Hurbat Singh

Hurbat Singh, an indentured Indian, 70 years old, with no kith or kin, gave up this earthly life on Monday. The whole Indian community mourns for him. He who had not one relative in this wild, forbidding land has today 150,000 Indians living here as his kinsmen. His death, which ordinarily no Indian would have heard of, will, in the unusual circumstances of today, be known to the whole of India. One may ask, why? The answer is that he was a Satyagrahi; and as truth is eternal, even so a man who resolutely clings to truth is immortal. Just as one cannot hide the sun by covering it, truth also will come out, however much one tries to hide it. Therefore, one who serves truth even in the smallest measure can never be eclipsed. An indentured labourer of old days, Hurbat Singh did not have to pay the £3 tax; nevertheless, because the others came out, he too chose to do likewise.

His body has been buried. As soon as the fact was known, a request was made to the Government for its return. By the time this article out, the request will have been granted. When received, the body will be cremated. We trust that every Indian will follow the funeral procession.

Hurbat Singh has achieved immortal fame by joining the struggle. We wish that all Indians have his courage and his understanding.

[From Gujarati]