Moved by the story he heard, Kapil Dev Nikhanj, the former Indian all rounder had volunteered to collect the “ashes”, the mortal remains of Shri Pooran Singh who died 63 years ago!

The story goes like this – In 1899, Shri Pooran Singh a man from Bilga village in Punjab, who was then 30 years old, went to Australia. He earned his living in Australia by hawking goods using a horse drawn wagon.He died at the age of 77 in Warnambool. He was single and he had a last wish that his ashes be immersed in river Ganga in India! He was cremated in Melbourne and his ashes were returned to Warnambool’s Guyett’s Funerals.

Alice Guyett-Wood of Guyett funeral services had said during a radio programme, that her father Jack Guyeet, who died in 1986, regretted that he was not able to fulfill Pooran’s wish.

Kapil Dev who heard this story was moved.He volunteered to bring the Ashes of Pooran Singh back to India. On Sunday he collected the ashes along with the relative of Shri Pooran Singh, Shri Harmel Uppal. The ashes will be taken to Bilga, the village of Shri Pooran Singh and then taken to Haridwar to be immersed in the Ganga.

Kapil Dev said, “It’s an amazing story, and has moved my heart. I was touched by the Australian people…they have a soft heart ….there is a human touch here, and I am very grateful to people here.”