By Dr Manjit Singh Sidhu | PRIDE OF LIONS | MALAYSIA |
Prof. Kernial Singh Sandhu was born in mid-1929, the exact date remains unknown. His father, Sardar Jai Singh Sandhu was a farmer in the village of Guru-ka-Kotha, located in the district of Bathinda, Punjab. Kernial’s association with British Malaya started early in the 20th Century when his maternal uncle came to Malaya and settled in the south of Malaya, in Segamat.
As a geographer he wrote important articles on resettlement of rural non-Malay population (mainly the Chinese) into New Villages following the declaration of the Emergency to combat communist insurgency in British Malaya. He also studied the population of Malaya in some detail.
Some of his major publications include ‘Indians in Malaya, Some Aspects of their Immigration and Settlement, 1786-1975‘ (Cambridge University Press, 1969) and ‘Early Malaysia‘ (University Education Press, 1973).
Apart from these publications Prof. Sandhu published many more papers and books. His single most important contribution to Sikh Studies was his article ‘Sikh Immigration to Malaya’.
To the best of my knowledge there have been only three British trained Sikh geographers in Malaysia and Singapore, Prof. Sandhu being the senior; the other two are Prof. Mahinder Santokh Singh, a well known administrator from University Science Malaysia, Penang and the present writer.
Indeed Kernial was the best known Sikh geographer in Asia in the 20th Century. His contributions as a scholar and administrator are even greater than those of Prof. Gurdev Singh Gosal from Panjab University, Chandigarh, the best known Sikh geographer from South Asia. I say this with conviction of a geographer, one familiar with the works of both men. Besides I had the good fortune of having both as my teachers.
Besides his academic achievements Kernial was a keen sportsman. He represented University of Malaya (Singapore) in hockey, cricket, rugby and football. He also played hockey and cricket for Johore state in the early 19505.
Prof. Sandhu is certainly one of the three historical Sikh figures to have lived and died in Singapore; the other two being Bhai Maharaj Singh (this saint-soldier was exiled to Singapore in 1850 and died in 1856) and the late Justice Choor Singh. – Extracted from Pride of Lions: Eminent Sikhs in Malaysia. Read the full article in the book
Extracted from Pride of Lions: Eminent Sikhs in Malaysia,a 295-page book authored by Dr Manjit Singh Sidhu featuring 57 Malaysian Sikhs. Dr Manjit is also author of Sikhs in Malaysia, which captured the results of interviews, conducted in 1978 and 1979, of 100 Malaysian Sikhs who were born in India and Pakistan. See here and here. The retired Malaysian university lecturer is also author of ‘Sikhs and Sikh Institutions In Pakistan’. See here.
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RELATED STORIES:
Pride of Lions (Asia Samachar, 28 Oct 2017)
Once Sikhs landed in Malaya, how many never revisited Punjab? (Asia Samachar, 24 Oct 2017)
Malaysian retired lecturer releases book on Sikhs in Pakistan (Asia Samachar, 24 Feb 2017)
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ISEAS LIBRARY – Biographical Notes
Kernial Singh Sandhu (1929 – 2 December 1992) – Academic/ ISEAS Director
K. S. Sandhu was born to a Sikh family in Segamat, Johor in 1929. A keen sportsman, Sandhu played hockey for the Johor state in his younger days. In 1954, Sandhu began his tertiary education at the University of Malaya where he eventually received a first class honours degree. There, he studied under Paul Wheatley who would later become a close friend and collaborator.1
Sandhu pursued his Masters at the University of British Columbia under a Canadian Council Scholarship.2 Subsequently, he studied under Professor Sir Clifford Darby for his PhD at the University of London. His doctoral thesis was published as Indians in Malaya: Some aspects of their immigration and settlement by Cambridge University Press in 1969.3 After graduation, Sandhu did teaching stints at the universities of Malaya, Singapore and British Columbia.4
