By Asia Samachar | Malaysia |
Fun fact on Sikhs in Malaysia: Giani Bachittar Singh, the longest serving granthi at Gurdwara Sahib Tatt Khalsa, may have been the only Malaysian granthi to receive a pension.
More facts: Malaysia had a few Sikhs who served as leaders of key government outfits. They included Dr. Pola Singh (Director-General, Marine Institute of Malaysia), Ir. Harminder Singh (Director-General of Department of Occupational, Safety and Health or DOSH) and Sardar Bhupinder Singh (Director General of Insurance).
Another interesting nugget: Dr. Ranjeet Kaur Sidhu, who attended the first few years of her primary schooling at Clifford School in Kuala Kangsar Perak, was the first Sikh lady gynaecologist in Malaysia.
These are among the 56 Sikh personalities captured for posterity in the newly released book Pride of Lions: Eminent Sikhs in Malaysia (Vol 2).
In the 220-page hardcover book, author Dr Manjit Singh Sidhu continued his efforts to capture the stories of both prominent Sikhs as well as Sikhs who have achieved greatness in their fields but may not be well-known in the public eye.
In a foreword to the book, Eminent historian Prof Khoo Kay Kim urged young Malaysians, especially school teachers, to read the book so that it will be possible for the country’s multi-ethnic society to be better understood.
“Not many scholars have the tenacity, patience and commitment that Prof. Manjit has. The younger scholars have much to learn by his example,” he wrote.
TO PURCHASE PRIDE OF LIONS, SEND A WHATSAPP TO +6017-3351399:
PACKAGE A: Pride of Lions, Vol 2, single copy, mail to West Malaysia: RM70. PACKAGE B: Pride of Lions, Vol 1 & Vol 2, one copy each volume, mail to West Malaysia: RM130.
For other places, we will advise you the mailing charges
The book follows the 295-page Pride of Lions: Eminent Sikhs in Malaysia which featured 57 personalities. In that first volume, we got to know who was the richest Sikh in Southeast Asia in the 1950s, the first Sikh woman to become a magistrate in Malaya and the first Asian to be promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police in Malaya.
Click here for the full list of Sikhs covered in the first volumne.
Old timers will remember the name Giani Bachittar Singh who had a long association with Gurdwara Sahib Tatt Khalsa in Kuala Lumpur. He passed away in 2001.
The newly released book tells us that the soft-spoken and knowledgeable granthi was given a RM1,000 pension by the gurdwara upon his retirement.
You will find such gems in the second volume, a result of painstaking efforts by the author to reach out to selected people over the years.
TO READ MORE ON DR MANJIT SINGH SIDHU, CLICK HERE
Unfortunately, this would be the last volume in the Pride of Lion series as the author passed away in Amritsar, Punjab, in November 2024 while making final arrangements to publish the second volume.
Dr Manjit is also the author of the Sikhs in Malaysia. Published in 1991, the book is valuable as it has captured for posterity interviews, conducted in 1978 and 1979, of 100 Malaysian Sikhs who were born in India and Pakistan. He had completed similar books for Sikhs in Thailand and Kenya.
The retired Malaysian university lecturer had also released another book, ‘Sikhs and Sikh Institutions In Pakistan’ in 2017. Subsequently, the book was translated by Dr Kulwinder Kaur Minhas into Punjabi, resulting in the release of Pakistan Vich Sikh Ate Sikh Sansthawan.
Why were these books written? In his own words, Dr Manjit said that his interest in Sikh studies began in 1975 following the demise of his father who had participated in the Jaito and Guru-ka-Bagh Morchas in thre 1920s.
“The passing away of my father Bhai Karpal Singh sent a shock wave in me. I had been complacent and had not recorded the family history. With that came the realization that the history of Sikh emigrants from Punjab to South-East Asia would soon be forgotten,” he writes in the book’s introduction.
That led to the Sikhs in Malaysia and later the two volumes of Pride of Lions.
