A migrant worker who wanted a portrait of Lee Kuan Yew tattooed on his neck was initially turned away by a tattoo artist — who asked him to return the next day “to see if he was serious”.He did.On April 12, 38-year-old air-conditioning technician Sugumar Surendran visited a tattoo studio along North Bridge Road with a bold request: to ink Singapore's founding father's image on his neck.Speaking to Stomp, Surendran, who arrived from Tamil Nadu, India at 18 and has since worked across various companies as an air-conditioning technician, said he admires Lee for building Singapore into what he calls a «golden country», where laws ensure fairness and equality.Widely regarded as the architect of modern Singapore, Lee led the nation through its uncertain early years after independence in 1965 — a period he later described as his greatest political setback.Yet it also steeled his resolve. In the weeks after separation, he urged Singaporeans to press on: «This is not a country that belongs to any single community… Ten years from now, this will be a metropolis. Never fear!»It is this sense of determination that resonates with Surendran. Read more