KIRTAN | NEWLY RELEASED: New Zeland-based Amrita Kaur joins Darbar Sahib (Amritsar) hazoori ragi Bhai Maninder Singh to produce a kirtan album Aisi Laal. Just two weeks after release in mid-June, the video has garnered more than 53,000 views. Ustad Rajan is on the table while Dharmesh Parikh on the keyboard. The album was produced by Auckland-based Lion Beats Recording Studio.
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 |
AKHAND PATH: 12 July (commences at 7am) to 14 July 2019 at residence at Kt 270 Ketari, 28700 Bentong, Pahang (Kampung Benggali). PATH DA BHOG: 14 July 2019, 9.30 am-12noon, at Gurdwara Sahib Bentong | Malaysia
Mehender Kaur / Koldip Singh (Petaling Jaya)
Gurmeet Kaur / Late Chand Singh (Tanjung Malim)
Late Vir Kaur / Late Kartar Singh (Tapah)
Jagtar Kaur / Rajwant Singh (Tanjung Malim)
Grandchildren:
Harvindar Singh Randhawa / Karinjit Kaur
Koljit Singh Randhawa
Dr Daleleer Kaur Randawar / Ravinder Singh
Pharmit Singh Randhawa / Kiran Kaur Dhillon
Harjit Kaur Rajasansi / Harbajan Singh Randhawa
Daljit Singh Rajasansi
Charanjit Kaur Rajasansi
Manender Kaur Rajasansi / Sukhdeep Singh
Harjinder Singh Rajasansi
Kiranjit Kaur Thind
Simranjit Singh Thind
Rakhbir Singh Rajasansi / Gursharan Kaur
Raveet Kaur Rajasansi / Gur Pall Singh
Manbir Kaur Rajasansi / Ravinder Singh
Gursharan Kaur Mann / Satish
Amrit Singh Mann / Gurminder Kaur
Rashpall Singh Mann / Harpreet Kaur
Pearljeet Kaur Mann
Tarnjeet Kaur Rajasansi / Jasmeet Singh
Pardeep Singh Rajasansi
Sukhvinder Kaur Rajasansi / Karmreek Singh
Late Daijinder Singh Rajasansi
Jagjit Kaur Rajasansi / Kiranjit Singh
Gurparkash Kaur Rajasansi / Mancharanjit Singh
Gurpreet Kaur Rajasansi
Heerajeet Singh Rajasansi
Survinder Kaur Rajasansi
Narvinder Kaur Rajasansi
Jasvinder Kaur Rajasansi
Tasvir Kaur Rajasansi
Hardish Singh Rajasansi
Semarjeet Singh Rajasansi
Kushwinder Kaur Rajasansi
Talwinder Kaur Rajasansi
Dalreena Kaur Rajasansi
Semret Singh Rajasansi
Berindavir Kaur Rajasansi
Ajveender Kaur Rajasansi
Brelveenraj Kaur Kang
Satveenraj Singh Kang
GreatGrandchildren:
Roshveer Singh Randhawa
Joshveer Singh Randhawa
Simarver Singh Bamotra
Balveer Singh Bamotra
Haashveer Singh Randhawa
Samarver Singh Randhawa
Harneesha Kaur Randhawa
Areesha Kaur Randhawa
Suhaandeep Singh
Esh Gurav Singh
Hireshgurav Singh
Divleen Kaur Rajasansi
Eshleen Kaur Rajasansi
Nishaan Singh
Padraig Singh Hart
Jayveer Singh
Jasraaj Singh Sidhu
Melvinreek Singh
Akhand Path: 12 July (commences at 7am) to 14 July 2019 at residence at Kt 270 Ketari, 28700 Bentong, Pahang (Kampung Benggali)
Path da Bhog: 14 July 2019, 9.30 am-12noon, at Gurdwara Sahib Bentong
Contact: Daljit Singh (grandson) 012-2144131
A Tribute To Our Masterpiece
A father of success and inspiration who has lived well, laughed often and loved much; who has gained the respect of all, and the love of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, who has filled his niche, and accomplished his task; who lived the world better than he found it, who has never lack appreciation of life, or failed to express it, who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had.
