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People

A Good Man

by T. SHER SINGH

 



I need to get something off my chest.

I've been carrying it for for 14 years now ... not as a burden, but as a promise I gave him to keep it a secret.

But I think it's time to talk about it ... and I hope he will not mind.

It was in 1996, if I remember correctly.

I had asked a whole motley of young lawyers - all Sikh - from the greater Toronto area to join me for dinner here in this sleepy town of Guelph (Ontario, Canada) one summer evening.

‘Young' not in age, but young in the number of years they had been practicing law, at least in Canada.

Back in 1985, when I was called to the Bar, I was alarmed to find that I was the first and only Sikh - certainly, the first turbaned Sikh - lawyer in the country. Our kids were then mostly drawn to medicine, engineering or business.

Mercifully, that had begun to change as the millennium approached its ‘000' crossroads, and more and more had started to join law schools. As well, law societies - lawyers' governing bodies, really - had begun to allow lawyers from India to practice here after a period of retraining in Canada.

So, I wasn't surprised that over a dozen of my colleagues turned up that evening, albeit in response to a cryptic message that I had something important to discuss with them.

I did.

I had discovered only a few months earlier, while researching an article I was penning on the history of Sikh-Canadians, that 1897 was the actual year the first group of Sikhs had travelled across Canada - at the invitation of the Canadian government - and a few of those may have been the very first ones to settle down here and make this land their home!

The icing on the cake was that I had also unearthed a name of an actual person from that group - and a portrait of him as well.

It didn't take me long to figure out that the oncoming year - 1997 - could then be the centennial year of the first Sikh settlement in Canada!

The dozen or so of us first gathered at my place for tea, and then sauntered over a couple of blocks to the Diana Restaurant for dinner.

The restaurant owners, East African Ismailis of Indian descent, graciously gave us privacy in a large room attached to their eatery.

I told the gaggle of lawyers that curiously stared back at me, of the discovery I had made; reminded them of the times in history lawyers had led their communities forward; congratulated them on their privileged status as lawyers in this society; and urged them to use it and the tools they had available to them to help pull up the Canadian community which was still reeling from fallout from 1984 and India's shenanigans around the 1985 Air India tragedy.      

A rich and meaningful discussion ensued over dinner. There was interest and enthusiasm, and yet some healthy hesitation and self-doubt.

I reminded them of the work that had been done in recent years by two Canadian organizations - The Macauliffe Institute of Sikh Studies and The Sikh Foundation (Canada) - and floated the idea of consolidating it under a new name and carry on the task of rebuilding self-esteem in the community.

And 1997 begged to be celebrated in a big way! At the same time, if done with class and aplomb, it could launch a new era of hyper-activity and, who knows, even rejuvenate us all.

We talked and talked - as lawyers are wont to do - and tabled the whole matter "to be thought over" during the next few days and weeks.

I wasn't happy. I had hoped we would have come up with something concrete that night, and all I appeared to have done was provide a fun social evening.

It was late, around ten, when we straggled back towards my apartment.

Mid-way, a hand grabbed my wrist and held me back from the crowd.

It was Manjit, a fellow I had heard of from time to time, but met only that day. A tall, handsome Sardar, quiet, serious and thoughtful, who hadn't said much that evening.

I must confess that I wasn't much of a fan of law grads from India, and had privately dismissed him and his role - along with a few others - as potential non-participants.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" he whispered, and quickly added, "Alone!" He nodded towards the others, indicating that we should lag behind.

The two of us stayed about fifty feet behind everyone else, as we continued to make our way back in the shadows of the downtown streets.

Manjit spoke up: "I like what you said in there. Let's go for it! Let's do it!"

I told him I appreciated his comments and support ... that it meant a lot.

"No," he said, "I mean business. We'll hum' and ha' till doomsday, and nothing will happen. Let's just do it."

I walked quietly along with him at a slow pace, not knowing what to make of all of this, other than that I did catch the glow of encouragement.

"Here, wait!" he said, as he stopped under a street light, as the rest of the crowd disappeared around the corner on Carden Street.

He pulled out something from his pocket. And a pen. It was a cheque book. He scribbled something. Tore off a cheque, grabbed my hand, and crumpled it in it.

"Here's $1500. It's blank, so fill in the name you want to give the new organization. If you want more, just call me ... this is only a start .... And I'll courier you more. But I want you to start ... tomorrow! Whatever you want to do, but let's begin tomorrow!"

And he walked away, leaving me standing there, stunned, under the street light.

Then he stopped and retraced his steps. "But one condition!"

I looked up at him ... he's taller than me!

