Our Beloved Colonel Bhai Nirmal Singh Jee has gone back to his Father‏

Gurmukh Janam Savaar Dharageh Chaliaa
Spending this life fruitfully Gurmukh goes to the other world

Sachee Dharageh Jaae Sachaa Pirr Maliaa
There in the True court (of lord) he gets his True place

I'm writing to let you know that Bhai Nirmal Singh Jee, lovingly known as The Colonel passed away at Amritvelaa UK time today 13 March 2009 having bravely accepted the hukam to terminal cancer. He has left for Akaal Purakh Jee's Charan Kamal.

He left this world peacefully with close family and friends surrounding him with Naam, Bani and Pyaar.

As per Akal Purakh's hukum and a Gursikhs daily prayer of:

ਸੰਬਤਿ ਸਾਹਾ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਮਿਲਿ ਕਰਿ ਪਾਵਹੁ ਤੇਲੁ ॥
sambat saahaa likhi-aa mil kar paavhu tayl.
The day of my wedding is pre-ordained. Come, gather together and pour the oil over the threshold.

ਦੇਹੁ ਸਜਣ ਅਸੀਸੜੀਆ ਜਿਉ ਹੋਵੈ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਸਿਉ ਮੇਲੁ ॥੩॥
dayh sajan aseesrhee-aa ji-o hovai saahib si-o mayl. ((3))
My friends, give me your blessings, that I may merge with my Lord and Master.((3))

Gursikhs; not only accept Guroo Sahib's Will but accept it as sweet. The hukamnama from Sri Harmandar Sahib is today wonderful as always, but in the past few weeks; Guroo Sahib has been so very Beant that we have been able to get so much strength in these challenging times.

I'm not a good writer but what I can honestly say is that he was an amazing friend and wonderful brother. He was instrumental in starting up parchaar in colleges and universities in the UK, he served as an inspiration for the activities undertaken by BOSS and the Sikhi Camp. He was an avid collector of shasters, a huge fan of that outdoor survival gear as well as a talented photographer.

Above all he was a Singh that had a determined passion for Sikhi and Sevaa that I can tell you has kept me strong to this day and will continue to keep me strong in my journey too.

He will be so sorely missed by all that have been left behind: his family, his wife Mandeep Kaur, his children: Akaljot Singh, Asess Kaur and Anand Singh as well as his dear friends. He will forever be in our hearts and his passion and love for Sikhee is what will carry us through this difficult time. I can see him right now standing over with his arms crossed looking at us with his intense eyes, his arms folded, slowly unfolding, showing his pointy finger asking "What are you doing for Sikhee?...."

We will miss you soooo soooo soooo much much but we also know that you will also live in our hearts and continue to be a strong source of inspiration for us.

Thank you Guroo Sahib for blessing me with such a soul in my lifetime.

Shabad by Bhatt (Baba) Sundar in Raag Raamkalee on Pannaa 923; Raamakalee Sadhu is a beautiful Shabad to read..... http://www.sikhitothemax.com/page.asp?ShabadID=3376

This is an email that went sent out on the day that Bhai Nirmal Singh left this world by a very close friend of Bhai Sahib.

Talk by Bhai Nirmal Singh - BOSS Camp 2008

Bhai Nirmal Singh was a true Gem

Bhai Nirmal Singh was a genuine pillar of support for his Kaum, and a rare gem who dedicated part of his life to ensure the Panth flourished and maintained its preservation of ‘Tat Sikh principles’ to educate not only the Sikh community, but also the Western people at large. As such you would often find Bhai Sahib at almost every candle lit vigil, march, political campaign, etc all across the country. I recall meeting Bhai Sahib when I first took Amrit 12 years ago and throughout this time never saw his level of Seva diminish. I and many naujwan grew up listening to the talks and lectures delivered by this Gurmukh piara and as a result Bhai Sahib earnt our fondest respect and reverence for the way he strived to carry out Sikhi Parchar up and down the country’s universities, colleges, forums, camps, etc.

He also established groundbreaking links with key western dignitaries; in fact the links which we as naujwan today have with the British army are largely down to the efforts made by Bhai Sahib. He also arduously encouraged partnership working within the Sikh community and very often was the spear head that worked with the most staunchest of ‘Sikh politicians’ to form alliances, all in the name of Parchar. A key trait of Bhai Sahib was his forthright approach, where he would passionately speak out on topics others would ‘tread on as egg shells’ around, in doing so he bridged many gaps between Sikh generations, earning the respect and rapport from both sides, as well as cross-cutting jathabandis to organize camps, programs and events across the country. Through his lectures (which have been documented for you and I’m sure many naujwan to come) he inspired future generations of Sikhs to take Amrit, concurrently shaped a new breed of Sikh Parchariks who now like Bhai Sahib continue to spread Satguru Nanak Dev Ji’s Dharm across the West under the same Parcharik ambition and zeal found in this Gurmukh. That said, he also had a meek and extremely humble side to him and I never once heard him praising or even acknowledging his years of seva. One day I remember seeing Bhai Sahibs Dharma (beard) in full parkash and being truly awe-inspired so I commented how moving it was to see such a flowing Dharma, to which he humbly commented that it was indeed a beautiful thing, however it was wasted on a moorakh like him as he was not deserving of such a gift from Guru Sahib.

