Sukhdeep Singh says patients still look at him strangely, but light up when he speaks to them in Cantonese. – Photo by K. Y. Cheng / SCMP
By Stephanie Tsui | SCMP | HONG KONG |
Sukhdeep Singh, 23, is used to getting stares. “It’s because I’m so handsome,” he says, chuckling. At nearly 1.9 metres, Singh naturally stands out from most Hongkongers, but he believes his height is not the only reason he is considered different.
“Some people who assume I don’t understand Cantonese would comment on my turban in front of me, and on the MTR, people would rather squeeze themselves into more crowded rows than take the empty seats next to me.”
Singh is a final-year medical student at Chinese University. When he graduates next year, he will become one of a handful of Sikh doctors in Hong Kong – and the first to be wearing a turban. While not all Sikhs wear turbans, Singh dons one as an article of faith and to keep his uncut hair tidy and clean. He has been letting his hair grow since he was about nine as a show of faith.
Police reject and Sikh amateur detective hopes to bridge ethnic groups
“The sad reality is, when I’m wearing scrubs and a lab coat, I get treated differently. If I’m wearing normal clothes, no one would believe I am a medical student,” says Singh, who is one of about 12,000 Sikhs in the city.
“Patients might develop a different perspective on people with turbans in Hong Kong when they see me, a turbaned doctor, and, hopefully, start to view other ethnic minorities differently.”
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Singh grew up surrounded by Cantonese speakers, including his own father, a civil servant. But he only realised the importance of speaking the language when he enrolled in medical school.
“Patients look at me strangely, and that’s normal. But whenever I speak to them in their own dialect, their faces light up.”
Read full story, ‘Sikh Hongkonger wants to change attitudes towards ethnic minorities, while also being first doctor in city to wear a turban’ (South China Morning Post, 11 May 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 |
L-R: Baldev Singh, Master Tara Singh and Sant Fateh Singh
By Anonymous Punjabi | LETTER TO EDITOR | OPINION |
This problem can be traced back to the second half of the Nineteenth Century. The Hindus claimed that the Sikhs were Hindus. The Sikhs insisted that they were a separate community, a unique entity. One of the first Sikhs to stress this point was non other than Bhai Khan Singh Nabah, the author of Mahan Kosh, (the first encyclopaedia in Gurmukhi script). He wrote an article Hum Hindu Nahi (We are not Hindus).
At the time of the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947, the sole Sikh representative at the London Conference was one Baldev Singh. On the prompting of Pundit Nehru, he issued a very damaging statement ’The Sikhs have no demands’. Only an idiot could have made such a statement. He then went on to say that their sole demand was that the British should leave India immediately. Baldev did this because the cunning Nehru had thrown a bone at this cur; Nehru told him that he wanted to make him the Defence Minister of Hindustan. Baldev was made Minister of defence (1945-1952), but after sometime was replaced by Kailash Nath Katju. Only then Baldev realized his folly, that he had been a mere pawn in Nehru’s endgame and he had unwittingly betrayed his community.
Prior to his death he asked for forgiveness from the Sikh community; a friend of mine said in utter disgust: “Only if there was Baldev’s grave, I’d spit on it.”
Recently, India and Bangladesh (East Pakistan) exchanged enclaves in their territories. Surely the Sikhs could have demanded that at least Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib should be made lndian enclaves. The British would have gladly obliged the Sikhs; the Colonial authorities would have adjusted the boundary to make Kartarpur part of lndia.
It is only now, owing to the friendship of Imran Khan and Navjot Singh Sidhu (both cricketers) that Pakistan has agreed to open Kartarpur to Sikh pilgrims sans visas. A bridge over the River Ravi will allow lndian Sikhs to visit Kartarpur unhindered.
A sad fact is that only the Sikhs led demonstrations against the proposed creation of Pakistan prior to the partition.
MASTER TARA SINGH
Master Tara Singh led these demonstrations against the proposed creation Of Pakistan, the rallying cry being ’Pakistan murdabad’, thus creating Muslim Sikh enmity in the Indian sub -continent.
