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Sardar Ajit Singh (1957-2021), Kelana Jaya

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KALE AAVE NAANKA SADE UTHEE JAAYE (SGGS, 1239)

ਘਲੇ ਆਵਹਿ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਸਦੇ ਉਠੀ ਜਾਹਿ ॥੧॥

SARDAR AJIT SINGH S/O RAM SINGH

Village: Phattal, Amritsar

27.04.1957 – 19.12.2021

Leaving behind

Wife: Sardarni Pritam Kaur d/o Chand Singh (Bukanwala)

Daughter: Kavanjit Kaur / Spouse: Shashank Dixit

Son: Keshvinjit Singh

Grandson: Shivaank Dixit

Relative and Friends.

Path Da Bhog: 26 December 2021 (Sunday), from 4pm to 6pm, at Gurdwara Sahib Petaling Jaya

Contact:

Keshvinjit Singh 017 363 8601

Jaswinder Kaur 016 233 4258

Please observe the Covid-19 pandemic SOP.

| Entry: 19 Dec 2021; Udated: 21 Dec 2021 | Source: Family

ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |

A Sikh couple caught in flash floods

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Malinder Singh handling the boat that rescued a Sikh couple – Photo: Supplied

By Asia Samachar Team | Malaysia |

The social media is abuzz with accounts of flood victims stranded in homes or vehicles following the havoc wrecked by continuous heavy rains in various parts of Malaysia. This is an account of a Sikh couple that got caught in their car close to Shah Alam, a state capital less than an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur.

Tarlochan Singh @ Toki, 76, and his wife Paramjit Kaur, 69, had gone to the Shah Alam gurdwara yesterday (18 Dec) to take part in the afternoon seva (voluntary service). After the Sukhmani prayers, they ran another errand for the gurdwara and were then ready to head home.

They were alerted to the numerous reports about floods around the Klang Valley. After being diverted twice, they got caught in a standstill due to floods ahead.

“They were stranded in the car from 6pm to 7am. They were on a higher ground, but the area around them was badly hit by floods,” their daughter Kiran Kaur told Asia Samachar in a telephone conversation.

The family was worried as the couple did not have their medication.

After numerous calls, a Sikh volunteer managed to get a boat to rescue the couple from where they were stranded.

“It is Guru’s kirpa that they stayed calm even without food and water, and medication,” said Kiran, a physiotherapist.

More than 30,000 people were evacuated throughout Malaysia Sunday as the country faced some of its worst flooding in years, reports AFP.

The tropical Southeast Asian nation often sees stormy monsoon seasons at the end of the year, with seasonal flooding regularly causing mass evacuations. Heavy downpours since Friday have caused rivers to overflow, submerging many urban areas and cutting off major roads, stranding thousands of motorists, the report added.

Nearly 10,000 people fled their homes in the country’s richest state of Selangor — which surrounds the capital Kuala Lumpur.

“The amount of rain that fell in Selangor yesterday, what fell in one day would usually fall in one month,” Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob told a Sunday press conference.

RELATED STORY:

PJ gurdwara to prepare free hot meals for Klang Valley flood victims (Asia Samachar, 19 Dec 2021)

ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here 

PJ gurdwara to prepare free hot meals for Klang Valley flood victims

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By Asia Samachar | Malaysia |

A gurdwara in Petaling Jaya will start preparing hot vegetarian meals today (19 Dec 2021) for flood victims in the Klang Valley. Thousands of homes have been affected by flash floods after two days of continuous heavy rain.

The continuous heavy rain is expected to continue today in most parts of the country with Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Pahang and Selangor forecast to be the worst hit, according to Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia).

In light of recent events, Gurdwara Sahib Petaling Jaya (GSPJ) said it will be preparing langgar (free meals) to anyone affected due to this flooding. Most gurdwaras are equipped to prepare meals in large scale, a common feature of Sikh events.

“We will be deliver langgar (free meals) in bulk to these affected areas. We start cooking today,” GSPJ committee president Awtar Singh (Terry) told Asia Samachar.

The gurdwara has put out a call for assistance and resources. They would require manpower/resources specifically to provide transportation to the affected areas.

