For him, humanity was everything

When word came in a few days ago that our volunteer leader Inderjeet Singh had passed away in a road accident, life paused for all of us at Khalsa Aid. The team hastily reached the hospital, but he was gone. On April 20, he was on his way to Bathinda from Faridkot, after distributing PPE kits among medical workers and the police.

Dressed in our Khalsa Aid T-shirt and red turban, Inderjeet was packing the kits and loading them in the vehicle. As usual, his zeal was high and he was discussing plans for the distribution for the day with the team. He provided excellent advice on how to pursue our mission. He was witty, entertaining, and insightful, and had carried out various relief missions as a volunteer. But what is most remembered is how he helped stranded Kashmiri students following the Pulwama attack. His death was mourned by the student fraternity across Kashmir. Some wrote on Twitter calling him a diamond, others said they had lost a brother.

Inderjeet had been working with the Khalsa Aid, Patiala, for the past six months. His energy was contagious. He went on back-to-back missions, from Assam to Kerala, Odisha, Maharashtra, Punjab, Indore and Delhi, during the recent riots. He made friends everywhere he went, and across all age-groups. Despite language barriers, he would crack jokes with the host community with ease. Wherever he went, he made a new family. A family that he protected and cared for.

His determination to work for humanity was unparalleled. He carried out all relief missions with precision, raising the bar for all of us.

He loved poetry and would post it on social media. One post said, Koi maarne per tulla hai/Koi marne per tulla hai/Nafrat mathaon per sahron ki taraf hai/Mat khelo mazhabon se siyasat walon.

Inderjeet had many tattoos on his arms. One was a graphic heartbeat inked with the line ‘Death is just a heartbeat away’. Perhaps he knew it better than all of us.

Since his demise, we have received condolences from hospitals, police personnel, religious heads, Uttarakhand CM, civil society members and other organisations. That was Inderjeet, dedicated, hardworking and with endless compassion. He never said no to anything, always eager to go back in the field, always ready to serve, and how.

He worked for no accolades but unwavering belief in a just and fairer world and in the humanitarian cause. We were deeply touched by the tenderness he showed his mother, sister and elder brother. We relive each moment, real and imagined, of the ordeal that he must have gone through. We continue to seek answers and look for closure so that we may move forward, and remember Inder’s life and not just the end; so that we may celebrate our dear friend and not have the spectre of his death foreshadow his life.

This tribute gives meaning to the loss of a loved one and reinforces the belief that this loss has not been in vain.

May he rest in peace.