Charting the deeds of Sikh Malaysians

Theirs is a story of blood, sweat and tears; a tale of a tight-knit tightly-knit community that has worked hard to enrich the fabric of Malaysian society in a myriad ways. Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill’s book, Sikh Community of Malaysia, opens the doors to a hardy people who never say die, writes BALAN MOSES

JAEVINA Kaur may not know it but she is the scion of a Sikh family that can trace its Malaysian roots back six generations to the time of the Federated Malay States (FMS).

The bouncy 2-year-old has her great-great-great grandfather, Boor Singh Gill, to thank for planting her family in a land thousands of miles away from their native village of Kambo Daiwala in Punjab.

It has been a hard, and sometimes torturous journey through life for the family of the young man who travelled by ship across the Indian Ocean to reach the land of milk and honey that he had heard of.

Boor Singh, who had left his wife behind in Punjab, in realising that he had to carve a life for himself in his adopted home, started a cattle farm in Menglembu, Perak, with a few cows.

Malaysians may very well appreciate as I do that the turn of the 19th century was a far cry from today with travel between countries taking weeks and fraught with danger from marauders and the vagaries of the weather.

But this did not put off Boor, who knew he had found what he had been looking for and wanted to share it with his family.

He brought his son, Ujagar Singh, over in 1911, who in turn called for his teenage son, Gurdial Singh to join him. Both became granthi (priests) after a brief stint in the cattle and bullock cart business.

Today, Tan Sri Darshan Singh (fourth generation), Datuk Amarjit Singh (fifth generation) and Jaevina Kaur are the standard bearers of the proud Sikh tradition that Boor Singh brought to the FMS.

Their story is not unlike that of thousands of Sikh families from Punjab who came to the FMS, and later Malaya, to find their "pot of gold" in various professions.

They came and stayed, infusing a richness to the culture of the nation which they grew to call home.

None among us can deny the accomplishments of the tiny community (Sikhs number fewer than 100,000 of the 27 million people who call themselves Malaysians) of Singh's (lions) and Kaur's (princess) over the past century or so.

Who among us does not know a Singh or a Kaur who has excelled in his or her chosen field of endeavour?

On the same token, I am sure we also know of Sikhs who have gone from success to success on a staple diet of hard work and commitment despite starting from the most humble of backgrounds.

And this is what lawyer, community organiser and raconteur Darshan Singh set out to document a little more than two years ago when he filled the vacuum in terms of the documented history of Malaysian Sikhs and their story of triumph over hardship.

Last month, his magnus opus, Sikh Community in Malaysia was launched as a tribute to the blood (many of the early Sikhs who came over from India were soldiers and policemen), sweat (some were watchmen who worked night and day) and tears (of the pioneering Sikhs) in Malaysia.

The 266-page hardcover book (tagged at RM89.90) is a veritable cornucopia of information about Sikhs from the Malaysia-Thai border to Johor Baru.

Divided into 10 chapters, the "golden treasury" delves into the varied history of the Sikhs from their origins, belief, identity and the Gurdwara (temple) to their culture, traditions, festivals and celebrations.

Along the way, he researched Sikh organisations, their role in public education and sports besides highlighting public recognition given to Sikhs in Malaysia through awards and honours.

Finally, and perhaps most pointedly, he has given readers thumbnail sketches of the leading lights of the community stretching back three to four decades, a daunting task given the many Sikhs who have made it to prominence.

The book holds nuggets that Malaysians should know like the five "K's" -- kesh (unshorn hair), kangha (wooden comb), kara (iron bracelet), kirpan (sword), and kachera (breeches).

There is also the interesting meaning to the word "gurdwara" (temple), which essentially means Gur (of the Guru or teacher) and dwara (doorway).

Did you know that it takes 48 hours for the Sikh holy book, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Akhand path), to be recited in full at temples and that the relay is uninterrupted?

Sikh names are also unisex, a rare practice around the world.

Darshan's team included Amarjit, social anthropologist Dr Sarjit Singh Gill, lecturer Dr Harjit Singh Randhawa and numismatist/author Saran Singh Sidhu -- a group driven by the urge to put Sikh history on paper for posterity.

Darshan, the president of the Malaysian National Sikhs Movement (Geraksikh) and project and editorial chairman of the support group's project, and his team spent almost every weekend over the past two years to produce this exceptionally good read.

The biggest hurdle they faced was gathering photographs. But judging from the pictorial spread featured across the pages, they did not do a bad job.

Editorially, the book could have provided a little more documentary evidence of the history of the community, perhaps by talking to leading individuals who could have told their stories to good effect.

But that is perhaps waiting to be told in the next edition that Darshan and his friends put their hands to.

Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak had nothing but praise for the book in his foreword, in which he hoped that it would act "as a source of reference not only by the Sikh community for generations to come but by a wider Malaysian audience as well a the world at large".

"On the whole, they (Sikhs) form an integral part of our colourful social fabric," the ruler added, in elaborating on Sikh contributions to the various disciplines, especially medicine and law.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in his message, described the Sikhs as a community passionately driven and standing united, which has enabled them to stand tall.