"No one should know about this. I don't need a receipt. I don't need my name to appear anywhere. Anywhere! This must remain quiet. You promise?"

I nodded, still speechless.

Well, the next day The Centennial Foundation of Canada was born, and inherited the legacy of the two existing groups as a continuum, with the immediate goal of celebrating 1997 with a bang, and then taking on an annual event ... and more, much more!

More than a dozen years have gone by. Tonight, Centennial celebrates its umpteenth Vaisakhi Gala in downtown Toronto. Building on the 25 years of history and legacy it has inherited and nurtured, it is the biggest Sikh, Indian or South Asian event of any given year here in Canada.

Yet, no one knows of Manjit's role to day.

Why am I talking about it now - even though, through the years, I've asked him if I can recognize him and honour him for making it all happen?

True, it's that initial seed, that push, that kick, that boost that indeed made it happen.

I know from experience that that is how institutions are born, not with a whimper ... but with a bang (if I may be forgiven for warping T.S. Eliot!)

But, ‘No‘, he said, never, every time I approached him. He has never sought - or accepted - acknowledgement, never sought recognition, never sought a plaque or trophy, never sought acclaim, never sought honour.

But why today, why this break of a promise today?

The man I talk about is Sardar Manjit Singh Mangat, Esq.

He was in the news recently.

He is the innocent man stabbed several times with a knife by a bunch of hooligans in Brampton, a collection of thugs who know nothing of Sikhi or freedom or Canada or human decency.

Manjit is fine now, still recuperating from his wounds.

A gentle soul, this man.

I have had no other dealings with him ever ... other than I run into him from time to time in the gurdwara or somewhere. We exchange greetings and small talk.

Though I know nothing more about him, I can tell you with all the strength and conviction I can muster ... He is a good man.

And I don't use the word ‘good' lightly.

Like ‘nice', ‘good' is often used innocuously and frivolously to the point of being meaningless.

Not in his case.

He is a good man in the highest sense of the word.

I know what was going through my head that night. And I know that nothing would have happened thereafter, but for this man. The Centennial Foundation owes its existence to his Sikhi.

Wish we had more good men like Manjit Singh Mangat.



April 17, 2010
    

 

Conversation about this article

1: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), April 17, 2010, 9:31 AM.

What more can we add to the intimate pen portrait of a good man, who gave away without seeking any reward and with utter humility. To describe such a man, I remember Bhai Sahib Vir Singh ji's famous poem, "Binafsha da Phul' ('The Violet Flower') where the poet seeks the tender compassion of the world to let him alone: "I lie low in their highways, and make no moans,/ I seek to live in solitude,/ And wither and cease/ But the eyes of the scent-crushers seek me,/ And break my peace." Thank you for sharing a blessed life. 'Kaho Nanak sabh tayree vadi-aa-ee ko-ee naa-o na jaanai mayraa' [GGS:383.12] - "Says Nanak, this is all Your greatness, no one even knows my name."

2: G.C. Singh (U.S.A.), April 17, 2010, 11:20 AM.

About four years ago, some one I know and who was a recent immigrant to Toronto innocently got into trouble because of Nigerian 419 scam. On his family's request, I flew to Canada and tried to find some legal help. While searching the web and local papers, I came across Manjit Singh Mangat who was extremely reasonable and gave the right legal advice. He got the case dismissed with a court-imposed condition of $500 donation to the local gurdwara. During this short period of time that I met him and later in telephonic conversations, I found him to be not only a good professional but also one of the most decent human beings with almost a missionary zeal to help others in need. The world will be a much better place to live with more men like Sardar Manjit Singh Mangat. I wish him all the best and a speedy recovery.

3: N. Singh (Canada), April 17, 2010, 12:07 PM.

Thank you for sharing this story! May Waheguru bless Sardar Manjit Singh! These are the sort of people we need to celebrate and acknowledge ... people who have helped the Sikhs move forward and encourage Sikhi to grow and prosper. I hope Sardar Manjit Singh gets better soon ... and thank you also for the work you have done ... it is much appreciated by us all!

4: Gurinder Singh (Amritsar, Punjab), April 18, 2010, 12:43 AM.

Violence is wrong and unacceptable.

5: Kanwal Nain Singh (Lindsay, Ontario, Canada), April 18, 2010, 8:13 AM.

Thank you, T.Sher Singh, for sharing Sardar Mangat Singh with the Sikh public. It is a great commendation of a GOOD man. I wish you had added his photograph with your report for wider recognition. [Editor: The image on the top-right of the article page is of S. Manjit Singh.]

6: Sohan Singh Marwaha (Windsor, Ontario, Canada), April 18, 2010, 8:49 AM.

