Rainbow of dreams realised
Roopinder Singh

California Dreams: India Shining in the Land of Hollywood
by Gurmukh Singh. British Columbia Books, BC, Canada. Pages 208. Rs 999.

THE four Sikhs who landed in San Francisco on April 5, 1899, were the precursors of a wave that reached near its crest a century later. Indians were considered white, but suffered the same discrimination as blacks in the US a century ago. At one point, they were good enough to serve in the US army, but not to be citizens, as Bhagat Singh Thind found out. He was granted citizenship in 1920, but it was taken away from him on February 19, 1923. Indian pioneers, mainly Dalip Singh Saund of California and J. J. Singh Wallia of New York successfully lobbied to Congressmen, especially Congresswomen Clare Boothe Luce of Connecticut and Congressman Emanuel Cellar of New York, to introduce a Bill that would allow the US citizenship to Indian immigrants.

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