Till a few years ago Mr. Charanjit Singh Sahni had no idea that he belonged to what is now known as the oldest Sikh family in Singapore. A family friend, a judge called Mr. Choor Singh had told Mr Charanjit’s father about two decades ago that someone else from his family had come and worked in Singapore. That is where the conversation began and ended. Several years later another close family friend, Mr Dilbagh Singh, whose grandfather, Mr Jawala Singh, was a close friend and a colleague (fellow interpreter) of Mr Charanjit’s paternal grandfather’s brother (hereinafter referred to as Mr Charanjit’s grandfather) said something similar with the addition of a name, Ishwar Das. He was of the view that Mr Charanjit Singh’s paternal great-grand uncle was related to him. A few months before Mr Charanjit’s father passed away in 2011 he urged Mr Charanjit to find out about Ishwar Das and how they linked to him, if at all they did.
Mr Charanjit (b. 1954) took it upon himself to fulfil his father, Mr. Kirpal Singh Sahni’s wish, but wasn’t sure where to start his research from. All he had was a name and a rough idea of the years (since he would have been in the years before his own grandfather came to Singapore in 1922). “I spoke to a friend of mine, Sowaran Singh who is a judge. He told me to go to the National Archives of Singapore near Hill street. I went there but was daunted by technology and called him again. This time he came with me and with the help of the archivist I began reading newspapers of that time. There were over twelve newspapers in those times! I had to read them all one by one. For three months, 24 hours a day, I was pouring over newspapers of 1892- 1925 trying to find out information. I tried many combinations to search. I almost gave up but my wife said, never mind, just try five more minutes. As luck would have it, I did get it in the next five minutes. But it was not just about getting the information, I also had to take meticulous notes on my sources with the links for the information. As someone not very tech savvy, it was a lot of hard work. My daughter helped me to find websites and newspapers, but the research I did on my own.”
Mr Charanjit’s perseverance paid. His research led to many interesting findings. Ishwar Das Kohli, the first Punjabi interpreter to be recruited by the British turned out to be Mr Charanjit’s paternal great grand uncle (maternal uncle of Mr Charanjit’s grandfather). Ishwar Das Kohli was working in in India at the Lahore Courts (now in Pakistan) in 1893 when he was transferred to work in Singapore. The number of Sikhs in Singapore had been steadily increasing since 1870’s. Proficient in English and Punjabi he was to be the link between the British and the Sikhs.
“Ishwar Das Kohli stayed in a two-storey shophouse in Outram Road opposite the entrance to Outram Road General Hospital. He was employed in the Civil and Criminal Courts of Singapore (also known as the Police Courts) which were at Hong Lim Green. He was recognized for his meritorious service and the British conferred to him the prestigious title on Rai Sahib and Sanad by HE the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, Lord Chelmsford, through HE the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Arthur Young. The ceremony was held in the lawns behind Police Courts a hundred years ago on 17/07/1918. He was the first Indian in the Straits Settlements to be awarded the Sanad of the title and badge, and ribbon of the Rai Sahib.”
“I knew that my grandfather was an interpreter but did not know my great grand uncle was one too. Those days there were a lot of
Indians -police, army and those days they couldn’t speak English. That is why the British hired him from Lahore High Court and brought him here. He didn’t come with his family. His children were there. He was very active within the Sikh community and was present at the laying of the foundation stone of the Silat Road Sikh Gurudwara. He was also appointed as the Vice-Chairman of the Hindu Advisory Board on 27/03/1920.”
Ishwar Das Kohli was the recipient of a long service and distinguished conduct medal upon retirement. When he was retiring in 1923, he was asked to recommend someone for the job. That is when he recommended his nephew, interpreter Sundar Singh Sawhny, Mr Charanjit’s grandfather. After retiring, Ishwar Das Kohli returned to Lahore and passed away on 12/07/1924 leaving behind his wife and two children.
“A story that has been told to me but which cannot be corroborated now because the person who could, has passed away, is that Ishwar Das Kohli had property at Neil Road. After the war his son came here to sell his property. He sold that property to an uncle of mine.
“We have no contact with his family, where to find them? How to find them? If I do, I will hug them.”
