Malaysia and India

Malaya also known as Federation of Malayan States(FMS) is the land of Dorian fruit. The dorian fruit similar to a jack fruit is having intensive odour but is very tasty .Malaya became independence in August 1957 and got its name changed to Malaysia It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories.The population of Malaya in 1947 was only around 50 lacks excluding Singapore.Around 60 percent of population in Malaya were then Malaya Muslim, and around 25percent were Chinese. Eight percent of population were Indians. Among the Indians, 90 percent were Tamilians and majority of them were rubber estate labourers, and some of the Indians particularly from North India generally called as Bengalis were in police department.

A few Nattukottai Chettiars from Cettinad owned small rubber plantations. Many Malayalies were staff in rubber plantations.The important fact that emerges is that the Tamil constitutes a great majority of the Malayan Indian population, In the state of Singapore it makes up 63% of Indians. The next numerically large groups are Malayalees, and Telugus in Malaya. In the category, other Indians are a mixed bag of Punjabis. Gujaratis, Bengalees, and others.


Thus an overwhelming majority of Indians belong to the Dravidian languages community.There were some Tamilians holding high government posts particularly in Law and Education departments. The Malays were generally agriculturist and land owners and mainly concentrated in Kampongs, In Malaya Kampongs means village .. Chinese were traders and almost all the shops and business establishments were owned by Chinese.All these three major communities maintained cordial relation , and our taxi driver was one Bawa a Malayan Muslim and several Chinese were our family friends.We took only Bawa's taxi whenever we needed a car. Bawa came all the way to Singapore to send us off when we left for India..In July 1947 , we all left for India in SS Rajula.We landed at Madras after seven days in the sea.Along with us C.R.K. Pillai and his family also travelled.

End of Japanese Malaysian Occupation.

In Ayer Manis Estate, we could not go regularly to schools. I and my brother attended classes in Tamil and Hindi.Gengadharan did not reach the school going age C.R.K.Pillai had two children Gopalakrishnan and Mohan. Now both of them settled in Singapore.. Banumathi aunty was a vocal singer well-known in Malaya those days .In 1944 Subash Chandra Boss was in Malacca. He addressed the Indians in Malacca. We all attended the meetings. I was too small to understand his speech. He spoke for a few hours. People heard him attentively. He was encouraging the young Indians to join Indian National Army to fight British.. Several young Indians joined in INA to fight against British for the independence of India. Japanese was forced to leave Malaya in 1945, after Japan was defeated by the Allied Armies.

Child Hood

I was born in Sep 1935. I was born after a painful tragedy in the family. The tragic sudden death of my two years old brother Ramachndran affectionately called Immpotti, by chocking was a great shock to the entire family members.Before medical aid could be given, the child was chocked to death after he swallowed a button. Since I was born after the death of the child, I was given undue love by all members of the family. At my age of two my mother gave birth to Sukumaran
When Sukumaran was a few months old my father left for Malaya. He was a graduate in Chemistry from Trivandrum University College. After graduation he wanted to go to Malaya. Those days Malaya( present Malaysia) was a promising land for job seekers.I and my mother could not accompany as my brother Sukumaran was a few months old then. Perhaps my mother could not look after both the children she sent me to my grandmother ,father's mother in Muthukulam.

My father’s father Ayyappan Pillai was a Headmaster in a primary school and he was a busy man. But my grandmother had time to look after me. She loved me a lot and she wanted me to be with her. I was in Muthu kulam till I, mother and Sukumaran left for Malaya in 1939. Occasionally I was taken to Karavallil to see my mother and the baby. A few days before we left for Malaya, my mother and Sukumaran came to see me in Muthukulam to take me back. I wanted to show the two year old Sukumaran the ducks in the pond. I took him to the near pond. I was holding him. The pond was full of water. He slipped from my hand and fell in the pond.

All members of the house were in chatting mode.. They did not know what happened. I shouted with full throat.

The ladies in the house heard my crying, and under stood that something serious. One or two ladies jumped inside the pond, and took the child out safely. It could have been another tragedy in the family after the tragic death of my elder brother. I could save my younger brother "with full throat crying" to get help. Perhaps my crying saved the child. Crying is a most powerful weapon or language for the weak or children.Crying is the most effective way babies have of communicating their needs When a child cries excessively it may sound abnormal or it may sound unusual.I think there are two circuits in human brain that create cry and laughter. No serious study is known to have been made to understand the mechanism in human brain to induce laughter and crying.