As I’m sure you, his children are aware, he was also a keen collector of Shaster and had a number of ‘purathan’ pieces in his collection. He would encourage Singhs to have better Shaster in their possession than the mass produced ‘Kirpans’ that were now coming out of India, indeed he very much pioneered the first ‘new-generation Kirpans’ made from the latest alloys and metals using new techniques. I recall when I first did darshan of such a Kirpan and asked him although it looked impressive what actually set it apart, to which he replied the maker of this Kirpan (which was only 8 inches or so in length) pierced this through a Mercedes Benz car in front of me to demonstrate its toughness and when I held it close and inspected it there wasn’t even a single scratch!), as a result the resurgence in the purchase, research and interest of both ‘purathan’ and ‘new age Kirpans’ has largely been pioneered to the thanks of a few, of which Nirmal Singh is one.

You may or may not know that your father was also a very environmentally friendly man (probably the first Singh I know who was actively dedicated to this cause), who changed my and I'm sure many others outlook and views about bio-friendly alternatives and in deed the eco-friendly steps we as Sikhs should be taking to set a precedence in society (I recall he was once even disturbed about the amount of cardboard I was about to discard in my office and how I was so moved when he took these boxes of card away with him to a recycling point…he was also the person that first got me using bio-diesel in my car!)

Words cannot express the respect, admiration and reverence your father established with so so many, especially during the autumn years of his life where despite all odds he remained steadfast in his mission to carry out his seva in his critical conditional. Whilst I could write pages about Bhai Sahibs achievements, merits, and prem for Sikhi, I fear it would always fall short of describing this Gurmukh Piaras contribution to his beloved Dharm. But to you, his children, the fact that his jeevan and his charai (ascent) will have continued to inspire so many thousands of Gursikhs is enough proof that his memory will have now been forged into the pages of Sikh history.

By Manjeet Singh

Bhai Nirmal Singh (1980's)

Farewell Message

If ever you should get this message then it means my soul has left this earthly existence. Thank you for all love, kindness, support, and friendship that you all gave me. Sorry I could not text you all individually, I am in too much pain. Don't cry over my departure but smile that we met in this life. I hope you did come by to see me and give me a hug and say GurFateh to me. Pray for my soul and do Ardaas. Be strong and positive. And if anybody cries, pull their ears.

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh.

Introduction

This Blogspot has been created to enable everyone to share experiences about how my dear Chacha Ji, Bhai Nirmal Singh, affected their lives. I have been overwhelmed by the number of tributes being made since he departed on various forums on the internet, by emails, text messages as well as in person. People have so many stories to share - and it’s through these that his legacy will continue. 

As you may well know Bhai Nirmal Singh Ji, was the youngest brother - leaving behind his elder brothers and sisters and his mother. He had been married for 12 years and thus also left behind his wife and three gorgeous children, aged 7, 5 and 2. 

It's for these kids that I would like everyone whose heart has been touched by Bhai Nirmal Singh, to share their experiences on this blogspot. 
  
With God’s grace, these shared experiences may help the children to see the side of their father that were yet to see; to appreciate the difference their father made to so many lives, so that they can understand the passion he had for Sikhi. Up until eight years ago I only knew the family side of my Chacha Ji– it wasn’t until I myself came into practising my religion that I started seeing this whole new side of him which had always been there. 

For these kids, he has been a fantastic father. Just as Akaaljot Singh (aged 7) said at the funeral, he used to take them 'everywhere'. However, Asees Kaur (aged 5) may find it difficult to recall her dad taking her and Akaaljot to kid’s camps, as well as the Sikhi Camps at which he gave lectures, and talked to many campers on a one to one basis. 

Akaaljot remembers how his dad used to drop them off and pick them up from school, how he bought them ice-creams, took them to town to introduce them to the 'outdoor' gear he loved so much! He was a complete 'hands on' dad – he even tried to maintain this when he was diagnosed with ‘Cholangicarcinoma', a rare form of cancer with extremely low survival rates.  The timing of this dreadful news coincided with the birth of their third child, little Anand Singh (who is now 2). 

The last two years have been a battle, but my Chacha Ji fought hard like a warrior. He always accepted Guru Sahib's Will which meant he ‘lived’ life as well as he could. 

He underwent life threatening surgery in Leeds after a second opinion, having been told that he had inoperable cancer by Birmingham based Doctors. He was up and about within six weeks of surgery- and back to being the proactive dad. However, as time progressed so did the disease. In February 2007, Chacha Ji, together with my dad and me, went to Harmandhir Sahib. At this time his pain was increasing at a steady pace, at times being unbearable and uncontrollable by regular pain sedatives. 

On return to England he had received Chemotherapy. The first round helped with the pain management - and again the warrior within him won. The disease spread further, for which he received radiotherapy. Again he fought hard and again won. The legion on his spine decreased. Unfortunately when the disease spread to his stomach lining, the chemotherapy offered was extremely harsh and did not help in the slightest. Eventually, in the early hours of March 13th, he left his earthly home for Akaal Purakh. 

I’m sure everyone would agree with me when I say that Bhai Nirmal Singh Ji made a profound impact on everyone he met. Not only a loving husband and father, but also a fantastic little brother, the youngest son, and the best uncle anyone one us nieces and nephews could wish for. 

If you would like to share your thoughts or experiences on how Bhai Nirmal Singh Ji touched your life please write to: InMemoryOfBNS@hotmail.co.uk  

Also, please let us know if you wish your submission to remain anonymous. 

Akaaljot, Asees & Anand - this blogspots for you. Enjoy reading about your dad and his adventures! 

Lots of love, 
from Amerdip, your ‘big bhenji’ xx. 

Bhai Nirmal Singh with his family