Message

Summary

VR Nathan and I knew each other since the early 1990s. We had many ideas in common and got along like old friends right from the beginning. Together with then president of Jamiyah Singapore, Abu Bakar Maidin, we were as close as brothers since the days when VR Nathan was still the Chairman of the Hindu Endowments Board. The three of us often had meals and tea together, and we chatted about everything under the sun, whether it was about how to promote inter-racial and inter-religious harmony, what kind of activities we should organize or simply sharing our worries with each other. We also spoke our minds with each other. This sense of trust and camaraderie enabled us to work well together and achieve many successes in our collaborations.

As the leaders of three different religious groups, we led our organizations to cooperate. Through friendly discussions and close coordination, we accomplished a great deal in terms of promoting inter-racial and interreligious harmony and working for the interests of the common folk. When the Singapore Buddhist Lodge distributed annual bursaries and red packets for the less privileged, VR Nathan and Abu Bakar would be invited to take up joint chairmanship and give them out together.

Our friendship was a deep one. We never forgot to invite each other over for festive celebrations. During Hari Raya, we would all go celebrate at Jamiyah. Every Deepavali, VR Nathan invited us to his house without fail.

VR Nathan was a forthright and approachable man. He was sensible in his dealings and a devout Hindu. I know everyone in his family. He valued traditions greatly and once took his daughter to his hometown in India to seek a suitable spouse. He even sought my opinion when he was thinking about buying a piece of land in Newton to build a house for himself and his three daughters. In 1999, when members of the Inter-Religious Organization went on a fourteen-day trip to China, VR Nathan brought his family along. I remember us cruising along the river in a boat, having heart-to-heart talks and sharing many happy moments together.

Now he has left us. I feel a deep sorrow in my heart at the loss of a true friend. Brother Nathan, you are sorely missed and you will always be in my memory.