24/08/2026
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๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ (๐๐๐) ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐/๐ ๐๐จ๐ก๐๐ง, ๐๐ (๐. ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐)
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๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ (๐๐๐) ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐/๐ ๐๐จ๐ก๐๐ง, ๐๐ (๐. ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐)
At the age of 6, Shiva lost his electrician father to liver failure.
At that tender age, Shiva took responsibility and did his duty as a father to his single mother and sister, who was two years younger.
After completing his ITE studies, he signed up to become a commando, turning his zest for the outdoors and his dreams of conquering into a viable career.
For Honour and Glory. Shiva wore his red beret with so much pride. He was one of the most highly trained and operationally elite soldiers this nation could offer.
Tragically, however, on 13 July 2005, during a heliborne training at Sembawang Air Base as part of a Rappelling Instructors' Course, First Sergeant Shiva, 24, and a Royal Brunei Air Force soldier, Sergeant Jamily Utis, 35, fell 20 metres from a Super Puma helicopter when their ropes were suddenly dislodged from a partially secured rappelling device.
Both men lost their lives. First Sergeant Shiva died from internal bleeding from lacerations to his liver, lung and spleen.
This was his first and only accident as an army regular.
A coroner's inquiry returned a verdict of misadventure. This tragic accident arose from a series of unforeseen events
Shiva, in fact, had made plans to marry his girlfriend, but those hopes were dashed.
Since his passing, there has been a distinct presence of absence; an unbearable weight of emptiness.
Best known for his lovable nickname Siow, Shiva was a brotherly figure to many of his friends and a die-hard Liverpool fan.
His genuine friendships were a testament to this โelder-brotherโ figure.
Whenever he introduced his friends, he would refer to them as his younger brothers, and they in return would call him โanehโ (older brother in Tamil).
The best friendships โ the most exceptional ones โ involve a kind of acceptance and understanding, an ability to see beyond the performance of oneโs usual persona, that is often nearly impossible to find elsewhere.
His drive to do well in life and give his family the best would have left a distinct imprint on their hearts. He brought out the best in his friends.
In the words of the Stoic philosopher Seneca, โFriendship creates a community of interest between us in everything. We have neither successes nor setbacks as individuals; our lives have a common end.โ
To Siow, that โcommon endโ extends well beyond the transactional. It is, instead, a way of seeing, a way of being in the world, that is otherwise individually unavailable.
As a friend, Siow gave his friends the space and time to love, to breathe and ultimately, through his living example, to live as fully as possible.
On July 15, 2005, more than 200 mourners, family, relatives, friends and comrades from the Singapore Armed Forcesโ commando unit gave First Sergeant Shiva a tearful send-off from the void deck of his home at Block 315, Bukit Batok Street 32.
His coffin was draped with the national flag, a fitting tribute to his contributions to our nationโs defence.
Shiva was 24. He made the ultimate sacrifice for his family, friends and nation.
