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KUALA LUMPUR: Dr. Harjit Singh, the towering member of the Malaysian Olympic Council (OCM) hall of fame who revolutionized cricket in Johor, died of heart complications. He was 70 years old.
He took his last breath at 11:45 pm yesterday at the National Heart Institute, where he had undergone treatment for the past three weeks.
His wife of 38 years, Kaldip Kaur, said he had not spoken to Harjit in the past two weeks because he was heavily sedated.
He said it was unfortunate that his sons, Dr. Rajinder Singh and Gurdip Singh, both in Australia, were unable to pay their last respects due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
“Everybody loved my husband. He was a helpful man who never turned anyone away who sought his help, ”Kaldip said.
Condolences reached Harjit, including a tweet from Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, whose family knew him well since he was a GP during the late Sultan Iskandar’s reign.
Ravi Nambiar, the press officer for the Sultan of Johor, said Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar took a personal interest in Harjit’s condition after his hospitalization.
He said Harjit met with him a month ago to inform him that he was going to have a pacemaker inserted into his heart, adding: “He was crying as he spoke and asked me to pray for him.”
One of the most celebrated figures in his sport, Harjit was an inspiration to many and dedicated his life to developing young people on and off the cricket field.
He was revered as a pastor of the sport, dedicated to discovering new talents and nurturing young cricketers.
As president of the Johor Cricket Council from 1986 until his passing, Harjit was the president of a sports association with the longest service in the country.
As president of the Johor Sikh Sports Club, he dedicated himself to the well-being of his community, often joining forces with the Sikh Sports Association of the Royal Malaysian Police, Johor Branch, to raise funds for the development of football, hockey and sports. cricket in the state.
The ever-spirited Harjit was inducted into the OCM Hall of Fame in 2017 in recognition of his services to the nation as a cricket player and manager.
Close friends described Harjit as a “jewel and kind man” who pulsed with explosive energy and embraced the virtues of a great athlete and leader.
They said Harjit embodied grassroots development and that his accomplishments illustrated how visionary he was in creating opportunities for the growth of cricket.
Former sports journalist Randhir Singh said: “Harjit was a rare breed of practical sports leaders who dedicated his life to cricket and other sports.
“He was passionate about sports and an athlete at heart.”
Randhir recounted an incident when Harjit went to the former Johor’s home to kiss Ghani Othman at 7am to seek help for cricket in the state.
He said: “Ghani told me that Harjit was crying when he applied for financial help to build a cricket academy.
“Ghani had faith in him to boost the popularity of the sport, and then he allocated land for what became the first cricket academy in Southeast Asia.”
An exciting chapter was added to the extraordinary story of Harjit’s career in 1998 when the 5.6ha academy at Taman Mutiara Rini became a reality.
The academy facilities allowed the state to host the International Cricket Council U19 World Cup in 2008.
After being inducted into the Hall of Fame, he told this writer: “By creating opportunities, you develop the sharpness of the players, broaden the base, and ultimately improve the standards.”
He then regretted that the lack of sports facilities and the neglect of school sports today were the nightmare of Malaysian sports.
Seeing schools as the heart of sports, Harjit pioneered the Kancil “Catch ’em Young” program in 1987.
The goal was to popularize cricket in the state’s elementary and secondary schools, ensure that teachers were properly trained in the sport, and raise its level in the country.
A cricket revolution was born and Harjit soon established his reputation as a revolutionary.
The plan started with 17 schools in Johor Bahru, but has now expanded to about 200 schools in 11 districts.
Schools in rural Johor, including Felda’s plans, tried cricket.
Randhir, who accompanied Harjit during cricket carnivals in rural areas, said: “Families loved him and young children had fun batting and netting.”
The development program helped produce many of the best cricketers for Johor and Malaysia, while the state youths were the best team in the country.
Harjit, vice president of the Malaysian Cricket Association from 1990 to 2003 and president of development, later went national with the program.
That cricket is not considered an elite sport did not stop Harjit from moving forward with the help of sponsors.
He was a master fundraiser and a personal experience with him in 2016 showed the respect people had for him.
He accepted a suggestion to raise money to send the father of national high jumper Nauraj Singh Randhawa to the Rio Olympics to see his son in action.
Harjit made a few calls and in less than an hour, he raised RM5,000 and within days the donations skyrocketed, and Nauraj’s father Amarjit achieved his dream of being at the Maracana Stadium.
His love for cricket stems from his father Meva Singh, a former cricketer for Selangor and Kilat Club.
Harjit, an alumnus of English College Johor Bahru, learned to score at the age of five, won his personal bat at six, and came under the watchful eye of legend Mike Shepherdson on Kilat networks in Pantai.
He was a star player in his teens, representing the state in 1966 and continuing to play until the late 1990s.
When he returned home in 1980 after studying medicine in India, Harjit was a national player until a knee injury ended his days of competitive play.
Since then, he has perfected, toned and polished cricket to a first-rate shine.
