A great-grandson of Baba Gurdit Singh, the man who brought the Komagata Maru vessel to Canada in 1914, has made Toronto his home. Tejpal Singh Sandhu told the Straight that he is Singh's first direct descendant to immigrate to Canada.

Sandhu, who holds a degree in computer science, said he came in 2003 under the professional category. However, he said he drives a truck in Toronto to earn his livelihood. “Getting a Canadian visa was like an emotional victory for me,” he said.

Baba Gurdit Singh charted a Japanese ship called Komagata Maru, which arrived in Burrard Inlet on May 23, 1914, with 376 South Asian passengers. Even though they were all British subjects, the ship was forced to leave under the racist immigration laws two months later and returned to India.

Indo-Canadians have intensified their campaign for an apology from the Canadian government after Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently announced a federal apology in Parliament for the Chinese head tax, which was imposed from 1885 to 1923.

Sandhu said that it was his great-grandfather's dream to educate his son, Balwant Singh, in Canada. “He regretted his failure to get his son educated in a western environment. I had decided to accomplish his dream.”

Sandhu added that he is pleased that his only son goes to a kindergarten in a Toronto school.

A prominent picture of the Komagata Maru shows seven-year-old Balwant standing beside Baba Gurdit Singh and other turbaned passengers. Sandhu's father, Ajit Singh, was the eldest son of Balwant Singh.

Sandhu said that he wants a simple apology from the Canadian government. Descendants of passengers on the Komagata Maru have formed a group and sent a letter to the Harper's office seeking such a statement. Sandhu observed that the discrimination continues even now as skilled immigrants like himself are forced to drive trucks and taxis. However, he added that Canada should not be unfairly singled out.

“After all, Canada acknowledges its racist past while we also discriminate against others in India,” he said.