-A LIVING LEGEND AND A GREAT SOUL THAT BRINGS US ALL TOGETHER AGAIN AND AGAIN-
| Entry: 3 July 2019; Updatd 6 July 2019 | 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 |
Singapore-listed Axcelasia Inc has promoted its key founding executive Ranjit Singh Taram Singh to Group CEO in a planned succession for the integrated professional services firm.
The 52-year old Malaysian audit expert, who was a partner of one of the “big four” international accounting firms, was earlier the company’s executive director, a position that he continues to hold.
In a statement to the Singapore stock exchange (SGX) on 28 June, Axcelasia said Ranjit takes over from Peter Tang Swee Guan who has been appointed as the group’s deputy chairman.
Ranjit has been tasked to oversee and manage the business of Axcelasia and its subsidiaries and lead the management in setting strategies, objectives and mission for the day-to-day operations of the group.
Towards the end-2017, the company had identified Ranjit as ‘having the requisite qualification and work experience’ for the CEO position as part of the group’s succession planning.
Ranjit, who holds an MBA from UK-based Heriot-Watt University, has a special focus on enterprise risk management (ERM), internal audit, governance and transformation & programme management services.
He is a board member of The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Malaysia and a committee member of the Global IIA’s Professional Issue Committee. Ranjit was recently appointed as the vice president of the Asian Confederation of IIA. He was the President of IIA Malaysia for the 2013/14 term.
Ranjit is also the president of the Gurdwara Sahib Kajang management committee, a gurdwara in the state of Selangor.
Axcelasia provides integrated professional services mainly in Malaysia to government-linked entities, private and public listed companies and multinational corporations. Its four key business segments are tax advisory, business consultancy, enterprise management system application and business support.
The company is chaired by tax expert Dr Veerinderjeet, another founding member of the company.
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 |
FROM humble beginnings as a milk boy to the nation’s pioneer aviation medicine doctor. That is Captain (rtd) Dr Jagdev Singh Badhesha who turned 88 on March 18.
In fact, thousands of the nation’s civilian and military pilots may not have continued flying, if not for people like Dr Jagdev. He even helped save lives during the 1969 racial riots.
Dr Jagdev also captained the national cricket team, at one time, during his prime where he was a top bowler.
Later as a medical practitioner, he propagated cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques and helped formulate the country’s Occupational Safety and Health Act.
THE 1969 RIOTS
The 1969 racial riots flashed vividly across Dr Jagdev’s mind during an interview at his Section 6 home here in Selangor.
At the height of it all, when the federal capital was in a state of chaos, the dashing doctor was roped in by the Red Cross to provide emergency medical treatment at Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
“I was summoned to the hospital’s accident and emergency ward in an army vehicle….It was helter-skelter with people screaming and bloodstains everywhere.
“It was a shocking scene and I had to summon courage and calm my nerves to get the job done — that of assisting the skeleton crew of medical officers in attending to slash victims,” said Dr Jagdev, whose cousin is Lieutenant-Colonel (rtd) Baldev Singh Johl, who had served as the 6th Battalion Royal Ranger Regiment’s commanding officer and was arguably the best parade commander the country ever had.
Dr Jagdev said he had to work tirelessly with government doctors to render medical aid to the victims.
“At one stage, we had 100 patients brought in for emergency treatment for slash wounds and we had to work overnight owing to a shortage of doctors.
“The scene was gory!” said the octogenarian.
PIONEER IN AVIATION MEDICINE
Dr Jagdev is probably the first local in the early years to screen pilots to become great aviators for the airlines and air force — serving a total of 62 years in all.
“At that time, other than military officers, I was among a handful who was qualified in aviation medicine, to screen cadet pilots and professional ones, too.
“I did my basic aviation medicine training at the Royal Air Force base in Singapore in 1961.
“It was only very much later that the (Malaysian) armed forces established a proper aircrew screening centre (the Institute of Aviation Medicine at the Kuala Lumpur air force base),” he said.
Today, Dr Jagdev serves the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia as its chief medical assessor.
Read full story, ‘Dr Jagdev Singh Badhesha: From milk boy to aviation medicine expert’ (New Straits Times, 2 July 2019), here
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 |
Former Malaysian civil servant Dr Pola Singh authors Reflections of Life
By Pola Singh | OPINION |
How my writing journey started …
I always admired people who could present their thoughts in a simple yet appealing manner. So appealing, that their work gets published. And so from young, I dreamt of seeing my own writing in print too.
