COMMUNITY LEADER
SELFLESS VOLUNTEER
The life of Mata Mohinder Kaur Dalamnangal (Bibi Mendro) is a testament to her strength, perseverance and positivity. She was an extraordinary woman who had the willingness to endure and thrive regardless of the hardships in life. As a respected member of the Sikh community and one who embodied the values of Sikhi, Mata Mendro repeatedly chose kindness and forgiveness when faced with any turbulence in her life.
Over the years, Mata Mendro has supported the development of various charities, worked to dismantle barriers to access for many and has carved opportunities for the future of the Sikh community in Singapore. In Mata Mendro's loving memory, we commemorate her life and gain inspiration from the challenges that she overcame with her Determination, Tenacity & Grace.
EARLY LIFE
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Bibi Mendro was born Mohinder Kaur, in Batu Pahat on October 12, 1933 to Sardar Hakam Singh and Sardani Kartar Kaur. A few months after her birth, her parents relocated their family to Bukit Panjang in Singapore, where they settled in a one bedroom kampong home with her 3 older brothers. She spent her early years climbing trees, playing in the drains and helping her parents with the small farm they owned. Life was hard but filled with child-like positivity and wonder.
It was there when she met a young boy named Kartar Singh, who was initially her neighbour, but subsequently moved in with her family. They spent their days squabbling and fighting, but eventually developed a deep and affectionate bond. Mata Mendro recalls how she and her brothers would gang up against Kartar Singh because he was deemed to be their parents' favourite.
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Mata Mendro's parents could not afford to send her to school. As a child, she would spend her mornings in the family's farm helping her parents grow tapioca and sweet potatoes. Mata Mendro and Kartar Singh garnered knowledge of the world around them from unusual sources and pursued their education as adults later in their lives.
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Mata Mendro personified the spirit of enterprise and resourcefulness. She was determined to choose her own life path rather than remain a passive player in her life. Regardless of societal expectations, she did not veer from doing her best in her quest to serve the needy and helpless.
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World War II shattered the idyllic nature of Mata Mendro's world with the destruction of her home. Her life was coloured by the experiences of World War II and the Japanese invasion which saw the destruction of her family home - a home lovingly cultivated by her parents for the first eight years of her life.
Her vivid account of the Japanese invasion, enabled one to feel the despair of the villagers attempting to seek safety from invading bombs. She recalled the blaring siren during evacuation and the taste of fear the locals felt when attempting to live under foreign subjugation. Her family's attempt to board a safety bus before the first bomb dropped and the heartbreak of returning to a house destroyed by bombs was traumatic for a young girl in her tender years. Life-long memories included hiding under the safety bus when the first bombs dropped in Singapore and returning to a bomb-destroyed.
She vividly recalled the stench of the dying animals that lived on her farm and her mother's anguished cries upon discovering that none of the animals they owned had survived. Having had to restart their lives, her family moved in with a neighbour, and her father began working as a watchman near the train station. Struggling to survive, she and Sardar Kartar worked together to find innovative ways to overcome their financial difficulties.
Due to hardship they experienced during the war, the family could no longer afford to have rice or roti made from flour. Instead, they relied on whatever grew around them which everyone shared within their humble village. One day, when her mother was boiling chai (tea) for the villagers, some Japanese soldiers arrived for inspection. Everyone in the vicinity ran to their homes except for Mata Mendro's mother, who remained behind to tend to the fire. The Japanese soldiers requested to taste the chai and were so impressed with the quality that they demanded chai be delivered to them everyday.
During this time, Sardar Kartar forged a friendship with some of the Japanese officers. In addition to picking up their language, he was also able to secure other forms of work with them. When the war came to an end, the Japanese left an attap house for the family. Mata Mendro moved into the house and started to build a better future. At 16, she and Kartar were married and they spent their time working in the local kampong and picking up knowledge about the world from unusual sources and pursued their education as adults.
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Unfortunately, tragedy struck again, when during a Diwali celebration, their house caught fire and completely burnt down. Mata Mendro and her family had to start anew a second time. This unfortunate pattern of losing their livelihood and needing to rebuilt themselves was a constant theme in their lives. These events emphasized to Mata Mendro the importance of being resilient in life, the ever-evolving cyles of life and having faith in God.
Despite such severe loss and poverty, Mata Mendro strived to develop life skills that allowed her not only to survive but thrive during the ebbs and flows of life. She developed the ability to return stronger as she understood that mistakes she made were tools for learning or growth and that people are measured by their ability to begin again in the face of despair. She was determined to pass on to her children and grandchildren the capacity to persevere no matter what the odds might be in life.
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After their house burnt down, they moved into a family friend's home - a Chinese school teacher who treated them like family. Bibi recalled eating Chinese home-made cuisine and picking up some Hokkein while her husband became fluent in Hokkein and Mandarin by communicating with the family daily.
Mata Mendro's resourceful spirit inspired her to create a business assembling flower bouquets which she sold at a neighbourhood school while Sardar Kartar worked as a mechanic in a factory owned by the British. The couple saved everything they owned and were able to buy a house of their own because of their hard work and relentless spirit which enabled them to overcame numerous challenges.
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WORLD WAR II
SUBSEQUENT TRAGEDY
REAL ESTATE BUSINESS
It was during this time of despair that Mata Mendro met a kind soul, who eventually became a good and important friend to the couple. Mata Mendro was having a difficult day, due to the emotional toll of multiple financial challenges and found herself crying in the bus on the way home one day. She recalls how a random stranger, approached her to rebuke her for her public display of weakness. She was offended by his approach as he used "tough-love" tactics to calm her but she eventually told him the problems she faced. Uncle Raju offered her a job that entailed refurbishing used furniture which she gladly accepted. Bibi and her husband attribute their initial financial success to the kindness and no-nonsense attitude of Uncle Raju.
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Mata Mendro and Sardar Kartar started a buisness where they gathered old, discarded furniture, refurbished them and resold them. This work was physically and mentally difficult - Mata Mendro had to scrub and polish the old furniture until they shone. Eventually, they had saved enough money to start buying the discarded furniture from Uncle Raju whichthey refurbished and sold for a profit. Their business kept growing which allowed them to employ workers, letting them focus on the marketing and networking portion of the business.
Mata Mendro was incredibly innovative, knowledgeable, perceptive, and street-smart with high emotional intelligence which made her an asset to the real estate business and in building a diverse and strong community network. In 1957, both Bibi Mendro and Sardar Kartar Singh had saved enough money from their refurbishing business to make a downpayment for a house. After buying it, they immediately rented it out to a British gentleman they had met in the neighborhood and offered him furniture in the house at no extra charge.
This initial rental was the start of their real estate business that eventually sustained and supported their growing family. Their success allowed them to contribute substantial funds selflessly to advance the Sikh community in Singapore. An equal partner in their rental estate business, Mata Mendro was commonly seen on her scooter, ferrying back and forth, collecting rent from their rental homes all over the neighbourhood.
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With every paycheck earned, Mata Mendroand Kartar set aside ten percent (10%) of the funds for charitable purposes. As the business grew, they started setting aside more funds for donation purposes. Over the years, they supported causes such as empowering the blind and deaf in Singapore, assisting those under the poverty line, and contributing to the development of the Singapore Sikh Welfare Counci and the Sikh Education Foundation dedicated to the teaching of Punjabi language and culture.
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