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Sikhs to begin goodwill walk from Singapore to Malacca on Saturday
KUALA LUMPUR, May 13:
United Sikhs Malaysia, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) from the local Sikh community, plans to undertake a 300km goodwill walk from Singapore to Malacca beginning Saturday until May 24.
Rishi Singh Randhawa, a radio deejay better known as “The Flying Singh”, will lead the walk starting at 5am from the Silat Road Gurdwara Sahib in Singapore.
The goodwill walk also aims to raise awareness and funds for the Gurpuri Foundation.
Gurpuri, which means “Place of the Guru”, intends to build a Sikh temple, a school and a home for orphans, widows, single mothers, handicapped children and the elderly on a seven-hectare site in Bentong, Pahang.
“We hope to raise a minimum of RM100 per km and we will walk for an estimated 10 hours a day for eight days,” Rishi said.
There will be stops along the way, including gurdwaras (Sikh temples) in Johor Bharu, Batu Pahat and Muar.
Rishi said the walkers hoped to reach Malacca Gurdwara Sahib at 6pm on May 24 to coincide with the annual celebration of the late Sant Sohan Singh Ji, a renowned local humanitarian and community leader who had helped many Sikhs and non-Sikhs during his lifetime.
Every year, thousands of Sikhs from across Malaysia gather in Malacca to honour Sant Sohan Singh Ji and the event also attracts Sikhs from Singapore, Thailand, Australia and Hong Kong.
The goodwill walk organisers have also invited well-known Sikh kirtan or hymn singer Dya Singh, who is based in Melbourne, for the walk.
“I am in for the goodwill walk and I am bringing along Vikram Singh Ji for this good cause,” said Dya, whose last long distance walk was in 2011 from Kuala Lumpur to Malacca.
Vikram, the former Vic Briggs of the 1960s pop group The Animals, took on his present name after he discovered Sikhism.
Rishi said this year’s walk would also be dedicated to the passengers of MH370 and he had invited Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Idris Haron to be at the finishing line.
There will also be special prayers at the Melaka Gurdwara Sahib for MH370 passengers on that day.
Rishi said United Sikhs Malaysia had in the past raised funds for the victims of the tsunami in Acheh and an earthquake in Pakistan.
“This year we also hope to raise funds for children in Syria affected by the ongoing political turmoil in their country,” he added.
