First Hindu couple to marry in Hamilton had to use Christian church
City Hall event tells stories of immigrants
To celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali as well as Canada’s 150th birthday, the Hindu Samaj Women’s Outreach Group’s theme for its yearly Diwali showcase at City Hall is “Integration of Diverse Cultures to Celebrate Canada 150.”
The event, with entertainment and snacks, features a display of settlement stories of Indian Canadians who immigrated to Hamilton over the years — like that of the first Hindu couple to marry in Hamilton who had to use a Christian church.
“Ashok Kumar and Virbala Kumar got married in the People’s Church on March 30 in 1973 because there was no structure in place to perform Hindu weddings at the time,” says Nishi Tripathi, who has put together the display and slide show.
“There was no Hindu temple or priest at the time, so there could be no legal certification,” Tripathi said.
The couple were allowed to use the People’s Church after they were refused by several other churches because they were not Christians,
she added.
Then, there’s the story of Sri Gopal Mohanty, who became a professor at McMaster University.
Mohanty had come to Canada as a student in 1959 with the intention of returning to India.
But in 1964, he immigrated with his family.
“That was the period … when the country started slowly transforming from a closed homogenized looking society to embrace openness and multiculturalism ,” he wrote in his story. “We, as part of a community of immigrants from India, felt very secure to preserve our heritage while integrating with the community at large.”
Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights with the common thread marking the triumph of good over evil. It is as important to Hindus as Christmas is to Christians.
“We hope the public at large will attend to learn about Diwali and Indian immigrants and their experiences,” Tripathi said.
There was no Hindu temple or priest at the time, so there could be no legal certification. NISHI TRIPATHI