“Due to the flooding that has affected many families/areas in Klang Valley, last night we received an S.O.S call from Gurudwara Sahib Petaling Tin to receive 6 Guru Maharaj Saroops because their Gurudwara was submerging underwater and is now completely submerged. Many other Gurudwaras are also badly affected,” read its note.

For assistance, contact GSPJ Flood Foodbank at 010 217 4556. [Number corrected]

ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here 

Harbhajan Singh (1935-2021), Slim River

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JEHA CHIRI LIKHYA TEHA HUKAM KAMAEH, GHALE AAVE NAANKA SADE UTHEE JAAYE (SGGS, 1239)

ਜੇਹਾ ਚੀਰੀ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਤੇਹਾ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਕਮਾਹਿ ॥ ਘਲੇ ਆਵਹਿ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਸਦੇ ਉਠੀ ਜਾਹਿ ॥੧॥

SARDAR HARBHAJAN SINGH S/O DARSHAN SINGH

Village: Neva Pind; District: Gurdaspur

15.09.1935 – 18.12.2021

Leaves behind

Wife: Sardarni Manjit Kaur d/o Sadhoo Singh

Brother: Late Harbans Singh

Children / Spouses:
Daljit Kaur / Partap Singh
Amarjeet Kaur / Suwaran Singh
Ajitpal Singh / Simerjit Kaur
Sharanjit Kaur

Grandchildren: Kiranjit, Dr Balveen, Arunjit, Jasneek, Gureesha, Maneesha

Brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.

Saskaar / Cremation: 12.00 pm, 19 Dec 2021 (Sunday) at Sikh Crematorium Kota Malim Prima, Tanjung Malim, Perak.

Cortege leaves from residence, No. PT 7095, Jalan Mahsuri, Taman Perwira 2, 35800 Slim River, Perak at 11.30 am.

Path Da Bhog: 26 Dec 2021 (Sunday), from 9.30 am to 12 pm, at Gurdwara Sahib Slim River, Perak

Dad – our Hero, our Pride and Strength.

Contact:

Ajitpal Singh 016 – 596 3920

Suwaran Singh 019 – 513 5378

| Entry: 18 Dec 2021 | Source: Family

ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |

A bundle of energy

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Vorathep Singh Sachdev

By Asia Samachar | Thailand |

One look at his profile, Vorathep Singh Sachdev comes across as a hardworking and capable young Sikh lad juggling quite a few things on his plate. The big dish before him now is the doctorate programme.

“Maybe I should start with saying, I am a Thai-Sikh person, who grew up in Bangkok, Thailand! I had quite a fun and enjoyable upbringing with the Sikh community there, sangat (congregation) being a large part of it,” he introduces himself in an interview with Asia Samachar.

For undergraduate studies, he studied law at Thailand’s Thammasat University. After a short stint at the law firm Tilleke & Gibbins, he received the Australia Award scholarship to study Master’s in Health Law at the University in Melbourne.

“With the blessings and support of my parents and community in Bangkok, I have just started a PhD Programme in One Health Models of Disease, an interdisciplinary program that combines bioethics, law, social science and science,” he said.

Vardev, as he’s known among the Punjabi circle, also runs an education consultancy business edDEVCoach, where they try to help Southeast Asian students with career and later education decisions and applications. He also work at Effective Thesis, an international non-profit organisation that supports talented students to begin research careers that significantly improve the world, by providing free individual coaching, connecting them with experts, helping them identify important problems where further research could have a big impact, maintaining a directory of promising research directions on their website, and sharing relevant resources.

In his free time, he loves to coach football to young ones In fact, he’s even working on my coaching licenses. He also plays sports, watches lots of film, reads and occasionally dabbles in stand-up comedy.

In one of the questions, Asia Samachar asked him if he had ever felt disadvantaged professionally coming from a minority group. He said that being a Sikh has been more of a professional advantage rather than disadvantage.

“Having such an identity thanks to our Gurus, and growing up being comfortable in who you are, has made me memorable in most professional settings in a good way, and that has been so helpful! It is best to embrace who you are as we have always been taught to,” he said.

Excerpts from the interview.