My first piece appeared in the New Straits Times as a ‘Letter to the Editor’ back in the early 1970’s. When I first saw it, I was overjoyed! I was so elated, that I bought three copies of the newspaper and read my ‘masterpiece’ over and over again.
As Confucius aptly describe – ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step’, and so my writing journey started with the publication of this maiden letter.
MY EARLY WRITING STINT
In the 1970’s and while having a full-time job, I wrote for the papers every now and then. I got my break as a part-time stringer for the Sports Desk of the Malay Mail. I learnt by observing how sub-editors would effortlessly refine my draft into an exciting and persuasive piece. It made me realise that constant practice was as important, as our flair for writing.
My writing passage took a break in the late 1980s as I focussed on my PhD degree in the United States. Though I never had a flair in academic-type writing (as it appeals mainly to academicians who are in a world of their own), I gained another perspective of writing from the lens of associate and full professors.
My 7-year stint at the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) of the Prime Ministers’ Department was a game changer. My writing skills improved by leaps and bounds. Interesting my big boss was Dr Mahathir. There was plenty of writing to be done this time but were of the esoteric and boring kind, at least to most people. There were many policy and economic papers as well as memorandums to be prepared in quick turnaround time and on a very regular basis. Little did I realise that I slowly but surely, continued to fortify my writing skills. The training was excellent as it sharpened my mind in differentiating the wheat from the chaff.
My subsequent years at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta made me what I am today. It was a challenge to work in an international organisation comprising personnel from 10 culturally-different member countries. My earlier stint at EPU indeed put me in an advantageous position especially when it came to preparing urgent policy papers that could be easily understood and internalised by Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials of the 10 member countries of ASEAN.
Returning to my writing passion
I retired a few years ago. Having more time on hand, I have returned to fulfil my passion. However, instead of writing on serious economic and social issues, I choose to reflect and write on life experiences, friendships, challenges, imbalances, beliefs and values. Essentially, covering issues that affect the man on the street – which really matters.
Through my writing and with justice and fair play in mind, I attempt to be a voice for the voiceless and give faith to those seemingly ‘without hope’. I also use my writing to address and provide resolutions to issues facing the nation on racial unity, corruption environmental issues and social issues such as ageing gracefully.
I have compiled many of my articles into a book “My Reflections of Life” for those who missed reading them in the media. As I have many more articles, I am contemplating publishing my second book.
On numerous occasions, I have been pleasantly stopped at parks, cinema hall, Bukit Kiara hiking trail, roadside, shopping centres and even weddings by strangers who tell me they have read my pieces in the papers and support my views. Such encouragement has naturally spurred me to write more. Writing now comes with a purpose. I am inspired to write, to make a difference to the people.
A WORD OF ADVICE TO ASPIRING WRITERS
I derive great joy from writing and bringing issues often discussed at the dining table to the forefront. My humble advice to those desiring to write is simple – read widely and keep writing, even if your piece does not get printed. One fine day, it will. Your belief will take you there. The gridlock of words that seemingly get stuck in your head will soon unravel and gush out effortlessly like a river rushing to the sea! Practice, of course, makes it perfect.
Next, know your target audience and their interest, so your writing will resonate and appeal to them. Write in a simple and reader-friendly way using words that are easily understood. This way, you will connect with your readers at ease and voila, you will have a faithful following! As an added advantage, take up photography as a hobby as it would go a long way in enhancing and painting your articles. Pictures, after all, speak a thousand words.
WRITING IS FULFILLING
I derive much pleasure and joy in writing. As a person, I am contented materially, emotionally and spiritually. I acknowledge that I have more than I need and I thank God for his abundant blessings.
To those who never fail to read my articles in The Star, Sun and New Straits Times, thank you for believing in me and connecting to my articles and stories, all these unforgettable years. As a writer, I exist because of you!
It has been a truly amazing writing journey. So purposeful and so soulful.
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 |
His old motorcycle could hardly change gears in the middle of the busiest road of Kuala Lumpur. Peak noon, the sun blazing down on us, the traffic is as clogged as any Friday lunchtime when devout Muslims converge all at once for their prayers. I sat at the back blabbering about how I hate the traffic, the same script I’ve been using since the year 2000 whenever he picks me up for our lunch together. Meanwhile, he’s navigating through the traffic with a huge box of apples straddled in front of him. Imagine, for a moment, two overgrown Punjabi men, and a huge box of apples at the front, on a motorcycle that resembled a dying horse gasping for air.
