Our story begins on April 4 1994, when Rantej Singh came into our lives.
Rantej right from his childhood was fiercely independent and had a respect for routine and schedule, which came across in his insistence on hearing a story before each meal and nap time and having the favorite ones repeated many a times. Instead of being dependent on us to read to him, he decided to take matters in his own hands and learnt to read, thus beginning a lifelong affair with the written word.
His early years in NY were spent in exploring the woods and creeks, riding his bike followed by the discovery of video games after which, life was never the same again. His love for video games was no trifle matter and nothing to be sneezed at. The effort he put in trying to lay his hands on PlayStation 5 earlier this year, was no less than the effort he put in his then current project of launching a fund worth Millions of dollars.
Fall of 2000 led to his new title as the big brother as we welcomed our daughter Sahiba into our family. This was a role he cherished the most and became a fiercely protective older brother, at times pretending to look the other way as she discovered her own wings.
School years were marked by achieving excellence in sports, academics and music. A desire to help others led to volunteering at Habitat for Humanity and at local hospitals and Nursing homes.
Rantej opted to go to NYU for college and soon immersed himself in college life, joining a fraternity, making new friends, joining the Bhangra team, doing summer jobs and internships. After graduating in 2016, he started working and preparing for the CFA exam and over the next 2 years he completed all 3 levels, passing each in the first attempt. Word has it that he was noticed partying with his friends on the eve of his level 3 exam. During this time, he worked at Bank of America followed by Macquarie Investments, Goldman Sachs and most recently Point 72.
COVID outbreak led to remote work and a move to CA in April 2020 when things became dire in NYC. Never one to complain, he soldiered on, even though had to keep up with work schedule in a different time zone. He made abundant use of the outdoors, flying his drone on the trails, exploring the area in his “Range”, learning to ride a motorbike and soon after, becoming a proud owner of a Suzuki. Easing of COVID and yearning for the city took him back to NYC in June 2021 and by October he had transitioned from Goldman Sachs to Point 72.
Rantej Singh left us in March 2022, just a few weeks shy of his 28th birthday.
Rantej was a thoughtful young man who was ambitious enough to aim for the stars while keeping his feet firmly planted on the ground. Rantej possessed an innate ability to connect with people and make new friends easily. A firm believer in seizing every opportunity that came his way, he grabbed life by the horns and squeezed every bit of joy and action out of it. He did not consider life as a chore but rather a fun filled adventure.
Rantej was a protagonist of “Nishkaam Seva” meaning Selfless Service and held a core belief that all lives are deserving of happiness and success. Happiness cannot be achieved in isolation and we can only be happy if people around us are happy. He lived by this motto every day by volunteering, mentoring and lending a hand to those in need.
To fulfill his dreams, to honor his legacy and to give a purpose and meaning to our own lives, we decided to form a charity this summer.
This is how RaSi Holds Hands came into being.
We know Rantej Singh will be our North star and our beacon as we, his family and friends embark on this new journey in uncharted waters.