Tell us more about your family background?

My family is quite international yet have stuck to our Sikh roots quite firmly. My father and his father both were both born in Thailand, while his mother was born in pre-partition in India. My mother, on the other hand hails from Singapore, and her extended family comes from Malaysia and Thailand. Our family used to work in the textile industry in Thailand, however, they supported me incredibly in my desire to study further.

What motivated you to pursue the PhD in the interdisciplinary program of bioethics, law, social science and science?

I first entered the world of bioethics and philosophy during my undergraduate thesis (which was about surrogacy tourism in Thailand), it made me realize how significant and interconnected law was to human health and how much I wanted to create a positive impact in our society. While exploring concepts of health law during and policy, I engaged with how human enhancement technologies (e.g. gene-editing technologies) may impact the world and realized that the “world” did not include low- or middle-income countries such as several countries in Southeast Asia, and wanted to explore how research can combine philosophy and the real world, which required understanding, ethics, law, politics, society and most importantly science!

Does Sikhi have any views on the areas that you are working on? (We know this is a tough question but we are just wondering if you have thought about it.)

This is quite an interesting question, Sikh views on bioethical questions can sometimes be quite complex and tough to navigate. Given that Sikhism as a religion is quite progressive, and while being careful to over-philosophize Sikhi, I have considered whether there are “Sikh” views on questions such as whether it be acceptable in Sikhi to use gene-editing editing technologies on unborn children? I do not feel like I am in the place to give a definitive answer on this, as there those who are much more knowledgeable of our Gurbani to help navigate these kinds of questions, however, this would definitely be interesting and useful for the future.

What are your plans once you’ve completed your PhD?

Continuing my aim of creating a positive impact, I hope to encourage more thinking on bioethics, law and society in the world by teaching. Inspiring younger students to consider interdisciplinary research on issues that impact us all directly is my ideal way of making an impact myself. I would ideally also want to continue helping students navigate career decisions through my work at edDEVCoach and Effective Thesis. In short, education is the way forward!

Are you involved in any Sikh related or other volunteer activities? Please elaborate. – What are you passionate about?

I used to volunteer at Effective Thesis until September 2021, as well as actively participating in local Thai-Sikh activities. However, since moving to Edinburgh in the middle of October, I am settling in. I do hope to volunteer in Sikh and mental health related organizations such as Taraki in the near future.

Anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Might have been too serious with my answers, so I just wanted to say that I am extremely thankful to get the opportunity to share part of my story here, but also, more excited to hear from anyone and learn more about them, as I am sure there is much to learn from everyone. If anyone is interested in reaching out to me, I would really appreciate that!

When the borders open, which is the first country and place you shall pin and visit?

While living in Edinburgh, I am already receiving the opportunity to explore beautiful country sides, hike, and experience Premier League football! Thus, the first place I would like to visit once the borders open is probably Thailand. I miss Thai food, friends, and family! I would probably visit some of my favourite cafes in Bangkok, as a pinned location (let be honest, who doesn’t love a good coffee).

If you’re out for dinner at your favourite joint, what would you order?

Hmmm…this is a tough one! Nothing beats home food for me, but I would probably order a spicy tom yum noodle, which is almost impossible to perfectly execute anywhere else other than Thailand!

At the end of a long day at work, what best helps you to unwind and relax?

Either a fun game of football or a watching relaxing TV series with a tub of cookie dough ice-cream, a ridiculous addiction to desserts right here!

Have you ever felt that you are disadvantaged professionally because you belong to a minority?

During my undergraduate degree, I did receive some feedback that seemed to be directly related to being a Sikh minority in Thailand. Yet, I would say being a Sikh has been more of a professional advantage rather than disadvantage. Having such an identity thanks to our Gurus, and growing up being comfortable in who you are, has made me memorable in most professional settings in a good way, and that has been so helpful! It is best to embrace who you are as we have always been taught to.

What is your message to everyone with regards to their career purse or other ambitions?

Even though I studied law all my life, and haven’t touched biology as a subject since high school, I am currently working in a science lab as part of my PhD. I hope this is an example for everyone to just go out and try to achieve whatever they are interested in, career, education or otherwise. Anything is possible. You just have to go for it. If it doesn’t stick, so what? Do not reject yourself from something just because you do not think you are qualified, it’s someone else’s job to do that, do not do their job for them!

