Canada Post approves Komagata Maru stamp
During a recent candlelight vigil, members of the Komagata Maru Heritage Foundation commemorated the 99th anniversary of an incident involving a Japanese ship chartered by an entrepreneur from the Punjabi region in India that landed in Vancouver.
According to VancouverDesi, 376 immigrants hoping to make Canada their new home were denied entrance because of Canada's exclusion law. Foundation president Harb Gill told the South Asian online newsource that Canada Post has agreed to create a stamp in remembrance of the injustice the Sikh and Punjabi migrants experienced during their attempt to reach Canada.
During the summer of 1914, the ship was docked in the port of Vancouver until July 23 after arriving on May 23, when all but 20 of the ships passengers who were able to establish residency were ordered to return to India. Gill explained most of the members of the South Asian community residing in Vancouver are aware of the event, but the larger Canadian population has not been informed of what happened. He expects that by getting approval from Canada Post for a commemorative stamp, which will likely showcase the ship, there will be broader understanding of this relatively unknown, but important aspect of Canadian history. The stamp will also help demonstrate how far Canadians have come from past policies that negatively impacted certain communities and highlight their current egalitarian society.
According to The Link, an Indo-Canadian newspaper, the stamp's anticipated release will be in April 2014, during which the foundation has planned summer-long events to mark the 100 year anniversary. Direct mail marketers in Canada will be able to make use of the stamps during bulk mail campaigns. In addition to using mailing software that guarantees postal materials reach their intended recipients, businesses can incorporate these stamps into their mailings to demonstrate their support of such initiatives.
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