Diljit Dosanjh Reacts to Toronto University Course on His Career
MUMBAI — Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh said he is unsure what a Canadian university plans to teach in a course based on his life and work, joking that his limited formal education leaves him curious about the subject.
Dosanjh made the remarks during an appearance on “The Tonight Show” with host Jimmy Fallon, where the two discussed his growing global influence and recent performances.
“Oh yes, sir. I don’t know, I’m not going to college or university. I’m 10th pass, that’s why my English is bad. But I don’t know about that… yeah, they started a course at a Toronto university,” Dosanjh said when asked about the program.
When Fallon pressed him on what the course might include, the singer responded with a laugh: “I don’t know, actually.”
During the interview, Dosanjh also reflected on the historical significance of a recent concert in Vancouver, where he performed for a crowd of 55,000 people at a venue near the site linked to the 1914 Komagata Maru incident.
“The stadium we did in Vancouver—like, in 1914, when our people came to Canada for the first time—they weren’t allowed to enter,” he said. “And that stadium is just two kilometers away from the place of the Guru Nanak Jahaz, Komagata Maru incident.”
The Komagata Maru was a Japanese steamship that arrived in Vancouver in 1914 carrying more than 300 passengers, mostly Sikhs from British India, along with Muslims and Hindus. Canadian authorities denied them entry under restrictive immigration rules, forcing the ship to return to India, where many passengers faced violence and imprisonment.
“So yeah, that’s a big thing for us now: 55,000 people in one stadium there. It’s just two kilometers from where you didn’t allow us to come, and now we are here,” Dosanjh said.
Asked about the message behind his work, the artist emphasized themes of unity and compassion.
“My message is just love, forgiveness, and respect. That’s my message,” he said. (Source: IANS)