I would like to add a little more to what T.Sher Singh ji has said about S. Manjit Singh Mangat. I came in contact with him while he was a law student at the University of Windsor. Only after a few conversations with him, I felt like I knew him for ages and always had a longing to enjoy his company and see the ever smiling face. I got more attracted to this great gentleman when I found out that he is from the family of a great Sikh scholar (well known all over the world among Sikhs) who is my only source of inspiration for my love towards Sikhi. To this day, I can knock on his door any time I am in Toronto and I instantly get a warm greeting with smiles. Re the mob that attacked him: it's a shame that people (who look like Sikhs but know nothing about what the real message of Guru Sahib is) are trying to portray themselves as true followers of the Sikhi and are giving us a bad name in this great country called Canada.

7: N. Singh (Frankfurt, Germany), April 18, 2010, 11:49 AM.

I admire Sardar Manjit Singh's dedication and love for Sikhi. May Akal Purakh bless him early recovery and wisdom to continue to promote our culture.

8: Kulvinder Singh (New Delhi, India), April 18, 2010, 12:08 PM.

I do not know S. Manjit Singh ji personally but I am shocked to read the newspaper report in which he said that those who baptized me did this to me. This is a real shame on them who just have a 'baana' but do not seem to have any knowledge of 'bani' at all since the Guru teaches us love and only love and these persons are distributing simple hatred and that also because S. Manjit Singh holds somewhat different views in some matter. The Guru teaches us. 'Na ko bairi nahi bigaana sagal sung hum ko baan aayi' - (No one is my enemy nor is any one a stranger to me. Rather, I am friend of all). May Akal Purakh bless these misguided Sikhs with some sense! This is my humble prayer to Him!

9: Himadri Banerjee (Kolkata, India ), April 18, 2010, 9:22 PM.

The above touches the heart of a Bengali, staying thousands of miles away from Canada. Sufferings of such people make our life meaningful and their pain and bleeding carries the message of what is life. It is through his sufferings, he carries the cross for us. Let his suffering remind us the message of Guru Nanak he had communicated to the good people residing there. They are there from Hasan Abdal/ Panja Sahib to Canada and still ready to carry the life message to Kolkata. There lies the message of Sikhism.

10: Jaggi Singh (Canada), April 18, 2010, 10:33 PM.

Your merry band of lawyers has done a super job. More power to the current leadership. Wishing Manjit a very speedy recovery. And, many thanks to Manjit and the Centennial.

11: Gurmeet Kaur (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.), April 19, 2010, 10:04 AM.

Very touching story indeed! Why are we doing this to ourselves? Today, again, a few million people are reading about the gurdwara brawl in Brampton. New York, Chicago, LA, Atlanta, Vancouver ... not a place I can think of is left where gurdwara politics has not lead to brawls, police interventions and court cases. Simply undoes the PR work that concerned Sikhs dedicate their lives to, to show Sikhi in its true light. When will we get this?

12: Nirmal Singh Nilvi (Texas, U.S.A.), April 19, 2010, 4:21 PM.

Let me commend T. Sher Singh ji for presenting the tragic episode and the story in an utmost humanistic way. For most of, it is time to pray and reckon. Pray for Manjit ji's recovery and well being. Pray for giving Sikhs 'munn neevaan te matt uchhi', Reckoning, because we have failed to inculcate these two faculties to the extent that they help us avoid the occurrence of such tragic episodes. Reckoning, it is the bani which helps us become compassionate and respectful of human life. Reckoning, that Guru Granth ought to be the focal point of Sikh practice because it is the fountain of knowledge for Sikhs to become more caring and compassionate human beings. And reckoning, to awaken to the 21st needs of Sikhi that promote its core tenets for many Sikhs and non Sikhs to benefit from.

13: Jaswinder Singh (Iselin, New Jersey, U.S.A.), April 19, 2010, 5:09 PM.

A truly inspirational story telling us to do good, always. It is said that "Actions speak louder than words", so what Manjit Singh ji did was proved his Sikhi (learning) through his simple yet profound actions. Let's not judge people on what they say because for us to understand the meaning of what a person said, we have to learn the history (his history or Life). Words are normally taken out of context and more so if we just rely on a column/ news article or word of mouth. Let the deeds speak for themselves and Manjit Singh did the right deeds, so he is a True Sikh in the best of ways. May Waheguru bless him with great health!

14: Jodh Singh (Jericho, New York, U.S.A.), April 19, 2010, 6:46 PM.

T. Sher Singh depicted a touching incident showing the goodness of a Sikh. I think Manjit did a wonderful job and showed tolerance. May God give him long, healthy life and enthusiasm to serve the Sikh cause.

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