Paldi, British Columbia

Paldi is a settlement on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.[1] It is in proximity to Duncan.[2] This town included an Indo-Canadian community,[1] and in 1973-1974 Paldi was the only Sikh enclave of any kind in all of Canada.[3]

Mayo Singh (1888-1955) founded the town,[4] naming it after his hometown, Paldi, Hoshiarpur, Punjab.[1] Singh, originally named Maiya Singh,[5] was a Minhas Rajput.[4] He believed that having a name that would be easier for Anglo Canadians to pronounce would benefit his business prospects, so he began going by "Mayo." Hugh J.M. Johnston, the author of Jewels of the Qila: The Remarkable Story of an Indo-Canadian Family, wrote that the name "Mayo" "may have had some resonance for" Mayo Singh because one of the viceroys of India was Richard Bourke, the Sixth Earl of Mayo.[6]

The first gurdwara opened in 1917.[1] A new gurdwara opened in 1928.[7] In 2012 the gurdwara was for sale.[1]

In 1953 Herb, Ted, and Gordon Singh, sons of Mayo Lumber Company partner Doman Singh, founded the Doman Lumber Company, which became Doman Industries.[8]

Archana B. Verma wrote The Making of Little Punjab in Canada, which included a study of Sikhs living in Paldi.[9]

Government and infrastructure

The Paldi post office first opened on June 1, 1936. On April 30, 1954 it closed, but on January 6, 1959 it was open again. On June 30, 1969, the post office closed permanently.[10]

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Punjab village rises to save Canadian gurdwara up for sale" (Archive). Daily Mail. March 20, 2012. Retrieved on October 19, 2014. - Available at HighBeam Research
  2. ↑ Pearce, Jacqueline. "Author's Note." In: Pearce, Jacqueline. The Reunion. Orca Book Publishers, September 1, 2013. ISBN 1459806042, 9781459806047. p. 6. "Even in the town of Duncan, down the road from Paldi,[...]"
  3. ↑ Ames, and Inglis, “Conflict and Change in British Columbia Sikh Family Life,” p. 22.
  4. 1 2 Nayar, The Punjabis in British Columbia, p. 292.
  5. ↑ Verma, Status and Migration among the Punjabis of Paldi, British Columbia and Paldi, Punjab, p. 131.
  6. ↑ Johnston, Hugh J.M. Jewels of the Qila: The Remarkable Story of an Indo-Canadian Family. UBC Press, November 15, 2011. ISBN 0774822198, 9780774822190. p. 82.
  7. ↑ Jagpal, Harjeet Singh. Becoming Canadians: Pioneer Sikhs in Their Own Words. Harbour Pub., 1994. ISBN 1550171089, 9781550171082. p. 67.
  8. ↑ Nayar, The Punjabis in British Columbia, p. 292.
  9. ↑ Nayar, The Punjabis in British Columbia, p. 286.
  10. ↑ "Paldi" (Archive). Government of British Columbia. Retrieved on October 31, 2014.

Further reading

External links

Coordinates: 48°47′28″N 123°51′11″W / 48.791°N 123.853°W / 48.791; -123.853

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