We went for lunch. Chatted for a bit, laughed about things that never get remembered for. Then, we rode back to my office, with the same box of apples. What is this box of apples for? And why is it so important for him to carry it on a motorcycle around the middle of Kuala Lumpur City for lunch?
You see, unbeknownst to me and almost anybody else, he has been buying boxes of apples every Friday over the past few months, with his own money, to distribute them to the homeless at night before he leaves for home in a suburban town 50 kilometers away.
I couldn’t help but feel proud of him, mixed with a tinge of jealousy. Jealous because my normal Joe of a friend, who’s a wonderful father, a responsible husband, a hardworking employee, has now become a hero in my eyes. He’s as vanilla as anybody can be. What he’s doing is the simplest of gestures, but the effort taken can seem daunting for a lazy ass like me. I mean, my sorry excuse for not being able to sacrifice a couple of hours of my time helping the homeless is because I want to avoid the traffic jam nightmare and head home to recuperate from after a long week in the rat race.
But not for my friend.
“We don’t have to come up with big ideas and involve the whole village to do something as simple as feeding the poor, buddy”, he tells me while refusing for me to take a picture of him. He doesn’t believe in sharing his deeds with anybody else, not even with his family. He’s just happy he’s able enough to do the little he can, all on his own, at his time and leisure. The last thing on his mind is posting a video or a picture of himself doing charity on Social Media.
He then shares with me something else that brought tears to my eyes. He tells me that he slips out of his home very early in the mornings during the weekend, like a mouse, for about an hour or more. He goes to the General Hospital, plonks himself in the Emergency room or the children’s ward, and meditates while helping out whoever and whenever he can. He chats with patients, even helps with feeding, or say a prayer upon request. And then he leaves quietly back to his life, nobody else the wiser.
I know of many others out there, from all communities, who do these wonderful kind deeds and service. Some do more than my friend. Equally as quiet, equally happy to contribute wherever and whenever they can. But never would I have imagined that my closest of friends would be another one of these angels, the kindest of souls. He has now become a hero in my eyes. Someone that I now look up to instead of looking at as a friend. These souls may inspire you and me, but they certainly are proof that humanity is well and alive, and we have lots of hope for our future.
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.
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
MICPA president Veerinderjeet pays courtesy visit to PM Dr Mahathir on 4 June 2019 – Photo: Supplied
By Asia Samachar Team | MALAYSIA |
The newly elected team at Malaysian Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) led by Dr Veerinderjeet Singh paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on 4 June 2019.
Veerinderjeet was elected president of MICPA council while BDO Malaysia managing partner Gan Ah Tee was elected as deputy president.
On his part, Veerinderjeet is currently non-executive chairman of Axcelasia Inc, an integrated professional services provider (offering taxation, business consultancy, accounting, corporate secretarial and business process outsourcing services) listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. He also sits on the boards of Malaysian Rating Corporation Bhd, AmBank (M) Bhd and UMW Holdings Bhd.
Dr Veerinder has more than 30 years of experience in the fields of accounting and taxation and has served in the Inland Revenue Department, University of Malaya (as an Associate Professor), Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young (as a Tax Partner/Executive Director). He has also authored a number of tax publications, according to an entry at the MICPA website.
He has been a Council Member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) and was Past President of the Chartered Tax Institute of Malaysia. He was appointed by the Malaysian Minister of Finance as a member of the Tax Reform Committee in September 2018. He is also a member of the Commission on Taxation of the International Chamber of Commerce based in Paris and a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (a tax research and consultancy body) based in Amsterdam.
MICPA is governed by a council of 30 elected members, who comprise members from public accounting practice, commerce, industry and the public sector. One of its key mission is to enhance the value and distinctiveness of the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) qualification.
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 |
This is a discriminatory law which infringes the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and international human rights norms.
By Gurmukh Singh OBE |OPINION |
Quebec has a French colonial background. It is the largest of the 10 Canadian provinces and has a history of religious intolerance.
