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My Loving Husband:
Karpal Singh

CHIN MUI YOON, et al

 

 

 

Karpal Singh’s wife, Gurmit Kaur, had always been the rock in his life. Theirs was a love story that began when they first met when he was 16 and she was just eight. Below are excerpts from an interview with Gurmit by Chin Mui Yoon which was first published on September 10, 2006, two years after he was disabled in an accident.

 

The outspoken politician Malaysians know so well, never once approached the girl he had his eye on for a decade.

“He had set his sights on me a long time ago, but I was too young to know.

“There was always this guy looking out for me. I’d come out of school and sometimes he’d be at the bus stop. At the library where I frequently went, he would sit quietly in a corner.

“The best thing about Karpal was that he never approached me until I finished my Form Five. He waited for me till I was old enough to understand such things. Then he finally came up to me and asked if we could be friends.

“He went like: ‘Can I meet your father? It’s because I want to marry you!’ That’s Karpal for you. He wanted to get my parents’ approval before we proceeded in our friendship. Through the year as I did my A-Levels, the Penang library was often our dating spot.

“When he came to ask my father’s blessing for our marriage, my father told him, ‘There is no one better than you whom I can get for my daughter, there is no better son-in-law I want.’ Karpal always recited that to me!”

Prior to the accident, his routine was to wake up to coffee and then potter around the garden with the dogs. There are no more walks although he continues to enjoy the company of his bulldog, aptly named Babbar, which means “lion” in Punjabi.

Unknown to many, one of Karpal’s hobbies was drawing little cartoons. He liked making birthday cards for his children, each card having a hand-drawn picture and story.

“On my birthday on May 10, 1987, when Karpal was under ISA detention, I was feeling particularly down and lost, and went to his office. Suddenly an assistant ran in calling, “Mr Karpal has sent you a letter!”

“Inside the envelope was a little card with a drawing on it. It started off with ‘To my girl in blue’ … You see, I had a lovely blue frock when I was nine or 10 which I wore everywhere. He remembered that!

“That was the most beautiful thing he had ever done just to tell me he was still there and that he loved me!

“I don’t know how he managed to get that card delivered right on time,” says Gurmit, her eyes misty, adding that she had the card framed.

While Gurmit refuses to give up hope that Karpal will one day be able to walk again, she also realises that they have been lucky.

“A doctor told me that Karpal could’ve very easily died. But his life was spared. Once when I was driving around in tears, I kept seeing disabled people: there was a blind man, another had no legs ....

“That was when I realised how lucky we were and how much we take things for granted.”

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Karpal Singh, who died as a result of an auto accident on Thursday, April 17, 2014, will be given a state funeral on Sunday, April 20, 2014.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the public ceremony with full state honours would be held at Dewan Sri Pinang in Light Street in Georgetown from 9 am to 11 am. The cortege will then leave for the Batu Gantong crematorium.

“His casket will be draped with the Penang flag,” said Lim. He added that the government had also decided to hand over the Penang state flag to the family of Karpal Singh to drape the coffin.

In the meantime, the Penang flag would be flown at half-mast until the funeral.

The Penang Chief Minister also announced that the Jelutong sea front would be renamed "Karpal Singh Drive' in honour of the man who had given so much for the furtherance of human rights in his country. 

The wake is being held at Karpal’s residence at 144A Jalan Utama. Karpal’s ashes will be scattered in the sea on Monday morning.

The casket bearing Karpal’s body made its way into his house, after the hearse arrived from Ipoh under heavy police escort.

Karpal’s eldest brother, Baksis Singh, 80, who, though appeared calm, said he was shocked and saddened by Karpal’s sudden demise.

“But I believe this is God’s will.

“We met last Sunday at the Wadda Gurdwara Sahib for Vaisakhi prayers and Karpal was his witty self. We were joking and having a great laugh,” he said.

Karpal’s passing brought back painful memories of their father Ram Singh Deo, who also died in a road accident.

Baksis recalled that their father was rammed by a car while riding in a rickshaw in India.

Karpal leaves behind wife Gurmit Kaur, 66, and their four sons, Jagdeep Singh, 43, Gobind Singh, 41, Ramkarpal Singh, 38, and Mankarpal Singh, 26, and daughter Sangeet Kaur, 34.

*   *   *   *   *

The Malaysia Gurdwara Council has announced that gurdwaras across the country are holding prayer services in Karpal Singh's memory. 

 

[Courtesy: The Star, et al. edited for sikhchic.com]

April 19, 2014

 

 

Conversation about this article

1: Ari Singh (Sofia, Bulgaria), April 19, 2014, 8:04 PM.

We are proud of Karpal Singh ... a great lion indeed. May God bless him.

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Karpal Singh"









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