By Anandpreet Kaur | Malaysia |
Things stated perking up for Hari Singh Rai after his marriage in 2019. He had carved out a nice role in a new college in the Malaysian city of Cyberjaya. Everything looked well and good till, bam, Covid-19 pandemic hits the nation in March 2020.
“The college never took off, it went to the ashes. Investment burnt. But more to that the sanity and anxiety that came along with it,” he tells Asia Samachar.
Hari Rai, 36, now a business director at a Malaysian startup, shares the anguish and challenges he faced, one after another. Many probably will share bits and pieces of his experience as he weathered the storm that came with the pandemic.
Born in Kuala Lumpur in 1985, he grew up in Tampin, Negeri Sembilan. After the death of his paternal grandfather in 1999, the family moved to Petaling Jaya and he was enrolled at the Catholic High School. Later, he earned a diploma in business management from Stamford College and a Masters in Business Administration from Excel College Malaysia.
He took up various types of jobs in the early part of his working life, including clerking, call centre operator and in human resource management.
In 2014, he went solo to handle recruitment of foreign workers and students. This led him to taking on a full time role as marketing director of several colleges. Five years later, the college where he worked closed down. It was around this time that he married Parvinder Kaur Sandhu, a lawyer by profession.
“It was a though seven months for me leading up to my wedding: no steady job and income, solely depending on my freelancing and savings together, with the full support of my parents, siblings and future wife till the wedding. Not to forget, I’ve always had a handful of good friends like family who got me through my tough times, too,” he said.
“I indulge in my swims, gym, runs, travels, music, junk food and a good Netflix binge anytime! I lose myself and rediscover myself in these moments,” he added.
This brings to his involvement in the setting up a new college which did not pan out as planned. But little did Hari Rai know that he was about to meet another major hurdle in life. Two months later, he was diagnosed with a diseases for which he had to undergo a surgery in May 2020.
“I’m still recovering today with regular check-ups, but I’m up and about, healthy, happy and going good,” he said.
It was tough coming to terms with the loss of the college. It had put to test his resolve and perseverance.
“I decided to stop being angry, a grouch, and constantly sad, depressed and angry with everyone around me (none of them who did anything to me ), but it was how I was with so much that has happened. I’ve constantly learnt from my parents, grandparents and siblings to always make to with the little we have, and what is ours will find us,” he said, looking back at those challenging moments.
During the pandemic lockdown, Hari Rai also started a small home business known as Kulfiwala. Here, they market homemade kulfi, an Indian ice cream, but something way creamier, richer and denser. He continues to run it on the side over the weekends.
In March 2021, he joined Gigple Digital Sdn Bhd, a startup providing a platform to connect gig workers to employers. In February 2022, he was promoted to the current position of business director.
“I am constantly learning and reading on the growth of the gig economy, redefining my skills as I grow. I even did my professional certification in Digital Marketing and Project Manager,” he said. The major challenge before him in this new role is to educate companies and their HR teams on freelancing and the shift towards gig work.
His parents, Tashvinder Singh Rai and Jagdeep Kaur Sekhon, had married in 1982. At 15, Father, Tashvinder, got involved in his father’s lorry business in Tampin. Later he ventured into money lending. Mother, Jagdeep, got involved in education when they moved to Petaling Jaya, and is now a technical and vocational education and training (TVET) education specialist.
“If I may share something about my parents. They ensured that we, their children, went to Punjabi school at a young age. We can read and write Gurmukhi, and do Gurbani paath,” he said.
His grandparents are Nashter Singh Rai and Mukthiar Kaur are from Tampin and Pritam Singh Sekhon and Harbhajan Kaur from Petaling Jaya.
Hari Rai is also passionate about helping others. He joined a foundation as a volunteer to with help earthquake victims in Nepal. This led him later to joining United Sikhs, a Sikh-based humanitarian and relief agency.
“I’ve been involved in sewa (voluntary service) in gurdwaras, something I’ve loved to do since young. The joy you get from sewa is unexplainable, unmatched to any other happiness. Its divine and ecstasy-like feeling will keep you coming back for more,” he said.
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