HERE ARE THE 56 PERSONALITIES COVERED IN THE BOOK
- Dato Sri Amar Singh, Commissioner of Police
- Sardar Amarjit Singh, Malaysia’s roving envoy
- Giani Bachittar Singh, Longest serving Granthi of Tatt Khalsa
- Dato’ Dr. Baljit Kaur, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon
- Dato Dr. Balwant Singh Bains, Consultant Physiotherapist
- Mr Bhag Singh, Commentator of Law Matters
- Sardar Bhan Singh, J.P., First Sikh Justice of Peace in Selangor
- Sardar Bhupinder Singh, Former member of Malaysian Administrative & Diplomatic Services and Director General of Insurance
- Dato Sri Dr. Bhupinder Singh, Malaysia’s beast known forensic pathologist
- Sardar Chamkaur Singh, Manager, Gurmat Sangeet Academy
- Captain Darleena Cashveen Kaur, First Sikh lady pilot in Malaysia
- Datuk Dilbagh Singh Kler, Malaysia’s Flying Sikh
- Sardar Dya Singh ’Gursangeetkar’, A Sikh preacher with a unique style
- Sardar Gurubachan Singh Johal, Lawyer with a practice in Malaysia and Australia
- Sardar Gurucharan Singh, Malaysia’s best all-round cricketer
- Datuk Gurjeet Singh Rhande, Party Punjabi Malaysia & Perak Sikh Union
- Dr. Gurmit Singh, Senior consultant neurosurgeon
- Dr. Harbaksh Singh, Eminent medical doctor
- Datin Dr. Harinder Kaur, Former military officer, sports women
- ACP Harjinder Kaur, First Sikh lady Assistant Commissioner of Police
- Ir. Harminder Singh, Director-General, Department of Occupational, Safety and Health (DOSH)
- Mr. Jamit Singh, Best known Sikh trade union leader in Malaysia/Singapore
- Datuk Jaswant Singh Kler, Malaysia’s first Sikh professional planter
- Sant Baba Jawala Singh Bidor wala, A true saint
- Sardar Joginder Singh Jessy, Best known Sikh historian in Malaysia in 20th century
- Sardar Kernal Singh, Malaysia’s pole vault champion
- Major Lakhbir Singh, One of General Templer’s 12 cadets
- Sardar Malkeet Singh Samad (Kokar), Police interpreter, Banting gurdwara founder
- Sardar Manmohan Singh, Plantation owner in Negeri Sembilan
- Dato’ Pajan Singh Gill, Federal Court judge
- Dr. Pall Singh, Senior consultant Ophthalmologist
- Engineer Pertpal Singh, Seagate’s senior director of environment, health and safety
- Dr. Pola Singh, Director-General, Marine Institute of Malaysia
- Sardarni Premjeet Kaur, CEO, G.S. Gill Sdn Bhd
- Ms Rajvin Kaur, A success story of person with cerebral palsy
- Dr. Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh, Director, Institute of Medical Research (IMR)
- Dato Paduka Dr. Ranjeet Kaur Sidhu, First Sikh lady gynaecologist in Malaysia
- Brig. General Dato’ Ranjit Singh Gill, First Sikh general in Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF)
- Captain Ranjit Singh, Senior airline pilot
- Dato’ Ranjit Singh, Audit director and member of Malaysian Public Service Commission
- Professor Ranjit Singh Darar, Emeritus Professor of History
- Sardar Ranjit Singh Kaleke, Chief Accountant, Malaysian Agriculture, Research and Development Institute (MARDI)
- Sardar Ranmit Singh, President, Tatt Khalsa Gurdwara
- ACP Ravindar Singh, Senior police officer
- Sangeet Kaur Deo, Outstanding female lawyer
- Dr. Sangeetha Kaur Dhaliwal, Drug policy reform advocate
- Sardar Santokh Singh, Chief Police Officer, Selangor
- Dato’ Santokh Singh, Malaysia’s star footballer
- Sardar Saran Singh Sidhu, Author and numismatist
- Lt. Sarjit Kaur, First Sikh female office in Malaysian navy
- Dato’ Dr. Satber Kaur, Consultant Anaesthesiologist
- Sardar Serbgeth Singh, Malaysian football captain
- Dr. Sevaran Kaur, J.P., Malaysia’s trade representative
- Ms. Sheena K. Gurbakhash, First Malaysian Sikh playwright and Association of Women Lawyers president
- Sardar Sukhdave Singh Bhinder, Teacher and Red Cross regional adviser
- Toki Uttam Singh, Negeri Sembilan Sikh transport owner
RELATED STORY:
A burning passion to capture stories of Sikhs in Malaysia (Asia Samachar, 15 May 2020)
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