Interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1970-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Jul. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (84 min., 14 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (62 min., 3 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Rajdeep.
00:00:00 – 00:05:26
Gurvinder “Gurv” Sihra and brother Harvinder “Harv’ Sihra introduce themselves, providing details on …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (84 min., 14 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (62 min., 3 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Rajdeep
Interviewees: "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra
Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum
Interview Date: July 8, 2023
Total Number of tracks: 2
Total Length of all Tracks: 01:02:03 min
Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
Photograph credit: World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Rajdeep.
00:00:00 – 00:05:26
Gurvinder “Gurv” Sihra and brother Harvinder “Harv’ Sihra introduce themselves, providing details on where they were born and grew up (in Burnaby), names of their parents and provide details on their family history. They describe how their grandparents and other relatives continued to live in Punjab after their father and mother immigrated to Canada in the 1970’s, recall the reasons their parents decided to immigrate and details of their lives before and after arriving in Canada.
00:05:27 – 00:06:46
Gurvinder and Harvinder describe some of their experiences travelling through Vancouver airport and compare their experiences with their mother’s own experiences. Gurvinder and Harvinder describe the layout of the airport and how customs and immigration has changed over time.
00:06:47 – 00:09:21
Gurvinder and Harvinder provide details about their mother, Parveen Sihra. They share information regarding her education in India and how she was unable to get work related to her degree in biology after immigrating to Canada. They convey how she worked in the Burnaby City Hall cafeteria in the 1990’s and how she worked part time in order to take care of her children. They share how their parents were proud Canadians participating in events inside and outside the South Asian community and were both fluent in English but often spoke Punjabi at home.
00:09:22 – 00:16:06
Gurvinder and Harvinder recall their childhood experiences growing up in Burnaby. They talk about the sports that they were involved with including hockey and Taekwondo, family vacations spent travelling to India and their experiences attending Marlborough Elementary School and Moscrop Secondary School.They describe how they first became interested in watching wrestling and trying it out on their own in their family home. Gurvinder and Harvinder recall their own experiences of discrimination while growing up and playing sports.
00:16:07 – 00:27:37
Gurvinder and Harvinder reflect and recall events that lead them to their dream of becoming professional wrestlers. They talk about pivotal events including attending their first live wresting event at GM Place with their father in 1996, beginning their training in Calgary in 2004, travelling across the country to participate in minor wrestling events, wrestling in Rogers Arena in 2017 and 2020 and getting their first call to join WWE. They talk about the support that they’ve had along the way to getting them where they are today and comment on why they want to be wrestlers in the WWE.
00:27:38 – 00:29:25
Gurvinder and Harvinder provide background information on their various wrestling personas and names in the world of professional wrestling including the Singh Brothers and the Bollywood Boyz.
00:29:26 – 00:38:43
Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their experiences wrestling in India and the support and expectations of family members in becoming successful. Gurvinder and Harvinder recall and reflect on the experience of being fired from the WWE when cutbacks were made during the COVID pandemic.
00:38:44 – 00:42:53
Gurvinder and Harvinder describe what a day in their lives looks like now. They talk about how they’re still very passionate and focused on their wrestling careers and describe their experiences of having support and enthusiasm from fans and their parents. They talk about travelling across the country to particpate in different wrestling events.
00:42:54 – 00:47:18
Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their training regimen including exercise and diet and describe areas in Burnaby where they like to train in gyms and the outdoors.
00:47:19 – 00:49:49
Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about neighbourhoods in Burnaby including Metrotown and Deer Lake and how they’ve seen them change over the years.
00:49:50 – 00:54:27
Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their highest and lowest points in their wrestling careers, highlighting specific events. They talk about the physical stamina it takes for wrestling and compare their sport with the sport of Kabaddi (a contact team sport between two teams originating in India).
00:54:28 – 00:59:01
Gurvinder and Harvinder reflect on what toughness means to them, and what keeps them motivated to do what they do.
00:59:02 – 01:01:31
Gurvinder and Harvinder impart their words of wisdom to younger kids in chasing their passions and dreams and talk about their favourite Bollywood films and actors.
