“On the surface, Lessons From An Eagle seems like a tribute to her late husband, K.P. Waran, the veteran journalist and editor. But it’s more than that. It’s part love story, part reflection and part guide to navigating life’s unexpected turns.” — Elena Koshy, The New Straits Times
In a primary school classroom decades ago, two children sat competing for the same English prize. One was a boy named K.P. Waran; the other was a girl named Sheila Singam. They both loved words, wrestling with lines of prose and poetry to see who could wield them with more precision.
Years passed, the childhood rivalry faded, and the world pulled them into separate orbits. But words eventually brought them back together. When they met again as adults, they stopped competing and chose each other.
They built a life on that shared vocabulary. For over twenty-five years, Waran lived out his passion for storytelling in the high-stakes, fast-moving newsrooms of the New Straits Times, eventually rising to become its Executive Editor. He was a maverick war correspondent who safely navigated conflict zones from Bosnia to Cambodia, a man whose presence filled a room completely.
Then, the long conversations stopped. On October 14, 2018, following a quiet, nine-month battle with cancer, Waran passed at the age of 60.
Suddenly, the woman who loved words was left in an empty house with a profound, echoing silence. But a lifetime of writing cannot simply be turned off. In the raw, heavy aftermath of her loss, Sheila did the only thing a writer knows how to do when the world shatters: she opened her computer and began typing.
What started as private, cathartic posts on Facebook to survive the quiet evenings slowly grew. Seven years later, those raw dispatches have become a finished manuscript. On Tuesday, at the Royal Lake Club, surrounded by friends, family, and veteran journalists, Sheila officially launched her debut book, Lessons From An Eagle.
The Metaphor of the Storm
Waran held a lifelong fascination with eagles—their fierce independence, their absolute focus, and the rare loyalty of a creature that mates for life. But what captivated him most was how the bird handled a tempest. While other animals sought cover from a gathering storm, the eagle flew straight into the wind, utilising the violent upward drafts to lift itself completely above the rain.
When the storm of grief hit Sheila, those words became a lifeline.
“Eagles always soar above the storms, they allow the winds of the storm to propel them and help them glide. For me, everything I have gone through has a lesson to be learnt. Even in my grief, there were lessons I have learnt.” – Sheila Singam
The book is an anthology of these lessons—a collection of small stories, humorous anecdotes, and sharp observations that refuse to let a man’s philosophy disappear into the past. It is not a textbook on how to neatly process loss in five structured steps, because real sorrow does not follow a script.
“I think one of the most powerful messages from Waran is that you don’t let the challenges of life bring you down – you allow the challenges of life to propel you further and higher,” Sheila said.
A Legacy That Heals Beyond the Pages
Waran loved people fiercely, and he lived with an expansive heart that extended far beyond the walls of his newsroom. It was only after his passing that the true depth of his invisible footprint became clear, as stories from former colleagues, friends, and family began to surface, detailing how his quiet encouragement had shaped their lives.
To honour that deep generosity, the physical existence of this book has been intentionally woven into a legacy of living care. A dedicated portion of all proceeds from Lessons From An Eagle is channelled directly into the Soroptimist International (SI) Damansara Medical Fund. This vital initiative provides direct financial relief and critical healthcare access to underprivileged (B40) urban poor families who are courageously fighting their own battles against cancer and cannot afford the life-saving treatments they desperately need.
At the official launch at the Royal Lake Club, surrounded by friends, colleagues, and community advocates, the space was filled not with solemn mourning but with a vibrant, shared warmth. It was a tangible testament to what happens when we choose to channel our deepest pains into a vessel of hope for others.
Availability & Access
This book is ultimately a gentle reminder that while we cannot control the arrival of the storms that reshape our lives, we retain the power to choose how we navigate the wind. For those quietly walking through the dark landscape of loss, or for a loved one searching for a glimmer of comfort, these pages offer an honest, warm perspective: you can survive the winter, find your footing, and learn to soar again.
The journey from grief to rediscovering your purpose is long, but you do not have to walk it completely alone.
- Physical Shelves: Available at Lit Books flagship outlet located at Tropicana Avenue, Petaling Jaya, Czip Lee at Bangsar Village II and at a Canaanland bookshop closest to you.
- Online Orders: Lit Books, CzipLee and Canaanland.
- Direct & Corporate Enquiries: For volume corporate orders, institutional gifts, or bespoke alignment workshops, please place your order directly with the Human Equation Team.
