ZZZ FIRST UPDATE 5 Dec 2014
CHETTI MELAKA FAMILIES IN
SINGAPORE
(Restricted Release of Parts of 1 to 7
of the results of a community project)
The Original Version was released on 7 Dec 2013. It has
been taken down and is replaced by this version
(This is not a comprehensive new edition. It retains the text of the original, simply incorporating minimal
changes. The Introduction, Chapter organisation and their content remain otherwise as in the original.)
Point of Origin –Melaka during the early Sultanate
A Collaborative Project
(see Annex A for co-authors)
Led by Gerald F Pillay
Under the auspices of the
Association of Chetti Melaka (Indian Peranakans)
Singapore
Restricted Circulation
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
2
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
RESTRICTED RELEASE
The co-authors are in all cases members of the family concerned, and they
have checked with the records or with the recollections of the other family
members where feasible. They are therefore comfortable that the histories
are by and large factual as written up, allowing for surmises here and there.
However, this is not to say that naturally they are not without gaps,
omissions and errors. The histories are therefore provisional. They are now
being released, on a restricted basis, to allow for wider review and
feedback before finalisation. They will only be published after that, with the
consent of the families.
This document is being released on the same restricted basis to the
officers and selected members of the Association, members of the families
covered in the review and others who have helped its production. In the
discretion of the project team the document may also be made available on
the same basis to other members of the Association and the community so
that they may help us reach out to families not so far included.
This document has also been placed on a restricted release basis on the
Internet. As a general reader you are welcome to view it, talk about it and
provide feedback if you have any. However, please note that the conditions
of restricted release apply to you as well.
For the avoidance of doubt, by restricted release we mean the following:
the contents of the document may not be copied or circulated by
unauthorised persons, quoted or inserted in any publication, or cited in any
proceedings as proof of its contents.
The project team have made it clear, and the Association does likewise,
that the family particulars have been recorded in good faith, with no
intention to cause offence or injury to any family or person.
Maj. (Ret) Ponno Kalastree
President
Association of Chetti Melaka (Indian Peranakans)
Singapore.
7 Dec 2013
* * *
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
3
FORWARD TO FIRST EDITION
Dear Friends
This blog-site is a first response to the call made last year (2012) by Major (Ret) Ponno Kalastree,
President of the Association of Chetti Melaka (Indian Peranakans) of Singapore, to capture the
histories of the Chetti Melaka families.
The call was received with enthusiasm. A few members of the community immediately came
forward, some with detailed notes compiled over the years, others with incredible stores of
memories, and yet others who knew about others who knew about others who knew about whom
in the past. Led and co-ordinated by the undersigned, these kind people have collaborated and
co-authored their stories.
We are now pleased to release the first 7 Parts covering the following:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
PART
Family Group of Muthukrishnan
Thevanathan Pillay (@ M. T. Pillay)
Family of Arunasalem Kanagasabai
Pillay
Family of Ardy Pillay
Family Group of Pasurama Babok
Pillay
Family Group of Ramasamy
Suppiah Naidu
Family of Dasuah Sangra Chitty
Family Group of Nenek Kathai
Project Members (Co-Authors)
Mrs Lorraine Netto, nee
Letchimy Pillay
Mrs. Sarojini LIttrell, nee
Sarojini Pillay
Mdm. Sally Pillay,
Devastry Pasurama Bok @
David Bok
Major (ret) Ponnosamy
Kalastree, and Devastry
Pasurama Bok @ David Bok
John Pillay
Late Sundrum Sanasee and
Philips-Roy Sanasee
Please click this link The zz Chetty Malacca Families in Singapore ( FINAL ) 2 Dec 2013 to read
the document. (Please see FORWARD TO THE FIRST UPDATE below, for the link to the FIRST
UPDATED VERSION.)
What we have done cannot be complete and may or may not be always correct, in as much as
we have depended on memory and oral information. We would warmly welcome inputs and
advice.
We, the Project Members, thank Ponno and the Association for their support.
Gerald Pillay (Project Co-ordinator)
7 Dec 2013

* *
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
4
FORWARD TO FIRST UPDATE
The First Edition achieved its intended readership. Several comments,
corrections and inputs were received by word of mouth and via the
Internet. locally and from Malaysia and abroad. There was one request
to remove a family’s particulars on privacy grounds. Taken as a whole,
the family histories were well received. The project team are therefore
encouraged to put out an update version, incorporating the feedback.
In conformity with the practice of the Association, we have adopted the
more up to date term “Chetti Melaka” in place of the historical “Chetty
Malacca”. Likewise, the current place names have been substituted for
historical names with the latter alongside in brackets where appropriate.
The older names are however left in in tact where the context requires it.
Once again the document will be made available on the same restricted
basis.
Let it be said that the updates have been minimal, and confined to
additions, deletions or corrections of names,
places, dates or
relationships. The main stories have remained unchanged.
Please click this link http://chettymalaccafamilies.net/2014/12/04/chettimelaka-families-in-singapore-first-update/ to read the update of this
document.
Thank you
Gerald Pillay
For the Project Team
5 Dec 2014.
NOTE
A summary of the findings of the project so far was incorporated by Gerald
F Pillay in his presentation “Chetti Melaka - Who Are We?” given at Symposium
held on 4 Oct 2014 organised by the Association on the theme: “The Lost Tribe
of Chetti Melaka”. Readers are invited to peruse this document at
http://chettymalaccafamilies.net/2014/12/05/chetti-melaka-who-are-we/ (Click)
* * *
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
5
Introduction
The re-discovery of the history of the Chetti Melaka was pioneered by the late
Mr. B. Sithambaram Naiker, an outstanding leader of the community who passed
away in 1986. His monograph “Chetti of Melaka”, with an impressive collection
of pictures, was published posthumously by his son Mr. S. Vengadesan Naiker,
PBM, and may be found at
http://Melakachetty.blogspot.com/2011/08/history-of-Melaka-chettycommunity.html
This historical quest was taken up by Mr. Samuel S. Dhoraingam, a Singapore
educationist, historian and author. Working closely with Mr. Naiker and others, he
wrote the first substantive history of the community entitled, “Peranakan Indians
of Singapore and Melaka”, published by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
in 2006. (IBSN 981-230-346-4).
In Mar 2011, Gerald F Pillay, a Melaka-born Chetti Melakan and retired
Singapore civil servant, began writing the “Story of Odiang” 1 a chronicle of his
late father Francis Joseph Pillay. This led him to review the available information
about the community. In the process he produced a substantial update of their
history, which he decided to make available independently on the Internet at
http://chettyMelaka.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/welcome-friends/
The Association of Chetti Melaka (Peranakan Indians) of Singapore was
inaugurated on 19 Jan 2008. Under the leadership of its current President, Major
(Ret) Ponnusamy Kalastree, the association has been the major catalyst in the
revival of public interest in and the resurgence of the community. The President
has urged that the history of the Chetti Melaka diaspora in Singapore, and their
further extension abroad from the island, be captured before all is lost with time.
This monograph seeks to respond to this challenge. It complements the earlier
studies, which form the necessary background to the present work.
A Community Collaborative Exercise
This exercise, although led by the undersigned, could only happen with the
participation of the community. Through the association, I was delighted to find
all-round encouragement. Various members of the community pointed out people
with a store of memories. The latter in turn showed a readiness to be “examined”,
so as to contribute whatever they could. Mostly importantly, I found some key
members of the community who shared a common “grand passion” to find out
the antecedents of their families and the history of the community. They have
collaborated unstintingly in the exercise. These co-authors worked separately but
followed common guidelines and definitions. In all cases, they have shared their
own precious data, painstakingly collected over the years. They have followed
1
This Story is available at http://geraldpillay.wordpress.com/the_story_of_odiang/
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
6
common leads, searching out and questioning their friends, elders and relatives,
even to the extent of calling them overseas and in one case visiting them in the
course of travel. It has been an equal collaboration in all cases, and the partners
truly “own “the write-ups associated with them.
These co-authors are
acknowledged in their proper place, but I would like here to record the thanks of
the community to them, for without their participation, it would not have been
possible to carry out the exercise. At the centre of things has been Ponno
Kalastree, who marshalled relevant persons to see us, and to whom I wish on
behalf of all to express our whole-hearted gratitude.
The approach has been eclectic, doing what is available first, and is on-going. In
the process we2 look forward to covering the community substantially, At the end
of each release we list, and will list, those families we have come to know of and
still hope to reach. It has taken more time than originally expected, due to
interruptions. Parts 1 and 2 were begun in Mar and Sep 2011, and the other
parts now being released mainly from Apr 2013. One consequence of this is that
the cut-off dates of the different parts vary, depending when we stopped. It is
hoped that the release of these reports will encourage readers to provide us with
missing information, families and links. We envisage adding and amending from
time to time as necessary.
Scope of the Exercise
We recognize that there has been leakage of the Chetti Melaka population from
Melaka to Singapore (and other parts of Malaysia) from the beginning of the last
century if not earlier. They left to seek better employment and educational
prospects. The overall impression, however, is that for Singapore the significant
migration and family-building momentum began in the decade before the
Japanese Occupation - with the arrivals continuing after the war. Migration in
both directions carried on through the period of political changes in the 1950s
and 1960s until Separation in 1965, with net gains on the Singapore side.
Thereafter, the immigration and manpower policies on both sides of the
causeway became the determining factors.
As a result, we see the Singapore diaspora as comprising tiers or generations as
follows:
2
“We” means the collaborators in this exercise. While each has worked with me independently of the
others, they all share the common basis of work and views expressed in this Introduction.
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
7
Time Frame
(migrated to or
born in
Singapore)
1930 or earlier
Present Age
Present
Status
Over 100 -90s
Probably
deceased
Second
(Senior
Current)
Generation
From 1931 to
1950
81 to 62
Retirees and
grandparents
Third
(Current)
Generation
From 1951 to
1990
61 to 22
Parents,
married and
economically
active
The youth
First
Generation
Fourth (next) From 1991 to
Generation
2010
21 to 2
In this exercise, the approach is by families. Our objective has been to establish
the historical scenario in respect of the first generation where available, and then
the senior current and the current generations. We have confined ourselves to
what is in the public domain as available. We have not undertaken any research.
In point of fact, other than Mr. Dhoraisingam’s book to which we are deeply
indebted, we find that there have been no surveys or published research on the
diaspora of Singapore. Family records and histories, to the extent they exist,
have also not by and large surfaced yet. We have therefore had to rely on the
recollections of people, including third parties.
Our strategy has been as follows:





to establish the main families in Singapore in and around the 1950s. viz
the senior current generation.
From the above baseline, we proceed to capture their recollections of how
their families or their predecessors, viz the first generation, migrated to
Singapore, and established themselves; and
Thereafter, we have sought to establish the growth of the third or younger
current generations of these families, but only sketchily.
We will leave the fourth generation to be written up by their parents or the
younger current generation.
Wherever possible, we have checked our findings with the families
concerned.
The general feeling is that with the passing of the first and senior current
generations, much has been lost. Again, many of the younger generations have
migrated further abroad. The depth of coverage varies with each group,
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
8
depending on the source. We have a scheme of enquiry, but have been happy to
report both what is known and what is known to be unknown.
This report is not a social history. The outcome will be an historical delineation of
the main Chetti Melaka families today in Singapore. Our particular interest will be
the links to Melaka. It will not be a numerical or comprehensive review. Within
the limits of this exercise, we concentrate on the first and senior current
generations. As for the current generation, we try to capture as a minimum their
sons and daughters and their basic progress. We would have fulfilled our
purpose if we can capture sufficient of a scenario to prompt and stimulate
members of the community to check out errors and omissions, search for their
own family histories and records, and either add to our work or write their own
contributions. It is beyond our resources to cover the next or fourth generation.
The community will have to depend of the current generation to fill in the picture,
both in terms of the on-going local growth and the further migration abroad.
We are writing only about the diaspora in Singapore. We look forward to others,
including those living abroad, to do the same in respect of their territories. These
would include updating of the situation in Melaka itself, other parts of Malaysia,
and overseas countries such as Australia, Britain, Canada, USA, etc.
Related Matters
We see the value of this undertaking to be



