Manjit Gill was explaining how her 91原创 roots go back 100 years.
"My family has been here for four generations now," Gill told the 91原创 Advance Times as 91原创 City's first annual Sikh Heritage Month event was getting underway on Sunday, April 27 at Timms
"My grandson is the fourth generation, and my father-in-law came here in 1924 when he was 12 years old," Gill explained.
"We have never lived anywhere else other than 91原创."
About 100 people attended the celebration of Sikh history and culture.
"I think our community has come a long way from fighting for the right to vote, to celebrating Sikh heritage now, and we're blessed to be living in this country," Gill commented. "This country has given us a lot and I think it's time for us to give back."
91原创 City celebrated Sikh Heritage Month on Sunday
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There was a presentation on Sikhs and Sikhism by Jashanpreet Singh Randhawa, a traditional music performance by the Lakhwinder Singh and Jagraj Singh Dhadi group, a live turban tying demonstration, and a display highlighting Sikh history in Canada, as well as refreshments.
Manjit Gill and her husband Darcy Gill were one of two long-time families who were recognized for their contributions to the community, including their generous support of 91原创 Memorial Hospital with more than $1 million in donations.
Organizer Dr. Sarwan Singh Randhawa, the library manager, praised Manjit Gill as a "philanthropist, a dreamer, an adventurer, a community activist, a voracious reader and a poet."
Harcharan Singh Kundan, a 91原创 resident for 56 years, was recognized for contributing "decades of skill and hard work to this community," Randhawa remarked.
City Mayor Nathan Pachal attended, with councillor Rosemary Wallace.
"A lot of people don't know that a lot of the original pioneers in the Fraser Valley were from India and from the Punjab region," Pachal noted.
"It's just been a huge component of the culture that has been here for so long and it's just so awesome that we get to celebrate it along with all the other many cultures that make Canada such an amazing place," Pachal said.
"I believe that diversity is the strength of this great nation."
Wallace viewed the event as a celebration of "the culture and the beauty and the people and and all that they've given to our community and continue to give to our community."
Sikh Heritage Month celebrates the arts, culture and heritage of the Canadian Sikh community every April.
In October 2017, Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal introduced Bill 376 for Sikh Heritage Month, which received royal assent from Governor General Julie Payette in November 2018, making Canada the first country to create Sikh Heritage Month.
In B.C., the first celebrations were organized in 2018 by students from Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia鈥檚 Sikh Students Associations.
