Diljit Dosanjh invokes Komagata Maru after 55,000 Indians pack Vancouver concert
Diljit Dosanjh has said that his Vancouver concert moved him deeply. He linked the packed stadium to the Komagata Maru history and what it meant for Indians in Canada.
Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh recalled the 1914 Komagata Maru incident on Jimmy Fallon's show after over 50,000 people attended his Vancouver concert in Canada. He explained why the Vancouver concert was especially moving because of its connection to the history of Indians in Canada. He also spoke about his career and taught Fallon how to do bhangra.
Diljit began his Aura Tour at BC Palace in Vancouver on April 23. The show came two years after he performed at the same venue in what Billboard Canada had termed the ‘largest ever Punjabi music concert outside of India’. On Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show, Diljit said over 50,000 Indians had attended the concert.
Explaining why the moment affected him, Diljit said, “That stadium we did in Vancouver like 1914, our people came first time in Canada, they didn’t allow us to come and go to Canada. And that stadium is just two kilometres away from the Guru Nanak Jahaz Komagata Maru incident. So, it’s a big thing for us now, 55,000 people in the one stadium there, just two kilometres away, you didn’t allow us to come. And now, here we are, man. So, that’s why it’s amazing.”
About Komagata Maru incident
The reference was to the Komagata Maru incident of 1914. Gurdit Singh, a Sikh businessman, had chartered the Japanese steamship Komagata Maru from Hong Kong to Canada and named it the Guru Nanak Jahaz. The ship carried 376 passengers, including around 340 Sikhs, 27 Muslims and 12 Hindus, most of them from Punjab. Although they had the required documentation, the passengers were detained on the ship in Vancouver without proper food or water.
The Canadian government used the Continuous Journey Regulation to deny them entry despite their status as British subjects. After two months, around 20 of the passengers were ordered to return to India, and the ship was escorted out of the harbour by the Canadian military. When it arrived in India, 19 passengers were shot dead, while many others were imprisoned or placed under house arrest by British Indian police and troops after being labelled political agitators.
According to the Vancouver City Council website, then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologised for the incident in 2016. The Vancouver City Council also formally apologised in May 2021 for the historical discrimination faced by the passengers of the Komagata Maru.
On the work front, Diljit was last seen in the 2025 Punjabi film Sardaar Ji 3 and the Hindi film Border 2 this year.
He will be seen next in Main Vaapas Aaunga, directed by Imtiaz Ali and also starring Naseeruddin Shah, Vedang Raina and Sharvari Wagh. The film is set to release in theatres on June 12.