As the Chetti Melaka community becomes far flung and dilute, there will
be a minimal body of historical material from which future generations can
learn about their past and their heritage;
We will encourage future generations to research and write about the
community in different parts of the world; and
Through the Internet and modern media, we can integrate, preserve and
share in our common identity and heritage.
Although there are a number of variations in use, we have retained the name
“Chetti Melaka” as standard for description of our community. We have retained
the use of the historical name “Malacca”, where contextually required. In a similar
way, we use the place names. Names of persons always present a problem,
with the penchant of the Chetti Melaka to use familiar or nicknames and forget
their true names or their spellings. In our renditions we have done the best we
can with names orally given, but cannot vouchsafe for their accuracy. We also
make the best possible estimates of dates. We would much appreciate inputs on
these and related matters.
There is no intention to ascribe relative importance to the families in the order we
describe them. Where related we have placed them together. We are aware that
we are unlikely to be complete. But, our intention is at minimum to log in all the
families that come to our knowledge, regardless of how meager or inaccurate the
coverage on each. Where our co-authors have uncovered information relating to
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
9
earlier generations or family members who moved to other parts of Malaysia as
well as overseas, we have retained them in our narrative. They are too precious
to lose. Omissions of families or people are entirely our fault, and due to
ignorance. We apologise and hope to be corrected. Finally, thank you, readers,
for your support and interest.
Disclaimer
We, the project coordinator and the co-authors, have done our best to reflect
information conveyed to us correctly. We disclaim any intention to be biased or
slurred. We sincerely apologise if we have offended anyone. No co-author is
responsible for the work of another co-author. Ultimately, the undersigned
assumes sole and full responsibility if anything goes wrong.
Output
Because of the varying access and times required for each family, the results will
be released in Parts. The project will continue as long as there remain families to
be covered. At Annex A is a list of the co-authors of this project in the Parts so far.
As other Parts appear, this list will be enlarged
Gerald F. Pillay3
Project Coordinator
2 Dec 2013
* * *
3
See http://geraldpillay.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/about-gerald-francis-pillay/
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
10
ANNEX A
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART
CO-AUTHORS
FAMILY
PARTICULARS
page
1
Mrs Lorraine Netto, nee Letchimy Pillay, daughter of M. T
Pillay now settled in Perth Australia
Family Group of
Muthukrishnan
Thevanathan Pillay
(@ M. T. Pillay)
11
2
Family of Arunasalem
Kanagasabai Pillay
3
Family of Ardy Pillay
4
23
Family Group of
Parasurama Babok Pillay
Mr. Dinesh Pillay, great grand nephew of M. T. Pillay,
presently pursuing university studies in Kuala Lumpur.
Mrs. Sarojini LIttrell, nee Sarojini Pillay, daughter of
A.Visvanathan Pillay @ Amby and Sigamany Pillay,
daughter of M. T. Pillay. Married to David Littrell, an
engineer, they have two children and are settled in
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
17
5
6
7
Mdm. Sally Pillay, nee Tayna Sellam Pillay @ Chelong
daughter of M. T Pillay, whose husband was the late
George Pillay, son of Ardy Pillay. She is presently resident
in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
25
This Part has been researched, compiled and written up in
its entirety by Devastry Parasurama Bok @ David Bok,
grandson of Parasurama Babok Pillay and eldest son of
Kalastri Devasingam Bok (Baba). He is a distinguished
gospel educator. He is married to Annabella Tay Chin Chin
and they live in Singapore. They have two sons and one
daughter.
33
Major (ret) Ponnosamy Kalastree, only son of Kalastree
Suppiah, and President of the Association of Chetti Melaka
(Pernankan Indians) of Singapore; and
Devastry Pasurama Bok @ David Bok, the eldest son of
Kalastri Devasingam Bok (Baba). He is a distinguished
gospel educator. He is married to Annabella Tay Chin Chin
and they live in Singapore. They have two sons and one
daughter.
Family Group of
Ramasamy Suppiah
Naidu
Family of Dasuah Sangra
Chitty
37
Family Group of Nenek
Kathai
John Pillay, 9th child of Sangra Chitty. He is married to
Joan Gomes with two children, and is settled in Singapore.
S.Sundrum Sanasee, first cousin of Francis Joseph Pillay
@ Odiang, was the first person, in Mar 2011, to suggest
recording of the history of the family and the community.
He then proceeded to relate as much as he could recollect.
He passed away soon after that on 18 Jul 2011; and
Philips Roy Sanasee, second eldest son of S.Sundrum
Sanasee is a Senior Lecturer at ITE, He is married to
Sushila with two children. They are settled in Singapore. .
39
* * *
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
11
PART 1
Family Group of
Muthukrishnan Thevanathan Pillay
(@ M. T. Pillay)
Co-Authored with
Mrs Lorraine Netto, nee Letchimy Pillay, daughter of M. T Pillay now settled in Perth
Australia.
With a contribution by Mr. Dinesh Pillay, great grand nephew of M. T. Pillay, a graduate
presently working for American Express in Kuala Lumpur.
.
Family of Sinivasan Pillay
The late Mr. Sinivasan Pillay was a Tamil merchant from India who towards the end of the 19th
century settled in Melaka and married a Chetti Melaka lady, Nek Mak. They lived in Trengkera
Pantai. They had four sons and one adopted son. Their family tree (a rare if not unique document
in the community) is appended at the end of this Part. It has been kindly provided, with
permission to include it here, by Dinesh Pillay, the great great grandson of Mr. Sinivasan Pillay.
Dinesh, 24 years of age, is a graduate of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) working in
Kuala Lumpur for American Express. He is still single.
Sinivasan Pillay’s eldest son, Shanmugam, and his second eldest son, Veloo, both remained
settled in Melaka. The third son, Pakiri did not marry and there is no information at this point on
him. It is hoped that all their family histories will in time be part of a parallel chronicle detailing the
stories of the Melaka Families - still to be written or, if already being written, to be published.
What is pertinent here is that Sinivasan’s adopted son, M. T. Pillay, and his youngest son,
Murugah, settled in Singapore. This Part captures their family histories
it is appropriate to record here that Veloo Pillay, who was widely known as Veloo Susu 4, became
one of the most respected leaders of the community in both Melaka and Singapore. He married
Annam Ammal @ Anong, and they had three sons and two daughters. His second son, Krishna,
married Mary Danam @ Danalekshimi, and in turn they had four sons and four daughters. Their
third son, K. Thayalan Pillay, 51 years of age, lives in Melaka and works as a senior clerk in a law
firm. Married to Lee Chu Eng @ Sharmini of Jasin, also a clerk in a legal firm, they have two
sons, of whom Dinesh is the elder. We owe the information here on the Sinivasan Pillay family to
this family.
* * *
“Susu” means milk. Veloo acquired his appellation from the fact that he ran a sizeable farm in
Bachang engaged in both agriculture and dairy produce
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
12
Family of M. T. Pillay
A.
The First Generation
The late Mr. Muthukrishnan Thevanathan Pillay (better known as M. T. Pillay) was perhaps the
most prominent leader of the Chetti Melaka community in post-war Singapore. He was generally
known among his peers and across all communities as “Baba”. He was born in on 10 April 1897.
His natural parents were not known. It is believed he was of Bengali descent, for he always kept a
“kudumi”, a mini-tail of hair at the back of his head, after their fashion. He was adopted by the late
Mr. Sinivasan Pillay, father of the late Mr. Veloo Pillay and the late Mr. Murugah Pillay. and they
were raised as brothers.
M.T. Pillay was educated at St Francis’ Institution and completed the Cambridge. Thereafter, it is
believed he worked in various government clerical positions in Melaka before appearing on the
scene in Singapore in the mid 1930s working for the government in similar occupations. He was
well established in an executive position in the Accountant General’s Department by the time the
war broke out. There is a well known story that just before the British surrendered to the
Japanese, he had on his own initiative burnt all the British notes in the Treasury. For this and
other services, he would in due course be made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) by His
Majesty King George VI. It appears that he was before the war already well established in life, for
he owned a modern brick-and-concrete bungallow at 10 Ceylon Road. This house was totally
destroyed by a direct hit during a Japanese air-raid. There is another true story that while
everything was reduced to rubble, a picture of the Sacred Heart which he kept always lighted in
the house was the only item found completely unscratched. Letchimy adds the following note:
“the Picture of the Sacred Heart my father venerated for decades is a Miraculous Picture. On the
day of his passing in T.T.S.H. the perpetual light at the picture went off until the police came to
deliver the bad news. After the family received the bad news, the perpetual light for some
miraculous reason came on again.” It is presently in her home in Perth, Australia, and continues
to be lighted.
Before his moved to Singapore, M. T. Pillay married Balamba, who was a cousin of Nonya,
Kechik, Lembek and Pusong and who like him was also adopted into the family of Vellu Susu.
M. T. Pillay’s family has always been closely associated with that of Achi Manga This is not
surprising as Achi Manga was married to the uncle of Velu Susu, and so both M.T Pillay and
Balamba were her nephew and niece respectively by marriage. Achi Manga was the doyen of the
large settlement of the Chetti Melaka community at Kampong Pantai 1, bordering the sea at
Tranquerah, Melaka, and was famous across all local communities for the legendry quality of her
cakes. Her daughters were Bulat and Berat. Unfortunately, M. T Pillay’s first wife died early,
leaving behind only one surviving daughter, Sivagamy @ Rose. M. T Pillay had a property in
Kampong Pantai 1 at that time. For this reason, he was also known both in Melaka and in
Singapore as “Baba Pantai”
In Singapore he married, a second time in 1935, to Papathe, daughter of Madam Avirami, also
known as Nenek Jambol, who in turn was the sister of Mr. Apoo Pillay, also known as Topey or
Mama Dollah depending who was addressing him (see separate entry below). Resident at Ceylon
Road, they had four daughters and one son, in the following order of seniority: Letchimy,
Marimuthu @ Marie, Tayna Sellam @ Chelong, their only son Muthu Krishnan and their youngest
daughter Sarada. Sarada was for a while adopted by Achi Manga. M. T Pillay also had a legally
adopted son, Khoo Teng Gin @ Johnny Pillay.
During the Japanese Occupation, the M. T. Pillay family lived with another Chetti Melaka family,
that of the late Mr. Sababathy at Kovan Road. After the war, M. T Pillay resumed his career with
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
13
the Account General’s Office. But in 1946, it was found expedient for the family to move to
Melaka. They lived first on Velu Susu’s farm at Bachang, and then moved to their own premises
at Dato Manila Lane. By all accounts this was an unsatisfactory period of separation. By 1948, M.
T. Pillay had settled his affairs and purchased a large new bungallow at 9 Teo Kim Eng Road, off
Jalan Eunos, and the family returned to Singapore to live there.
M. T Pillay continued at the Account General’s Office until retirement as Account at in 1958. At
that stage he was literally the kingpin of Singapore’s financial administration; it was well known
that every paycheck and voucher in the country had to be passed by him before payment could
be made. He passed away on 6 Sep 1960.
M. T. Pillay was a loyal Hindu all his life and supported the causes of the “Sri Poyatha Venayagar
Moorthi Temple, Melaka”, the Trustees and Management Committee of which held and managed
the many Hindu temples and shrines belonging to the community in Melaka. He was a staunch
supporter of the Ramakrishna Mission in Singapore, and worked closely with Dr. Chota Singh, a
distinguished leader of that mission. He donated generously both in time and money to both It
was also well-known that he had a strong devotion to the Christian religion, as evidenced by the
picture of the Sacred Heart he venerated. He was baptised a Catholic before he died, taking the
names “Mathew Terrence” for “M.T.”.
B.
The Senior and Current Generations
We may conveniently summarise M. T Pillay’s children and their children, who form the current
senior and current generation of the family, as follows:

T. Sivagamy Pillay (1928) @ Rose. She married A. Visvanathan Pillay @ Amby, son of
the late Mr. Arunasalam Kanagasabai Pillay This second generation family is followed up
under the latter’s family history, (see separate family listing).

