than most people could ask for at home.”

November 14, 1906

“Up! Get up, Jassy!”, screams Ajit Bhai, pulling me up by my skinny arms and waking me at an unbelievably early hour. A swarm of voices surrounds me and I struggle to find my footing. Ajit Bhai drags me over to the railing and shoves me through a crowd of people. Orange and pink are blended in half of the sky and the other half is bathed in darkness. Ajit Bhai points to a scratch of land in the distance, only slightly illuminated by the rising sun. “That’s it,” he says shakily. “That’s Canada.”

Afterword

Throughout Canada’s history, Indians have had to overcome many obstacles to become the thriving community they are today. They have had to challenge many laws which kept them from expressing their cultural identity and, in doing so, have made Canada a more just nation. Today, with more than 1.1 million people claiming Indian descent, Indians are one of the biggest ethnic communities in Canada. There are “Little India”s in both Vancouver and Toronto, providing Indian food, clothing, and household items. There is also a plethora of media (such as newspapers, magazines, and websites) aimed especially at the Indo-Canadian community. From the lumber industry to the Great Punjab Business Centre, many businesses founded by Indo-Canadians are still in service today. Through sharing their culture and traditions, Indians have helped make Canada the amazing, diverse country it is today. Therefore, each contribution made by the Indo-Canadian community, even when it seems like it doesn’t make the tiniest difference, has left an impact on Canada that will last from now until eternity.

14  HAVERGAL COLLEGE