The story of the Komagata Maru resonates beyond 1914, linking to freedom movements in India and the right to vote for South Asians in Canada.
In the early hours of Saturday, 23 May, 1914, the Komagata Maru anchored on the far side of the Burrard Inlet, opposite Vancouver. At dawn the passengers were out on deck with tree-covered mountains rising behind them and the city across the water in front. They were dressed in their best with their bags packed, ready to go ashore.
The story of the Komagata Maru resonates beyond 1914, linking to freedom movements in India and the right to vote for South Asians in Canada. It addresses how we build communities, understand official multiculturalism, how we remember our past and develop multiple connections. Here you will find collected for the first time rare government documents, newspaper articles, academic texts, videos....and even a diary.
In 2011, SFU Library developed a website, "Komagata Maru: Continuing the Journey", with financial support from the Canadian federal government. In 2015, the Government of India's Ministry of Culture provided additional funding to expand the site. In June 2022, the website moved to the University of the Fraser Valley's South Asian Studies Institute, where it formed part of the Institute's South Asian Canadian Legacy Project's collection of primary sources. The original site is available at the Internet Archive.