Letchimy Pillay (1936).@ Lorraine She married Alfred Netto, a second generation
Singapore non-Chetti Melaka Indian, in 1969. Letchimy became a Catholic, with the
baptised name of Lorraine. They have a daughter (Sharon) and two sons (Terence and
Ashley). Alfred worked for Societa Commissionaria, Associated Motor Industries and Air
Express International, and Letchimy with the CPF, before the family migrated to Perth,
West Australia in 1989. All their three children are now settled down with a total of four
children of their own
(a) Their eldest daughter Sharon was born in 1970. She obtained her degree in Western
Australia, majoring in Asian Studies & Politics. She had a scholarship to study in
China for one year, furthering her education in Mandarin. She later found a job with
the Australian High Commission in China for a couple of years and appeared on
National TV in China promoting Australia, speaking in Mandarin. She then joined
multi-national interior-design and furbishing giant Haworth Inc. USA. She was
transferred to Hong Kong and then Canada, is and now in Michigan USA. Sharon is
happily married to a German, Steffen Lipsky, who is a design engineer in Haworth;
while she is the manager of the H.R. Department. They have just had a baby girl,
Sophie.
(b) Terence was born in 1972.He studied environmental science, but half way through
went into the coffee business with his brother, Ashley, for 10 years. He then studied
to become a pilot and has a pilot’s license, but without a job. Later, he decided to
finish his studies in environmental science. He has now graduated and is prospecting
for a job in this field. He is happily married to an Australian lady, Holly Crosswaite,. a
professional photographer, who is at the moment a part-time student at Murdoch
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
14
University, majoring in Business Management. They have 2 daughters, Sansia &
Ajda.
(c) Ashley was born in 1973. He first worked for Hayatt Hotel, and then went on, with
Terence as his business partner, into the coffee business called Infusion. Later he
became a Manager with Sun Glass Hut. Then he decided to go into partnership with
the Defensive Driving School as a Driving Instructor. He is engaged to a Dutch lady,
Esther Levi, who lectures at the University of Western Australia. in Zoology. They
have a daughter, Noa Maya, born on the same day as her cousin Sophie
(9.Mar.2012)

Marimuthu Pillay (1938) @ Marie. She married Pakirisamy Pillay, son of the late
Murugah Pillay, who was the brother of Velu Susu of Bachang, (see separate family
listing) The progress of this second generation family is recorded under Murugah Pillay’s
family

Tayna Sellam Pillay (1939), @ known as Chelong, married Sinnathamby A. Pillay, also
known as George, son of Ardy Pillay. The progress of this second generation family is
recorded under Ardy Pillay’s family (see separate family listing). On conversion to
Catholicism, Chelong adopted the name Sally.

Muthukrishnan Pillay (1941), @ M. C. Pillay, @ Christopher Pillay, married Norah Chia, a
Singapore Peranakan lady. On conversion to Catholicism, he added the name
Christopher as his middle-name. He served as a career officer in first the Singapore
Police Force and then the Singapore Armed Forces before retirement in the rank of
Major. They have one daughter, Tanya, who is married to Murali Nair. The latter couple in
turn have one son, Nikhil Nair.

Sarada Pillay (1942) married Chandra Marimuthu Mudaliar, Achi Manga’s grandson. She
had a lifelong career in the service of the NTUC in administrative duties before
retirement. They have a daughter Savira Lyani Mudaliar.

Johnny Pillay (1933). @ Johnny Khoo Teng Gin. Legally adopted son of M. T Pillay,
Johnny married Peggy Lee Mei Ching. The have a son and a daughter. The former,
Terrence, married Amelia See and they have three children, Natasha, Alicia and Eliza.
The latter, their daughter, Bettina Khoo, married Adam Ho, and they have on son, Caleb,
and one daughter Danielle.
.* * *
2. Family of Apoo Pillay
As near as may be estimated the late Mr. Apoo Pillay would have been born in the 1880 if not
earlier. It is also surmised that he was born in Melaka, but he can be placed in Singapore early in
the next century. He may in fact be among the pioneers of the Chetti Melaka community to
migrate to Singapore. We know that he was educated in Melaka. Again, he might well have been
among the first five or six cohorts of Chetti Melaka children to go to school with the set up of
English schools under the British. He worked in Singapore in a legal firm before retiring.
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
15
Mr. Apoo Pillay’s familiar name was “Dollah”, and he was known throughout the community as
“Topey Dollah” (granpa) or “Mama Dollah” (uncle) depending on the juniority of the person
addressing him; there were none senior to him. We know that he was married and had no
children, but nothing else of his married life. We were equally unable to find information, within
the limits of our search, about his parents, but it must be available. But we do know that he had a
sister Madam Avirami Pillay, who was better known as “Nenek Jambol” (grandma). Her daughter,
Pavathe, became M. T Pillay’s second wife. After the war, Nenek Jambol and her brother lived at
the latter’s residence at 9 Teo Kim Eng Road. Both have since passed away.
Mr. Apoo Pillay had a brother, by the name of Gonathan Pillay. He was married to a Chetti
Melaka lady, and they had a daughter, also named Avirami. The latter became the wife of the late
B. S. Naiker or “Embong” as he was known.) He had a mistress by the name of Veronica Wee
Guat Choon. They had a daughter Rosie Pillay who married Noel Santa Maria from Melaka and
they settled in Australia many years ago.
Mention must be made of Sandy Gurunathan Pillay. He is reported as the brother in law of Mr
Apoo Pillay. He became the first person from the community to attain professional status, as a
lawyer based in Singapore. It is reported that Apoo Pillay helped finance his legal studies. He
married an Irish lady, had two daughters, Joan and Terry, and settled in Britain.
***
3. Family of Murugah Pillay
The late Mr. Murugah Pillay was the youngest of the four sons of Sinivasan Pillay, brother of Velu
Susu of Bachang and, therefore of M. T. PIllay. He married Valliamah. He migrated with his family
to Singapore in the immediate post-war years. He had two sons, who also settled in Singapore,
and one adopted daughter, viz,

Pakirisamy, who married Marie, daughter of M T Pillay. He worked for the British Army
as a Driver, and then as a Forklift Operator at an airport before retirement. He passed
away on 16 Jan 011. They had two sons, Krishna and Anandh, and a daughter, Shanti,
who was born between the two sons. The eldest son, Krishna is a deputy principal of a
primary school, is married to Marakartham and have a daughter Niylana. The younger
son, Anandh, is married to Helen, a Swedish lady and they are settled in Sweden. Their
daughter, Shanti, is a nurse.

Dollah, who married Valli, a Chetti Melaka lady. They had five sons, Rajan, Theva @
Deva, Mohan @ Mogan and Rama, and one daughter, Sita.

Kamala, adopted daughter, who married Bala. Nothing else is known.
Part 1 Completed in Jul 2012
Updated in Oct 2013
Updated in Nov 2014
* * *
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
16
APPENDIX TO PART 1
Family of Sinivasan Pillay5
*Note: female family members are in Itallic, male members are in bold
1) Sinivasan Pillay married Nek Mak (4 sons 1 adopted son)
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
Shanmugam Pillay
Veloo Pillay
Pakiri Pillay (not married)
Murugah Pillay
M.T Pillay @ Baba Pantei (Adopted)
A) Shanmugam Pillay married Manggamah @ Mak Mangga (4 daughters)
i)
Nyonya married Sineevasan Mudaliar (2 sons 4 daughters)
a. Ponnusamy Mudaliar (not married)
b. Neelachee @ Bulat (not married)
c. Meenachee @ Birat married Muthu
d. Sivagamy
e. Marimuthu Mudaliar married Sarada Pillay
f. Alagatha @ Kamala (not married)
ii)
iii)
iv)
Kechik (not married)
Sivagami @ Lembik (not married)
Poosam @ Achong (not married)
B) Veloo Pillay @ Veloo Susu married Annam ammal @Anong (3 sons 2 daughters)
5
i)
Suppiah Pillay married Saraswathy @ Sarasu (no children)
ii)
Anjalai Pillay married Rajadurai (1 son 2 daughters)
a. Chinnathamby married Rajama (3 sons 1 daughter)
Completed as of February 2014
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore




iii)
Latha
Sivakumar
Vijayakumar
Jeyakumar @ Kuttiappu
b.
Maligah married Arunaghiri Pathair (2 daughters)
 Punisha Pathair
 Logeswary Pathair married Tony Vishnu Nagamaiah
 Jaremaiah Siddarth
c.
Vimala married Letchemena Pathair (1 son)
 Vishan Pathair
Krishna Pillay married Mary Danam @ Danaledshimi (4 sons 4 daughters)
a. Ragunathan Pillay (deceased)
b. Valli Pillay (deceased)
c.
Padmavathy Pillay married Balakrishnan Naidu
 Nanthini
 Mahendran
d.
Arunasalam Pillay married Vimala Devi
 Kavindran Pillay
 Pavithran Pillay
 Savithrii Pillay
e.
Thevakumaran Pillay married Saras
 Yarshini Pillay
 Pavish Pillay
 Kavitha Pillay
 Dhanaletchumy Pillay
f.
Santhriga married Pannirselvam
 Logendran
 Darvin
g.
Thayalan Pillay married Lee Chu Eng @ Sharmini
 Dinesh Pillay
 Pravin Pillay
h.
Malathy Pillay married Muthu
 Thanesh
iv)
Sitha Pillay (not married)
v)
Sinavasan Pillay married Joyce Perreira
17
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
a.
b.
c.
Nitha Pillay married Robert Anthony
 Brian
 Bethany
Punisha Pillay
Malini Pillay
C) Pakiri Pillay (not married)
D) Murugah Pillay married Valliamah (2 sons 1 adopted daughter)
i)
a.
b.
c.
Pakiri Pillay married Marie Pillay (2 sons 1 daughter)
Krishna Pillay
Shanti Pillay
Anand Pillay
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Govinda Pillay married Valli (5 sons 1 daughter)
Rajan Pillay
Theva Pillay
Mohan Pillay
Bala Pillay
Rama Pillay
Sita Pillay
ii)
iii)
Kamala
(Adopted) married Bala*
18
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
19
PART 2
Family of Arunasalem Kanagasabai Pillay
Co-authored with
This Part has been completely researched, assembled and edited
by Mrs. Sarojini LIttrell, nee Sarojini Pillay, daughter of
A.Visvanathan Pillay @ Amby and Sigamany Pillay, daughter of M.
T. Pillay. Married to David Littrell, an engineer, they have two
children and are settled in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
A.
The First Generation
It is the recollected history of the family that their forebear was one Kanagasabai Pillay, a trader
from Jaffna, Jalapanam, Ceylon (now Sr Lanka) who settled in Melaka in the 1860s and married
a Chetti Melaka lady, Tulasi Amma. The couple moved to Singapore at some stage, when they
bought what would become the family residence of the next two generations, at No. 10 Lorong M
Telok Kurau. To them was born a son, Kanagasabai Arunasalem Pillay in the 1890s, who in later
years was also known as Baba. There is no other information known at this point in time about his
siblings, if any, or the other members of his parental family or where they lived in Melaka.
In 1915, Baba married Avirami Chitty also known as Nonya, sister of Bachik and Inchik, of the
Ardy Pillay family line (see separate family listing). Married in Melaka the couple migrated to
Singapore and took up residence at No 10 Lorong M, Telok Kurau. For our purpose,
Kanagasabai Arunasalem Pillay is the head and he and his spouse represent the first generation
of this diaspora family. The couple had six children, four boys and two girls, all born in Singapore.
Little is known of Baba’s background, except that he worked as a civil servant, and became one
of the leading seniors of the Chetti Melaka community in Singapore. From the dating, it would
appear that he was older by perhaps half a decade than M T. Pillay (see separate family listing),
the other senior leader of the community with whom he was very close. This means that he
belonged to the very first pioneer cohorts of Chetti Melaka children who were sent to school at the
turn of the last century. The English schools being opened by the missionaries and the
government at that time – among other things to provide local staff for the government services –
represented the first opportunity in their history that the community had the chance for an
education. The more far-seeing and wealthier families, among them no doubt Kanagasabai Pillay,
did not fail to take advantage of the opportunity.
B.
The Senior and Current Generations
We briefly summarise below the particulars of the six children of Kanagasabai Arunasalem Pillay
who form the second generation, and head their families. The latter in turn form the third
generation and fourth generations. We also include information as available of the latter’s children
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
20
who form the fifth generation - and indeed the burgeoning growing living edge of the future Chetti
Melaka people6.