On Sunday 16 June, 2019, the highly controversial Bill 21 was rushed through a late night vote to ban the wearing of religious symbols by public servants in positions of authority including school teachers, principals and vice-principals, police officers, judges and other law officers. According to a report, the law will be enforced through surveillance and disciplinary mechanisms. The Avenir Québecor CAQ coalition government of Premier Francois Legault has taken an extreme step to curb religious freedoms.
With 75 votes in favour and 35 against in the Quebec&rsquos National Assembly, it seems this ill-considered Bill 21 had strong support from the French majority community . The law will mainly affect turban-wearing Sikhs, hijab-wearing Muslim women and kippah-wearing Jews living in Quebec. The concept of religious symbols is vague. So, other communities in the Canadian multi-cultural society could be affected. Yet, at Federal level, not too long ago we heard the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying that he had more Sikhs in his government than Prime Minister Modi of India.
Palbinder Kaur Shergill QC, wears a black dastaar and is now a Supreme Court judge in British Columbia. Some years ago, she stood in court and heard opposing counsel argue that lawyers and judges with religious symbols such as turbans should not be permitted. According to her, the Canadian people have overwhelmingly shown an understanding that secularism is not about stripping people of religious identity, but ensuring that no one faith is given preference over another&hellipOur Coat of Arms, our Constitution, all make reference to God. The Queen, who is our head of state, is also the head of the Church of England. We are thus not really a secular society at all. But for some people who have grown up surrounded by Christian signs and symbols, they may equate that with secularism, and are offended by other people&rsquos outward displays of their faith.
A senior colleague on a discussion forum, Prof Nirmal Singh, has given a fresh angle to community activism in this area. He believes that such discriminatory laws passed in the name of secular ideals should be questioned about the measure to be achieved across the board. A list of identity markers of all groups including the majority community should be prepared. The purpose of such laws including their relevance to the security, culture, trade and economic interests of the country should be tested during their passage in the legislature. Or, failing that, tested under constitutional guarantees in the law courts.
I am sure Sikh organisations challenging such discriminatory laws in the courts will take note
As Judge Palbinder Kaur said: A government might float many outrageous ideas for various political reasons, but these ideas cannot have any traction if the people whom the governments represent, speak out against them.
Gurmukh Singh OBE, a retired UK senior civil servant, chairs the Advisory Board of The Sikh Missionary Society UK. Email: sewauk2005@yahoo.co.uk. The article first appeared at The Panjab Times, UK. See here.
* This is the opinion of the writer, organisation or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
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 |
Sangat Singh, a planter, a ham radio enthusiast and a pioneer member of a Malaysian Sikh outfit, passed away today. He was 86.
He was the first treasurer of Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia (SNSM) which coincidently was holding its 53rd annual general meeting in Kuala Lumpur today. The demise of its long-serving member was announced to the members present.
Sangat played a pioneering role in SNSM in the 1960s when it was based in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.
He was born in 1933 in Dijkot in present-day Faisalabad, Pakistan. After getting his college degree in India, he moved to Singapore in 1954 to work in textiles for a short stint before starting a a career as a planter across the Causeway.
He was the first Sikh planter in the then plantation giant Guthrie. The journey began in 1957 when he enrolled as a cadet planter at the Guthrie’s Siliau Estate in Siliau Malaysia.
He was also a longtime amateur radio hobbyist with the call sign of 9M2SS.
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 |
Malaysia’s tax expert Amarjeet Singh will play a bigger role at Ernst & Young (E&Y) with his appointment as the EY Asean tax leader.
He takes over from Yeo Eng Ping, effective 1 July 2019, who will assume the role of EY Asia Pacific tax leader.
The elevation comes three years after Amarjeet was made Malaysia tax managing partner for E&Y Tax Consultants Sdn Bhd. He will continue to hold the position, according to an internal company note seen by Asia Samachar.
Amarjeet has handled some of the largest mergers and group re-organisations as well as strategically important engagements involving government-linked accounts in Malaysia. He also supports the go-to-market initiatives for tax technology and transformation in Asean, the note added.
Amarjeet took on the Malaysia Tax practice leader effective 1 July 2016.
With more than 21 years of professional experience in the field of taxation, Amarjeet is also a founder member of the Malaysian-based Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Academy (SGGS Academy). Here, he has taken part in Sikh camps and Sikhi preaching.
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 |
