Many Kenyan Sikhs recall the contributions of their fathers and forefathers in building various infrastructure development projects, including rail lines, in difficult and threatening terrains of hostile territories.
By Prabhjot Singh
“We are double lucky. Born and brought up in Kenya, God’s own territory, we are proud of our rich Sikh and Indian heritage,” say members of a group of Kenyans of Punjabi origin. The natives adoringly call them Simbas (lions) while some others think they are part of the ‘Kalasinghas’ tribe.
If they enjoy a special place in the hearts of the natives, there is a reason for it. They have been in Kenya for more than 125 years. A group of early arrivers, after landing on African soil, joined the natives in their struggle for freedom. Some of the noteworthy names include former Namdhari sect chief, Satguru Jagjit Singh, and Shaheed Udham Singh, who had brief stays in Kenya. Several others, including Makhan Singh, who remained the longest political prisoner in the history of Kenya, dedicated their lives to the natives.
They all have been leaders in their own spheres – business, trade, industry, medicine, politics and freedom struggle, academics, entertainment, and sports. I had a chance to meet and interact with some of them at a social gathering at Karen, a suburb of Nairobi, during my recent maiden visit to Kenya.
My visit was mired in several hiccups. From discrepancies in e-Visa – you need a visa to go to Kenya – the suspense continued until our flight from New Delhi to Jomo Kenyatta (JK) Airport in Nairobi could take off. A tyre burst of a cargo flight led to the temporary closure of Nairobi airport for six hours that afternoon. Instead of taking off at 1.50 pm, our flight was airborne only around 8 pm and it landed in Nairobi shortly after midnight.
Uncertainty adds to the thrill and adventure of journeys to countries like Kenya, known for their “safaris”. So was our journey. The terminal building at Jomo Kenyatta airport was not what you expected of a country whose economy depends greatly on its tourism traffic. It was a long queue and clearance of foreigners at passport control was slower than expected.
After the e-Visa muddle and delayed flight, the real adventure started when we landed in God’s own heaven. What a beautiful and picturesque country blessed with fantastic weather round the year! And, Kenyans are amiable, friendly, and welcoming people. They still have, though diminishing by every day, a sizeable population of expatriates, especially Indians.
Intriguingly, sometimes they – Indians in Kenya – find themselves in a predicament – about their identity, their roots, and their future. Many of them have either Kenyan or British passports and a majority of them have been born in Kenya or England. But their instant identity, from their external appearance, is of north Indian as they are overwhelmingly Sikhs.
“To be honest, we are an international community which is proud of its Sikh cultural heritage and strong Indian roots,” avers one of them. And he has every reason to say so.
“We are Kenyans and owe everything that we have to our country. But at the same time, we are also proud of our universally-accepted identity as ‘Indians’,” says Gurdeep Singh Phlora, an affluent businessman who lives in Karen, a posh area of Nairobi, with his wife, two sons, and their families.
“We have family connections in India. We visit India once or twice a year and sometime once in two or three years, to retain our connectivity. But since we have been living here for more than a century, we have been celebrating all our social and family obligations, including weddings, as per our rituals and traditions.
“I was born in Nairobi. I had my schooling here. I am proud of my rich Indian and Sikh heritage. Kenya is such a beautiful country. It has nice weather, is one of the richest countries with flora and fauna and endless natural resources. We have fresh supplies of fruits, vegetables, seafood and even poultry,” adds Gurdeep Singh Phlora, now touching 70.
“We hold our religious and other festivals with tremendous fervour and gaiety. We have beautiful places of worship, including gurdwaras and temples, and, above all, complete freedom. We are equal partners in the progress of our nation whose population has swelled from 7 million in 1960 to 63 million in 2020,” adds Jasbir Singh Phlora, who now lives a retired life and divides his time between Kenya and the UK.
The tallest of them all is Avtar Singh Sohal, popular as “Tari” among the Indian community and Kenyans. Now at 85, he is still working six days a week to promote hockey at the grassroots level. He richly deserves his identity as a ‘global Sikh’. He has been to six Olympic Games, four times as a player, once as a coach, and the last time as a judge on the Technical Committee. Besides Kenya, he has been coaching various African teams and representing Africa in the International Hockey Federation (FIH). He is so passionate about hockey that he would not miss any FIH tournament anywhere in the world. to become synonymous with the game in which Kenya was a force to reckon with.