Tara Singh had his sympathy with the Hindus for the simple reason that he came from Hindu background; he was Tara Chand prior to being baptised to Sikhism and becoming Tara Singh.
The great Muslim leader, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, met Tara Singh and urged him to join Pakistan and said he was willing to give in writing that the Chief Minister of Pakistani Punjab will always be a Sikh and furthermore, no law would be passed in Pakistan without the consent of the Sikhs! Tara Singh rebuffed this very generous offer. Jinnah Sahib then told Tara Singh: “Sardar ji, you have only seen a ’gulam Hindu’ (subjugated Hindu)!” Tara Singh fell into the cunning Kashmiri Nehru’s charm and believed him when he promised to give the Sikhs whatever they asked for; the naive Tara Singh got nothing in writing from Pundit Nehru.
Later when Punjab was denied the linguist based Punjabi speaking state, Tara Singh reminded Nehru of his promises; Nehru dismissed Tara Singh by saying: “The situation has changed Masterji.” Only then Tara Singh realized how he had been tricked by the cunning Pundit, but it was too late. it was a great betrayal, and Tara Singh was dubbed as being communal in asking for ’Punjabi Suba’. (The Arya Samajists opposed the creation of Punjabi Suba). Tara Singh then launched ’morchas’ (agitations) to get the genuine rights for the Sikh Panth; he was jailed; he then went on death fasts, only to break the fasts without gaining anything from the central government. Tara Singh did not ask for a separate country; all he asked was for Punjab be given the same status as enjoyed by Jamu and Kashmir.
He died in November, 1967, a broken man, abandoned by his former colleagues. The Punjab Government declared a day of mourning; all schools and government offices were closed; the Government of Pakistan observed two days of mourning while the Indian government did not observe any official mourning.
SANT FATEH SINGH
Next came Sant Fateh Singh on the stage, eclipsing Tara singh whose popularity and stature declined drastically in Punjab. Fateh Singh had never been involved in politics prior to this and was a novice. When Kamraj, the Tamil leader and Congress President asked Fateh Singh if he wanted a Punjabi speaking or Sikh majority area as Punjabi Suba; Fateh Singh said he wanted Sikh majority area and this what he got! Punjab lost the hilly areas of Lahul and Spiti and its capital, Chandigarh.
What more, Fateh Singh too went on a fast unto death and broke the fast without getting anything. He was instrumental in , the nomination of his driver, Kikar Singh, to stand for election as a Member of Parliament. The little educated driver won and went to the Indian Parliament, wearing a ’chadra’ (sarong) with a transistor radio on his shoulder. He cut a sorry figure; what could one expect this man to speak in Parliament!
Then came the question of sharing the Punjab river waters. The Sikhs mentioned only three riversRavi, Beas and Sutlej; the fools never mentioned Jamna River although it formed the boundary between undivided Punjab and Utter Pradesh at the south-eastern border. Then to their utter stupidity they said: ”Bibi indra faslah karagi” (Indra Gandhi will divide the river waters between Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan). Indra Gandhi, the Indian Prime Minister, allocated a mere 24% of the river waters to Punjab state, the riparian state!
The great ”crime” committed by Fateh Singh was changing the order in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Book. In the early ’granths’ the ’bani’ always started with ”Ek Ong Kar”. Fateh Singh was influenced by some unknown sant that the name of the ’bani’ should come first followed by Ek Ong Kar; the so called “sant” Fateh Singh, without consulting anyone gave orders to the press manager to carry out this alteration. When Harbhajan Singh, the Principal of Sikh Missionary College, Amritsar, came to learn of this change, he questioned the press manager. The press manager simply replied “Mai hisareh te chaldah” (I just follow orders).
SANT HARCHARAN SINGH LONGOWAL
Sant Hacharan Singh Longowal then appeared on the scene. He was a good man and wanted to get Chandigarh for Punjab; he and Rajiv Gandhi reached an agreement, but he was assassinated before the plan could be implemented.
