[Photograph of Kuldeep Manak and Harjinder Thind at Bear Creek Park in Surrey]

Photograph of Kuldeep Manak and Harjinder Thind onstage with unidentified individuals at the 8th annual Mela Gadri Babiyan Da. The event was organized by the Prof. Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation and took place at Bear Creek Park in Surrey, British Columbia (B.C.).

Kuldeep Manak (November 15, 1949 - November 30, 2011) was born in Jalal, a village in the district of Bathinda in Panjab, India. Manak, born Latif Mohammed Khan, was a renowned Indian singer best known for singing a genre of Panjabi music, known as Kali.

Harjinder Thind, born and brought up in Panjab's Risheen Village in India, is a radio talk show host on the station Red FM. Thind graduated from Panjab University with a degree of law. He came to Canada in 1979 to do research on Indian and Canadian court procedures. From there, Thind started working with the radio industry with Radio Apna Sangeet. Before ending up at Red FM Thind also worked with Music Waves and Des Pardes. Along with his talk show, a morning radio show, Thind is a part of two social clubs that raise awareness about the Sikh and Panjabi community into the mainstream. He is the founding president of the Surrey-Newton Rotary Club and Sikh Motorcycle Club. Thind has received the Queen's Golden Jubilee Award and was also awarded the Canada 150 Spirit of Canada Award for the best ethnic broadcaster.

The mela (festival), sponsored by Prof. Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation (Canada), is dedicated to the memory of South Asians on the Komagata Maru ship who were turned away from Vancouver, the Ghadar movement and Indian freedom fighters. The festival also commemorates and celebrates the Gadri Babai, immigrants from Panjab who fought for the end of colonialism in South Asia.

The Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation of Canada is a secular human rights organization based in Greater Vancouver, B.C.. The Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation has advocated to recognize and help address the historic wrongs committed against South Asian migrants who were denied access to Canada over the past century (with particular focus on the Komagata Maru tragedy). In the years since, the Foundation has fought for justice and human rights for all Canadians, and marginalized communities everywhere. The foundation holds 'Mela Gadri Babiyan Da' at Bear Creek Park in Surrey, B.C., the first weekend of August each year. This is the largest event of its kind outside of India.