Eldest Child (son) – A. Kanagasabai Pillay @ Joe Pillay (1917 – 1996). Joe had a long
and respected career in government service, rising to Legal Assistant in the Attorney
General’s Chambers before he retired in in 1972. He married Vallimay Pillay @ Cho
(1925 – 2009), daughter of Dasuah Sangra Chitty (see separate family listing). They had
two children a daughter and a son, whose particulars are as follows:

Avirame Pillay (1944- ) who became a teacher and is now retired. In 1972, she
married, Mathew Siva, a non-Chetti Melaka Indian, a journalist and managing
editor. They in turn have two children




Rajagopal Pillay (1949 - ) who worked for Singapore Pools and is now retired. In
1973 he married Jenny Lee, a Chinese lady and they have four children as
follows:
 Sheila Pillay who is an architect and unmarried

Jacinta Pillay who is a lawyer and is married to a Chinese gentleman from
Sarawak. They have two children.

Kishen Pillay who is a Lawyer and unmarried, and

Charlene Pillay
Second Child (son) – A. Visvanathan Pillay @ Amby (1920-1976). Like his elder brother
Amby also worked in the civil service, as a clerical officer. His office was at Fullerton
Building (then also known as the General Post Office or GPO). He retired in December
1975. The family have many memories of him at his favourite hobbies which revolved
around repairing, tinkering with and tweaking cars and radios. His pride and joy was his
Vespa. From time to time he also produced a gadget or a radio, put together from spare
parts. In 1950, Amby married T Sivagamy Pillay @ Rose, the eldest daughter of
M.T.Pillay by his first wife, Valamba. This marriage was very close to the hearts of both
fathers, who wished to see their two great families united. The couple had two children, a
daughter and a son, as follows:

Sarojini Pillay (1951 - ) @ Saro, their daughter. Over the years, Saro has worked
in various corporate roles, including marketing and management, and currently
has a successful practice in real estate. In 1974, she married David Lawrence
Littrell (1947 - ), a Caucasian American. He was originally from the oil industry,
but moved into a wider career in Business Development and Sales and
Marketing. He retired in 2010. They have two children, as follows:

6
An elder daughter, who has asked for her family particulars to be omitted on
privacy grounds.
A younger son, Lawrence Siva (1975 - ) who was educated in USA and is
settled now in Singapore. He works for a multinational company.
Davinia Rose Littrel (1979 -), their daughter, who graduated with a degree in
Banking and Finance and is now the Sales and Marketing Manager of
EcoVenture, an outdoor adventure company. In 2007, she married Graham
Editorial Note: Each family is grouped together, each forming a family tree and each headed by its
second generation head. . The generations within each family (ie second, third and fourth) are listed tiered
relative to one another. Within each generation, the names are ranked by seniority. Where the fourth
generation have children, these are included with them, without a further fifth generation tier. Gender is not
always indicated, and not where it is apparent from the name and circumstances.The information coverage
is “as available”. Names may not be correctly spelt. With feedback these limitations will be removed.
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
21
Ian Malkin, an Englishman, who is the Managing Director and Head of Field
Studies in a Private School in Dubai, UAE, where they are presently living.
They have no children to date.

Dirk Derrick Littrel (1982-), their son, who is the Operations Manager of Turf
Paradise, which is a Horse Racetrack Ranch, in Phoenix, Arizona USA. He
is presently also pursuing a degree in Business Management.
Saro and her husband David are currently also settled in Phoenix, Arizona with
their son.


Thevanathan Pillay (1953-) @ Nathan,. their son, who is a Lawyer for CASE
(Consumers’ Association of Singapore). He is presently divorced. He has two
daughters, as follows.

Shalini Pillay (1992-), who just graduated this year in Accountancy, from the
University of Kent..

Nashita Pillay (1992-), who is presently an undergraduate at the Singapore
Management University (SMU) pursuing Psychology. She completed her
secondary education at the Singapore Sports School where she excelled in
Netball.
Third Child (son) – A. Ramanathan Pillay @ Nathan (1923-2000?). Unlike his elder
brothers, Nathan worked in the private sector. Both for the firms who employed him and
in his own business, Nathan was a technical person, his skills revolving around engine
and plant maintenance, servicing and repair. He rode a motor-cycle and was always
bustling about. In 1940 he married Pappama Kanavathi (1927-2002) @ Pappu and
between them they had 10 children, six sons and four daughters, as follows:



Arunasalem Pillay (1941 -), @ Bachik, their eldest son, who has had a career in
sales. He married Savithri @ Usha, and they have three sons, as follows:

Suresh, the eldest who works in Information Technology.

Devadason, the second, who also works in Information Technology

Ramesh, the youngest, who also works in information Technology
Muthumah Pillay (1947-) @ Kamala, their second child and eldest daughter. She
married a widower Balraju s/o Periana, a non-Chetti Melaka Indian. There are
two children, as follows:

Mohanas Sundram, her husband’s son by his first wife. He is married to
Valiamah, a non-Chetti Melaka Indian. They have no children., and

Purnima d/o Balraju, their daughter, who is an undergraduate at the National
University of Singapore.
Thegarah Pillay (1950-), their third child and son, who married Valiamah, a nonChetti Melaka lady. They have no children?.
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore






.
22
Manjulah Pillay (1952), their fourth child and second daughter, who married
Kanagalingam, a non-Chetti Melaka person. They have three children, as follows:

Tamarai Selvi, their daughter, who is single.

Rajalingam, their elder son, who married Lyndia Lee, a Chinese lady. They
have 2 children, as follows:

Enswaran Lingam, and

Ishwari.

Mahesalingam, their younger son, who is married to Shoba. They have no
children yet
Kumaran Pillay (1953) their fifth child and third son. He married Saratha Bai, his
first cousin, daughter of Kamachi Pillay @ Jaudi. She is a physiotherapist, and
they have two daughters, as follows:

Sharmala PIllay, their elder daughter, who is also a physiotherapist like her
mother. She is married to Ravi Panner Selvam, and they have a daughter,
Trishna; and

Kamini Pillay, their younger daughter, who was a nurse and is now a
makeover artist.
Mohan Pillay (1954 - ) @ Morgan, their sixth child and
married Sares, and they have two sons, as follows:

Anand, the elder, and

Devan.
fourth son. Morgan
Chandra Pillay (1957 - ), their seventh child and fifth son. He married Florence, a
non- Melaka Chetty lady, and they have two children, as follows:

Vijay Pillay, the elder and their son, and

Casandra Pillay, their daughter.
Dhanaletchemi Pillay (1957 - ), their eighth child and third daughter,. She
married K. Money, a non—Melaka Chetty person, and they have three children,
as follows:

Reuben, their eldest son

Jeeven, their second son, and

Megan, their youngest and daughter.
Jamuna Rani Pillay ((1960-), their ninth child and fourth daughter,. She married
Richard Mahindaphala, a Sri Lankan, and they have two children, as follows:

Raina, their daughter

Ryan, their son
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore

23
Ravi Pillay (1965-), their tenth child and Sixth son.,. He married Melissa, a
Eurasian lady, and they are two children, as follows::

Kierran, their son

Carra, their daughter
.
The family are now resident in Perth, Australia.

Fourth Child (daughter) – Tulasi Amma Pillay @ Mickey (1926?-2000?). In 1947, she
married Manapuri Padmanabham, A Telegu gentleman from India. Together, they had a
total of 10 children, five daughters and five sons, and are now settled in Perth, Australia.
The children are as follows::

Venkata Lakshm (1948-) @ Mimi.. Mimi is single and is residing in Perth.

Vuma Maheshwari (1949) @ Papa. She married Govinda Pillay @ Frank, son of
Otek, and they have three children and are resident in Singapore. Their children
are as follows:
 Rebecca Pillay, their eldest daughter. She married Philip Malcolm, an Indian
from USA. and they have one son, Isaiah, and one daughter, Hannah
 Mark Pillay, their eldest son. He married Phillida, a Singapore Indian lady, and
they have two sons, Jayden and Ethan
 ,Leroy Pillay, their younger son. He married Tina, also a Singapore Indian
lady, and they have two daughters, Dayna and Shayna.

Chinni Krisha, (1950-). He married Clara @ Nina, a non-Melaka Chetty lady, and
they are living in Perth. They have a daughter Christabel

Bhupathy (1951) @ Jingli. Jinx. He married Sonia Anamalay, and they have two
children, a daughter Alena and a son Roy. They are all residing in Perth.

Pushpakantham Padmanabham (1952-). She became a Christian missionary and
is currently in Cambodia

Deviki (1953 -). She married Ramakrishna Thegaraju and they have two sons
Ganesh and Jevan. The family reside in Perth .

Usha (1954 -). She married Jodi Ramalingam, and they have four children, two
sons and two daughters and the family are settled in Perth. Their children are :as
follows”
 Michelle, the eldest daughter, who married Zakia . They have two children,
Faith and Zyan
 James, the eldest son
 Rachel, their second daughter
 Joshua, their younger son.
.
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore


Gopalan (1955-) @ Omar Abdullah. He became a Muslim and married Hajijah.
They have three children, Nurbeha, Zulkfli and Taufiq, The family live in
Singapore.