BINDRANWALA
Soon after, Sant Jarnail Singh, the rustic preacher took control of the affairs of the Golden Temple; he had many young supporters; there was much fear in Punjab; many were eliminated, including some innocent persons.
Bindranwala began to fortify the Golden Temple; in this respect he was greatly aided by General Shubhag Singh, a Sikh general and a hero in the Bangladesh war; he was sacked from the army 3 days before retirement. The temple was fortified and the fighters were largely based in the Akal Takt Building.
INDIRA GANDHI
Under the orders of Indra Gandhi, the the Indian Army attacked the Golden Temple as well as 38 other Sikh Gurdwaras in Punjab; the attack took place on Guru Arjan Dev’s martyrdom day celebrations; the battle for the Golden Temple lasted for 3 days in 1984. Many innocent civilians were murdered in cold blood by the Indian Army; Bindranwala and his associates were killed and Sikhs all over the world were shocked and angry at the destruction of the Akal Takt; there were over 300 bullet marks on the Golden Temple and the Sikh ’tosakhana’ was looted and the Sikh Reference library was burnt by the Indian Army after the fighting had stopped. It is believed that most of the records were carted away by the army. Later,the Punjab Police under K.P.S. Gill leashed a reign of terror in Punjab. Thousands of Sikh youths were killed under false encounters. He was the butcher of Punjab after General Dyer who was responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919.
Following the murder of Indra Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984, there was a slaughter of Sikhs in New Delhi and other places. Thousands were murdered by Hindu mobs led by Congress leaders who were encouraged by Rajiv Gandhi, the new P.M. And sadly the Sikh President of India, Giani Zail Singh, did nothing to prevent this ’ghalugarah’ (slaughter) of the Sikh masses in Delhi and the desecration of their gurdwaras. The least he could have done was to resign but he did nothing. Sikhs were in shock. How could their Hindu brethren for whom the Sikh Gurus and Sikhs had sacrificed so much in the past could do this to them!
Punjab witnessed the coming and going of several Chief Ministers. Parkash Singh Badal remained the Punjab CM for many years. His family is allegedly involved in numerous corrupt practices. Punjab became notorious as a drug dumping ground. There is hardly a village in Punjab where Sikh boys have not died due to drug overdose. Jobs are hard to come by in Punjab. Sikh boys are now emigrating to other countries while Biharis are flocking to Punjab. Soon Punjab will have a Hindu majority. The future of Sikhs in Punjab and India is bleak indeed.
* 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 |
Facebook entry of British PM meeting Sikhs for a Vaisakhi reception at Downing Street
By Asia Samachar Team | LONDON |
British Prime Minister Theresa May noted that 2019 is a particularly important year for the whole of the Sikh community as it marks the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak as well as the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar.
“No one who has heard the accounts of what happened that day can fail to be deeply moved. No one can truly imagine what the visitors to those gardens went through that day one hundred years ago.
“Jallianwala Bagh is a shameful scar on British Indian history. We deeply regret what happened and the pain inflicted on so many people,” she said in a speech at a Vaisakhi reception in Downing Street yesterday (8 May 2019).
THE FULL SPEECH:
It is fantastic to welcome you all to Downing Street for these Vaisakhi celebrations once again.
This is such a special event – coming as it does when the days are growing longer and together we can celebrate spring.
But for me, it is also an incredibly important opportunity:
To say thank you to all of you here and to Sikhs across the UK for the brilliant contribution you make to our country day in and day out.
To recognise the diverse and wide ranging roles our Sikh community plays in so many different arenas.
And to reflect together on the values this important festival represents.
Now – I have to confess – I haven’t yet been to a Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan. But I have heard what fantastic events they are – with five baptised Sikhs – representing the “panj pyare” leading the procession in ceremonial dress, as the Sikh community comes together to commemorate the birth of the Khalsa.
This year we have seen fantastic processions in Southall. Gravesend. Coventry. Leeds. Nottingham. Leicester.
And of course – we can be immensely proud to be home to one of the biggest celebrations outside of India – in Birmingham.
