Talk:Bhagat Singh Thind

The following is a letter I tried to send to whomever is managing the site dedicated to the memory and work of this noble man located in Malibu California. Their contact us box does not work! I have tried several times.

Anyone taking the time to read the documents and text of the site will find among the typos, numerous statements and facts written by magazines, ect. things that just don't add up. Others have then taken misleading statements and quoted them on this an other sites as truths.

I hope that perhaps the people (his sons?) or someone who knows them will make corrections or as a newspaper does, add an addendum pointing out the errors. Maybe writing to their address or phoning them will work.

Perhaps someone has an email address for the organization, if you do please add it to my talk page. The Bravery and life of this man is amazing. Errors do not serve his memory this page like all of those on this sight will be taken and no doubt will be quoted for years to come.

Sir, web site though beautiful is a mess - filled with mistakes, which others have compounded by filling numerous sites with even more erroneous facts that discredit this worthy man. Here are a few of the problems.

Quote from magazine article - In 1918, he served in the United States Army during World War I, being one of the few East Indians to do so at the time.

Problem: - what is an East Indian - Madras? - Punjab is in Northwest India and there were thousands of Sikhs who served and died in the War in Europe.

As to your text - He remained in Manila for nine months working for five dollars a day.

using http://dollartimes.com/calculators/inflation.htm

$5.00 in 1914 had about the same buying power as $105.11 in 2009. That was either a typo or he was making a princely sum in the Philippines.

The magazine article shown, has him attending Berkeley in 1914 - saying - his studies, however, were interrupted in order in order to serve his country in the Army during during W.W.I.

Problem: your text says, that after earning enough money, he started at Berkeley after 1920. When did he earn his degree?

From the magazine article again: “Thind was one of few Sikhs in the front lines who survived. Upon his return from defending freedom for his country…”

Problem: The war was over before he finished basic training, he never got near Europe or the front lines!

Your page has him being paid $2.00 an hour working 10 hours a day in Astoria… at Hammond Lumber Company

“Dr. Thind found employment at the Hammond Lumber Company in early 1914. It was estimated that there might have been nearly 100 Hindus among the 600 employees of different nationalities who worked for the mill. Dr. Thind spent six years (1914-1920) working for Hammond Lumber where the average pay was about $2.00 per day for a 10-hour workday.

Despite the low pay, Dr. Thind earned enough money to start attending classes at the University of California at Berkeley.

We are told above that Dr. Thid started at Berkeley after 1920 - yet an article you cite has him at Berkeley in 1914 - a thousand mile commute from Astoria?

As to the so called low pay:

$1.00 in 1918 had about the same buying power as $15.35 in 2009. That adds up to more than $300 today. This is low pay?

Earning money to pay for my college education in 1967 I made $1.50 an hour for a 10 hour day. That was the best wage in my town (Atlanta, GA). or $15.00 a day.

$1.00 in 1966 had about the same buying power as $6.61 in 2009. or $66.00, much less than half of Dr. Thind’s 1918 salary.

He lands in Seattle in 1913, works at several lumber companies reaching Astoria in 1914 where he works for 6 years, except for four months in basic training. Mustered out Nov. 16th. (per the paper included)

Yet somehow he was attending Berkeley in 1914, that is a big daily commute and yet he was working a 10 hour day in Astoria.

Other than suuch glaring mistakes, which have others filling sites with erroneous facts. Your email site is well done. Hopefully any money collected is supporting his efforts. Including the amount of money collected v. the amount kept to run the organization would help people like myself to contribute.

thank you,

I will remove the above in a few days. As time allows, I will continue to correct incorrect facts on the article.