Sinnapathy (1956 - ). He married a Chinese lady, Jeanette Tan Bee Wah, and
they four children, three daughters Semantha, Stephanie and Sarah, and their
youngest a son, Elijah. The family ive in Singapore.:

Anandh (1957 - ). He married Prema Doma, and they have three children, Josiah,
Ezekial and Ezra. They all live in Perth
Fifth Child (son) – A. Krishna Pillay (1930?-2000?). Krishna was a salesperson by
occupation and was well-known as a footballer playing for the national level. . In 1953, he
married Kamachi Pillay (1937-200?) @ Jepun, daughter of Bachik Chitty, who is still
alive. They have three children, two daughters and one son, as follows::


24
K. Valliamay Pillay (1954 - ), the eldest daughter who married Maniam Chitty.

K. Indrani Pillay (1956 - ) their younger daughter, and

K. Subramaniam (1957-) @ Maniam, their only son, who is married to Janeka.
Their only daughter is Rinaswary Pillay.
Sixth Child (daughter) – Kamachi Pillay (1930?-) @ Jaudi. In 1954 she married
Muthukrishnan Sinnasamy @ Johnny and they had only one daughter, Saratha Bai
(1955-). The latter went on to marry her first cousin Kumaran Pillay and had two children,
see under husband’s name.
* * *
Completed in Apr 2013
Updated in Nov 14
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
25
PART 3
Family of Ardy Pillay
Co-Authored with
Mdm. Sally Pillay, nee Tayna Sellam Pillay @ Chelong daughter of
M. T Pillay, whose husband was the late George Pillay, son of Ardy
Pillay. Sally has two sons and a daughter, resident in Singapore.
She presently resides in Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Ardy Pilllay’s family is one of the major families of the Chetti Melaka community. The family seat
was in Bachang. Although he never emigrated from Melaka, the family has played a seminal part
in the growth of the diaspora in Singapore. Ardy Pillay married twice, to two sisters, the second
upon decease of the first.
From his first wife he had one child:

Nonya.
Nonya married Inchik, the brother of the wife of Arunasalem Pillay, head of another prominent
first generation family (see separate listing), and she had the following children:







Letchemee
Boxer
Bahma
Gowri
Rukumani
Kumar
Valli
While the family were spread in Melaka and other parts of Malaysia, there was close continuous
interaction with the Singapore community. In particular, Letchimy married Sundrum Sanasee
Pillay, and settled in Singapore to raise their own first generation family which is recorded
separately (see separate listing)
From his second wife, Ardy Pillay had the following children:







Perumal
Baby
Raja
Nelachi
Sinnathamby @ George
Rani
Sittambaram or Siden
Of these above, the following by marriage formed diaspora Singapore families, namely:

Nelachi Pillay was a teacher and married David Row, a non-Chetti Melaka person who
was the principal of a school for the blind trained in New Zealand in Braille. They have
three children.
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore

26
Sinnathamby @ George Pillay (1931) married Teyna Sellam Pillay @ Chelong @ Sally ,
daughter of M. T Pillay. George was a Telecoms Technician and passed away in 1986,
while Sally was a qualified nurse but retired soon after marriage in 1962. Although they
resided in Johor Bahru and continue to do so, the family have been in continuous
interaction with the community in Singapore and may be counted as a member of the
diaspora. They have three children who are settled in Singapore:

Alfred George Pillay, who is a member of the Singapore Police Force.