But although I haven’t yet been to one of these parades – I have been lucky enough to be a frequent guest at gudwaras in my constituency and across the UK – and can not only imagine the warm Punjabi welcome at this time of year – but just how good the food must be.
This of course is a particularly important year for the whole of the Sikh community.
2019 marks the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru, in 1469.
And I am sure we will see many events to celebrate this later in the year.
But 2019 also marks the centenary of an appalling event – the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar.
No one who has heard the accounts of what happened that day can fail to be deeply moved. No one can truly imagine what the visitors to those gardens went through that day one hundred years ago.
It was – as the former Prime Minister H.H. Asquith described it at the time – “one of the worst outrages in the whole of our history”.
Jallianwala Bagh is a shameful scar on British Indian history.
We deeply regret what happened and the pain inflicted on so many people.
And on the day of the centenary Sir Dominic Asquith – the current British High Commissioner and H.H. Asquith’s grandson – visited Jallianwala Bagh and laid a wreath on behalf of the whole country.
Our relationship with the Sikh Community is one we cherish greatly – with collaboration and partnership at its heart.
And I am delighted that last week a debate in Westminster Hall focused on the contribution of Sikhs to the UK – following on from the launch of Sikh History and Awareness month by Seema Malhotra MP in April.
There were some great contributions made during that debate – and it was a timely reminder of the hard work, compassion, and generosity of Sikhs in communities up and down the country and abroad.
That generosity is – of course – very much in evidence at Vaisakhi, and most particularly in the way this is such an inclusive festival with a welcoming hand extended to everyone.
So finally, let me send all Sikhs celebrating Vaisakhi my belated – but heartfelt – best wishes.
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 |
London-based banker Louise Sach (right) tries the turban at #HSBCSikhNetwork event – Photo: LinkedIn Entry
By Louise Sach | LONDON |
The HSBC Sikh Network asked if I’d like to try a turban today ? “Connecting Employees, Communities and Cultures using the teachings of the Sikh Guru’s in promoting the wellbeing of all”
#HSBCSikhNetwork Shakuntala Kaur Pandhe and Turban Tier UK
[LinkedIn entry by Louise Sach from HSBC Global Commercial Banking on 1 May 2019]
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 |
In the five and half centuries of Sikh spirituality, Sikhs have never been as disconnected from the spiritual messages contained in Gurbani as they are in the 21st Century. The root cause of such spiritual decline is clear: Sikhs have steadily distanced themselves from the understanding of the spiritual messages contained within the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS).
Such distancing from the messages of Gurbani is despite the deep physical connections that Sikhs have nurtured with the physical embodiment (saroop) that is the SGGS – in forms including but not limited to making precious offerings; according splendour to its installation; donning it under palkis made of gold; parading it around in ostentatious displays called nagar kirtan; multiple continuous readings in the style of Akhand and Sehej Paths; and other physical forms of reverence in the name of religious ritual and dogma.
But Sikhs have remained disengaged from the messages contained within.
One could say that Sikhs have connected externally but detached from the interior. We have linked with the periphery but fragmented from the core. We have worshipped the container while refusing to have anything to do with its soul nourishing content. We have stood on the platform for long periods of our life, but refused to board the train therein. the more irrelevant its contents are becoming.
We have prospered as a religion, but shrivelled spiritually. It is almost as if we have consciously traded one for the other in reciprocal proportions. The more we connect to the container, the more irrelevant its contents are becoming.
So intense is the disconnect that rare is the Sikh who has the ability to decipher the spiritual messages for himself by self-reading of Gurbani of the SGGS. The vast majority of us can no longer make sense of the vocabulary, concepts and notions contained within Gurbani. The poetic structure, idiomatic language, the juxtaposing method and the unique reinterpretation of pre-1468 spiritual concepts into new meanings are all lost on us.
The small minority of Sikhs who feel the need to understand the messages contained within Gurbani have no choice but to rely on teekas (translations). But the translations of the SGGS have – by and large – with few exceptions – contributed more towards misunderstanding the messages of Gurbani than in helping us decipher them.