- History
- Interviewees' biographies:
The Bollywood Boyz are a Canadian professional wrestling tag team composed of brothers Gurvinder "Gurv" Sihra (born in 1984) and Harvinder "Harv" Sihra (born in 1987). The pair are best known for their time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where Gurvinder and Harvinder performed under the ring names Sunil Singh and Samir Singh. They were both born and raised in Burnaby by their parents Harjeet and Parveen Sihra and attended Moscrop Secondary School. Gurvinder graduated from Douglas College where he studied criminology and has worked in loss prevention and has a third degree black belt in Taekwondo. Harvinder attended Douglas College with studies in history and has worked as a model and an actor. Both Gurvinder and Harvinder Sihra are Sikhs.
Interviewer biography:
Rajdeep was born and raised in the Lower Mainland and is of Punjabi (South Asian) descent. She has an Associate of Arts degree in Asian Studies from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. She is a student in the Restoration of Natural Systems program at the University of Victoria. Rajdeep works at Simon Fraser University as a Program Assistant and as a researcher with the City of Burnaby. At Burnaby Village Museum, Rajdeep contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Education
- Migration
- Pandemics - COVID-19
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Religions - Sikhism
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Discrimination
- Social Issues - Racism
- Sports
- Sports - Martial Arts
- Sports - Wrestling
- Sports - Ice Hockey
- Travel
- Names
- The Bollywood Boyz
- Sihra, Guvinder "Gurv"
- Sihra, Harvinder "Harv"
- Sihra, Harjeet
- Sihra, Parveen
- World Wrestling Entertainment "WWE"
- Moscrop Secondary School
- Marlborough Elementary School
- Metrotown
- Responsibility
- Rajdeep
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Park
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.12
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1970-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Jul. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Photographer
- World Wrestling Entertainment "WWE"
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available upon request - contact Burnaby Village Museum
Less detail
Ten pin bowling at the Rose Bowl
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [196-]
- Collection/Fonds
- Harry Royle fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 11.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an unidentified woman ten pin bowling at the Rose Bowl bowling alley. The woman is wearing a bowling shirt and bowling in lane four. Fellow bowlers are visible in the foreground with their backs to the camera, watching her.
Ten pin bowling at the Rose Bowl
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [196-]
- Collection/Fonds
- Harry Royle fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 11.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of two unidentified teams ten pin bowling at the Rose Bowl bowling alley.
Ten pin bowling at the Rose Bowl
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [196-]
- Collection/Fonds
- Harry Royle fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 11.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an unidentified woman ten pin bowling in lane five at the Rose Bowl bowling alley. Fellow bowlers are visible in the foreground with their backs to the camera, watching her.
Ten pin bowling at the Rose Bowl
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [196-]
- Collection/Fonds
- Harry Royle fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 11.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of three unidentified men ten pin bowling at the Rose Bowl bowling alley.
Ten pin bowling at the Rose Bowl
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [196-]
- Collection/Fonds
- Harry Royle fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 11.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an unidentified man ten pin bowling at the Rose Bowl bowling alley.
Ten pin bowling at the Rose Bowl
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [196-]
- Collection/Fonds
- Harry Royle fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 11.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an unidentified man standing in a lane and rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand at the Rose Bowl bowling alley.
Ten pin bowling at the Rose Bowl
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [196-]
- Collection/Fonds
- Harry Royle fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 11.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an unidentified woman ten pin bowling at the Rose Bowl bowling alley. Fellow bowlers are visible in the foreground with their backs to the camera, watching her.
Alberni versus Burnaby
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1979 and 1981]
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19.5 x 24 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a men's soccer game between Alberni and Burnaby.
Alfonso Napolentano
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1982
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 16.5 x 11.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Alfonso Napolentano when he was a member of the Simon Fraser University soccer team.
All-Stars soccer team
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1930 or 1931] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 3.5 x 5.0 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.3 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the All-Stars soccer team made up of students from Gilmore Avenue, Kitchener Street and Capitol Hill Schools. The location of the photograph is unknown.
