Canadian Sikh Heritage | Sadhu Singh Gill
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31 Oct Sadhu Singh Gill

Posted at 18:32h in Pioneer Interviews by

Sadhu Singh Gill was born on 25th February, 1927 in Baduaal village, Zira, district Ferozpur. His father’s name was Sajan Singh and mother’s name was Basant Kaur. Sadhu Singh’s wife died in 1989 leaving him as a widower to take care of their three boys and three girls. Two of his daughters and sons came to Canada while one son and one daughter stayed in India. Sadhu Singh was a hard working farmer in India where he started work his 14 kile’s of farm land as early as 4 am and went to bed around 10 pm.

In 1970 Sadhu Singh Gill’s son Amarjeet Singh Gill was the first to come to Canada from the family and so it was he who sponsored his father. Sadhu Singh thus came to join his son Amarjeet in Calgary in 1979. Sadhu Singh stayed home for the first week and later joined a Scandinavian Company where he used to make furniture such as office tables, drawing room sets, beds and dressers. It took him one month to get to know the work and follow the instructions properly.  Soon after learning all the skills required for being an operator on the machine, he was promoted as an operator. Sadhu Singh Gill used to work on three machines at least eight hours a day, including overtime for 2-4 hours. He worked there for nine years and was paid only $5 per hour until the company declared bankruptcy. He started working again after being on unemployment pay for one year. After working on a contract which was for 5 weeks, he was laid off and received ten weeks unemployment pay again. Despite the many setbacks and difficult tasks he had, Sadhu Singh still found life in Canada much easier than the life he had in India working on his farms.

Sadhu Singh lived in Calgary for 18 years and then moved to Abbotsford. He first went to India to see his family after ten years as one of his sons who still lived in India tragically passed away in 2006. Sadhu Singh Gill goes to India every year to look after his son’s family which includes his son’s widowed wife, two daughters and two sons. Sadhu Singh Gill feels that even though you have to work hard in Canada, the life here is very good and people should appreciate that.