Such is primarily on account of our teekas making no more than literal translations; the application of Snatan (Othrodox Indian philosophy) paradigms; and the infiltration (purposive or otherwise) of Vedic slants within the many inaugural translations. Modern day English translations have, with few exceptions, perpetuated this flaw by failing to rectify this foundational defect.
The first translation of the SGGS was undertaken in 1883 by a group of Benares educated Nirmalas. The outcome was the Fareedkoti Teeka – known after the rulers of Faridkot state who financed the venture. For all intents and purposes, the Fareedakoti Teeka succeeded in making the SGGS appear as the fifth Vedas. It did so by a variety of ways but primarily by ignoring the revolutionary reinterpretation of pre-1468 spiritual concepts by the writers of Bani; effectively reverting unique Sikhi concepts back into Vedic, Puranic and Brahmanical ones.
It did so by disregarding the juxtaposing of Vedic myths within the compositions of the SGGS. The Fareedkoti Teeka thus effectively converted the Vedic myths into Gurbani reality. It further did so by giving literal meanings to the spiritual idioms deployed abundantly by the writers of Gurbani while critiquing the clergy of existing spiritualties; effectively erasing the critique while giving credence to the clergies’ ways instead.
Gyani Gurmukh Singh of the Singh Sabha Movement – a reform initiative aimed at cleansing Sikhi of Udasi, Nirmala and Vedic influences – stood in opposition to the Fareedkoti Teeka. But he was excommunicated by the Akaal Takhat clergy who had – together with a majority of the clergy – been un-moved by or un-aware of the infusion of Vedic stuff into Sikhi.
For all future attempts in translating the SGGS (including into non-Punjabi languages), the Fareedkoti Teeka has regrettably stood in as the standard reference.
The result has been that the Sikh world today stands as one that is lost in translation. Lost to the point of having travelled the road back to 1468. Lost to the point of having reached a destination that the spirituality of the SGGS wanted us to avoid. Lost to the point of having walked away – further and further away – from the spirituality of the SGGS.
I have endeavoured (on page 30 of this issue) to illustrate my observations above by attempting to provide an authentic Gurbani based understanding of one shabd Aant Kaal ਅੰਤਿ ਕਾਲਿ – composed by Bhagat Tirlochan ji and contained in Rag Gurji on page 526 of the SGGS. While attempting to do so I have tried to provide the contrasting English translation of Sant Singh Khalsa MD that originates from the Punjabi Fareedkoti Teeka as well as the Sampardayee Teeka of Sant Kirpal Singh. [For full issue, go here].
Readers can see how, on the one hand – by ignoring the revolutionary reinterpretation of pre-1468 spiritual concepts by the writers of bani – the Fareedkoti based translations succeed in reverting unique Sikhi concepts back into Vedic, Puranic and Brahmanical ones.
And on the other, how using what I call the Gurbani Framework – the use of Gurbani to understand Gurbani – allows us to understand the Shabd authentically.
The difference is stark. For some readers it may be difficult to accept that both translations are of the one and single Shabd. For some, our cognitive dissonance may kick in, forcing us to continue accepting as truths, rejected spiritual assertions that have been repeated often enough to appear as Sikhi truths. For others, the Gurbani Framework based translation may be liberating. The choice is of course ours and ours alone.
Readers are welcome to comment.
This article first appeared in The Sikh Bulletin, Jan-March 2019 issue. The author, Karminder Singh Dhillon, PhD (Boston), is a co-editor of the bulletin. To read the full issue, go here. He can be contacted at dhillon99@gmail.com.
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 |
Kanchen Kaur joins U15 Malaysian women football team
By Asia Samachar Team | MALAYSIA |
Avid young footballer Kanchen Kaur today dons the national jersey for U15 Malaysian women football team.
She joins 22 players already in Chonbhuri, Thailand, for the ASEAN football federation (AFF) 2019 tournament.
