Washington – July 30, 2008 - Dr. Rajwant Singh, Chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE), expressed shock and sorrow at the sudden demise of the star singer, Ishmeet Singh. He said, “This is a tragic loss for the entire community and the nation. His absence will always be felt by millions of his fans and many young people in India and abroad who looked towards him as their role model. His voice, which had become the voice of so many of us, will always reverberate in our hearts. Since so many in the Diaspora had participated in voting him as the ‘Star Voice of India’, we all feel a deep and a personal loss.
Dr. Singh expressed his condolences over the phone to Ishmeet’s uncle, Charan Kanwal Singh in Ludhiana, and offered prayers for the family and the departed soul.
Dr. Rajwant Singh added, “Ishmeet displayed humility, kindness and dignity in public and private. Through his demeanor, he has showed a way to many youngsters to keep the fine qualities of character and modesty despite the rise in the showbiz in Bollywood. He had touched many hearts through his talent and his soft-spoken nature.â€
Dr. Singh stated, “He was an icon for many Sikh youngsters. He proved that his beliefs and his religious identity was not a hindrance in pursuit of a career in the music or film industry. He brought pride to Punjab and all the Indians and had motivated so many youngsters to follow their own dreams."
Dr. Rajwant Singh further added that “We were going to honor him in Chandigarh in a function, ‘Excellence among Sikhs’ on July 6th and we contacted him. Unfortunately, he was traveling to Malaysia and was not able to join this event.SCORE had decided to honor him next year but now we will pay tributes to him posthumously."
Ish Amitoj Kaur, a film maker from San Francisco, said, "Earlier this year I had met Ishmeet and asked him what was his ultimate dream and how he saw himself ten years from now. He humbly replied that I want to be a background singer for films. Little did I know that this dream would end so abruptly. His untimely death has awaken all of us to show how precious and short life could be."
She added, "Working in the Bombay film industry I never came across a Gursikh and was very happy to see Ishmeet shine like a star in his distinct identity. This handsome young teenager had all the attributes of a star in the making. After winning the contest the first thing he recorded was the keertan album acknowledging his gratitude to God and to the community at large. May Waheguru give peace to his soul and give us the courage to bear this loss.†SCORE had asked Ish Amitoj to make a documentary on Ishmeet for the community youngsters in America.
