Calls grow for national recognition of Komagata Maru ship as ‘Guru Nanak Jahaz'
In a message issued from Amritsar on the 111th anniversary of the forced return of the ship from Canada, Gargajj said, 'I call upon all Sikh institutions, the Government of India, and the Punjab Government to declare July 23 as 'Guru Nanak Jahaz Remembrance Day'.'
Gargajj said this would recognise Baba Gurdit Singh's 'major struggle against racism and in defense of human rights'.
Gargajj emphasised that Baba Gurdit Singh had named the ship Guru Nanak Jahaz, not Komagata Maru, a fact documented in the leader's autobiographical book. 'It is regrettable that history books in India continue to use the colonial name, ignoring the fact that Baba Gurdit Singh renamed the ship Guru Nanak Jahaz,' he said. 'This journey was deeply spiritual, with Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the Nishan Sahib on board.'
Gargajj further noted that the Canadian cities of Surrey and Vancouver had already designated July 23 as Guru Nanak Jahaz Remembrance Day. 'India must do the same,' he added.
Separately, in New Delhi, MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal submitted a request to the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha seeking national recognition for the date. He wrote, 'We request that July 23rd be observed annually at the national level to remember the sacrifices of the martyrs aboard the Guru Nanak Jahaz.'
Seechewal noted that the ship had sailed from Hong Kong to Canada carrying 376 passengers, mostly Sikhs, and that the Canadian authorities denied them entry, forcing the ship to return on July 23, 1914. Upon its return to India, British forces opened fire on the passengers at Budge Budge Ghat in Kolkata, killing 19 and sentencing others to penal colonies.
Seechewal cited works by Baba Gurdit Singh and historian Dr Gurdev Singh Sidhu, both of which identify the ship as Guru Nanak Jahaz. 'The name holds cultural and religious importance,' he wrote, urging Parliament to pass a motion to honour the legacy of the ship and its passengers.
Both leaders called for the ship's history to be taught accurately in Indian schools and universities, and for the name Guru Nanak Jahaz to replace Komagata Maru in textbooks and public discourse.
Raj Singh Bhandal, who leads the Guru Nanak Jahaz Heritage Society, has been at the forefront of the campaign in Canada and is extending the efforts to India. 'Names are very important in history,' Bhandal said. 'The ship's name was changed many times, and it was named Guru Nanak Jahaz after Baba Gurdit Singh bought it.'
According to Bhandal, the journey was not just about immigration but was inspired by the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev. 'The inspiration behind the fight that Baba Gurdit Singh and others led against the British was Guru Nanak Dev Ji. We hope that the Indian government will make this correction that would help the coming generations understand history better,' he said.
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