The story of the Indian 'saint soldier' – perhaps the first Sikh in Singapore
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The story of the Indian 'saint soldier' – perhaps the first Sikh in Singapore
A new Singapore documentary looks at the life of freedom fighter Bhai Maharaj Singh, whose tombstone at present lies at the Silat Route Sikh Temple.
Sikh guards, as memorialised in this statue at the Bukit Brownish cemetery, were known in Singapore. Merely before them, there was Bhai Maharaj Singh. (Photo: Singh In The Lion City)
Unless you're a religious devotee or history vitrify, the Silat Road Sikh Temple at Bukit Merah isn't likely to come upwardly on your radar of places to visit. But within its grounds lies the tombstone of one of Singapore's almost intriguing simply lesser-known historical figures.
Described as a "liberty fighter" and "saint", Bhai Maharaj Singh is said to exist the first recorded Sikh person to have stepped pes in Singapore dorsum in 1850, equally a prisoner of the British for inciting revolution back in India.
And now, his colourful life is the subject of The Saint Soldier, a new documentary by Singaporean managing director Upneet Kaur-Nagpal, who was commissioned to make this flick as part of a wider customs driven project. Before its official launch in December, at that place will be a talk and a sneak peek screening of footage on Sep eight at Fort Canning.
FROM INDIA TO OUTRAM Prison house
The event and flick are the only Sikh-related projects held during the ongoing Singapore Bicentennial, and director Kaur-Nagpal is cracking to put the spotlight on a mysterious figure not many Singaporeans know almost.
"Singapore became known for having Sikh men in the security forces, when the Straits Settlement started recruiting them in the late 1800s – simply Singh was the first recorded Sikh, who ironically came as a prisoner," she said.
As the story goes, Bhai Maharaj Singh had been the first notable Indian who took upwards arms confronting the British, who somewhen arrested him and transported him to Singapore. He was thrown in solitary solitude at Outram Prison, where he stayed until he died of throat cancer in 1856.
We don't accept a lot of mainstream coverage of Sikhs in Singapore merely nosotros're such a large role of the Singapore Story.
A tomb believed to be his was constitute at the grounds of the Singapore General Hospital before it was moved to the temple in 1966.
Singh'due south Singapore affiliate might have all taken place in jail but he was a colourful figure nonetheless, said Kaur-Nagpal.
"Someone actually compared him to Che Guevara when he was fighting the British (in India) – he had this solo renegade guerrilla thing going on and was known for stirring upwards the masses," she said, calculation that as time went by, his aureola as a spiritual leader grew, fifty-fifty while he was in jail.
"There are quotes where the British even compared him to Jesus Christ. At that place were miracles reported and when he died in Singapore. Years later, there were many visitors to his tomb – even non-Sikh visitors like Malays and Chinese," said Kaur-Nagpal, calculation that the British had given him special privileges when he was nevertheless alive, from extra food to assuasive him to send messages home or receive books.
SIKHS IN THE Metropolis
Despite being a Sikh herself, Kaur-Nagpal admitted she had not heard of Singh before, and doing the documentary was an eye-opener.
"When I came to the story, I didn't know much about my ain culture and I had to learn most the Sikh empire. I learned much nigh colonialism and the Indian diaspora because of this ane person."
To necktie the dissimilar story threads together for The Saint Soldier, she and her crew travelled last year to the UK, where people had written about him, as well as the hamlet in the Punjab state where he was built-in.
"In the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland and India, they didn't know certain parts (of the story in Singapore). So in a way, nosotros are finally able to requite a Singaporean perspective – we now have a take chances to tell the story from our side," she said.
It'southward not the first fourth dimension Kaur-Nagpal has done a film on Sikh perspectives in Singapore. Two years ago, she released Singh In The Lion City, a curt documentary about a mod 24-hour interval Singaporean Sikh discovering his cultural identity.
For her, the two films are connected and the story of Bhai Maharaj Singh takes it to the next level.
"We don't have a lot of mainstream coverage of Sikhs in Singapore simply we're such a big role of the Singapore Story – there were Sikhs in all aspects of the forces, especially the constabulary. They became well known as jagas and and then later got to other trades like being milkmen and coin lenders, before they started flourishing further. We take contributed a lot in that respect," she said.
"If doing Singh In The Lion Urban center was about beingness a Singaporean Sikh, doing The Saint Soldier and going to India and London, I felt like a Singaporean Sikh who was continued to a bigger, global story."
Uncovering The Story Of Singapore'southward First Sikh – The Saint Soldier will be held on Sep 8 at the Fort Canning Black Box. For details, visit https://www.eventbrite.ca .
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/sikh-singapore-history-256786
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