Few people know that a fair in Canada dedicated to the luminaries of the Ghadar movement has been attended by the country’s Prime Ministers five times.The environs of Bear Creek Park, Surrey, in British Columbia were decked up with the portraits of Ghadarites in a daylong celebration of the movement’s martyrs on August 3, which saw participation by thousands of Indians and Canadians. The occasion was 30th Mela Ghadri Babeyan Da, held in Surrey.Sahib Singh ThindEnvisioned by Sultanpur Lodhi native Sahib Singh Thind, who hails from Thatha Tibba village in Kapurthala, the fair is a celebration of the Ghadarite legacy and a homage to hundreds of martyrs, who laid down their lives in the early 20th century across India and overseas, particularly in North America.A custodian of the Ghadarite legacy, Sahib Singh has done extensive research on the Ghadar history. He has met Chief Ministers of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, besides leaders in the UK and Canada, seeking formal recognition for the martyrs. Having moved to Canada in the 1990s, the mela is being hosted for the past 30 years by the Prof Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation (Canada). Sahib Singh Thind serves as the foundation’s current president.This year’s mela was dedicated to six Babbar Akalis, who were martyred in Lahore in 1916. Visiting India ahead of the mela, Sahib Singh went to each of these 35 villages and spent months documenting the ordeals of the martyrs.Speaking to The Tribune from Canada, Sahib Singh said, “In Surrey, I had the honour to meet Ghadarite Baba Bhagat Singh Bilga and Gyani Kesar Singh Novelist many times. They were the direct inspirations for the fair. Baba Bhagat Singh Bilga was present at the first mela in 1996. Ghadarites like Bhai Bhag Singh Canadian, Bhai Mewa Singh Lopoke and Bhai Balwant Singh got martyred for the country in Canada and in Lahore. I am in correspondence with the Punjab Government to get 400 schools in Ghadarites’ native villages named after them. Of the 400 Ghadarites, 100 were hanged and 300 underwent life imprisonment. ”He said, “Our fair has been attended by the country’s Prime Ministers five times, including Justin Trudeau who visited thrice. The idea is to promote the mother tongue and keep ‘Ghadar di Goonj’ reverberating in people’s minds.” The 30th Mela Ghadri Babeyan Da this year celebrated the Babbar Akalis and the Ghadarite legacy through cultural events, songs, speeches with performances by renowned Punjabi singers — Sukhwinder Sukhi, Gora Chakk Wala, Gurwinder Brar and Manjot Dillon among others. The fair also saw the presence of MP Sukh Dhaliwal, Minister Jagrup Brar, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, UK social activist Mangal Singh Palace, among others.Along with Thind, other organisers included Kiranpal Singh Grewal, Reminder Dhami and Sandeep Toor.Working to secure recognition for martyrsSahib Singh and his organisation worked to get the Canadian Government formally apologise for the Komagata Maru incident. Their petition secured a formal and official apology in the House of Commons in 2016.He is currently working to secure recognition for those imprisoned and killed during British rule, to rename islands in India and Britain after martyrs and to secure a formal apology from Britain for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.