Avtar Bhullar: India

Understatement Dept: Avtar Bhullar was 11 years old when, in 1971, he moved from India to Vancouver. To call it a culture shock would be an understatement. Only a couple thousand people lived in his hometown of Bhullar and the majority had the same last name, though some Gills and Sandhus were sprinkled in. The Bhullar family settled near south Vancouver s Punjabi market in 1971, before moving to the farm five years later, according to Globe and Mail. I don t think any other family lives like us in Canada, or India, Avtar says with a laugh. There s four of us brothers who live here, and we re all married and we have kids. And our mom and dad live with us. Even my nephews are all married now and they have kids. We sometimes laugh about it, saying, Is anyone ever going to move out of this house? On Sunday two years after he won gold for Canada at the Commonwealth Games Arjan will try to cement his path to this summer s London Olympics, continuing the family journey that began a world away, in a village that shares his surname. The cranberry business has proven lucrative, the Bhullars a true immigrant success story. At 14,000 square feet, their home is practically a village all its own. More than 20 people live within its walls. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.