I didn't know S R Nathan on a personal level, not many of us did.

But for those who were born in the 90s, like me, there was a certain connection we felt with Singapore's longest serving president.

Perhaps, because every time we were zoning out in class, he was the face we saw right in front of said class, from 1999 to 2011.

It might seem self-serving, and almost definitely one-sided, but his passing affected us rather badly. Here is why.

Because when you see a face for over a decade, you tend to feel attached to him.

And in a way, he grew up with us.

While we might not have appreciated all his accomplishments when we were younger, we learnt over time why he was in that picture.

How affected are we? We don't even want to talk about holidays, the favourite pastime of the 90's kid.

Because to some, he was more than a president, he was a source of strength.

And those who are affected by him don't mourn for any notion of political leaning or acknowledgement of status, their grief is quite simple.

Top image from MCI

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