Sikhs brave rain to bid final farewell to Lee Kuan Yew

Harminder Singh | Singapore | Asia Samachar | 29 Mar 2015 

Some 350 Sikhs braved the rain to line  the streets outside Gurdwara Sahib Silat Road to bid farewell to the funeral procession of Lee Kuan Yew at around 1.30pm today.

As the procession passed by, in heavy rain, the Sikhs lowered their umbrellas as a mark of respect for the 91 year old leader –  the republic’s first prime minister and fondly known as the founding father of modern Singapore.

The Sikhs had joined the millions of Singaporeans, and people from a host of other nations, to bade farewell to the republic’s first prime minister, fondly known as the founding father of modern Singapore.

Thousands of other Sikhs from Singapore had shared their grief by either attending the various events organised in Lee’s memory, or via the social media.

Some had even designed the khanda, a prominent Sikh symbol, with Lee’s photo embedded in it, as can seen in the banner furled at the Silat Road gurdwara on that day.

“For any person to leave a legacy in history – one will either be a surma, dano or bhagat [warrior, charitable person or saint]. He is an epitome of all,” Central Sikh Gurdwara Board president Gurcharan Singh Kesail, one of the hundreds at the gathering, told Asia Samachar. “He brought Singapore from a third world city to a first class one.”

As the Sikh sanggat began gathering, some hours before the funeral procession was expected to pass in front of the gurdwara, it began raining heavily.

“Flag distribution is in progress. Some die hard fans are standing out in the open already,” one member of the sanggat told Asia Samachar via a Whatsapp message.

The atmosphere was solemn, with sangat doing simran, as the carriage passed by. Heads were slumped in sign of respect and reverence to Lee.

A thunderous jaikara echoed across the skies after the carriage passed by.

Sikh Welfare Council (SIWEC) president Amarjit Singh said the Sikhs comprise only about 0.4% fo Singapore’s population, but have thrived on the whole.

“Mr Lee’s vision of inclusiveness and meritocracy was instrumental in this success. The Sikhs have fond memories of his many visits to the Gurdwaras and his interest in learning about the welfare and well being of the community,” he said.

On a personal front, Amarjit had met with Lee when he was a student leader in 1970.

“This meeting left an indelible mark on me. Make sure that you have your facts straight and your analyses thorough before you talk or act. His legacy will transcend generations,” he said.

Kawal Pal Singh of Sikh Sewaks Singapore, another member in the crowd outside the gurdwara, said that Lee held high regard and strongly supported the Singapore Sikh community.

“Watching his body pass by crowds living of a developed city, one could only feel inspired remembering the selfless contributions of this one man. He achieved so much in his lifetime not for himself, but for the entire nation,” he said.

The Central Sikh Gurdwara yesterday (28 Mar 2015) held a ‘Special Prayer’ in Lee’s memory.

RELATED STORIES:

Asia Samachar pays respect to Singapore’s LKY (Asia Samachar, 26 Mar 2015)

Sikhs pay tribute to Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew (Asia Samachar, 25 Mar 2015)

Working for LKY a ‘wild dream come true’ – DAVINDER (Asia Samachar, 24 Mar 2015)