“My grandfather, Sundar Singh Sawhny came to Singapore in 1922. He was working in the Allahabad Courts before he came here. He worked as an interpreter in the District and Police Courts from 1922-1947. He was promoted to Senior interpreter in 1930. Like his uncle, Sundar Singh Sawhny was also very active in community affairs and was an extrovert who enjoyed interacting with people. He served as the first patron of the Singapore Khalsa Association in 1932 and was lauded for his efforts and interest in the association. He was a member of the Sikh Advisory Board in 1927, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1937 and 1939; Secretary of the Sikh Advisory Board in 1935; Committee member of the Singapore Government Servants Co-operative Thrift and Loan Society Ltd in 1930, 1932 and 1939; Chairman of the Singapore Government Servants Co-operative Thrift and Loan Society Ltd in 1933 and
committee member of the Discharged Prisoner’s Aid Society for Singapore in 1925. He was actively interested in sports activities and officially opened the new recreation grounds and pavillion of the Singapore Khalsa Association on Target Hill off Balestier Road on 08/12/1932. My grandfather lived along Tanglin Road, retired in 1947 and returned to India.
“My father, Kirpal Singh Sahni first came to Singapore in 1936 or 1937 with two brothers- one elder brother and one younger brother. The Japanese were bombing in 1941 so my grandfather sent them back. They were studying at Outram Road school. I am not sure whether my grandmother was here or she also went back, but my grandfather was here. My grandfather had to learn Japanese too. The Japanese were tough on the Chinese, less tough on the Indian and loved the Malays.”
“In India, my father left the village in 1941 and went to study at the University of Punjab. After graduating he went to New Delhi to stay with his sister. Her husband ran a canteen for the British army. My father worked in New Delhi and stayed with his sister. After working there, he came to Singapore on a ship called SS Rajula in 1947. My grandfather had left by then, but his friends and their families gave my father a warm welcome in Singapore. One or two ladies garlanded him too. He worked with an insurance company for a few months and joined the service as an interpreter in 1947. My father enjoyed interacting with people, was very active in society and knew how to get people together. He was appointed Commissioner of Oaths in 1960 and was the youngest officer to be appointed Senior Indian Interpreter at the age of 34 in 1961. He was Executive Councilor for many years, Treasurer in the mid-1950’s for 4 years, and Vice President in the 1960’s of the Singapore Interpreters and Translators union. He was active in community activities and served as
General Secretary of the Singapore Khalsa Association in 1947,48, 49, 1955 and 1956. He also served as Acting Chairman of the Singapore Sikh Partinidh Sabha (Youth Section) in 1953. He was a member of the Sikh Advisory Board for a period of 6 years from July 1975 to September 1981 and served also as the Secretary of the Sikh Advisory Board during part of that period.
We were comfortable in Pakistan, but after the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 we lost everything. All our land and other assets were left in Pakistan. Our family left the village with nothing but their clothes to a place in Punjab. My father from here sent money every month to his brothers. The compensation that we got from the Indian government because we had lost all our land in Pakistan, was used as down payment for two houses, but there were four sons, and two sons were sharing one house each. Things change a bit when people marry and families expand, so my father said to one of his brothers “never mind the house that I am sharing with my younger brother, I give to my younger brother. You are sharing with the elder brother, you shift out and I will give you money to buy the house.” My father was a very generous man. His brothers were in a place called Ambala.”
“Singapore was very different in those days. I stayed in Upper Thomson road, near Thomson plaza. In those days there was only a two lane road, one going to town and one to Sembawang. It was all jungle. I remember those days as a young boy, next to my house was a big rubber factory. Those times you had to take a car go to Tekka to buy vegetables, daal, atta, but those days life was still easier. Nowadays people say something and mean something else. It wasn’t like that in those early days. During Deepavali we would take sweets to our friends and neighbours’ houses etc. Now that technology has taken over, inter personal communication has been reduced.”After three generations of interpreters in the family, Mr Charanjit chose to become a Chartered Accountant. (His ancestors were accountants in a Hindu Kingdom in Pakistan which was then invaded, Mr Charanjit shares). In keeping with the family traditions, Mr Charanjit too has been active in doing his bit for society. As the fourth generation of the family he was involved with the Singapore
Khalsa Association and served as its external auditor for 10-12 years. He is also a life member of SKA. He was a member of the Sikh Advisory Board from October 1995 to October 2001. From regularly and actively donating blood to donating money to offering math and accounting tuitions free of charge and guiding people on investments and account keeping, Mr Charanjit believes that whatever blessing one has it should be shared. His law graduate wife, Mrs. Jasbir Kaur agrees.
Meeting Mr Charanjit Singh Sahni, listening to him narrate his researched and carefully pieced together ancestry, brings to mind Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “…every man is a quotation from all his ancestors.”