Wilfred Pillay, who is an aerospace instructor

Sandra Pillay, who is married to Dr. Goh Chin Soon, a skin specialist.
When the Chetti Melaka families in Melaka and Malaysia are recounted, this family’s presence
will fully surface.
Completed in Jun 2012
* * *
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
27
PART 4
Family Group of Parasurama Babok Pillay
Co-Author
This Part has been research, compiled and written up in its entirety by
Devastry Parasurama Bok @ David Bok, grandson of Parasurama
Babok Pillay and eldest son of Kalastri Devasingam Bok (Baba). He is
a distinguished gospel educator. He is married to Annabella Tay Chin
Chin and they live in Singapore. They have two sons.
(Editor’s Note: Although the First and Second Generation of this Family Group did not migrate to
Singapore but have lived and do still live in Melaka and Malaysia, we have captured their history
as extensively as possible because of the unique availability of the information, and also to show
the close links between the Melaka Chetty communities in both countries.)
A. The First Generation
Parsurama Babok Pillay @ Babok Pillay
Parsurama Babok Pillay was born into the Indian Peranakan Chetti Melaka community. His
father, interestingly enough, was also called Parasurama Babok Pillay. In the Chetti Melaka
cemetery behind the General Hospital in Melaka town, the two tombstones of father and son lie
within 10 meters of each other. One is named Parasurama Babok Pillay and the other P Babok
Pillay.
How did the name Parasurama Babok Pillay become Bok, by which the family group was
thereafter called? Apparently Babok was short for Baba Bok, suggesting a marital union with the
bigger Chinese Peranakan community or Babas, in an earlier generation. Then P Babok Pillay
Senior suggested to his son that the long moniker they both shared, Parasurama Babok (Baba
Bok) Pillay, could be effectively reduced to Bok. So all Parasurama Babok Pillay Junior’s eleven
children subsequently adopted the unusual surname Bok. There are Chinese, Korean, Dutch and
American Boks but no other Indian ones known outside this family group.
P Babok Pillay Senior had four children. The eldest was Katang Pillay, also known as Thamby
Joget (dance) because he loved to dance. He married May Pantai (beach). Their four children
were Kamachi, Kurnia Pillay (father of Baba PIllay and Mary Pillay, both in their early 70s at the
time of writing), Bayong and Letchmi. P Babok Pillay’s second child was a girl, Segami, who
married Bogi. Number three was P Babok Pillay Junior. The fourth was a nother son whose name
remains unknown.
For our purpose, although he lived and worked in Malaya, P Babok Pillay Junior represents the
first generation and head of the Singapore branch of the Bok family, being the grandfather of the
latter. Parasurama Babok Pillay Junior had eleven children in all, seven by his first wife and four
by his second. They are listed below, and their histories follow.
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
28
Children by Nyonya his first wife
1. Devavaram @ Zainal Abidin (Namby) (1912-1983)
2. P Devasingam @ Abdullah bin Osman
3. Nyonya
4. Kalastri Devasingam (Baba)
5. Chelum Devanaisam (Bachik)
6. Adi Devanaigam (Kopi) @ Anthony Dominic
7. Letchumi
Children by Guru Amal (Muda Pok) his second wife
1. Tolasie
2. Devarajah (Rajah)
3. Visalachee Guru Amal (Lachee)
4. Devasingam (David)
Babok Pillay reached the highest standard of education then available, called Standard 5, and
was subsequently appointed to the civil service of the British colony of Malaya, then divided into
the Straits Settlement (Penang, Melaka, Singapore) and the Federated Malay States (all the other
states). He rose to the position of chief clerk and was moved around the country in that
administrative capacity. In one of these government postings, at Kuala Kurau, Perak, his first wife
Nyonya died. Her younger sister Avarami also known as Pok, took care of Babok Pillay’s
unmarried children, until he remarried Guru Amal, also known as Muda Pok.
His last posting was in Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan, before he retired and built his house near the
beach of Melaka town. It had two entrances and two numbers for its official address: 18-19
Tengkera (Tranquerah) Pantai One. This house was destroyed in the great flood of 1971 when he
moved to stay at Kampong Chetty until his death.
Babok PIllay was nominally a Hindu by virtue of being a Chetti Melaka, but he was not a religious
man and never went to any of the eight temples owned by the Chetti Melaka community. But his
second wife, Guru Amal, made up for his deficiency by going not only to Hindu temples but also
to the temples of the other religions.
Lateral connections
Nyonya’s yonger sister Avarami (Pok) later married M Gurusamy, and was thereafter known as
Pok Gurusamy to distinguish her from Guru Amal who was also called Pok Pillay after her
marriage to Babok Pillay. Pok Gurusamy became the mother of Tegeraja and his siblings
Mariamah and Velu. Tegeraja was the chairman of the Gajah Berang temple committee and the
virtual leader of the Chetti Melaka community in Kampong Chetty for about 20 years until 2012.
Guru Amal herself came from the Singapore Chetti Melaka family of Letchumanan Kanagasabai
Chitty, who was her father as well as the father of KL Chitty (Kanagsabai Letchumanan Chitty),
KS Chitty (Kanagasabai Sidambrom Chitty), KT Chitty (Kanagsabai Thevanayagam Chitty, the
chairman of the temple community before Tegeraja) and others by his four wives.
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
29
B The Second Generation
Families of Babok Pillay’s first wife, Nyonya
1 Family of Devavaram Bok @ Zainal Abidin (Thamby) (deceased)
Devavaram, the eldest son of Babok Pillay was both the best educated of his siblings, as well as
the one who looked most typically Indian. He was black, whereas his siblings were brown, looking
more like Malays. He was born in Seremban during one of his father’s government postings.
He studied at a technical college and then worked for the Central Electricity Board (CEB) as a
technical assistant under the British. But by dint of hard work and self improvement, he became a
civil engineer even without a university education. He became part of the CEB team that carried
out the Cameron Highlands Hydro Electric Project.
Through his first marriage, to Maimunah, Devavaram converted to Islam with the Muslim name
Zainal Abidin. There were no children from the marriage, although they adopted a Chinese girl
whom they named Asmah, before Maimunah died from a fall.
When Devavaram was working in Kuantan, Pahang, he met and married his second wife, a
Malay divorcee called Wok Sabariah with two children (Zowyah & Awang). This second marriage
resulted in four children: a set of girl-boy twins: Rohana Rani and Rohani Nathan in Kuantan in
1946. Then Telmay Mona in Trengganu in 1948, and Fatima in Kuala Lumpur in 1950. The
generations are traced below.
After his rural postings, Devavaram moved to the CEB headquarters in Kuala Lumpur where he
lived successively in Kampung Baru, Rosario Street in Brick- fields and Jalan Travers in Bungsar.
After his second wife died he bought his own house at 4 Jalan Bukit Badak in Section 5 Petaling
Jaya. There he married his third wife, also called Maimunah. With her, Devavaram had five more
children making a total of ten including his first adopted child.
Children by Maimunah I
1. Asmah (no further information)
Children by Wok Sabariah
1. Rohana Rani (Ner)
Ner had six children by her two marriages to Malays: Nuri, Ghani, Lily, Sharil, Nur Azlina (Intan)
and Nur Marina (Noddy). She currently busies herself with her 12 grandchildren, most living in the
KL Ampang area.
2. Rohani Nathan (Atan)
Atan (deceased) married Leha and had five children: Farouk, Fazli, Faizal, Fazrim and Fazlina.
3. Telmay Mona
Telmay married Graeme Dodd and worked and retired in Melbourne. They have no children.
4. Fatima (Pam)
Pam had two marriages. The first to Gordon Buchan in Melbourne ended with a divorce, and a
son Chris. Her second marriage was to Peter Yates (deceased). They had a son Adam. Both
sons were married.
Children by Maimunah II
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
30
1. Norkhasmawati (Yati)
Her story is listed separately under the Singapore story.
2. Retty Roseali
Retty had a first marriage to Sandy an American in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which produced
three girls and ended in divorce. His second marriage, in Malaysia, was to Sharifah. They have
three children: Najihar, Maisarah and Redzwan.
3. Marion Suraya (Nya)
Nya married Jurgen Krahe, a German who handled the distribution and sales of Mercedes Benz
in Asia. They have no children and live in Kuala Lumpur.
4. Norita (Rita)
Rita married Suhaimi and is now divorced with three children, and lives in the Ampang area in KL.
5. Nyonya May Leila
Leila was married, divorced and remarried, with two children: Anastas Shukry and Anastas Amar,
living also in the Ampang area.
2 Family of P Devasingam Bok @ Abdullah bin Osman (Uncle Dollah) (deceased)
Uncle Dollah was the second son of Babok Pillay. He started his work with the government as a
customs officer in Johore Bahru. It was by inspecting the goods of a Malay lady who came
regularly from Singapore to Johore that he met and subsequenttly married Halimah. Devasingam
then became Abdullah bin Osman, also known as Uncle Dollah.
He then moved to Melaka to work in the Straits Settlements lighthouses. For the next 25 years he
became a lighthouse keeper, rotating every month to one of five lighthouses: Pulau Undan, Cape
Rachado, Pulau Angsa, One Fathom Bank and Melaka Light. The sixth month he would be on
leave with his family in Kuala Sungei Baru, Melaka.
Uncle Dollah had only one child, a son Selamat bin Abdullah (Atan) (1943). Atan took care of his
mother until his father retired, then started working as an unofficial taxi driver. He married Buruk
bt Hassan (Nya). They have three sons: Shamsul, Suppian and Redwan, and seven
grandchildren. Two grandchildren have the name Bok as part of their names, and the remaining
grandchildren are following suit.
3
Nyonya The third child and first daughter of P Babok Pllay, Nyonya, died in early childhood.
4
Family of Kalastri Devasingam Bok (Baba) (1916-2004)
Kalastri Devasingam Bok or KD Bok as he was known, was the third son of Babok Pillay. His wife
Perachee (1924-1993) (Tamil: big sister) was an adopted child from Klang, Malaysia. Her father
died soon after marriage and her mother died during the Japanese Occupation. She and another
orphan Letchemi were fostered first by Vee Perumal in Carlton Road, Upper Serangoon,
Singapore. And then by KS Chitty (Embong). Perachee married KD Bok and moved to Kuantan,
Pahang while Letchemi married Gurubatham Ramanathan Chitty and stayed in Singapore.
In Kuantan KD Bok worked in the Customs & Excise Department for over ten years before
moving to the Pejabat Setiausaha Kerajaan, the Pahang State Sec- retariat. In this he followed
the footsteps of his father as did most of his brothers, in government administration. The territorial
army that he participated in earlier gave him a love for guns and hunting. Hunting the wild boar of
Pahang became a lifelong hobby until his retirement. Because of his hunting interest and
expertise he was appointed an honorary game warden of Pahang with authority to arrest
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
31
poachers and trappers. He was called on to hunt the occasional man-eating tiger or the big game
elephant.
KD Bok and Perachee had four children:
1. Devastry Parasurama @ David (1948) whose story is narrated separately as part of the
Singapore story.
2. Sithambaram Kalastri (Boy) (1949-1974) followed his father’s footsteps in his love for hunting.
He loved competitive walking, acquired a technical training certificate in Kuala Lumpur after his
School Certificate exams, and died by drowning during a hunting trip to Sungei Lembing in 1974.
3. Lena Periachee (1951) was the only girl, studied dentistry in Bombay, and later married Joseph
Tan (1941-2001), an art lecturer with MARA, first in Dungun, Trengganu and then in Shah Alam,
Selangor. Lena became a government dentist and finished her lifelong government career
supervising the government dental services in Pahang, before retiring and living in Kuala Lumpur.
Her husband (-2002) became a famous Malaysian artist and acting director of the Malaysian
National Art Gallery. Their only child, a girl Tan Ghaik Hoon, is married to an Australian in
Melbourne.
4 Devasingam (Singam) (1953) studied civil engineering in Melbourne and married an Australian,
Marjorie Denney. He started a company that provided fireproofing services for Melbourne highrise buildings. Their two daughters Jessica and Jasmine are the only grandchildren of Babok
Pillay to have the original family surname Pillay as part of their names.
As a matter of interest, the unique name Kalastri was bestowed three times by Babok Pillay, twice
in KD Bok’s family and once in CD Bok’s family (see E). The only other time it appears anywhere
in Malaysia and Singapore, from all information received, is in the family of Ponnosamy
Kalastree. It apparently came from a place of pilgrimage in Andhra Pradesh, India, from where
Ponnosamy’s great grandfather the Telegu came.
The other interesting name suffix that recurs in this family group is Deva (Sanskrit for god). We
have Deva-varam, Deva-singam, Deva-naigam, Deva-stry, names which do not occur in other
Indian communities. Devasingam (lion god) occurs four times in this family group.
5 Family of Chelum Devanaisam (Bachik) (deceased)
Uncle Bachik, the fourth son of Babok Pillay, worked as a bus driver in Melaka before moving to
Kuala Lumpur to stay with Thamby, his eldest brother who got him a job in the CEB. He married
Hew Lee Moi (Susie) and inherited two children from her two previous marriages (Elizabeth and
Ah Seng). They in turn had two children before they divorced: Peter Devanaisam, who married
Marianne and became a Catholic, and Charlie Kalastre who married Rosalind, also a Catholic.
Peter and Charlie have three and one children each and live in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya.
6 Family of Adi Devanaigam (Kopi) ( -1981)
Kopi was the fifth son of Babok Pillay. He married Chong, a Chinese Catholic and worked for
many years in the government’s health department in Pahang moving from Cameron Highlands
to Raub to Temerloh , and finally to Kuantan where he died after retirement. They have three
daughters: Maria, Anne and Marion. Maria is married to Allan George, an Air Asia pilot with two
children, while Anne and Marion are divorced and live in Australia. Anne has a son Daniel. Their
mother lives in Kuala Lumpur with Maria’s family.
7 Family of Letchumi (Chemi) (deceased)
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
32
Chemi had an abortive marriage to Kanagasabai Letcumanan Chitty (see Lateral Connections)
that resulted in a son Annamalai Chitty (Joe) (1948). Joe married Cynthia (deceased), a Catholic
and they have two sons: Aaron and Adam. Aaron is studying to be a Jesuit priest while Adam is
an artist. In the mid 60s Chemi married again to Lingam and had a son Boy who later married a
Chinese orphan brought up in Mother Mangalam’s orphanage in Puchong, Kuala Lumpur.
Families of Babok Pillay’s second wife, Guru Amal
1
Tolasie (1926-early 90s) was P Babok Pillay’s first child by his second wife. She married
Thangavelu, a Tamil not from the Chetti Melaka community and lived in the family home in
Tengkera (Tranquerah)until her husband died when she moved to stay in Kampong Chetty,
Gajah Berang with her five children: Visalachee (Achi), Ami, Lena, Devi and Amal. Two of her
daughters have since passed away.
2.
Devarajah (1931-2002) had a local reputation as a tough guy and a rolling stone who
remained unmarried until he died in the Kampong Chetty home.
3.
Visalachee Guru Amal (Lachee) (1936) was trained as a nurse and worked in Lady
Templar Hospital, Kuala Lumpur in the early 60s. There she met and married Mohamed Tahir
(Joe) an Indian Muslim businessman. After the marriage she moved to Tanjore (Tanjavur) in
South India, her husband’s home and took on the Muslim name Wahida Begum. She has been
out of touch since then.
4.
Devasingam (David) (1941) trained and worked in government agriculture in Pahang
until he retired. He married Ah Choo from Melaka, and they have two children: Sharaswathy
(1972) who worked in banking and is now doing her Master’s, and Rick Jason (1977) married to
Dan Lee Peng. The whole family became Christian in Kuantan and now all live in Taman
Melawati, Kuala Lumpur.
C. The Third Generation
The Singapore Story
1.
Devastry Parasurama Bok @ David (1948)
Devastry Parasurama (David), the oldest son of Kalastri Devasingam Bok was born in Kuantan
and studied at St Thomas Primary and Secondary School, run by the Catholic educational order
the Marist brothers. He then finished his secondary education at Sultan Abu Bakar School, which
was the only school then to have a sixth form. In his mid teens David became a Christian, was
initially associated with the Methodist Church and then later with the Brethren Protestant
denomination, the Gospel Hall.
He studied English Literature at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, then the only
university in Malaysia after Singapore’s exclusion from Malaysia in 1965. He finished his tertiary
education with a diploma in education, then taught English at Suleiman Secondary School in
Bentong, Pahang in 1972-73.
In 1973 David left the government education service and started a lifelong career with the
Navigators, the Christian organization that nurtured him in his university years. He went for crosscultural training in Australia and New Zealand in 1974-75. Through the organization’s
international links he married another equally committed Christian from Singapore, a Hokkien
Chinese, Annabella Tay Chin Chin in 1977. He then became the Malaysian National Director of
the organization from 1983-88. After that he was involved in the Asia region, including a year in
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
33
the international headquarters in Colorado, USA, covering staff responsibilities like organizational
change, cross cultural missions and leadership development.
In 1994, the family moved to Singapore where David became active in cross cultural training,
Bible study development and Christian-Muslim dialogue in Singapore and Malaysia. Since 2010
he has become active in the Storytelling and the Chetty Melaka Associations of Singapore.
David and Annabelle have three children, all born in Singapore with their early childhood in
Malaysia, then back to Singapore for their secondary education: Jabez and Jared, who are at
various stages in their PhD studies in the USA, and Jihan who is working in Singapore.
2.
Norkhasmawati Bok (Yati)
Yati is the sixth child of Devavaram Bok, and the first by his third wife. She grew up in her family
home in Section 5, Petaling Jaya until her father retired and moved to Kuala Sungai Baru,
Melaka. She moved to Singapore in 1982 and worked as a marketing executive with Readers’
Digest from 1982-85, during which time she started the Readers’ Digest office in Kuala Lumpur.
In 1986, with a friend, she started Boutique D’Beauty that did facials and sold cosmetics. Then
from 1990 to 2005 she worked with Hans Hofer and the Langenscheidt Group producing the
Insight Travel guides.
Yati married Dirk Paulsen a German who came to Singapore in 1971. Dirk founded the Singapore
International Chamber of Commerce and was a past president of the German Chamber of
Commerce. He currently holds the dealership of the luxury watches Patek Philippe, Raymond Veil
and Breightling, and Steinway Piano.
They have a daughter Camelia.
Completed in Nov 2013
Updated in Nov 2014
* * *
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
34
PART 5
Family Group of Ramasamy Suppiah Naidu
Co-Authored with
Ponnosamy Kalastree, only son of Kalastree Suppiah, and President of
the Association of Chetti Melaka (Pernankan Indians) of Singapore,
and
Devastry Parasurama Bok @ David Bok, the eldest son of Kalastri
Devasingam Bok (Baba), who is in turn the fourth eldest son of
Pasurama Babok Pillay. He is a distinguished gospel educator. He is
married to Annabella Tay Chin Chin and they live in Singapore. They
have two sons and one daughter.
A. The First Generation
Ramasamy Suppiah Naidu
Ramasamy Suppiah Naidu was born in Melaka at the turn of the last century. He was the first son
of his Telegu father from Andhra Pradesh, India. He married Katai Amal Chitty, also known as
Mak Kechik, from the Chetti Melaka community in Melaka.
After finishing his studies in Melaka, Ramasamy took a boat to Singapore with his wife around
1920. He therefore represents the first generation and head of this family. In Singapore he joined
the police force, rising to the position of detective sergeant-major. He was decorated with a medal
for gallantry by the then Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Cecil Clementi. After the police
force he became the contracting supervisor that built Frankel Estate in the immediate post-war
years. His last enterprise before he retired was to own a fleet of 10 taxis that he rented out. He
passed away in May 1967.
Ramasamy and his wife had seven children. The four sons were Raju, Kalastree, Narainasamy
and Radhakrishnan. Raju and Narainasamy converted to Islam when they married Muslim wives,
and became assimilated with the Malay community. Radhakrishnan was given away at birth to an
non-Chetti Melaka Indian family who lived in Cuff Road. It is their second son, Kalastree, whose
story we shall follow below.
Ramasamy’s three daughters were Letchemi who married Selverajoo, Janaki Bai who married
Sativail (and stayed at Ceylon Road), and Krishnavainy whose first marriage to a Chetti Melakan
failed and who subsequently married a Sikh gentleman. With their marriages to non Chetti
Melaka persons, they passed into mainstream Indian society.
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
35
Chitty Road
Our enquiries into Ramasamy have given us a glimpse into the early Chetti Melaka settlers in
Singapore, of whom little is known. It is mentioned in several places that, from the late 19 th
Century, there had been a quiet but steady exodus of Chetti Melakans to Penang, KL and
Singapore, mostly the latter. We may reasonably infer that this followed from Malaccá’s inclusion
in the larger Straits Settlements (in 1867), the increased safety and mobility of travel, and the
employment and commercial attractions of the new larger centres. Thus, we find that, on
migration to Singapore, Ramasamy and his wife probably first resided with a Melaka Chetty
colony that had settled in the Chitty Road area of Little India. There was in fact a thriving
community there, for we find that Ramasamy wife’s elder brother, Subramaniam Chitty, had
already come over from Melaka and settled there. It is not hard for us to surmise that Ramasamy
and his brothers-in-law, Subramanian and Sangra, knocked about together quite a lot in the
coffee shops and side-streets and were active members, even leaders, of the community. Living
members of the family recall visiting their grand-uncle and grandfather in Chitty Road.
Given that the city was still expanding along Serangoon Road and Jalan Besar, the Chitty Road
area was probably on the frontier of growth, and therefore a naturally attractive location for new
immigrants. This was more so for the Chetti Melaka community because their needs were amply
available from the traders of Little India and there were at least three Hindu temples in the area to
pray in - an essential ingredient of their life. They would have felt more “at home” here than
anywhere else. More research needs be done to determine the point, but it is likely that the Chetti
Melaka cluster there was the largest in Singapore at that time - the local Gajah Berang so to
speak - and the focal point of the community’s social life. Mr. Doraisingham in his book 7 states
that many Melaka Chetty people settled in the area between Serangoon Road and Jalan Besar,
viz the Chitty Road area. According to him the latter road was named after the Melaka Chetty
community, and we quote him: “It is significant that a road, Chitty Road (off Serangoon Road)
has been named after the Peranakan Indians” 8 Mr. Mazelan Annuar, Librarian, the Lee Kong
Chan Library, in his “Behind Street Names” has this to say:
“Chitty Road is named after the Chitty Melaka or the Peranakan Indian
community who migrated from Melaka to Singapore during the late 19th century
and settled in the "little India" area. In the past, it joined Kampong Kapor Road
with Jalan Besar.
Some of the Peranakan Indian immigrants found jobs in the public sector
working for the colonial government while the others worked as merchants.
Some of the merchants were engaged in money lending activities.” 9
Being for centuries without educational opportunity, the Chetti Melaka community eagerly sent
their children to the English schools opened by the British in Melaka. For the majority this was
their passport to government employment, as Mazelan points out, and to the business world. The
last part of the quotation is included on purpose. Mazelan is wrong, when like many others, he
confuses the Chetti Melaka with the Indian money-lending community, the chettiars, who were
and are settled in the Market Street area. Besides Chitty Road, the community resided in the
surrounding roads up to Jalan Kapor, and settled in other parts of the city as well. Over time,
7
Samuel S. Dhoraisingham -“Peranakan Indians of Singapore and Melaka” ISBN 981-230-346-4,
ISEAS 2006, Page 18
8
“Peranakan” means locally born. The term Peranakan Indians is in common use to describe
the Chetti Melaka, distinguishing them from their Chinese counterparts, the “Peranakan
Chinese”.
9
httts://gpxsvr3.np.edu.sg/apps5/lib/reference/refenq.nsf/c0ccd7
b5848a4643c8256686000eea16/ca6703a8dc8b8d9e4825756e000acf55/
$FILE/Behind%20Street%20names2.pdf
Lee Kong Chian Reference Library Behind Street Names
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
36
these included Waterloo Street, Bencoolen Street, Selegie Road, Dalhousie Lane, and as far as
Ceylon Road, Kovan Road and Jansen Road.
It is believed in the family that, while intended to recognize the community, Chitty Road was
named specifically after Subramanian Chitty. At this point, the information is not verified, and
more research needs to be undertaken into the official records to determine this.
B. Second Generation
Kalastree Suppiah
Kalastree Suppiah, the second son of Ramasamy Suppiah, was born in Singapore in 1923, and
heads the second generation of this family. His first wife passed away early, with no issue. He
then married Chandramal Saku Bai. Although she came from Burma, she spoke Hindi, and
although not a Chetti Melaka, she became localized enough to wear the sarong kebaya regularly.
Her nationalistic spirit saw her becoming part of the Rhani of Jansi regiment in Singapore. This
was the women’s regiment of the Indian National Army in Southeast Asia in World War II,
commanded by Subas Chandra Bose, to secure Indian independence with Japanese assistance.
Kalastree completed his secondary education at Paya Lebar Methodist School in 1940. During
the Japanese Occupation, he was a detective in the police force, following the footsteps of his
father. , but later he worked as an hospital assistant, continuing as a police volunteer for almost
30 years until retirement.
Kalastree and Chandramal had one son, Ponnosamy, named after his great granduncle, whose
story we follow further on.
The couple also had five daughters, four of whom married Tamils, not from the Chetti Melaka
community: the eldest Meerabai (a widow and retired school administrator), next Shantidevi (who
married Selvaraju), then Katai Amal (who took her grandmother’s name), and the youngest
Padmini (who married Subramaniam). Sarda, the fourth daughter, was given away to a nonChetti Melaka Indian family who eventually settled in India.)
C. Third Generation
Ponnosamy Kalastree @ Ponno
Ponnosamy was born in Singapore on 15 Jan 1947. He studied at St Gabriel’s Primary and
Montfort Secondary, and completed his secondary education at St Andrew’s School in 1965 – the
year of Singapore’s Separation from Malaysia. Among his school achievements, he is proudest of
being the non-Malay national Malay-speaking champion for two years. The national media
however missed the wry comment made by a smart-aleck Melaka Chetty friend of his, “Big deal!.
My mother could have beaten you anytime.”
After a stint at the People’s Association’s National Youth Leadership Training Institute, Ponno
joined the army as a regular in 1966. He became one of the first batch of officers graduating from
the newly formed Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute (SAFTI) in 1967. His early army
career included a company command, a camp-commandant tour of duty and a brigade staff
officer appointment. He was in due course sent to and graduated from the Singapore Command
And Staff College (SCSC) in 1971-2 Posted to the 1st Singapore Infantry Brigade (SIB), he was
the Officer Commanding of the Officer Cadet Training School at SAFTI In 1974, he resigned after
10 years, to pursue a career in the private sector. However, he continued to serve as a Reservist
Battalion Commander for a further 20 years, finally relinquishing his responsibilities in 1994?,
retiring in the rank of Major after an illustrious career.
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
37
In 1983, Ponno married his wife, Dora Woo Bee Cheng, a Chinese lady from Singapore. She
helped him raise his two children from his first marriage: Sheila and Shirley both married to
Indians and living in Perth, Australia. Dora supports Ponno in his corporate operations. They have
no children of their own.
In 1974 Ponno founded Mainguard Security Services (S) Pte Ltd 10. Starting with physical security
services, the company enlarged its scope to comprehensively cover all aspects of the security
industry, including investigation services as a major arm. In 1983 Ponno established SEATRO,
which has become a leading regional security training institute. The strength of the company lies
in its world-wide professional expertise and sharing of resources. Ponno has successfully created
this through his international leadership and networking. In 1983 he was accepted into the World
Association of Detectives. In 1992 he was admitted into the premier international body of security
professionals, the USA-based Council of International Investigators (CII), and in 2001-2 he was
elected by the CII to be its World President. Earlier in 1976, he was responsible for the formation
of the Security Association of Singapore (SAS). Ponno has received many awards from these
organisations, but the two he treasures most are the CII’s International Investigator of the Year
Award in 1998, based on a word-wide assessment of nominated candidates’ performance, and
the Security Professional of the Year Award in 2011 from the World Association of Detectives.
Having achieved recognised excellence in the security industry, Ponno has now led the company
to involve itself in the discharge of corporate social responsibility. As a member of the Lions Club
of Singapore Goldhill, he has led the company to participate in the Corporate Social
Responsibility project for youth, the only private security organisation to do.
In 2013, his company was conferred the Distinguished Award by SME ONE ASIA. The Awards
were created to recognise successful Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in ASIA that
are socially responsible. The citation for the award11 reads “The Distinguished SMEs Award is
open to enterprises that have been in operation for many years, and have established themselves
as the exemplar model for successful small and medium-sized businesses in the country”.
Association of Chetti Maleka (Peranakan Indians) of Singapore
Ponno was a member of the organizing committee that launched the Association of Chetti Meleka
(Peranakan Indians) of Singapore on 19 Jan 2008, under the patronage of the then President of
the Republic of Singapore , Mr S. R. Nathan. He was elected the second President of the
association in 2011, following the charter president Mr. M Lethmenon, and has been elected for a
further term of two years as from 10 Nov 2013. Under his dynamic leadership, the association
has successfully projected the image of the Chetti Melaka as part of the local Indian community
and held joint functions with the Chinese Peranakan Association of Singapore. Ponno has
personally inspired this project of capturing the diaspora families of Singapore before all
disappear into forgotten history. His latest move has been, under the auspices of the association,
to call for an academic symposium on the Chetti Melaka, to gather and make available all
research that exists on the community at the present time, identify further areas of research and
study and hopefully rally funds and resources to launch these programmes. The symposium is
targeted for November 2014.
Completed in Nov 2013
* * *
10
11
http://www.mainguard-intl.com.sg/
http://www.sme1.asia/awards-categories
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
38
PART 6
Family of Dasuah Sangra Chitty
Co-Authored with
John Pillay, 9th child of Sangra Chitty, who is married to Joan Gomes
with two children, and settled in Singapore.
The late Dasuah Sangra Chitty @ Sangra Chitty came from a family of the same surname in
Gajah Berang or Tranquerah, Melaka. He married a Chetti Melaka lady of Thai extraction and
migrated to Singapore before the war. He had 12 children most of whom were born in Singapore.
The family residence was as Geylang Lorong 40, Siang Lim Park. After the war, he worked for
the British Army and was allocated quarters at No 8 Haig Road where the family lived and grew
up until he retired..
Information on his children is brief and incomplete, and may be summarised as follows:

