CHANDIGARH: The Canadian government will release a commemorative stamp on Sunday during the 18th Annual Sikh Remembrance Day to honour over 100 years of service by Sikh soldiers in the Canadian armed forces.
Describing the move as both historic and symbolic, former Member of Parliament Tarlochan Singh said the stamp, produced by Canada Post, will be unveiled at the Sikh Remembrance Day ceremony hosted by the community on November 2.
“The stamp honours Sikh soldiers who have served for over a century, dating back to the 10 Sikh soldiers accepted into the military during the First World War,” Singh said.
He added that the ceremony, which pays homage to Sikh soldiers who fought alongside Canada’s allies during the World Wars, is the ideal occasion to release the stamp publicly. “This annual ceremony salutes the sacrifices of Sikh soldiers who served with the British Indian Army and laid down their lives in Europe,” Singh noted.
Earlier, two commemorative stamps had been issued in Canada to honour the Sikh community. The first was released in 1999, when Canada Post announced a stamp marking the 300th anniversary of Baisakhi, featuring the Khanda — a double-edged sword symbolising divine knowledge and appearing on the Sikh flag.
In 2014, another stamp was released to mark the 100th anniversary of the Komagata Maru incident, when 376 passengers from British India — including Sikhs and Hindus — were denied entry to Canada in 1914.
The Remembrance Day ceremony is held annually at the grave of Private Bukkan Singh, the only known military grave of a Sikh soldier in Canada from the World Wars.
Singh fought with the 20th Canadian Infantry Battalion in France and Belgium. He was wounded and later died at a military hospital in Kitchener, Ontario, in 1919. Buried with full military honours, his 106-year-old grave now serves as the site of the annual Sikh Remembrance Day ceremony on November 2.
