Late Shri. Iqbal Singh Sethi

Happy Weekend Chembur Family.

Story of Late Shri. Iqbal Singh Sethi (1/1/1934 - 27/11/2021) in the words of his daughter, Dr. Arvinder Sethi Sandhu(N.D)

“A proud and nostalgic moment to write about my Daddy. Iqbal Singh Sethi. A strict disciplinarian. A grounded man who carved a niche for himself. A presence that never fades. An irreplaceable part of my life. This is my humble tribute to him. A shining star in the sky now. I feel proud and humbled to write about his legacy. Though he is in Heaven, my dear Daddy still lives in the hearts of his loved ones.

Daddy was born in Rawalpindi West Punjab on 1-1-1934 to S. Gopal Singh Sethi and Lachmi Kaur Sethi. We siblings were not fortunate to see our paternal grandparents. My paternal grandfather Gopal Singh ji Sethi, addressed as Darji, was a JCO in 2 Punjab Regiment in the Army. Darji participated in World War I and was decorated with limited edition medals, Kesar-E-Hind, and a sword by King George the VIth, which is a family honour.

Daddy was the fifth child among six siblings, four sisters and two brothers. Life was both cruel and kind to him. Cruel to snatch away his mother at the tender age of six. He was brought up by his elder sister Raj Kaur Anand and brother-in-law Kartar Singh ji Anand. His early education was in Urdu and he read thick English books to familiarise himself with spoken English.

The elder sister, a committed and strong personality, persuaded him to join The Royal British Navy in 1949. That decision became the stepping stone of his life. Daddy joined the Navy as a junior sailor, an engine-room class II mechanic, in a coastal minesweeper, one of four commissioned in August 1956.

Daddy is among the few to attend the Queen’s Coronation in England on 15 June 1953 at Spithead. He received a certificate for the same. While in England he made new friends and a female friend taught him to jive initially. The vessel INS Delhi on which Daddy served sailed to the Royal Navy minesweepers base at Hythe. There he became a favourite at the port town dances and went on to win the top spot at the South of England Rock ‘n’ Roll championship.

Daddy was the first Sikh to perform rock and roll without giving up his religion. He was widely noted for performing music in a style akin to Rock N Roll and earned the sobriquet “Indian Elvis” in the 1960s. He gained fame for his song and dance performance in the 1960 Bollywood film Ek Phool Chaar Kaante starring Sunil Dutt and Waheeda Rehman. He performed the song “Beautiful Baby of Broadway” (originally “Bombshell Baby of Bombay” but altered due to censor objections) in a distinct Rock N Roll style. His performance in the movie brought a rare glimpse of Rock N Roll culture to the Indian mainstream through cinema.

He won the title of ‘King of Rock ‘n’ Roll of India’ at a competition held at the Taj Hotel in Bombay. He performed at Venice Restaurant in Hotel Astoria, at Taj Hotel jam sessions, at Trincas in Park Street Calcutta, and at Astoria and Venus hotels. Returning to India, Daddy also took lessons from Ruby Aaron, who with her husband Sam were among the earliest teachers of Ballroom and Latin American dancing in India. Ruby Aaron is the mother of Salome Roy Kapur, the mother-in-law of actress Vidya Balan.

Daddy had a brief brush with stardom, but the Naval authorities gave him an ultimatum to choose between his naval career and films. He chose to remain in the Navy and serve the nation. Those days print media reigned; the media landscape was very different from today.

Daddy served for 20 years in the Indian Navy. He participated in two wars: the 1961 Goa Liberation War and the 1965 India–Pakistan War. He was honoured with medals for his service. His last posting was in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which he remembered fondly. That year Kendriya Vidyalaya was inaugurated in Andaman where my elder sister and I completed our pre-primary.

In his limelight years he could have married any girl, but he followed his father’s decision and married my Mama from Jalandhar, who was a loving, intelligent woman and grounded the family in Sikh culture and tradition. Daddy would always praise music director Shankar Jaikishan who had guided him not to leave the Indian Navy.

He was blessed with three daughters and a son, a daughter-in-law and grandchildren. He would give us stories and examples that are etched in our minds. Daddy loved to cook; every Sunday he made paranthas. He ironed his clothes and our school uniforms and polished our shoes because it gave him happiness and satisfaction.

