People from all walks of life paid tributes to Hari Singh, the “Gypsy King” and India’s motorsport expert, during a prayer ceremony organised by his family at the Sector 8 gurdwara on Monday.While family members maintained a distance from the media, moist eyes among those present spoke volumes about the legacy left behind by the 59-year-old fatherly figure in the world of motorsport. People offered their condolences to his wife Simran Kaur, daughter Azmat, a pilot with Air India, and son Mivaan.Several politicians, including Preneet Kaur, former Minister of State for External Affairs; Simranjit Singh Mann, former MP; Pawan Bansal, former Railway Minister; and Manpreet Badal, former Punjab Finance Minister, also offered their tributes.Besides, bureaucrats, representatives of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, councillors Farokh Commissariat and Raj Kapoor, along with Auto Car India Editor Hormazd Sorabjee, president of Northern Motorsports Jayesh Desai, Raj Singh Rathore from Jaipur and several former rally drivers, including Nikhil Taneja, Nawaz Sandhu, Koka Rao, Farad Bathana, Karanvir Singh Paddu and Bittu Mann (who was Hari’s navigator in several rally events), also attended the prayer meeting.Jagwant Gill, a close associate of Hari who also spearheaded the search and rescue operations in the Maldives for eight days, also attended the event along with Amanpreet Alhuwalia, known as the second “Gypsy King” after Hari.Rally drivers Sunny Sidhu, Manik Rakhi, Garima Avtar and Gaurav Gill also attended the meeting along with SPS Gharcha, president, Chandigarh Motorsport Association, and other national champions.Hari, who was involved in a fatal speedboat mishap near Felidhoo Island in the Maldives on March 19, was a respected figure among the motorsport fraternity across the world.The search operation to trace Hari was carried out for nearly eight days. It involved both the Indian and Maldivian governments, but to no avail. The search was finally called off on March 28 evening after the authorities failed to find him.Hari was among India’s most celebrated rally drivers, having won five Indian National Rally Championship titles in the 1990s. Known for his fearless driving style and technical precision, he also made history by winning the inaugural Asia Zone Rally Championship, becoming one of the first Indian drivers to gain international recognition.For over 36 years, Hari Singh had been part of Indian motorsports, having begun at the Himalayan Rally in 1990. After retiring from competitive racing, he continued to shape Indian motorsport, serving as head of operations at JK Tyre Motorsport and chief instructor for Mercedes-Benz India.