Deedar Singh Pardesi, who was complimented and blessed in person by famous playback singer Mohammed Rafi, has been another living legend, called ‘Mohammed Rafi of Africa’. He was felicitated at Batala at the anniversary celebrations of “Birha da Sultan” Shiv Batalvi.
Kenyans of Punjabi origin have scripted many success stories. They have made inroads into all spheres of life, making remarkable contributions to the progress of the nation of their abode. From 1896 when the British brought them to build the Mombasa-Nairobi African rail line, many of them either lost their lives or were maimed because of animal attacks, malaria, and illnesses.
Many Kenyan Sikhs recall with great passion the contribution of their fathers and forefathers in working on various infrastructure development projects, including rail lines, in difficult and threatening terrains of hostile territories.
Born in 1938 in Nairobi, Avtar Singh Sohal, alias Tari, was not the first one to don Kenyan colors in Olympic Games. In fact, he drew his inspiration from some of his seniors, who were pioneers among Sikhs in Kenyan hockey, cricket, motor racing, and other sports. Mahan Singh, for example, was one of the founders of the Kenyan Hockey Union (KHU).
Famous Kenyan safari king, Tiger Joginder Singh, conferred with the title of Flying Sikh, had been one of the most daring motor racers in African history.
And after Avtar’s arrival on the international hockey horizon, long queues of young talented Punjabis took Kenyan hockey to new heights. Twenty-six of Punjabi boys played for Kenya in the Olympic games between 1956 and 1976. Another 13 represented the African nation in the elite World. Cup. Incidentally, the first participation of Kenya in the Olympics as an independent nation came in 1964 (Tokyo).
No one can forget the immense contribution the Sikh Union Club has made in promoting sports in East Africa. Sikh Union Club initially started as Khalsa Club in the early 1920s, built its own Club House in 1932, and now stands out with the first private club to have an AstroTurf with floodlit lights besides an international-level cricket ground, a swimming pool, and a huge banquet hall besides facilities for snooker and billiards. It was Sikh Union Club that dedicated its Hockey Stadium to the 10th Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji, this April by organizing Vaisakhi Cup Hockey Tournament by inviting teams from UK and Malaysia while Punjab (India), Punjab (Pakistan) and Canada could not send their squads for logistic problems. Kenyan Police won the men’s trophy while the host Sikh Union Club, Nairobi, was successful in keeping the veteran’s trophy home.
Some of the pillars of the Club include Avtar Singh Sohal, Manjinder ‘Muna’ Singh Bansal, Harpal Singh Sehmi, Del Mudher, Manminder Singh Jhandu, Balwinder Singh Virdi, Gurdeep Singh Phlora, Swaran Singh and Nanak Singh Bansal. So are hundreds of others who all are playing their role in keeping ‘Punjabiyat’ alive on this territory of Gods. They all remain proud Kenyans with Sikhism at heart and Indianness as their identity.
There have been several Sikh Indians who were elected to various public offices. The most recent and first woman of Asian origin, Sunjeev ‘Sonia’ Kaur Birdi, was nominated as an MP in 2013 and currently serves in the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development. Her father, S S Birdi, is a mechanical engineer, engaged in water supply as a deep bore tubewell expert.
When Sikhs moved to Kenya in the late 19th century as a part of the British workforce, they carried with them their holy Guru Granth Sahib and quickly got permission to set up their places of worship, gurdwaras. One of the premier gurdwaras came up in a temporary structure made of tin sheets at Makindu, halfway between Nairobi and Mombasa, the route on which the famous rail line was built between 1896 and 1902.
Now, Makindu Sahib has become the “Sachkhand asthan” of Sikhs in Africa. It has not only a beautiful Darbar Hall, an ultra-modern kitchen, and a langar hall, but also a well-furnished 92 rooms for visitors, a museum, and a library. Equally old is Gurdwara Railways Landhis in Nairobi which was built in 1902 and has all the facilities, including a round-the-clock kitchen and langar hall, and a residential wing.
Sikhs in Kenya will soon get the status of a tribe, says Sunjeev ‘Sonia’ Kaur Birdi, maintaining that their contributions to building modern Kenya are all well recognized.
(The writer is a former Bureau Chief of The Tribune, and was recently on a visit to Kenya.)
