KUALA PILAH IN HISTORY 19 -
ONE FAMILY's STORY
Kuala Pilah may have been founded as early as 1850 as a small trading village for jungle produce on the upper reached of the Muar River or the Ulu Muar as it was more correctly
called that still stands as the Pekan Lama near the Muar River bridge not far from the new District offices and new 1950 police station of Kuala Pilah. the Discovery of Tin (the Tin rush) and later the Rubber boom of the late 1920s came much later.
This is the brief story of one family that grew up in KP from the 1930 era, schooled in Kuala Pilah' TMS that celebrates ins centennial (1914-2014) and indeed taught others as teachers in TMS and today has spread its children and grandchildren and great grandchildren on to 5 continents of the world - on the occasion
of Mothers' Day 2014 and Sellapakiam's 111th birthday on 1 May 2014
The Muttu Ramalingam - Sellapakiam clan of 9 children and parents started in Kuala Pilah and today has 37 grand and great-grandchildren
K Sella Pakiam 1 May 1903-22 July 1962 and her parents Kathiripillai and Parvathy
Sarojini Devi, Savithiri Devi Mrs.Sellapakiam Muttu Ramalingam with Skandadeva aged 3, Kumara deva aged 4, Muttu Ramalingam Advocate and Solicitor , Pathmavathy Devi
The Story of this KP family actually dates back to 1888 when Mr Ramasamy a former postmaster of Kelang first came from Thondaimanaru Ceylon to work in Rawang as a telegraph operator. His son MUTTU RAMALINGAM was born in Kuala Kubu Bahru on 30 December 1899 and lived in the post office building with his post master father and his mother and 3 siblingsin Kelang and attended St John's school in KL travelling by train daily.
Mr Muttu-Ramalingam Ramasamy went to Ceylon to complete schooling in 1914 and higher education in the Law college in Colombo and returned in 1930 to open the first law practice in Kuala Pilah . He was active in many KP committees, pre war and after the war including the management boards of TMS, Tamil school, Kandasamy temple , KP Scouts and President of Rotary Club Seremban
Ford Car similar to one owned pre war
Kuala Pilah those days already had developed into a prosperous town built on the booming tin industry of Parit Tinggi . It had expanded from the tiny riverside kampong that is still there as Pekan Lama near the Police station off Bahau Road. Already there were the 3 main streets that form the downtown area of the Pilah of today with oldest Lister road probably developed in the 1880s and parallel to it Jalan Yam Tuan that was developed from 1916 (pearl theatre bears testimony to the 1916 Pangung wayang even today and in the 1928 or so the third street, later called Jalan Tung Yen after towkay Tung Yen or Deng Zeru a tin miner of great repute and a koumintang leader who helped in so many ways develop KP in the early 1900s including the building of Lister Memorial . His was the warden for mines in Guangdong when he died in 1932 and soon after that the 3rd street of KP was named Jalan Tung Yen
Towkay Tung Yen 1920
Several shops on Jalan Tung Yen bear the date 1928. Being developed from the Seremban Road end This 3rd street to develop had just built no.196 which Mr. R Muttu Ramalingam rented for his law practice as one of its last buildings to be built. Its design therefore differs a little from the rest on the same street .
Being the last building it bordered the new Jalan Ulu muar and overlooked the wide green lung of KP- a valley that overlooked the Jalan Lister to Bahau road and the post office and an identical building that was the earlier police station destroyed in the wartime of WW2.
The Valley From 196 Jalan Tung Yen
196 Jalan Tung Yen from Hill Road and the Valley
Mrs Sella Pakiam Muttu Ramalingam aged 38 on the Moonlight Balcony of 196. Mrs Sellapakiam Mutturamalingam . Those days when cameras were a novelty and expensive few took pictures of buildings most pictures of the 1930s that families still have are those of each others portraits.
Pathmavathy Devi (with pigtail)dancing with friends in TMS padang 1937
Pathmavathy Devi, Kumara Deva and Sarojini Devi in a 1937 picture
a 1955 picture of Jalan Muar from 196 Balcony showing Shell, Mobil Petrol Pumps in front of the old bus stand - note a real bullock cart one of the first with rubber tires .
