Book traces life of local Indians By : R. Sittamparam
PASIR GUDANG: The author of a book documenting the contributions of Indians in Malaysia believes it will cure the social ills of backward sections of the community.
M. Janakey Raman, 58, took 15 years to complete his book, drawing on his long experience in social work with the Human Development and Research Centre.
“My main objective is for the book to reach the Indian youth, most of whom do not know the struggles of their forefathers in the country’s nation-building.
“Being deprived of proper knowledge about their roots has caused the youth to go astray from the path of righteousness, high morals, diligence and spirituality,” he said after the Johor launch of his book, The Malaysian Indian Dilemma. The book, written in Tamil, was launched by Arulmigu Sri Subramaniar Temple chairman Dr R.S. Maniam recently.
The author, who started life as a rubber tapper at the Jawa Selangor Estate in Batang Berjuntai, Selangor, said: “The valuable lessons of the past outlined in my book are important to steer the community towards realising the objectives of Vision 2020.”
Janakey Raman said his book traced the history of Malaysian Indians since 1860, when they were brought here to fulfil the manpower needs of the British colony.
He said between 1860 and 1957, there were four million Indians, in particular Tamils, in Malaysia with 2.8 million later returning to India.
“Of those remaining, many died of disease and hardship, including about 90,000 who perished building the Death Railway to Burma during the Japanese Occupation.”
He said the British chose migrant labourers from south India as they were a hardworking and submissive lot with little ambition.
Janakey Raman is now working on an English translation of his book.