Tell us something about Vardev that most people may not know?

I am a vegetarian who didn’t eat vegetables growing up, lived my life on tofu! You can say, it made me tough-u. Yes, I am an endless fountain of horrible bad puns.

RELATED STORY:

Winners of Guru Nanak Social Mobility Bar Scholarship 2021 (Asia Samachar, 11 Dec 2021)

ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here 

Preparing the dead

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By Jagdesh Singh | Opinion |

When my mother finally drew her last breadth, there was a calmness around her. We had expected it, her final days battling cancer were all but lost, she had succumbed weeks before. It was inevitable.

Even so, the preparation for her final rites was still unplanned. You never plan for a funeral of a loved one. But we knew who to call, of course. Such are small town communities. You’d know exactly who can help organize something like a funeral, the prayers, the cremation.

As the crowd started to walk in to offer their condolences, we had to make sure mom was presentable. Such is our custom, that friends and relatives would want to offer their last wishes to the body one last time. A look, a whisper of a prayer, a tear shed while she lay there in the hall.

We had to bathe her, and this was no easy feat. A stiff corpse weighs much more than a living body, we found out very quickly. My wife was the first to volunteer for this responsibility. And Dad knew precisely what to do as he was her caregiver after she had lost her mobility, cancer ravaging her body at a frightening speed. They both got right to it, immediately followed by other volunteers who had come to pay their last respects.

When she was finally dressed, they even applied some light make up. Incredibly, she looked like my mom a year before she undergoing chemotherapy. It was then I realized how much she had changed, aging tremendously fast, depression draining the light from her beautiful face.

The next morning, the crowd grew bigger. It was obvious that there were many lives that mom had touched in that small community of ours. Apart from a couple of phone calls, I can’t remember doing anything else much. From the prayers recited by the Sanggat, preparing the open casket, transporting the coffin to the cremation grounds, and the cremation itself, it all happened as if it was all autopilot. I’m not downplaying the good amount of work to get it all done. No, not in the slightest bit. But because it was such a closed knit community, the roles of volunteers were clear, and everyone knew exactly what to do, on their own, extending a helping to spare those grieving.

I personally know that this would be very different in a large city, where we are acquaintances at best in that larger community. It would be tenfold more challenging, especially if you’re new in the city with very few friends who possibly wouldn’t know what to do during such a traumatic time for your family. This applies to all big cities, and Kuala Lumpur isn’t any exception. I’ve even come across a close family, born and bred in Petaling Jaya, who faced this challenge last year.

To fill in that huge gaping void, the Sikh community residing in the larger Klang valley have been lucky to have a sincere Samaritan and Sewadar to call upon during these grieving times. He personally takes the responsibility of bathing the corpse if and when needed, arranges the crematorium schedule and the necessary prayers. He does this at the drop of his mobile phone’s ringtone, and assists anybody, stranger or not with the same compassion and efficiency. Literally a one man show.

He’s even gone to the lengths to raise funds for the renovation of a particular crematorium. It needed more space, for the comfort of holding larger crowds congregating. Many in the city dwell and reside in high density apartments or flats, and don’t have the luxury of space to hold congregations giving their condolences to grieving families. Crematoriums with large spaces are a necessity in cities like Kuala Lumpur.

I’ve known this man for decades, and have met him at funerals of relatives and friends of mine, but strangers to him. He would be standing in a corner somewhere in the crematorium, arms folded, being attentive to make sure that those grieving are handled compassionately. Sometimes by the pyre, making sure the fire is alive. Sometimes behind the crowd. Always alone.

Many of you reading would already know who this is, and probably would’ve been in my shoes, meeting him at these places, almost knowingly that he would be the one responsible to make sure the dead are prepared one last time.

Jagdesh Singh, a Kuala Lumpur-based executive with a US multinational company, is a father of three girls who are as opinionated as their mother

* This is the opinion of the writer, organisation or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.