After retirement in 1969, Daddy moved the family to Chembur barracks which we had received in lieu of our Rawalpindi haveli. Chembur was then a small undeveloped place with pigs roaming and marshy areas near the BMC School. There was no proper market and no buses. Daddy contributed towards organising the present-day bhaaji market at Chembur Camp. He guided the less privileged to set up businesses there in 1969. He contributed to building the present Chembur Singh Sabha Gurudwara; earlier it was in the barrack that now houses the Guru Nanak School. Daddy helped raise funds and contributed towards the Gurudwara’s Nishan Sahebji in memory of his parents. A few years ago, when the Gurudwara had to be registered, Daddy’s help was sought and he did the needful even at age 86.

After the Navy Daddy worked with Pfizer and then at Rapid Industry until the owner Mr. Malhotra passed away. Bhupinder uncle then approached Daddy to look after Ratan Motors. Bhupinder uncle opened a Maruti showroom near Vijay Sales at Suman Nagar and a workshop at Govandi. Daddy was appointed CEO of Ratan Motors Govandi workshop and served until 2019. After Daddy passed away the workshop closed down.

Daddy met with an accident on 11 June 2018 and fractured his hip bone and right shoulder, but that did not deter him from carrying out daily chores.

Daddy was a philanthropist, ever ready to help anyone in need. He contributed to the community, helped strangers start livelihoods, supported the Gurudwara and the market, and was widely respected. These acts, and the stories he told us, are part of his legacy.

Daddy lived a king-size lifestyle. A real-life hero. Once, when fire broke out in a neighbour’s house, Daddy rushed inside and switched off the gas cylinder, saving many lives. His right hand was scalded in the fire. There was one labourer who wanted a hand cart; Daddy gave him the money for it, which helped the man earn for himself and his family. Daddy was respected by all in our locality and workplace. Even after retirement, he adorned the naval uniform colour and was recognised as the man in white dress and red turban. He was a workaholic who never took a day off except Sundays and religious holidays.

In his later years Daddy was happy to be in the limelight again. Salman Khan’s film Tubelight highlighted Daddy’s Rock N Roll performance as a backdrop screen, which delighted him. He was happy to be interviewed by Radio FM in the early 2000s. A team from the Kapil Sharma show visited Daddy to make a documentary, but Covid struck and the project was delayed. Nirupama Dutt of the Tribune interviewed Daddy and featured him on the front page. Daddy was interviewed by the World Sikh Forum and that interview was telecast globally. A journalist from Kolkata recently called to write about his performance at Trincas and his name will be featured in a forthcoming book.

On 10 November 2021 Daddy called me home, narrated his life story and asked me to write it. I did not realise he would survive only a couple more weeks. Daddy gave me Rs. 2,000 for my birthday in December; I was hesitant to take it, but I sensed he might not be there to wish me that year. After blessing me, Daddy said, “Now I feel at ease.”

Daddy was admitted to Ashwini Naval Hospital on 25 November 2021. When I met him on Friday 26 November 2021, he told me to switch on the mobile and said he would call me tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, he did not call. He asked me to place the mobile near his pillow. He had Mama’s picture as his display and kept staring at it. He loved her dearly and silently. Daddy expressed himself in actions, not words.

On Saturday 27 November 2021 Daddy was shifted to ICU. He was talking a lot but I could not follow. A thought crossed my mind: when I was a baby Daddy understood my babbling, but standing by his bed in ICU I could not understand him. I felt helpless. I just kept nodding and showing my raised thumb to assure him all will be well because I wanted him to live a few more years.

Daddy had marked 27 November 2021 on his bedside calendar as Bank closing. Maybe he sensed his days were numbered. He lived up to the dream age of 88.

Daddy would always say Sunday is my day, he would take rest only on Sunday’s, as God's will, He was laid to rest forever in eternal peace on a Sunday and was given a befitting send-off as a Navy Veteran Sailors' Group Ex INDIAN9 NAVY on 5 December 2021. I am sure he rejuvenated to a new birth. A new cycle of life began. I am sure he will be happy to meet Mama in Heaven. Two souls in one. God has reunited them.”

-With love from Soney and the entire family. Missing you dear Daddy🙏

Thank you for for your time.

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