Japanese Occupation of Malaysia

In Over valley Estate I and Sukumaram were sent to a school in Tangah.There was no transport other than cycle and bullokcart. Some bus and cars were on the roads with rear side of the vehicle fitted with coal gas generators. With coal gas the vehicles were driven. We were daily taken to the school in cycle by a Punjabi security guard of the estate. The school was three miles from home. The students were thought Japanese songs. In the morning in front of the Japanese flag we stood every day and sang Japanese national song. Then we had to rush to the field owned by the school to grow food. Teachers were Indians and Chinese. They did not study Japanese. However they all could teach Japanese letters a bit and songs. When my sister was one year old ,she was given first feeding of rice in a mosque near Jasin.This Mosque was well known and many Hindus joined with Musilm in praying.In Jasin we met one C.R.K.Pillai . He was a native of my father’s village Muthukulam. He invited my father to join in his estate as there was a vacancy of Chief Store Manager.In 1943 my father joined in the Ayer Manis Estate. Ayer Manis in Malaya is hot water.MrC.R.K.Pillai and his family was our neighbors We were in Ayer Manis till Japanese were driven out from Malaya in 1946.Many people experienced starvation during Japanese occupation. No clothes were available. Torn shirts and pants were to be used. No medicine available if one became sick.Japanese money was available in plenty. It was printed and circulated as demanded. It was called 'banana money' because banana and fruits were pictured in it. It was so cheap that salary in lacks was given.Japanese ordered to grow raagi pulses and vegetables in all estates. For a year in 1944, I and my brother were with our uncle Prabhakaran Pillai in an estate near Bathu Theekka around 20 miles away on the other side of Tangah hills. The school was walking distance from uncle’s house. We had a Tamil cook. Our uncle was a bachelor then. The single Malayan teacher in the school taught some Japanese language.The anti Japanese feeling was growing very strong in Malaya. The Malaya people’s army was formed to fight against Japanese. Many Indians very close to Japanese were killed by this army. As soon as Japanese left Malyasia, the anti Japanese army started looting. Law and order was a big problem till British army occupied Malaya.