By V. Sivaji
The hockey fraternity was shocked to learn this morning about the passing of veteran hockey official and international umpire, Amarjit Singh.
He was not only known in the local hockey circles but also on the international stage.
The loss is greatly felt by the family, relatives and close friends.
More recently, he was the secretary of the Perak Hockey Association (PHA) which was instrumental in organising the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2022.
But the icing on the cake was that Malaysia managed to lift the elusive cup for the very first time after 39 years.
The writer was involved in the tournament on the invitation of the late Amarjit.
He was always down to earth and handled every situation during the tournament with a cool head. Never did he lose his temper despite many unforeseen issues and circumstances.
I recall Amarjit calling me in September 2022 (thanks to another friend K T Pillay) to meet up in Ipoh to discuss matters relating to the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and media duties and the official hand book.
The following week, we met at the Vegas coffee shop in Canning Garden to discuss matters on hand and also to catch up on lost time.
I also introduced Mr Sharu to handle matters relating to IT for the tournament and upkeep of the PHA online uploads.
During the tournament Amarjit also met up with his long friend Ahmed Khan who had come down from Hong Kong to follow the SAS tournament.
For the record, I had even known Amarjit’s younger brother the late Kuldeep Singh during his Star Publication days in Ipoh.
Amarjit Singh’s contribution to the hockey fraternity will not be forgotten. He will surely be missed dearly.
Rest in peace my dear friend.
The wake service will be tomorrow at 8pm in their house at No 76, Jalan Raja Kam, Canning Garden. And the funeral service will be at 10am on Saturday in their house followed by the crematorium at 12 pm in Buntong.
