‘It’s a great feeling’: Surrey’s Vaisakhi parade went from a quaint affair to one of the largest outside India

He opened Fruiticana in 1994 in Surrey to serve the growing South Asian population, which was yearning for a piece of home. Produce popular in South Asian countries, such as guavas, sugar cane and okra, were hard to find at the time so Singh decided to fill that gap.

Today, Fruiticana has 24 locations across B.C. and Alberta.

Singh said he feels proud seeing how far South Asians who “came into this country with $10 in their pocket” have come in Canada and “how they have made this Canada very culturally rich” — running businesses, practising law and holding political office.

Many non-Sikhs turn out each year to the parade to enjoy the day. Seeing that image today in contrast to how it was at the beginning, Singh said, feels surreal.

“They used to be very empty streets,” he said. “You could walk up and down the street, greet people along the way, chat with everybody, but now, you can’t even walk on the street anymore. I can’t even get out of my tent, that’s how crowded it is.”

At the very first parade, it was likely a few thousand people who turned out, Singh said. By the time he started participating, numbers had grown to around 40,000 people.