Harmohan Singh

Walking In My Son's Footsteps Harmohan Singh

What would you do to fulfill your child's last wishes? Would you take on a political regime?

David Singh was a brilliant writer, talented student, and loyal friend, with a sarcastic sense of humor that was equal parts hilarious and incisive. He was also an activist, ready and willing to take on Singapore's oppressive government system--including its mandatory conscription law. He believed in non-violence and considered himself a conscientious objector, but the Singaporean government didn't care; they conscripted him anyway.

When the government refused to honor his wishes, he felt he had no other choice: he took his own life.

David left behind a prodigious body of work--poems and plays that captured his feelings about Singaporean politics and life at large--as well as a clear message to his father: "Do not silence me," he wrote, "Let my work live."

In Walking in My Son's Footsteps, Harmohan Singh does just that; he works to finish what his son started, speaking out against the National Service and Singapore's tyrannical laws, while paying tribute to David's life and work.

Harmohan deftly weaves together research, letters, David's poems, and his own memories and regrets for a powerful portrait of a young man's life and work--and a demand for change.