India Canada Relations Part 1| 100 years history of India Canada relations. Teh Tak

If you search 11600 kilometers on Google Maps, this distance will be found between India and Canada. A distance of about one fourth of the total circumference of the Earth. In the era of air travel, this distance is also covered in less than a day. But due to the events of the last one year, the gap that has been created between the two countries will take years to bridge. Along with the recent developments, today we will take you to the bottom of the 100 years of history of India and Canada.

If we talk about modern history, India Canada relations can be considered to have started from the year 1897. Kesar Singh, a Sikh soldier, had arrived in Vancouver for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria. This was the first batch of Sikhs to reach Canada. He decided to settle in Canada with some soldiers and they stayed in British Columbia. However, some soldiers did not like the difficult conditions here, especially the extreme cold. He returned to India. At the same time some Indians started settling in Canada. Within a few years, 5 thousand Indians reached British Columbia, out of which 90 percent were Sikhs. Gradually the number of Sikhs increased. During this time he also had to face racism. 

In the year 1914, a major incident happened with Sikhs in Canada. A ship named Komamaroghata reached the coast of Canada. There were 376 Indians on board the ship, mostly Sikhs. These people stayed on the ship for 2 months, but were not allowed to disembark. Even food and water hardly reached them. In the end these people were returned back. When this ship reached the coast of Calcutta, the British opened fire, killing 28 people.

India became independent in 1947 and from here the foundation of its official relations with Canada was laid. In 1949, Pandit Nehru went to Canada and addressed the Parliament there. During this period, a deep friendship was established between Nehru and Canadian Prime Minister Louis Saint Laurent. Canada helped India especially in the matter of nuclear technology. After this, both the countries signed a trade agreement in 1950, while in the year 1951, Canada’s aid program to India started and it increased significantly under the Colombo Plan. Canada provided food aid, project financing and technical assistance to India. 

In 1954, Canada gave Cirrus i.e. Canada India Reactor Utility Services to India. A reactor which was installed at Trombay near Mumbai. This reactor became a fundamental part of India’s nuclear program. During this period, both the countries worked together on many international issues. From the Korean War to the Suez Canal crisis. India and Canada were seen standing on the same side. In the 1960s, high commissions were established in both the countries while Canada helped in building the Kunda Hydroelectric Project. In 1973, the Canadian Prime Minister also visited India.

Then the shadow of the Cold War started falling on these relationships. Canada felt that India was moving closer to the Soviet Union. In the year 1974, relations between India and Canada suffered a major setback. India conducted its first peaceful nuclear test in May. Canada could not digest the talk of Ismailing Buddha and the then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau called it a fraud. Canada believed that India had used the Cirrus reactor to make nuclear weapons, which was a violation of the agreement. Canada immediately ceased all cooperation in the nuclear field. After this, Canada decided that it would do nuclear cooperation only with those countries which sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Non-Proliferation Treaty. After this incident, there was stagnation in relations between India and Canada.