Eldest. Daughter, who passed away. No Information

2nd – Choe @ Mary, who married Joe Pillay, eldest son of Aarunasalan Pillay, head of
another first generation diaspora family (see separate listing). Details of this second
generation family are recorded thereat.

3rd - .Chih – Chih @ Agnes, who married Kalidas Anamalai @ Dennis, son of Anamalay
Pillay, head of another first generation diaspora family (see separate listing).. Details of
this second generation family are recorded thereat.

4th - Boon Tat @ Vincent., who worked with the Penang Port Commission and married a
Chinese lady, Sally Loh. They had three sons, one of whom is a Catholic priest (Fr
Nelson Chitty of Penang), and one daughter. The family is settled in Penang. He was
always well-known for his badminton.

5th – Chitty, worked with the Board of Currency Commissioners, Singapore. He married a
Chinese lady who has passed away. He became a Muslim. He was well known as a
footballer.

6th – Puteh, who married T Anamalai, another son of Anamalay Pillay (see separate
listing), who was a teacher and seconded to the Singapoe Armed Forces.. Details of this
second generation family are recorded thereat. This family has migrated to Perth,
Australia.

7th - Information not available.

8th - Information no available.

9th - John, (1938), who married Joan Gomes, a Portuguese Eurasian Lady from Melaka.
John worked with the hotel industry, the RAF and SingPost, before retiring from the last.
They have two children, first Marion who is married to a Chinese gentleman, and Robert
who is married to a Chinese lady.
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
39

10th – David, who became a Muslim, married a Muslim lady and emigrated to Kuwaitt
over 20 years ago. The have no children.

11th – Pearly, born after the war. She married Chandra, a non-Chetti Melaka person,
who has since passed away. They have two daughter, Jayasharre and Asha, both
married.

