Lall Singh

Lall Singh pronunciationⓘ (Punjabi: ਲਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ, romanized: Lāla sigha; 16 December 1909 – 19 November 1985) was an early Indian Test cricketer from British Malaya.

In 1934–35, Lall Singh represented Hindus in the Bombay Quadrangular tournament and South Punjab in the inaugural Ranji Trophy.

In the first match against United Provinces, batting at number 8, Lall Singh scored 56, the highest in the Southern Punjab's only innings.

[citation needed] While in India, he met Myrtle Watkins, an Afro-American singer, who was performing at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay.

Unfortunately, this affair did not last long and Myrtel and Lall Singh parted ways and selling off his night club he returned to Malaya in August 1939.

[citation needed] In June 1942, SS Gill, the eldest brother of Lall Singh was arrested by the Japanese as he was helping British Army officers to escape from Malaya to Singapore.

The following day his brothers BS Gill and Lall Singh were also arrested, all their assets including three houses, rubber plantation and a gold mine were confiscated by the Japanese.

SS Gill's elder daughter Ajmer Kaur (later Neelum Shamsi), then only 15 years old, was allowed to live in a portion of one house with her younger sister and paternal grandmother.

Lall Singh, managed to escape from the slave labour camp in Borneo and make his way back to Kuala Lumpur in August 1945.

The immediate problem facing Lall Singh was how to look after and care for his ailing mother and two nieces as the family had been left penniless due to Japan's occupation of Malaya.

Immediately, he started to look for a job and the only one in post war ravaged Malaya was that of groundsman at the acclaimed Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur.

Shamsi, married Lall Singh's elder niece Ajmer Kaur, who converted to Islam taking the maiden name of Neelum, on 11 September 1946.

To cut a long story short, the Sultan started the process of rehabilitating the estates of the Gill family to Lall Singh.