A principled man with no regrets

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This article was published 12/07/2022 (1528 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Having high moral standards can make one feel like an alien. Dr. Sobharam Singh is living proof doing what is right pays off in the end.

At close to 90 years old, Dr. Singh has a healthy brain and a healthy body for a man his age and he can proudly look back on his life and say to himself: “I did it my way.”

Born and raised in the former British colony of Guyana, in South America, to parents of modest means of South Asian descent. He attended public school and won scholarships to attend the University of Wales, where he obtained a B.Sc. honours degree in geology in 1959 and went on to get his master’s and PhD degrees (the latter in 1963) before returning to Guyana.

Dr. Singh landed a job with the Geological Survey of Guyana as an exploration geologist and quickly rose to the top of his field, becoming commissioner of Geological Surveys and Mines. He was very knowledgeable and contributed almost singlehandedly to the mapping of Guyana’s geological topography. He represented Guyana at many international conferences, wrote and presented more than 80 research papers and was the chief and trusted adviser in his field to the Guyanese prime minister.

He lived a life others dream about – one of adventure, challenges, and excitement every day, breaking new ground and opening new frontiers in Guyana’s interior, contacting isolated Indigenous tribes who inhabited the interior, where the most beautiful and pristine landscape could be found. For his service to his country, Dr. Singh received the Golden Arrow of Achievement award.

In 1974, Dr. Singh reluctantly immigrated to Canada because he had lost trust in some of the politicians and senior public servants in Guyana. Corruption was the order of the day and Dr. Singh would not compromise his moral values and feared for the safety of his family. While others saw no harm in accepting bribes for contracts, he did not.

When Dr. Singh arrived in Canada, he was quickly snapped up by the Manitoba government as chief of technical services of the mineral resources division. In 1986, he became assistant deputy minister, minerals division, of the department of mines and energy. Rather than go against his principles of fairness and right and wrong, Singh said he chose to walk away from that job, opting for early retirement when faced with a decision that would have compromised his values.

Dr. Singh is a husband and father of three professional daughters and a grandfather of an accomplished teenage girl.

His wife, Monica Singh, is a former president of the Immigrant Women’s Association and Council of Women of Winnipeg. She was named to the Order of Manitoba in 2015 for actively supporting recent immigrants to Manitoba, especially in areas that help to improve the quality of life of women, their families and communities

Dr. Singh enjoyed many sports. He played professional cricket and was an avid tennis player who was a member of the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club until age-related conditions got the better of him.He has taken the initiative to write a book about his life and professional career for the benefit of his granddaughter. He said it took him years to complete but he felt it was necessary.

Despite various health issues, Dr. Singh and his wife still live in their own condo. He said he has had a good life and he has no regrets.

“I am grateful for my loving family and the many good friends and colleagues I was privileged to know and work with both in Guyana and Canada.”