|
In
memory of Sikh missionary
 A
record 50,000 Sikh pilgrims and devotees from Malaysia, Singapore
and other countries congregated at Malacca’s Gurdwara Sahib Sikh
Gurdwara to commemorate the annual Sant Baba Sohan Singh Ji
celebration.
This year’s prayers
and festivities were extra special.
There was an
eight-day Unity Walk by four friends who started from Cheras and
concluded the walk at the gurdwara on the main day of the
festivities.
Chief Minister
Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam took time to chat with the pilgrims and
helped make parshadas (leavened bread or chapatis) during his visit.
According to
Malacca Sikh Gurdwara secretary Balbir Singh this year’s festivity
was the grandest.
“It was made
memorable with the presence of the Chief Minister who extolled the
virtue of religious events as a means of showcasing the 1Malaysia
concept,” he said.
He said the
organisers were pleased with the massive turnout for the four-day
celebration.
 “The
festivities not only bring Sikh pilgrims and devotees together but
also scores of tourists,” he said, adding that 60 stalls were set up
along the streets outside the gurdwara offering a host of
merchandise.
Besides
participating in the daily and nightly recitals of holy verses and
the singing of religious songs, the pilgrims and devotees helped
prepare vegetarian meals that were provided free.
The celebration is
held in the later part of May to coincide with the death anniversary
of the Sant (His Holiness), described as the foremost Sikh
missionary dedicated to the preservation and spread of Sikhism in
Malaysia and Singapore.
|
Sant Baba Sohan Singh Ji was the
foremost Sikh missionary dedicated to the preservation and
spread of Sikhism in Malaysia and Singapore. Born as Bhai Udhal
Singh in June 1902 in Punjab, India, the Sant came to Malaya in
1926 and used Malacca as his base. |
|
Born as Bhai Udhal
Singh in June 1902 in Punjab, India, the Sant came to Malaya in 1926
and used Malacca as his base.
He was well versed
in Sikh religious teachings and Punjabi poetry while fluent in
written and spoken Hindi and Urdu.
Visiting all parts
of the country and across the causeway, the Sant’s poor health
forced him to slow down from 1970. He died at Ipoh General Hospital
on May 24, 1972 and his body was taken to Malacca for cremation.
The Unity Walk was
organised by the Sikh Women’s Awareness Society also to mark the
anniversary.
 Those
who participated were Andrew Williams, 38, Phai Dya Singh, 59, and
Vikramjit Singh from Hawaii, and Karpal Singh, 24, from Mantin,
Negri Sembilan.
They began their
journey at Taman Tasik Permaisuri, Cheras, and made overnight stops
in Mantin, Rembau, Seremban, Tampin and Alor Gajah before finishing
at the Gurdwara.
10
June 2009
|
Read Also