The late Harry Singh was blessed with the gift of the gab. He could easily convince you to buy a product, being a true salesman. And he had a knack for giving ceramah, to an extent that we could see the politician peeking out of his soul.

When we heard that he got a job at Malaysiakini in October last year, we were thrilled, since the company fits his profile so well. Although coming in as a business analyst, his passion for social justice would easily transition him into journalism.

But sadly, in the early hours of Jan 6, Harry, 27, died in a car crash along the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Expressway, while on his way back home to Seremban. He leaves behind two elder sisters, parents and a large group of cousins (that’s us) who love him dearly.

Working for Malaysiakini was a dream for him. He regaled us about the plans he had to boost subscriber numbers and spoke to members of the family with media links on the realities post Covid-19.

Harry’s passion and way of life are closely linked to his father, Sharenjit. Both father and son are like buddies and shared similar wavelengths on all things, including a similar fiery passion for politics.

The father and son duo are the biggest fans of their hometown MP, Anthony Loke Siew Fook.

Harry loved his mother Pritam very much and was her walking partner every other evening. And for a friend, he would go out of the way to help.

He was also a true-blue Malaysian, having friends from every stratum of society, to the extent of once having a Bornean girlfriend.

Harry was also proud of his achievements, previously working in small roles in companies but delivered big changes to the Malaysian Business Reporting System and the digital signing system for the judiciary a few years ago. He was very proud to have achieved all this in his early 20s.

'Four short but meaningful months'

Harry was also very close to his cousins and was there whenever we were in trouble. That same attitude resonated with his supervisor, Lynn D’Cruz, who is Malaysiakini’s chief membership officer.

Lynn told us that the sibling-like camaraderie was reflected on the team she ran in the four short but meaningful months Harry was with the company.

She said hours before Harry had passed, he had attended a team dinner and had previously worked from home due to the pandemic.

During the dinner, Lynn said, Harry did not eat anything before he left for that fateful journey, saying he wanted to have his mum’s yummy chicken rendang meal at home.

“He once told us about how he wants to make it big someday and buy a five-bedroom house so he could stay with his parents and future wife and kids,” she said.

Harry’s sisters Simran and Tashmir recall fondly growing up with him. As a kid, Harry had trouble pronouncing words with “r”, which he would this substitute with a “v”. He would pronounce his name as “heavy”, the sisters recalled.

“And when mum made roti (capati) at home, he would say voti. He would always say he wanted voti. In Punjabi, voti means wife,” they said.

All jokes aside, we will miss you dearly, Harry. 

And as per Sikh tradition, death is not a time for mourning, but a time for gathering, remembering and celebrating. It teaches us that life is to be lived with everlasting optimism, which we know you embody, true and true.

We will deeply miss you, Harry, for you had a heart of gold and were a jolly good fellow. Sat Sri Akaal and see you on the other side, brother.

This obituary was written for Malaysiakini by the cousins of Harry Singh. Harry was one of the new recruits in the Malaysiakini membership team. He passed away in a car accident on Tuesday night.