Ganeshadeva, Parameshvara Deva, Indira Devi and Rukmani Devi with Uncle Ponnudurai in a 1949 picture
Indira devi, Parameshvara Deva and Mother Sellapakiam in a 1947 picture
Standing Skandadeva, Ganeshadeva, Parameshvara Deva Savithiri Devi Kumara Deva
in a 1955 picture, Kiala Pilah
1964 photo of
Kumara Deva, Skandadeva, Muttu Ramalingam, Ganeshadeva, Parameshvara Deva in Kuala Pilah, 196 Jalan Tung Yen, Jalan Muar entrance to house.
Indira devi, Muttu Ramalingam with Shantini Mahesan, Rukumani Devi and Mahesan
Driver, Savithiri devi Leslie Mootoo with Mallika Mootoo and Prema Mootoo in front
at Batu Brendam airport, Melaka in a 1966 photo.
Families and friends at 24 Jalan Jelutong 3/16, Shah Alam photo taken in 1992
Skandadeva, Kumaradeva, Ganeshadeva, Parameshvara Deva
in a 1998 Picture at 196
Parameshvara Deva, Skandadeva, Kumara Deva, Ganeshadeva
THE KUALA PILAH THE FAMILY KNEW
TMS from 1914 onwards
TMS 1937
TMS 1990
Tuanku Muhammad school which was in the old district office and moved to its own building after 1914 then moved to its present buildings in 1930.
KP OLD Rest House 1891
KP Tan Puan Fountain 1937
Pekan Lama, KP 1860s?
Railway repair Shed KP built 1910
Rubber Shop on Jalan Tung Yen
Government Quarters, KP probably built around late 1920s
Ulu Muar Club built at least before1930
Look Up Kuala Pilah History
Send comments
My heart broke when I saw the Ulu Muar Clubhouse and the tennis courts during my first trip back to Malaysia in 2009. They were all gone! It was a sad feeling to see the emptiness that replaced a once thriving place. I recall people like Dr. Lee, Mr. Pang, Allan Gan, Chin Shih Ho, Ong Hong Hua, Ong Hong An, Chong, et others betting on a game of snooker or playing tennis. I too played tennis for a few years with the aforementioned. What times we shared! It is my dream to rebuild the Clubhouse and its tennis courts one day. I currently work and reside in the U.S.A but plan to retire to Malaysia in a few years with my lovely wife, Ruby, also of Malaysia.
ReplyDeleteI have walked that path past the tennis court many a time on my way back from the Tunku Munawir primary school. Do recall some of the tennis players like Lee Tse Tiong, Chia Khong Hin, Gong Wee Sun and Gan Kok Hua. Born in 1966 at Kuala Pilah hospital.
ReplyDeleteI was living behind the Tamil school. The tree besides green Toyota Corolla in the picture above was where I used to wait for school bus to SRK TUNKU MUNAWIR(1981-1986). My friends like Jeffry Ng, Gan, Uthaya Kumar, Mahendren, Foo, Majid, Kamal, Azhar, Faizal, Fadzli etc...
ReplyDeleteVijay, I am Uthayakumar from Bahau Estate. I left TMS in 1965. Will be happy if you cld get in touch with me@ 0193164651.
DeleteHi Mr Uthayakumar, Thanks for your reply. I left TMS (from 6) in 1993.
DeleteI was living behind the Tamil school. The tree besides green Toyota Corolla in the picture above was where I used to wait for school bus to SRK TUNKU MUNAWIR(1981-1986). My friends like Jeffry Ng, Gan, Uthaya Kumar, Mahendren, Foo, Majid, Kamal, Azhar, Faizal, Fadzli etc...
ReplyDeleteHi Vijay... Faizal here 😀
DeleteHi Faizal, thanks for your reply. Are you from the same school. it would be great to get in touch with all old schoolmates.
Deletewonder what happened to pathmavathy devi...
ReplyDeletewonder what happened to pathmavathy devi...
ReplyDeletewonder what happened to pathmavathy devi...