His statement that Sikh Community in Malaysia deserves a rightful place in the halls of learning by itself gives the book academic credentials that it rightly deserves.

This is further augmented by Emeritus professor of Malaysian history, Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim, who remarked in his message that the book displayed an erudite knowledge for generations to come.

The book, supported by the Information, Communications and Culture ministry, is being distributed by MPH Distributors Sdn Bhd. - NST 19/7/2009

Exclusive Pictures during Launch of Book 'Sikh Community in Malaysia'

Exclusive Pictures during the Launch of Book 'Sikh Community in Malaysia' on 28th June, 2009 at Crowne Plaza Mutiara, Kuala Lumpur

Coverage on the Launch of Book 'Sikh Community in Malaysia'

As of 29/6/2009, the Launch of the Coffee Table Book, Sikh Community in Malaysia received coverage from the following links below:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/6/29/nation/4215418&sec=nation

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/2594624/Article/index_html

http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20090629/874/twl-sultan-of-perak-applauds-malay-sikh.html

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=421325

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=421329

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Malaysia--s-Sultan-applauds-Sikhs-for-their-contribution/482734

http://m.themalaysianinsider.com/articles_headlines.php?id=malaysia/30771-understanding-and-communication-key-to-harmonious-nation-says-perak-sultan

http://210.19.40.5/ssig/news/fullnews.php?news_id=63381&news_cat=ts

http://www.sinarharian.com.my/com/content/story2906742.asp

http://www.bharian.com.my/Monday/Nasional/20090628225658/Article/index_html

http://www.nst.com.my/Monday/National/2594624/Article/pppull_index_html

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=0629&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_12.htm

http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/120242?tid=1

http://www.guangming.com.my/node/50828?tid=3

http://www.chinapress.com.my/content_new.asp?dt=2009-06-29&sec=mas&art=0629mc53.txt

Tan Sri Darshan Singh to Dato' Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim : Broadcast Sikh Cultural and Arts Programmes in RTM

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 – Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) will give more avenue for the broadcast of cultural and arts programmes of the country's ethnic minorities, Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said today.

The request from GERAKSIKH President, Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill was echoed to the Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim.

He said the culture and arts of the minority groups such as the Sikhs, Portuguese, Orang Asli, the Babas and Nyonyas and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak should be brought to the fore, not merely through news and documentaries.

“We will also seek out the other minority groups and see how they can all get their rightful place under the Malaysian sun.

“We have to give them the chance, and convince them that the government is sincere in wanting to work with them,” he told reporters after the launch of a coffee table book entitled “"The Sikh Community in Malaysia” by the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, here.

The 266-page book was written by Malaysia National Sikhs Movement (GerakSikh) president Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill. – Bernama

Sultan Azlan Shah launches Coffee Table Book 'Sikh Community in Malaysia' by Tan Sri Dato' Seri Darshan Singh Gill

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 – The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, said today understanding and effective communication among the diverse ethnic groups of Malaysian society were key to the continuous peace and harmony of the country.

He said understanding and effective communication allowed people of different cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds to interact with one another.

“I am of the firm belief that our nation’s rich diversity is something to be proud of and something to be safeguarded,” he said when launching a coffee table book entitled “The Sikh Community in Malaysia”, here.

The 266-page book was written by Malaysia National Sikhs Movement (GerakSikh) president Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill.

Also present at the launch were the Raja Permaisuri of Perak, Tuanku Bainun; the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, and his consort the Raja Puan Besar of Perak, Tuanku Zara Salim; Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim and Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Touching on the Sikh community, Sultan Azlan Shah said that despite being a minority in Malaysia – 0.3 per cent of the overall Malaysian population – the Sikhs have been able to retain their distinct cultural identity which has set them apart from the Tamil and other Indian communities.

“The Sikh community has maintained its distinctiveness most conspicuously. Their steadfastness in their religious beliefs and cultural practices and their strong sense of community have undeniably afforded the Sikh community their resilience and distinction,” he said.

The sultan said the Sikhs, who came to then Malaya and served as policemen for the British Straits Settlements and as night watchmen for industries, had garnered a reputation for their gallantry in the security forces and their competence in maintaining law and order.

“Perak was an early settlement which notably acted as the launchpad towards various security deployments in other parts of the country.

“Today, the community’s role and influence extends to all other fields, with prominence in professions such as medicine and law.

“On the whole, they form an invaluable and integral part of our colourful social fabric, and deserve due recognition for their contribution, as much as any other citizen, to Malaysia’s economic, cultural and political life,” he said.

Touching on the book, Sultan Azlan Shah said it was valuable since it not only allowed the present Malaysian Sikh community to know its ancestry, cultural heritage and origins but also promoted an understanding and appreciation amongst the wider Malaysian audience of their Sikh comrades.

“It is an instrument of dialogue between cultures. I have also always believed that historical records are very important so that the substance of the past is never lost or diluted and, in this respect, this publication is additionally praiseworthy,” he said.

The book, published by MPH, sells for RM89.90 a copy. – Bernama