12 – Tahir, born after the war, who married a Non- Chetti Melaka Indian, and have two
sons, the first named xxxx and the second Mahesh.
Sangra had two sisters, one of whom married the grand father of Ponno Kalastree, separate
listing of the details of this major diaspora family.
Completed in Apr 2012
Updated in Oct 2013
* * *
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
40
PART 7
Family Group of Nenek Kathai
Co-Authored with S. Sundrum Sanasee
It was in Mar 2011 during a visit to him that S.Sundrum Sanasee, first
cousin of my father, suggested I write out the history of the family and
the community. He then proceeded to relate as much as he could
recollect. He was my inspiration and co-author for writing the Story of
Odiang (my Dad)* which has led to this project to do the diaspora
families in Singapore. He passed away soon after that on 18 Jul 2011.
May he Rest In Peace;
.
The grand old lady of the family was Nenek Kathai, who would have been born in the late 1870s,
about the time of the formation of the Straits Settlements, and whose abode was at 7 Meringu
Lane, Tranguerah, Melaka. She had two daughters. The elder of the two, whose name is
regrettably not known, married one Sangaran Pillay, a gary-operator. They were the parents of
Francis Joseph Pillay @ Odiang, their only child, born on 23 Dec 1900, see immediately below.
Nenek Kathai’s younger daughter was called Periachi @ Letchimy. She married Suppiah
Sundrum Pillay whose family lived at 10 Meringu Lane across the road. The couple had a family
of five boys and three girls, see further on. Nenek Kathai never came to Singapore as far as we
may probably surmise, but both her daughters founded Singapore diaspora families.
* * *
1. Family of Sangaran Pillay/ Odiang @ Francis
Joseph Pillay
Co-Authored with the late S. Sundrum Sanasee, eldest son of Suppiah
Sundrum Pillay, and first cousin of Odiang Pillay
The elder daughter of Nenek Kathai married Sangaran Pillay at the turn of the last century.
Nothing unfortunately is known of Sangaran except that he was a gary operator A gary was a
four-wheeled passenger carriage drawn by one or more horses. They plied fixed city routes until
after the Second World War when they were replaced by the town bus services. So, we may say
that he was part of Melaka’s pre-modern urban transport system. The couple had only one child,
a son, Odiang Pillay. His mother passed away when he was a small boy and nothing has been
remembered by the surviving family of what happened to his father. Odiang was brought up by
Nenek Kathai at 7 Meringu Lane, and sent to school at St Francis’ Institution. Upon her decease
which we estimate to have been around the first decade of the new century, Odiang moved
across the road to No 10, where the young Sundrum Pillay and his wife were setting up home. By
then Odiang was near completing secondary school.
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
41
After completing secondary school, Odiang joined the Government Clerical Service, and in due
course became the Chief Clerk of the Melaka Volunteer Corps (MVC). On 7 Apr 1931, he married
Janet Thomas, a Eurasian lady. She was a teacher from the CHIJ convent in Johore Bahru.
Odiang became a Catholic and took the names of Francis Joseph, thence becoming familiarly
known as F. J. Pillay or Francis. On 2 Dec 1934, they had a son, Gerald Francis, who would be
their only natural child. They stayed at Garden City.
F J Pillay participated in the defence of Singapore. After the War, he successfully applied for
transfer to Singapore, historically the last civil servant to do so, and was absorbed into the
Executive Service. The family duly migrated on 13 Apr 1949. His first appointment was as Deputy
Shipping Master in the Marine Department. He was subsequently posted to the Education
Ministry, where he retired as Higher Executive Officer, after extension of service, on 23 Dec 1957.
In 1955, the Pillays were blessed by the adoption of a baby girl, namely Elizabeth Anne Pillay
born on 21 Apr 1955. Victor, the son of Sundrum Sanasee – see Family No 3 below) continued to
reside with them, completing the family. They lived first at 167 Bukit Timah Road, and from 1956
at 46 Crowhurst Drive, Serangoon Gardens, bought on retirement.
F J Pillay passed away on 1 Nov 1975, and was followed by his wife on 18 Jul 03.

Gerald Francis Pillay (1934) - Upon graduating from the University of Malaya in 1957,
then in Singapore, he joined the Administrative Service and in 1971 became Deputy
Secretary (Technical) in the Ministry of Education. In 1974, he transferred to the
Industrial Training Board, and retired as Deputy Director in its successor organisation in
1989. In 1962, he married Mabel Narayanasamy, a non-Chetti Melaka Indian lady who
would become one of the pioneers of the conference industry. They have two boys,
Leslie Francis and Carl Jeffrey.
(a) Leslie Francis Pillay (1963) – A graduate of Ngee Ann Polytechnic, he has been a
well-known media celebrity. He is married to Deirdre Goh Chee Hoon, and together
they are partners of MLA Pte Ltd, a media and events management company with
an international clientele. They gave no children.
(b) Carl Jeffrey Pillay (1964) – A graduate of the National Institute of Commerce, Carl is
the Senior Operations Manager of MLA Pte Ltd. He is also known for his prowess in
rugby, having represented Singapore internationally. He is married to Sharon Loh,
and they have a son, Christian Lowen Pillay (2006).

Elizabeth Anne Pillay (1955) - Elizabeth Anne belonged to the first generation of
Singapore Airlines’s “Singapore Girls” who so successfully promoted the country. She
married Jackie Rodrigues, a Police Officer, by whom she had a daughter. Brendan. She
subsequently re-married Detlev Truernit, a German. They live in Bali, where he is the
General Manager of the Grand Hyatt Resort Hotel and she carries on a successful
practice as a spa consultant with an international clientele
* * *
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
42
2. Family of Supiah Sundrum Pillay @ Mamat
Nenek Kathai’s younger daughter, who was called Periachi @ Letchimy, married Suppiah
Sundrum Pillay in the second decade of the last century. He was the only son of Mak Bola who
lived at 10 Meringu Lane, which later became the ancestral home of his family for nearly the next
century –until it was acquired for redevelopment in 2009.. The couple had five sons and three
daughters.
By civil occupation, Supiah Sundrum was a steam roller driver. But in private life he and his family
owned and operated a dairy farm and discharged the overwhelming community responsibility of
delivering the daily supplies of milk in bottles to babies of the surrounding neighbourhood. Not
surprisingly, the family also ran a parallel business, namely as haulage contractors. They
possessed an open backed bullock-cart which was drawn by the bull of the heard. These were
hired by the population for sundry purposes. Sundrum Pillay however occupied an eminent
position in the community for another reason. - by virtue of his vocation as the local doctor and
healer. He served the people without payment. He discharged his the service as a duty. He held
clinic once a week on Friday evenings. There was always a full attendance of people with
diversified disorders, from a headaches and stomach-aches to sprains and broken bones. He
never turned anyone away. .He was renowned for re-setting and healing disjointed and broken
bones. .He was widely known in Melaka among all communities by his familiar name, “Mamat”.
The family and descendants of Periachi and Suppliah Sundrum may be summarised as follows:

Papathe, eldest daughter (1920 - ?), who married Ramasamy, a water works technician
in and about 1944. They had four children, the eldest of whom was their son Chindran.
The couple are now deceased.. Their family has remained in Melaka.

Sanasee (1926 – 2012). Eldest son, who married Lechimmy Pillay, grand-daughter of
Ardy Pillay. The couple migrated to Singapore in the year following. in 1950 and started
one of the major diaspora families in Singapore.. The details are recorded separately
under Family No 3 further on.

Inchi (1928 - ?). Second eldest son, who married Jumna?, daughter of ?. The couple had
5? Children. Their eldest was their son, ?, who in turned married ?, daughter of ?. Inchi
took over the family business. He passed away in ?. The family remained has in Melaka.

Ponuoy (1929 – 1950?), Second eldest daughter. She was a homely and kindly person
with not a strong constitution, and she died soon after the war in Melaka. She never
married.

Kandasamy @ Kandan (1930 – 2010).Third son, he became a survey technician and
was posted to Kota Bahru, Kelantan, where he married a Chinese lady. Of their children,
one daughter took up a scholarship award to study medicine in Russia, and is today a
practising doctor in Malaysia. Kandan passed away In Melaka in 2010?.

Batak (1931 - ) Third daughter. She married a non-Malaca Chetty Indian gentleman from
Singapore by the name of ?. They have four children. Their eldest son, Kumar?
established his own building maintenance and security firm, The family were resident in
Singapore but migrated to Johore Bahru in 2009, in pursuit of better financial prospects.
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
43

Krishnasamy @ Krishna. (1932 – 2001) – Fourth son. He migrated to Singapore in the
1950s and enrolled in the Government Messenger Service, in which he stayed until
retirement. He was weak of health and never married. He died in Singapore in 2001.

Maniam @ Banyan (1935 -) Fifth son, and youngest. He supported Inchi in the running
of the family businesses, and otherwise worked as an odd-job person. He never married,
and still resides in Melaka.
* * *
2.
Family of Sundrum Sanasee
S. Sundrum Sanasee was born in Melaka in 1925, the eldest son of eight children, to the family of
the great Suppiah Sundrum Pillay, who was in turn the scion and only son of the grand old lady
Mak Bola. Sanasee’s mother was Letchimy @ Periachi, who was the younger sister of Odiang
Pillay’s mother, both being the daughters of Nenek Kathai. The seat of the family was 10 Meringu
Lane, Tranquerah, Melaka, which they occupied for nearly a century before it was acquired for redevelopment in 2009. .
Sundrum Sanasee Pillay moved to Singapore from Melaka, immediately after the Japanese
Occupation and soon secured a job as Tally Clerk with the Singapore Harbour Board (later to
become the Port of Singapore Authority [PSA]).From 1949, he lived with the family of Odiang
Pillay. He returned to Melaka in 1950 to marry Letchmee @ Letchimy, grand-daughter of Ardy
Pillay and daughter of Nonya and Inchi. (see separate listing) The couple moved in 1953 to their
own place at Trarfalgar Street and in 1976 acquired their own flat at Everton Park which has
remained the family home since.
He worked with the PSA until his retirement. Sundrum Sanasee passed away on 19 Jul 2011,
after surviving his wife who passed away on 1 Jun 2007.
Due to readings according to the Hindu horoscope, Sundrum Sanasee and his children were not
allowed to take on “Pillay” the family name. This was not uniformly followed.
Sanasee Sundrum had 6 children.

First Son – Arunasalam Pillay @ Victor Pillay (1951). Victor married a Malay Muslim
lady, Zahara, and converted to Islam, taking on the Muslim name, Mohammed Zani.
They have 5 children, Nur Sharon, Irni Karen, Aaron Irwan, Nurmi Loren and Nani Ellen.
Victor has mapped out a highly successful career in music, both as a jazz instrumentalist
(keyboards) and solo lounge entertainer, and as a Music Educator. From 1985, he was a
Teacher and then Principal of the City Music School, and in 2002 he established his own
school, CP Music Centre.

Second Son – Sanasee Philips-Roy (1952). Philips-Roy has pursued a life-long career
as a technical trainer, and is currently a Lecturer in Precision Engineering with the
Institute of Technical Education (ITE). He is married a non-Chetti Melaka Hindu lady,
Sushila. They have 2 daughters. Prasantti Philips Roy, a Masters graduate, is married
and settled in the USA and Arathi Philips Roy has just completed her university studies.

Third Son – Stephen Vija Sanasee (1954). Stephen is married to a non-Chetti Melaka
Indian Catholic lady, Catherine Joseph.. They have a son, Jacob Pillay. They migrated to
Melbourne, Australia in the 1980s. Stephen works in Plant Operations for Toyota, and
Catherine is a member of the administrative staff of Murdoch University.
ChettI Melaka Families in Singapore
44

Fourth Son – Sundrum Sanasee Kailasbathy (1955). Sundrum Sanasee Kailasbathy
was a career Prisons Officer before his retired. He is currently works for a security firm.
Kailasbathy is married to Rukmuni from Melaka. She is from the Ramasamy family in
Tengkera (Tranquerah)Melaka, near Gajah Berang. They have 2 sons, Surindran Pillay
and Sashidra Pillay

Fifth Child - Sanasee Jayashree (1956), a daughter, who is deceased

Sixth Child - Sanasee Jacqueline Rajeswary (1960), a daughter, who is unmarried. She
is a Clerical Officer in LTA.
Completed Dec 2012
Updated Oct 2013
* *
END *
*