RELATED STORY:

What to say when someone dies? (Asia Samachar, 8 Nov 2020)

ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |

Life after high tension wire electrocution

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By Asia Samachar | India |

Chandeep Singh is not allowing the electrocution from a high tension wire to stop him from making his mark. The Indian para athlete Chandeep Singh has done it.

The 23-year athlete from Jamnu & Kashmir (J&K) bagged a bagged silver medal at the recent Para World Taekwondo Championships in Istanbul, repeating his feat in the same world tourney in 2018. He competed in the men’s plus 80 kg event.

“It was the encouragement and motivation from my Principal, family and friends which helped me to overcome this challenge,” Chandeep told the Rising Kashmir.

Chandeep comes from Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar in Channi Jammu. He is currently preparing for UPSC exams. He has pursued B. Tech from Jamnu’s Mahant Bachittar Singh College.

In 2011, Chandeep lost both his arms in an unfortunate accident at the age of 11 years at Channirama Jammu where he got electrocuted from a high tension wire.

“As the infection was spreading to the other parts of the body, my both arms were amputated owing to infection caused by high intensity electric shock from a high tension wire,” he told the report.

It seems taekwondo was not first love. He started off trying his balance with skating.

Chandeep bagged gold in the 4th Asian Para Open Taekwondo Championship World Taekwondo (G4) held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2018.

RELATED STORY:

(Asia Samachar, xx 2021)

ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here 

Sikh teacher wins ‘Guru Inovatif’ award

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Saranjit Kaur. Background: Saranjit receiving Guru Inovatif award

By Asia Samachar Team | Malaysia |

A Malaysian Sikh teacher with numerous medals under her belt has now been recognised for innovation she injected in teaching her subject.

Saranjit Kaur won the Guru Inovatif (Innovative Teacher) award at the Teachers Day national level celebration in Putrajaya, yesterday (16 Dec 2021), which came with a RM4,000 cash prize.

“I came up with six innovations for my subject and presented them at international, national and state level events,” she told Asia Samachar.

She teaches Pengajian Am, also known as the General Paper, at at Kolej Tingkatan Enam Shah Alam.

Education minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin and education director general Nor Zamani Abdol Hamid were present at the event.

Saranjit, who has been teaching for 22 years, has over the years won five gold awards at international competitions, six national level championships and five Selangor state level awards.

One of the awards included the International RI 4.0 In Education Competition 2019 organised by Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). As for innovations, one of them is the virtual reality of parliament where students get to tour the parliament house virtually.

Her late father Jaswant Singh was in the police force and mother Harjinder Kaur was a housewife. Born in Ipoh and raised in Kampar, Perak, she was the youngest of six siblings.

RELATED STORY:

Malaysian teacher Dalvinder Kaur Maan lands Fulbright teaching award (Asia Samachar, 3 April 2021)

ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here 

Spotlight on Jagdeep Singh as battery startup CEO gets multibillion-dollar pay package

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QuantumScape CEO Jagdeep Singh – Photo: Company

By Asia Samachar | United States |

A multibillion-dollar pay package approved by QuantumScape Corp shareholders for its CEO Jagdeep Singh has put him in the spotlight, with some quarters comparing him to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Shareholders of the solid-state battery startup that went public through a blank-check deal last year approved the pay package that one proxy adviser called “staggering” in size, reports Bloomberg.

Under the agreement, Jagdeep could receive stock options potentially valued at as much as $2.3 billion, if the company meets various milestones, according to estimates by proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis.

On a webcast of QuantumScape’s annual shareholder meeting Wednesday, the package passed in a preliminary vote, and the company said a final tally would be available later.

“The disclosed dollar value cost of the grant is staggering,” Glass Lewis, which had urged stockholders to reject the package, wrote in a recent report, Bloomberg reported.

Large pay packages are becoming increasingly common among fast-growing startups, particularly after the success of Tesla Inc unleashed a wave of cash in the electric vehicle market. Such pacts echo the compensation agreement that helped make Tesla CEO Elon Musk the world’s richest person, said Dayna Harris, a partner at executive compensation firm Farient Advisors. At least 15 corporate leaders received awards valued at $100 million or more last year, a threefold increase from when Musk received his in 2018, the news agency added.