Alpha's first goal of the game
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1979 and 1981]
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 14.5 x 24 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Carson Graham goalie Brookman failing to make the save, giving Alpha their first goal during a game of men's high school soccer.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1979 and 1981]
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 14.5 x 24 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-475
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2003-02
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Carson Graham goalie Brookman failing to make the save, giving Alpha their first goal during a game of men's high school soccer.
- Subjects
- Sports - Soccer
- Sports - Team Sports
- Clothing - Uniforms
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- King, Basil
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Note on recto of photograph reads: "CG goalie BROCKMAN beat for ALPHA's 1st goal"
Less detail
Alpha versus Carson Graham
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1979 and 1981]
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 17.5 x 24 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an Alpha player beating Carson Graham's Doug McLean, and going on to score Alpha's second goal during a game of men's high school soccer.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1979 and 1981]
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 17.5 x 24 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-478
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2003-02
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an Alpha player beating Carson Graham's Doug McLean, and going on to score Alpha's second goal during a game of men's high school soccer.
- Subjects
- Sports - Soccer
- Sports - Team Sports
- Clothing - Uniforms
- Names
- McLean, Doug
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- King, Basil
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Note on recto of photograph reads: "ALPHA's GNATU (illegible..) beats C.G's McLean on way to ALPHA's 2nd goal"
- Note on verso of photograph reads: "Doug McLean"
Less detail
Argyle versus Burnaby Central
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- October 20, 1980
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Argyle goalie Ed Kirk diving for the ball during a game of men's high school soccer. Argyle's Dave MacIntosh is behind him, and Burnaby Central's Bert Sandie is in front. Bert Sandie went on to play for the Simon Fraser University men's soccer team.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- October 20, 1980
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-488
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2003-02
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Argyle goalie Ed Kirk diving for the ball during a game of men's high school soccer. Argyle's Dave MacIntosh is behind him, and Burnaby Central's Bert Sandie is in front. Bert Sandie went on to play for the Simon Fraser University men's soccer team.
- Subjects
- Sports - Soccer
- Sports - Team Sports
- Clothing - Uniforms
- Names
- Kirk, Ed
- MacIntosh, Dave
- Sandie, Bert
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Battistoni, Peter
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Note on recto of photograph reads: "DAVE MacINTOSH. # 1 - ED KIRK - ARG. KEEPER BERT SANDIE - BC"
Less detail
Assistant coach Al Chapple
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1980]
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11.5 x 9 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Simon Fraser University men's basketball assistant coach Al Chapple.
Assistant coach Lars Hanson
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1980]
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11.5 x 9 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Simon Fraser University men's basketball assistant coach Lars Hanson.
Assistant coach Rich Burns
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1980]
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11.5 x 9 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Simon Fraser University men's basketball assistant coach Rich Burns.
Barry Johnson
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1982
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 16.5 x 11.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Barry Johnson when he was a member of the Simon Fraser University soccer team.
Barry Seebaran
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2000]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : col.
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 535-3109
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2018-12
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Barry Seebaran posing with a cricket bat as a promotion for a Burnaby high school cricket league.
- Subjects
- Sports
- Sports - Team Sports
- Persons - Students
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Bartel, Mario
- Notes
- Title based on caption
- Collected by editorial for use in a February 2000 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
- Caption from metadata: "Barry Seebaran is trying to start a high school cricket league in Burnaby."
Less detail
baseball bat
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV008.19.1
- Description
- This is a wood baseball bat, 83 cm long, 4 cm diameter at thinest part of handle, 7 cm diameter at top end of bat. The bat is stained a mid brown colour. The bottom of the handle expands into a ring but two opposite faces are chipped flat. The wood grain at the top end of the bat has begun to open up.
"LOUISVILLE SLUGGER / MADE BY / J. F. HILLERICH & SON CO. / LOUISVILLE, KY" stamped and burned inside of an oval at the mid point on the bat.
"TRADE MARK REG. U.S. PAT. OFF", stamped and burned under the oval logo at the mid point on the bat.
- Object History
- These items were used by the Thomson family in the Kerrisdale area of Vancouver.
- Subjects
- Sports
- Sports - Baseball
- Sports Equipment
Less detail