On 1 July 1972, Sandhu was appointed the fourth director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS). He was the first Asian director of the Institute as well as the longest-serving director, leading the Institute from 1972 to 1992.5 From the start, Sandhu’s aim was to develop the Institute into “the foremost centre of its kind in Southeast Asia and one of the world’s leading institute devoted to advanced quality research on the region”.6
During his tenure, Sandhu made great strides in enhancing the reputation of the Institute and promoting the cause of Southeast Asian studies in general.7 He actively sought funding from governments and organisations for research fellowships and programmes.8 In 1987, he wrote an important letter to Dr Tony Tan, then Minister for Education, and eventually won critical funds and support for the Institute.9 Among his staff, Sandhu was known for being a humble, selfless and a caring boss.10
Sandhu built up the collection of the ISEAS library and pushed public education through publications, seminars, discussions and conferences.11 Significant publications included Southeast Asian Affairs, an annual review of significant events and trends by Southeast Asian scholars (initiated 1974) and Contemporary Southeast Asia (initiated 1977), a journal first started to disseminate ISEAS research findings.12 By the time of his death in 1992, Sandhu had nurtured ISEAS into one of the most successful research institutions in the region.13
Even with a heavy schedule as director of the Institute, Sandhu continued to be active in research, editing and writing. His major publications include Melaka: the transformation of a Malaya capital c.1400-1980 (1993, with Paul Wheatley), Management of success: the moulding of modern Singapore (1980, with Paul Wheatley) and Indian communities in Southeast Asia (1993, with A. Mani). 14
In 1985, Sandhu received the Public Administration Medal (Gold) from the Singapore government.15 On 2 December 1992, Sandhu died after suffering a sudden heart attack.16 He left behind his wife, Swinder Kaur.17
1 Derek da Cunha, “In memoriam: Professor Kernial S. Sandhu”, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol. 14, No. 4 (March 1993); Wheatley, Paul, “Kernial Singh Sandhu”, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 24, No. 1 (March 1993).
2 “A Canadian award for Malayan”, The Straits Times, 25 September 1958; Derek da Cunha, “In memoriam: Professor Kernial S. Sandhu”, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol. 14, No. 4 (March 1993); Lim Pui Huen, P., Institute of Southeast Asian Studies: a commemorative history, 1968-1998, Singapore: ISEAS (1998), p. 86.
3 Wheatley, Paul, “Kernial Singh Sandhu”, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 24, No. 1 (March 1993); 4 da Cunha, “In memoriam: Professor Kernial S. Sandhu”. 5 Chew, Cassandra, Light on a hill: The ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute story, 1968-2018, Singapore: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute (2018), p. 43.
6 4-point plan to build study institute, New Nation, 4 October 1972; Chew, Light on a hill, p. 43. 7 Lim, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, p. 17. 8 Lee Kim Chew, ISEAS: studying Southeast Asia, Singapore: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute (2015), pp. 28-29. 9 Lee, ISEAS: studying Southeast Asia, p. 64; Chew, Light on a hill, p. 45. 10 Chew, Light on a hill, p. 48. 11 Lee, ISEAS: studying Southeast Asia, p. 61-62. 12 Lee, ISEAS: studying Southeast Asia, pp. 29, 33; Derek da Cunha, “In memoriam: Professor Kernial S. Sandhu”, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol. 14, No. 4 (March 1993). 13 Lee, ISEAS: studying Southeast Asia, p. 64.
14 “From colony to NIC: New book will tell how Singapore did it”, The Straits Times, 12 January 1989; “ISEAS now ready for role in public education”, The Straits Times, 14 November 1989; Lim, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, p. 86.
15 “Goh Keng Swee heads National Day honours list”, Business Times, 9 August 1985.
16 Derek da Cunha, “In memoriam: Professor Kernial S. Sandhu”, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol. 14, No. 4 (March 1993); Chew, Ernest C.T., “Obituary: Professor Kernial Singh Sandhu”, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 21, No. 1 (March 1993).
17 Chan Heng Chee, “In memoriam: Professor Kernial S. Sandhu, 1929-92”, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol 14, No. 4 (March 1993).