ReplyDeleteThat fountain! I remember we use to go for walks up to there and sit there with our mom and family. So cool and quite
ReplyDeleteDear Agniputra, Vijay, Aesthetic doc, Ban Leong,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Comments.
The Fountain is long gone to be part of an extended road after it became a sort of roundabout near the old Rest House - also long gone !
Pathmavathy Devi passed away in November 1938
The Tree near where the Toyota Corrolla BBJ 810 was is also long gone as is the famed Ulu Muar Club. The Tamil School wooden building next to Bo tree and old temple are long gone too. Will try and post pics of both old temple, Tamil school and Bo tree in a bnewer Blog soon. Keep a look out .
I presume all are from KP I have an e version of "Kuala Pilah Story that I can send to you .
My e mail is devamp37@gmail.com
Thanks for you comments
MPD
I was born in Kuala Pilah district hospital. I had my primary education at Tunku Kurshiah Primary school till standard five got transferred to Bahau Saint Aidan in the year 1969.Later back at TMS doing my A level or STPM at 1977.
ReplyDeleteAt least I remember the fountain & the club house. Both already gone now.
ReplyDeleteThat green Toyota used to belong to Mr. Pang, a Chinese school teacher, who player good tennis at the Ulu Muar Club. Nice fella. There is an interesting story on the car. It was parked there one day while the owner was playing tennis. All of a sudden without warning someone shouted, "Hey, the green car is moving!" Some of us rushed to it and put on the handbrake and managed to save it from going downhill and being damaged. After saving his car, we asked Mr. Pang to buy us dinner. I cannot remember if he did or not. Ahhh...those were the days.
ReplyDeleteAh... I remember Cikgu Phang. Yes, he was a teacher in KP Chung Hua (aka Pi-Chung)
DeleteTQVM for giving me the History of Kuala Pilah article.I got story on Pilah from my dearest Mother and Uncle way back in 1960 when I started writing down our family tree.My great great grandmother Hajjah Sabariah binti Datok Muda a biduanda Waris from kampong Gemetir,near Terachi,settled in Tanjung Jati,before the British arrived.When the British came she was appointed as a tax collector. She bought (acquired)a huge piece of land, after the Martin Lister memorial up to the edge of Sungai Muar ,near the bridge.The land by the road side from the ML memorial was acquired by the government then,for the purpose of developing Kuala Pilah town. Tanjung Jati was handed over to her elders daughter Halijah.The land ascross the river from Tanjung Jati,Pilah Lama inherited by Che Siti her second daughter and her youngest Hajah Fatimah, my dearest grandmother.Che Siti married to Yam Tuan Antah,My grandmother married to Raja Haji Muhamad Noor bin Sutan Abdullah bin Sultan Abdul Jalil ,the last Raja of Pagaruyung,Minangkabau.The grand house in Pilah Lama in the article was built in 1919 ,by a Tukang Sabas,my grand father's adopted son from Minangkabau.The building was financed by my grandfather and his second son my dearest uncle Idris .The main part of the house was built without nails. We call it Rumah Gadang,we used to have,until 2019 beforu the covid 19 case, an annual Hari Raya gathering ,last gathering we had in 2018, about 350 family attended. I remember Mr Ramalinggam, at a later age my dearest father worked as his legal clerk for few years.I met Mr Rama lingam a couple of times. I used to walk to TMS evening class almost everyday in 1960 /61 with a Chinese boy staying on Jalan Ulu Muar.
ReplyDeleteThanks YBDato
DeleteJust replied to your kind comments
Hope you rec same
My phone number is 012 367 9673
Love to hear from you or send you number
Thanks
MPDeva
A journey well remembered.I was a student in TMS from 1953 to 1960.Im from Seri Menanti and travelled to school by bus.When I missed the at the school I used to walk past the Ulu Muar Club to the bus station Later on went to University of Malaya.Few years after graduation I was appointed the Deputy Director of Education and it was during this time that I managed to visit my old school TMS.What a memory to me to be able to visit TMS as a school inspector.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the Kuala Pilah history.