By Anis Heydari | CBC News |
The Military Museums in Calgary have a new exhibit focusing on Sikhs and their connection to the military from a Canadian perspective.
The temporary display in the museum’s atrium will run for three days, and includes items such as medals, turban and cap badges, and even toys depicting Sikh soldiers.There are also poster boards detailing the soldiers’ lives and military service.
“We are showcasing our soldiers who are forgotten, who have been hidden heroes,” said Capt. Charan Kamal Singh Dullat. The Canadian Forces officer, who is Sikh, is one of four organizers of the weekend exhibit.
The exhibit includes a number of items lent from the Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada in Toronto.
“It’s fascinating to be able to share original artifacts, postcards, medals, toy soldiers, newspaper articles, and other great stories that sometimes people don’t know about,” said Pardeep Singh Nagra, executive director of the Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada.
Organizers say it’s important to put a spotlight on groups that may not always be recognized for their contributions to major events in Canada’s past.
Exhibit co-organizer Michael Hawley gestures at a display featuring a Sikh soldier. (Anis Heydari/CBC)
“It showcases a diversity in Alberta history,” said Michael Hawley, an exhibit co-organizer who is also an expert in South Asian religions.
“If we take a look at the way in which history very often gets written and gets remembered, it … isn’t as inclusive as it could be,” added Hawley.
The exhibit runs from October 19 to 21, 2018. A larger exhibit will be featured at the Military Museums in April 2019 in honour of Sikh Heritage Month.
See original story here.
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……. Good to know that Canada acknowledges and honours the contributions of the Sikhs to Canada ..
It is time that Malaysia too has a museum to recognise and honour the contributions of the Sikh community ……. from the time the first Sikhs set foot on Malayan soils ..
A Punjabi Heritage Museum of Malaysia would not only preserve the history of the Sikhs but also the history of the Punjabi communities and their cultures .. It should be a combined effort of all Punjabi associations ..
To set up a Malaysia Sikh Heritage Museum , the Malaysian Gurudwaras Council would be right body to take the initiative .. We have a Sikh Minister in the Government ……. we have Sikhs as top Government officers and we also have Sikh retired top Government officers .. We also have Sikh historians who are versed in the history and culture of the Sikhs of Malaya and Malaysia .. All of them can assist the M G C in one way or another ..
Let hope it’ll happen one day soon ..
In the State of Malacca , the Chitty Community have their own museum ..
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