| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 4 Dec 2016 | Asia Samachar |
As they got the news, members of the Diplomats of Drum converged at Ravinder Singh house. Their band founder had passed away.
“Your friend is no more,” Rav’s mother Jusvinder Kaur told Altimet Ahmad and other band members as they came in.
“No, aunty. He’s not a friend, he’s our brother. We have just lost a brother,” Altimet tells Rav’s mother.
That’s Rav, the wonderful soul that founded the percussion band, who passed away on 25 Nov. He was 34.
“Rav taught me how to be a better friend. I proudly call him a brother,” Altimet tells Asia Samachar.
The Diplomats of Drum is a Malaysian-made band that comprises of each ethnic race in the country, giving testament to the phrase “Malaysia – Truly Asia!”
Formed in 2006, the group has toured the world, including the United States (US), performing at high profile musical festivals.
It is made up of a group of friends who used to hang around together. And Rav was the main drummer.
“Rav Singh, truly the first and original Diplomat of Drum. He will be truly missed and it’s a sad loss for all of us as we lost a brother in arms,” the band said in a Facebook post.
The path da bhog for his passing away was held today (4 Dec 2016) in Gurdwara Sahib Pulapol, Kuala Lumpur.
Rav was, indeed, truly an ambassador of the drums.
“The beat of the drum is universal. Any man, women anyhere can feel the drum beat. When he goes to any country, he felt that he was an ambassador of music and drums,” said band manager Satpal Singh.
Harcharanjeet Singh, a lawyer and a popular Sikh lay-preacher in Malaysia, has been a close friend of Rav for many years.
Asked what he recalls of Rav, he says Rav had a whicked sense of humour. “He was bubbly, charming. He meets people genuinely. It’s easy to love him,” he says.
Jagmohan Singh, another close friend, said Rav was a positive and very reliable.
“He keeps everyone’s spirits high. And he loves to laugh. We are going to miss his laughter. He has the biggest laughter. You know when he’s around.”
AMRITDHARI
There is another Nor so obvious part of Rav. He was proud of his Sikh identity.
“He’s an amritdhari Sikh, and he was proud of it,” Satpal tells Asia Samachar. “Many told him you cannot survive [in the music industry] with these looks. In Malaysia, people told him he has to be more cool.
“But for him, his roop [looks] was very important. He felt that he represented the entire community. That was very important to him,” he said.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
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Diplomats of Drum founder Rav dies at 34 (Asia Samachar, 25 Nov 2016)
