A tribute to the estate headmaster who served beyond the classroom

On Aug 30, Gengatharan Murugesan passed away just three months before he would have turned 100. But for the generations he taught and helped in Slim River, Perak, his legacy is likely to live on for years to come.

Born on Nov 23, 1926 in Nova Scotia Estate, Teluk Intan, Gengatharan lost his father at age 14 and his mother when he was about 18.

He began his teaching career at a Tamil school in Tapah in 1951 before being transferred to Lima Blas Estate in Slim River the following year, where he and his wife, Sarathamball Sundram, were the school’s only teachers.

The couple taught there for 21 years, before Gengatharan eventually retired as headmaster in 1973.

For his daughters, his greatest contributions lay in the decades he spent serving his community.

“Schoolchildren would come to our house whenever they did not understand something and my father would never hesitate to help,” 65-year-old G Sundarambal told FMT Lifestyle.

Among his former students was former MIC politician and deputy minister Subramaniam Sinniah, who was born in Lima Blas Estate.

But Gengatharan’s influence as an educator extended far beyond the school gates. “Many of the estate workers did not have citizenship, so my father would communicate with government officials on their behalf to convert their red ICs to blue,” his other daughter, G Meenambal, recalled.

“And because many of them did not speak Malay, he also arranged Bahasa Malaysia classes for adults to make it easier for them to obtain citizenship,” the 72-year-old added.

Gengatharan was also active in community organisations. In 1981, he formed the Hindu Sangam in Slim River and served as its president for 24 years.

He taught children Thevaram and was later invited to judge competitions dedicated to these devotional Tamil hymns in Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur. For his community service, he was recognised with an award from the Malaysia Hindu Sangam in 1984.

His daughters even have a photograph of their father with former prime minister Tun Abdul Razak, although they do not know when it was taken or the circumstances behind the meeting.

Gengatharan was further known for helping families in need, raising funds and distributing Deepavali goodies to underprivileged communities, old folks’ homes and hospitals in places including Tanjung Malim, Kerling and Kuala Kubu Bharu.

“He was very humble, which is probably why there is not much record of everything he did for others,” Sundarambal noted, adding that he would often remind her and her five siblings that they needed to help others.

“Even when we did not have enough, my parents would still set aside food for people in the estate.”

Gengatharan and Sarathamball taught their children the value of sharing from an early age, ensuring that whatever they had was divided equally among them.

According to their daughters, he became increasingly devoted to spiritual practice in the 1970s and meditated regularly. He stopped cutting his hair and beard and began wearing only white, often paired with a dhoti, as part of his spiritual way of life.

Both Gengatharan and his wife were also lifelong vegetarians.

Outside his community work, he enjoyed photography and travelling, and continued to explore the world well into his 90s. He was also a keen DIY enthusiast who repaired household items, gardened and even made flower garlands for the temple.

In 2012, following Sarathamball’s death, Gengatharan moved to Kuala Lumpur to live with Meenambal. To his nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, he was simply a loving, playful grandfather.

“He would put my daughter in the bicycle basket and take her to the morning market. On weekends, his entertainment was simply playing with his great-grandchildren,” Sundarambal shared.

On Aug 21, Gengatharan was admitted to hospital after experiencing breathing difficulties. After five days in intensive care, his condition seemed to improve, and his family expected him to recover.

Sadly, he died at 10.15am on Aug 30. Gengatharan was laid to rest beside Sarathamball at Rawang Memorial Park.

His passing marks not only the loss of a father but of the man whose values shaped a close-knit family. “We did not have many close relatives apart from our siblings, so he always told us that we had to look after one another,” said Meenambal.

Now, they hope those same values will be remembered beyond the family.

“We want people to remember what he did for the community, and ultimately, we want his story to inspire others to give back,” Sundarambal concluded.

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