Malaysia is in squad B and will play against Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Singapore. The first leg of this tournament starts Thursday (9 May 2019) and ends on 21 May.
The 13-year old Kanchen, wearing jersey number 8, will be part of the defence.
Asheesh Kaur, her elder sister, had also represented the country for U15 Malaysian football team when she played in Hong Kong in 2018.
Kanchen started her interest in football playing as a midfielder and right wing but gained enough guidance from coaches in FCB, Barcelona to try out more positions. This has given her the confidence to play any position on the field.
Her strength lies in her ability to run fast with the ball, dribbling and excellent through passes.
How does she feel representing the country? She said: “I’m very proud that I made the cut because it’s a very close knit football team. I’m nervous to meet experienced teams like Laos and Thailand because the Malaysian team is made up of many first-time players. Players that have not played outside of Malaysia.”
However, she is looking forward to meeting Singapore.
“I saw Asheesh play against them at FAM U15 Girl’s Soccer Carnival 2017 but I was too young to join the team then. I’m ready now and want to defend as well as Asheesh did when she played,” she added.
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: 7am, 17 Mei 2019 (Friday) to 19 Mei 2019 at Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Penang
Path da Bhog: 19 Mei 2019 (Sunday), 9am-12pm, at Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Penang
A respectable, intelligent, hardworking man who is loveable with his unforgettable smile. A man who loves his Bani and never gave up in life. You will be missed Baba.
Contact: Hardev Singh 016-4333317
| Entry: 6 May 2019; Updated: 8 May 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 |
Shuranjeet Singh Takhar is no ordinary Sikh youth. The 23-year old Sikh student is the founder of a campaign aimed at removing the stigma surrounding mental health in the Punjabi community.
His efforts in forming Taraki caugh the attention of British regional newspaper Birmingham Mail which featured him as a contender for its 30 Under 30 list.
Shuranjeet is the founder of TarakĪ, a campaign to address mental health issues in the Punjabi community.
“Being able to see communities take hold of their collective mental well-being, take ownership of supporting one another and composing novel ways of approaching well-being has been absolutely incredible and I am so humbled to have played some part in this community-orientated development,” he told the newspaper.
He experienced mental ill health while doing his undergraduate degree in Bristol which was partly shaped by his transition from Handsworth to the university setting, the newspaper reported.
At that time, he did not approach his community about his issues because of a fear of being stigmatised and unfairly labelled but, with support from his housemates, Shuranjeet overcame his difficulties.
He realised those in Punjabi communities didn’t have access to such support structures so decided to start TarakĪ, a movement which looks to re-shape how these communities approach mental health.
Since returning to Birmingham from university, he has delivered workshops at universities, co-developed mental health infrastructure with Gurdwaras (Sikh temples) and advocated for Punjabi communities at a national level with charity Time to Change and training organisation Mental Health First Aid England.
Taraki has been recognised by the West Midlands Combined Authority and other media outlets, including winning a Young Person’s Star Award.
BirminghamLive’s 30 Under 30 campaign showcases some of the most inspiring under 30s living, working and making a difference in the city.
Read the article, ’30 Under 30 finalist is tackling mental health head on in the Punjabi community’ (Birmingham Mail, 2 May 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 |
Indonesia lost a hard working and dedicated Sikh volunteer in Balwant Singh Rahal who passed away yesterday (5 May 2019). He was 75.
Balwant was the prime mover for the setting up of the Jakarta Selatan gurdwara and a school adjoining the gurdwara building.
“Even in his old age, he was very much concerned about advancing Sikhi. His work with the youth is highly commendable. I feel Sikhs have lost a great leader,” retired Indonesia senior civil servant Harbrinderjit Singh Dillon, popularly known as HS Dillon, told Asia Samachar.
“He had put his life earnings for good use, including the setting up of the gurdwara. I have great admiration for him,” said Harbrinderjit who had known Balwant since they were children. Balwant’s wife Kartar Kaur was his classmate.
