KUALA LUMPUR: Turning 99 puts Tan Sri Devaki Krishnan in a class of her own. She is, perhaps, among a handful of Malaysians to have reached such a ripe old age in great fashion.
When she blew the cake's candles to usher in her birthday last Friday with her family, Devaki reminisced how she had begun her public and political career almost eight decades ago.
"Age is not an obstacle for a person to continue his or her fight. The important thing is commitment and sustained hard work, until one reaches his or her target," said Devaki, dubbed the 'Grand Dame of Malaysian Indian politics'.
Devaki, who became a school teacher in 1949 after finishing her education at St Mary's Kuala Lumpur, was Malaysia's first woman to hold public office, in pre-Independence Malaya.
Contesting under the Independence of Malaya Party, she was elected for the Bangsar municipal council seat in 1952 and retained the seat in 1955 - making a big breakthrough for women in a male-dominated field.
She soon became an MIC member and after Malaya's independence from the British in 1957, Devaki contested for the Sentul parliamentary constituency in the 1959 general election under the Alliance ticket but lost.
Devaki, of ethnic Sri Lankan descent, told the New Straits Times that she was most delighted to turn 99.
"My dream of reaching 100 years of age is just a short mile away. I hope Malaysia will continue to be a role model for the world in interfaith and inter-ethnic relations. Our strength has been our diversity.
"We got our independence from Britain because we were united, stood as one unit and achieved our heart's desires for a free and independent Malaya," she said at her 'Brindhavan' (named after the fabled Garden of God in the Bhagavad Gita) home in Jalan Berhala, Brickfields.
Talking about the country, Devaki cautioned that if Malaysians were divided, they would fall miserably.
"It is in these times of trouble that we are truly tested. Grit and resilience will hold us together, and make us stronger. We must never abandon our cause of a harmonious and equal society.
"With Merdeka, we were given the chance to make our mark in the world as Malaysians and be the role model for all.
"We have come a long way but are still a young nation. It is now in the hands of all Malaysians," said Devaki, who was married to the late P. Krishnan who died in 1998.
Krishnan was a self-made businessman who went on to establish Krishnan Taxis that operated Kuala Lumpur's first fleet of Mercedes Benz limousines and taxi services.
Devaki reminded Malaysians that the country was blessed with an abundance of resources, with she having had the privilege of seeing Malaya then, and Malaysia today, develop into the envy of the world.
"Ours is a nation where multil-culturalism thrives and is a haven for expatriates.
"Our diversity and various faiths are the pillars of our strength," said Devaki, who was born in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan to British Malaya's last Post and Telecoms acting controller Ayathurai Krishnan and college-trained Tamil school teacher Nagaratnam.
Meanwhile, her grandson Rohan Ramakrishnan, 33, paid tribute to her for her wisdom and perseverance in assisting to uplift the socio-economy of many down-trodden housewives.
"I remember my grandmother telling us how she often moved around her municipal constituency, seeking out to help the poor in obtaining employment, engaging in small businesses or equipped with some technical skills," said Rohan.
He recapped how Devaki spoke proudly of her past glorious years as a young politician.
"She often told us stories like being paraded in an open-rooftop vehicle that was accompanied by over 50 cars in Kuala Lumpur, just after winning the municipal council seat in Kuala Lumpur for a second time.
"Also close to her heart were events that unfolded during the 1969 racial riots, where grandmother had served as a Civil Defence Force member since 1953, trained in fire-fighting and welfare.
"As the medical clinic head, Devaki supervised some 3,500 victims and the homeless huddled up at Stadium Merdeka," said Rohan, adding Devaki also spoke about her experiences during the Japanese Occupation, British administration, Malayan Union and the country's rule under its first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj.
On another note, The Malaysia Book of Records recognised Devaki's contributions by honouring her with an award - in recognition of being the first Malaysian woman to hold public office in the history of Malaysia.
Referring to Devaki as a hidden gem, Malaysia Book of Records marketing director Jwan Heah presented Devaki the award at her home, recently.
"Devaki played a fundamental role in shaping the early fabric of Malaysian society. She is really a living piece of Malayan and Malaysian history.
"It is with great honour and pleasure, that we are able to enlist Devaki, one of the last few remaining personalities of the Merdeka generation into the book, to stand the test of time.
"We hope this will be an inspiration for all Malaysians to do the same in a selfless and devoted manner, for society, charity and country," said Jwan.
He commended Devaki who had championed women's empowerment, interfaith and inter-ethnic cooperation while playing a prominent role in many social and welfare organisations.
These include the National Council for Women's Organisations, Pan Pacific Southeast Asian Women's Organisation, the Pure Life Society, the St John's Ambulance Association, Tengku Budriah Orphanage, Serendah Boys Home and as a trustee in various non-profit organisations.
"She also played a crucial role in pushing amendments for the Guardianship of Infants Act in 1999, allowing single mothers to care for their children.
"On the international stage, she was involved with the Women's International Club where her time was dedicated towards disaster relief and fund raising," said Jwan.
During the Millennium Summit in 2000, Devaki strongly pushed for the establishment of an interfaith council at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
"For all these self-sacrifices and dedication, Tan Sri Devaki was bestowed with numerous awards such as the 'Serving Sister of St. John's' by Britain's Queen Elizabeth and made an Ambassador of Peace by the Universal Peace Federation.
"She was also presented with the Tokoh Wanita Award and Tun Fatimah Award for her contributions to women empowerment and welfare services.
"In addition, she holds the distinction of being the first Malaysian Indian woman to be conferred the Panglima Setia Mahkota which carries the Tan Sri title," he said.
Jwan added how Devaki played a fundamental role in shaping the early fabric of Malaysian society.
He said Devaki had worked with contemporaries such as Datuk Onn Jaafar, Yong Shook Lin, Tun Omar Ong Yoke Lin, Puan Sri Putih Mariah, Tun Fatimah Hashim, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun V.T. Sambanthan, Tun Tan Cheng Lock and Tun Tan Siew Sin who rallied the Merdeka movement and developed the concept of a Malaysian society.