October

Dr. Durai Pal Pandia, an Oxford educated lawyer and former secretary to Mahatma Gandhi, was a key player in helping Sikhs fight for their right to vote and for urging the government to make immigration policies more equitable for all.

Impressed with his knowledge and communication abilities, Dr. Pandia was first retained by the Sikh community in 1939 to assist with the immigration cases of individuals facing deportation. Along with other Sikh activists, Dr. Pandia worked persistently with immigration officials in Vancouver, Victoria and Ottawa and was instrumental in persuading the federal government to grant amnesty to over 350 people.

Dr. Pandia was not a Sikh, rather he was a Hindu from southern India. However, his religious affiliation made little difference in his compassion for the plight of all Sikh pioneers and over the years he built strong relationships with the community.

A kind-hearted man, Dr. Pandia was known to take on clients who could not afford to pay for their legal services. In 1946, there was a major development in the Sikh community's struggle for citizen's rights. Dr. Pandia and business leaders, Kartar Singh, Kapoor Singh Siddoo and Mayo Singh, attended an annual meeting of BC mayors.

They were there asking for Indian immigrants to be granted the right to vote in municipal elections. Being initially snubbed by the municipal politicians and feeling dejected, Dr. Pandia was given five minutes to speak on closing day. Referring to Kapoor Singh and Mayo Singh, both successful BC mill owners, he stated, "These two men have hundreds of employees working for them.

Their workers are allowed to vote, and these two mill owners cannot vote because they are East Indians." Dr. Pandia was so influential in his message, the mayors voted and soon passed a resolution to grant Sikh immigrants the right to vote in municipal elections.

This critical event triggered a shift change towards equal rights and historic changes to the Election Act both on a provincial and federal level. Dr. Pandia passed away in Vancouver in 1999 and will eternally be remembered for his devotion to helping Sikhs gain equality in Canada.