Jordan claims that this picture is the first evidence of Guru Granth Sahib in Australia. She says, “The photograph depicted about 13 Indians at the Akhand Path of an Indian named Harman Singh. There was not any evidence of Guru Granth Sahib in Australia, at that time. So it is the first actual documentation we have got of the Guru Granth Sahib, coming in Australia.”
The book by Len and Crystal contains dozens of such amazing pictures that have been collected by this historian duo during decades of their research. “The story behind the book is that we spent many years going to public functions. Nobody believed us. When we were researching in Northern Victoria, we came across a set of photos of Sikh cremation. We put them into an exhibition. We toured up and down the east coast of Australia. We went to India too. And then we put it into a book,” explains Kenna.
For Len Kenna, this is like collecting his childhood memories. He spent his childhood in Hamilton. A Sikh hawker used to visit his street there. And little Len would sit with this hawker listening to stories of India. His love for India and Indian culture ignited by these stories and consequently he spent all his life researching history of Indian migration in Australia.
Crystal Jordan explains that the latest book is volume 5 and all the volumes are related to each other. Other books have the stories of these pictures in words. And this book is a document that proves that relations between Indian and Australia are deeper than any other countries. In the words of Len Kenna, “India has contributed more to the development of Australia than any other country including England.”
Listen to the complete interview Len Kenna and Crystal Jordan by clicking on the play sign above.
