A life dedicated to uplifting others
THE POWER of education is never to be underestimated, especially in the midst of adversity. For Jaisingh Surujbullee Singh, education has given him a life filled with achievement and he has in the process created a legacy for the people of Verulam.
Singh was born on September 15, 1930, the son of a primary school principal and the grandson of indentured labourers, he is a third generation South African Indian.
This impacted him greatly as he would later dedicate his life to uncovering his ancestry and helping others in the community.
“In the late 40s there was a film show which I attended, the organisers gave a talk on Friends Of South Asia (FOSA) and I was greatly enthused by this, so I formed a care committee which was established in February of 1950 and from there on, one thing led to another. I often wonder if FOSA had not come into my life what would have happened, I don’t think I would have been where I am today”, he said
Singh has since been the founding member of the Verulam Blind and Deaf Society 1972, the Health Clinic Board 1970, the Historical Society 2003 and the 1860 Indentured Labourers Foundation established the same year.
He has also in his capacity served as the chairperson on more than ten boards including religious organisations in Durban.
Singh schooled at Umdloti GAIS where he obtained his Standard 6 PSC certificate in 1945. He then went to high school at Sastri College from 1946 to 1949, where he excelled in education. ”
“I went to school in a shirt, short pants and no shoes, I had to cross a river to go to school, I first wore school shoes in high school, when I went to Sastri College,” he says.
Singh’s parents greatly believed in education, “they were of the premise that no matter the weather or even if we were sick my siblings and I could never miss a day of school,” he said.
After finishing primary school a family member paid for his secondary schooling. “My uncle was a wealthy man and paid for my secondary schooling.”
Always interested in law and politics, he wanted to study this after high school but could not due to financial constraints, so he went to work as an accounts clerk for then well known merchants Amod Kathrada & Sons.
A chance meeting at the shop, at which he was based, in 1950, led Singh into the teaching profession. A school principal persuaded him to teach at a primary school.
He began his teaching career as a locum tenens, taking a teaching position of another who had gone on leave.
Soon after he lent his services to a number of primary schools in the Verulam area, namely, St Aidan’s Boys, Sezela, Kasturba Gandhi, Raisethorpe, Tinley Manor, ML Sultan, Blackburn and Madhosingh Memorial.
Of all the schools that he taught at, Singh remembers Sezela fondly, “I was sent to Sezela School on the South Coast, I recall my first year where we had to live in the communal barracks with labourers and share the same facilities, back then it was almost disgusting for me but now I feel so proud to have known those labourers and to have had the experience of living with them and living among them,” he said.
In 1954 he was appointed Principal of Umhloti Private Platoon school and served there for 2 years.
It was during this time that he completed his NTSC, he also had to obtain a qualification in Afrikaans to teach at a primary and secondary level.
“My father was a principal, I was a principal and now my eldest son is also a principal, so in my family there are three generations of school principals,” he says proudly. Singh was appointed Head of Department at Stonebridge in 1979.
Having devoted 39 years of service toward the betterment of youth and the Verulam community, Singh retired in 1991, attributing his successful career to having a good support system.
“My late wife, Devi, was my rock. She supported and encouraged me through everything. I am very grateful to have had a a strong person guiding me,” he says. In his lifetime, he has remained one of the most influential members in his community, involved in local politics, leading many resistance movements in the Verulam area.
He was instrumental in the 1994 and 1995 ratepayers drive achieving a massive 35% cut for Verulam ratepayers. Singh also runs the 1860 Indenture Foundation.
He has documented every part of Verulam and its inhabitants.
In 2003, the foundation was presented with the Amafa award for their outstanding contribution to the documentation of indentured labourers in our country.
Singh also has a magnificent collection of books documenting the lives of indentured Indians in every country of their adoption.
Now 87, he continues to break boundaries and is currently organising a conference honouring prominent women in the Indian community as well as the Verulam area. He resides at his home, 4 Ireland Street, Verulam, next to the house in which he was born.
“I’m committed to the indentured labourers who persevered and succeeded in this country under difficult circumstances. We do so on a yearly basis through outreach programmes in partnership with schools. Last year’s theme was youth development. This year we will focus on women’s development,” he says.
“We are also planning, as part of our 10th anniversary, an international conference on indentured labourers. We’re hoping to get representatives from former British colonies, around the world, to deliver papers, giving a glimpse into the lives of indentured labourers in their adopted countries.” Born: September 15, 1930 Name: Jaisingh Surujbullee Singh
Mother: Father: Siblings: Primary education:
Daie Singh Mahas Singh Three Primary