“We strongly believe in setting challenging, hard-to-achieve goals, and then focusing efforts to make them happen,” the report quoted QuantumScape as having said in a letter to shareholders defending the package. “This is why we based this new award on stretch goals and why we gave our key executives the ability to share in the upside in a way that is commensurate with the difficulty of achieving them.”

QuantumScape, backed by Volkswagen AG and Bill Gates’s venture fund, rocketed to a valuation of almost US$50 billion late last year on the promise of its next-generation technology, which could dramatically speed EV adoption by providing automakers with a safer, cheaper alternative to lithium-ion batteries. It has come under pressure this year from short-sellers questioning its prospects, with shares plunging 72% through Tuesday’s close, the report added.

RELATED STORY:

He sure stands out. Sikh American enters Forbes’ 30 Under 30 (Asia Samachar, 4 Dec 2021)

ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here 

Third-generation Sikh boxer wins silver at Malaysia Cup

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Sachdev Singh in his final bout at Malaysia Cup Boxing Tournament – Photo: Courtesy of Cakap Sukan

By Asia Samachar | Malaysia |

Boxing runs in the family of Sachdev Singh who bagged a silver medal at the Malaysia Cup Boxing Tournament last week.

In the 1930s, his grandfather entered the boxing arena to represent the police team. Now, his grandson carrying the torch.

The 32-year-old geologist did Sabah proud when he took home the medal in the cruiserweight (86kg) category in the competition held in Negeri Sembilan. Due to his work commitments in Selangor, he had to train on his own.

“My dream is to join the national team,” he told Asia Samachar in a telephone conversation.

In 2015, Sachdev won a bronze in the same national competition, an impressive feat considering he had only taken up competitive boxing towards the end of 2014 after leaving university. He studied Bachelor of Applied Geology from 2009-2014 at Curtin University, Sarawak Branch.

Up until his university days, Sachdev was pretty much pre-occupied with basketball.

“I did boxing training since I was 17. My dad taught me some basics. From there, I picked up more and tried to improve myself, under his continued guidance. I just didn’t apply it in the ring until later on,” he said.

And, boy, did he threw some punches when he entered the ring. He won a gold medal in a district level competition in 2015 before winning bronze in the 2015 Malaysia Cup. He also won silver in the state level Mayor Cup three times: 2016, 2017 and 2019.

His dad Darshan Singh, who was involved in local level boxing in the late 1960s, is the present secretary general of Sabah Boxing Association. He is also a qualified state and national judge and coach. In his heyday, he was a state champion in the mosquito and flyweight weight categories.

Darshan’s younger brothers followed suit. Tara Singh became Sabah state champion for the bantam weight category and fought in national level competitions in 1970s.

In 1980s, their brother Dara Singh became state level bantam weight champion and went on to take part in national competitions. He had also fought friendly matches in Indonesia. Their youngest brother, Pardan Singh, fought at the district level.

“My father and his brothers picked up boxing from my Dada Ji,” Sachdev said. Dada is paternal grandather in Punjabi.

Retired Sergeant Major Dial Singh Sandhu was a police boxer in the in the 1930s. He is said to have taken part in a professional bout in Singapore and won 50 dollars.

Asked what were the stories he had heard about his grandfather, Sachdev said: “He was tall. So he used his range a lot. He was more of an outside fighter, where you use your reach and not weight. He had good techniques as he had a good coach – a police drill instructors. He had passed it on to his children,” he said.

On his next move, Sachdev said he would take part in one of the up-coming major boxing competitions. He has to pick and choose as he has limited number of leave days from work.

“I have to improve on my defence and punching output, and stamina. I have to be more prepared taking on opponents who are lefties,” he said.

Three generations: Sachdev (middle, right) with his uncle Dara Singh and dad Darshan Singh (extreme right). Left: His grandather Sergeant Major Dial Singh Sandhu

Sachdev Singh (middle) with his dad Darshan Singh and younger brother Gurdev Singh – Photo: Supplied

RELATED STORY:

Lanky Ravinder takes boxing gold at Malaysian games (Asia Samachar, 23 Sept 2018)

ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here 

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