In 2017, he led efforts that saw Indonesia hosting its first ever international Sikh conference to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Gurdwara Yayasan Sosial Guru Nanak Ciputat (YSGN) in Tangsel in South Jakarta. It also marked the more than 100 years presence of Sikhs in the republic.
Called the 1st International Sikh Conference which carried the theme Revival of Sikhi in Indonesia, it attracted participants from neighbouring Malaysia and Thailand as well as India, United States and Switzerland. The event was organised by the Jakarta gurdwara with the assistance of the Global Sikh Council (GSC).
Balwant had made trips to Malaysia, Singapore and other countries earlier when he was raising funds for the gurdwara and the then-planned school.
In later years, he was championing moves to set up some kind of a coordinating council for Sikhs in Indonesia. In 2015, he floated the idea of the Indonesian Sikh Council.
Born in Medan, Indonesia, on 5 May 1944, Balwant passed away on his 75th birthday. He leaves two sons (Darwinder singh Rahal married to Iqbal Kaur) and Gurkiran Singh (married to Dr.Sangeet Kaur Puarr) and five grandchildren.
The cremation (saskaar) will be held today (6 May 2019) and the antim ardas (concluding prayer) on Sunday at the Jakarta Selatan gurdwara.
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 |
PATH DA BHOG: 19 May 2019 (Sunday), 10 am-12 noon, at Gurdwara Sahib Petaling Jaya |Malaysia
Daljit Singh (1965-2019), Subang Jaya
ਜਿਉ ਜਿਉ ਤੇਰਾ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਤਿਵੈ ਤਿਉ ਹੋਵਣਾ ॥
ਜਹ ਜਹ ਰਖਹਿ ਆਪਿ ਤਹ ਜਾਇ ਖੜੋਵਣਾ ॥ (SGGS, 523)
DALJIT SINGH S/O HARBANS SINGH
Passed away on 4th May 2019. Age 54.
Deeply missed, forever loved and cherished by:
Mother: Gian Kaur (Nanjo)
Wife: Navjeet Kaur d/o Kabal Singh (SJMC)
Children: Amritpreet Kaur, Sukhpreet Singh
Brother: Sochait Singh (Canada)
Sister: Harbinthar Kaur
and a host of Relatives, Friends & Loved Ones.
Saskaar / Cremation: 12 noon, 7 May 2019 (Tuesday), at MBPJ Crematorium Kampung Tunku, Petaling Jaya
PRAYER PROGRAMME (At Residence)
SUNDAY | 5 MAY 2019 (At Residence)
6.30 PM: Rehraas
7-8 PM: Kirtan by Sdr Balvinder Singh (Baley)
MONDAY | 6 MAY 2019 (At Residence)
6.30 PM: Rehraas
7-8 PM: Kirtan by Granthi, GS Petaling Jaya (GSPJ)
TUESDAY | 7 MAY 2019 (At Residence)
9.00 AM: Arrival of Daljit Singh to Residence
9.15 AM: Sukhmani Sahib & Kirtan (GSPJ)
11 AM: Departure of Cortege
12 NOON: Cremation at MBPJ Crematorium, Kg Tunku followed by Prayers, Sahej Path commencement & Guru Ka Langgar at GSPJ
Path Da Bhog: 19 May 2019 (Sunday), 10 am-12 noon, at Gurdwara Sahib Petaling Jaya [10am: Kirtan & Path Da Bhog, 12noon: Guru Ka Langgar]
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
The family of the late Daljit Singh acknowledges with sincere appreciation the comforting messages, floral tributes, and other expressions of kindness during this time of bereavement.
The family thanks the management, doctors, nurses and staff at SJMC for their compassionate care and assistance.
Contact:
Navjeet Kaur 012-225 1466
Bhupinderjeet Singh 019-480 5747
Gurjeet Kaur 017-476 5998
| Entry: 5 May 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 |
By Karminder Singh Dhillon | OPINION | 
This article first appeared in The Sikh Bulletin, Jan-March 2019 issue. The author, Karminder Singh Dhillon, PhD (Boston), is a co-editor of the bulletin. To read the full issue, go 
