Congratulations & Celebrations!*

Parents’ 50th Wedding anniversary and Amma’s 70th surprise birthday party (Powerpoint presentation)

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!

Mr & Mrs Shamuganathan
1960

Just in case you are wondering what this function is all about, we are gathered today to share the joy of celebrating my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, and at the same time to my mother’s surprise 70th birthday party. Firstly, I am so happy that many friends from near and far (as far as Belgium) have obliged to partake in this meaningful event. Thanks to Anneka and David for joining us. Once they heard of this function, they immediately changed their plans to visit Cambodia, paid the fines for changing their ticket and decided to join us in this surprise function. Many words of thanks to Dato M.S. Murthi who was equally if not more excited than all of us in making this function a reality. To hold a surprise function like this is no easy feat, one has to do many things under cover and in this aspect, my two sisters (Sheila and Latha) and her family members have made use of their artistic skill of conman ship to perfection. All the while, until my parents entered the hall, she was under the impression that she was attending a simple dinner at a posh place but did not suspect such a big function. In this process, Latha and Sheila managed to convince my mother to buy a new saree, stitch her blouse, groom herself for the occasion and bring her to the function. The last part would not have been difficult, as Amma likes going out. I sure that with her inquisitive instincts, I am sure my sisters would have bluffed all the way to get her here. If only Amma were given the opportunity, she would have been a lawyer like her brother! This morning we actually thought that our cover had been blown open when Appa's old buddy Mr David Morris actually sent a bouquet of flowers to my parents. Mr Morris is Appa's colleague in Mercantile Bank. They not only shares the same birth date but the same birth year too -22nd June 1938!

On my part, I managed to sneak out some old photographs during my last visit to Penang. And here we are…

Beach St, Penang.

Many years ago when my son was just a toddler, after seeing me enjoy many old Black and White Tamil and English movies in my spare time, he asked me, “Appa, when you were growing up, was everything around was in black and white?” Not understanding his question, I asked him, “What do you mean?” He said, “I see that in those old movies that you watch, the trees, the hill, the peoples’ clothes and all are black and white, did they not colour around you?” Smiling, I told him that they did not have the technology. Probably, if he were to ask the same question today, I would reply, “Things in life are neither black nor white but rather in shades of grey!”

At 18 years

This is how Penang used to look when my parents grew up in the pre-Merdeka days when you could buy things for half a cent, going to Prai then meant a sampan across the channel and politicians were honest. You can why they use to call it a true paradise, with a peaceful esplanade with no hawkers and Batu Ferringhi with no hotels and apartments.

Appa's office (L)
 Son! Look they have colour 

Mr Munusamy’s first born son, Shamuganathan was born on 22nd June 1938 in Butterworth. He grew up in a family of 16 in Sg Pinang, Penang to a fine young man. 16 seem to be a significant number to my father as at the age of 16, due to parental pressure, he started his employment as a peon in then Mercantile Bank in Beach Street, Penang. Day in and day out, he went to work at the same premises till he retired at the age of 56, after 30 years of working in the same place with hardly any medical leave. By the time he retired, the owner of the bank was HSBC.

A 9 year old Amma

Rada Mani Devi was born as the third daughter to Mr and Mrs S.M. Muthu. Just for record, nobody actually knows when my mother’s birthday is. As you know, people those days give very little importance to these things. If you follow their respective I.C. (Identity Card), you will notice that my mother and my maternal uncle (her biological brother) were born just 2 months apart! Somehow through logical deduction, backdating and correlating to somebody’s funeral and probably Christmas, it was finally calculated to 27th December 1940.

Amma & best friend, Malathi

Just like when my cousin Ganesh organised a surprise birthday for his mother (Auntie Indra), no doubt she was surprised with the arrangement, he was equally surprised when his mother said, "But I am 71!"
Amma grew up in many houses around Penang and Ipoh with her 3 other siblings – Saroja, Indra and Murthi. At the age of 16, her supporting pillar, her mother succumbed to breast cancer and she and her siblings had to fend for themselves.

Amma , nephew & nieceA

Appa and friends: Life in a young newly independent nation of Malaya. Notice how simple play things were those days: bare feed children in the background fooling around a broken tricyle! If only some important agreement were signed before this photo shot, this phto would have been a classic!

Unlike the 1970 

Love Story, this one

stood the test of time

Soon after this, I suppose, she must have met this dashing young man from Sungai Pinang and love must blossomed. The person instrumental in their union was their mutual friend, Veeramani has unfortunately passed on.

At Amma's mum's house in B'worth

The love story blossomed to a matrimonial knot on 27th August 1960.

The Big Day 27.8.1960

Just married. Note the picture of Marilyn Munroe 

or Jayne Mansfield in the background.

Soon after marriage, they moved in to a new neighbourhood to bring up their newborn child (that's me!) in Brown Gardens in Gelugor in around 1964. And many fond memories were still linger...like this birthday party celebration in 1967.

In keeping with Penang’s boria spirit, here you can have two children in the same birthday party with the same outfit. Girls, how would you feel if you are the birthday girl and your friend turns up with the very same dress!

Or will you still like him or try to subtly strangle him like seen in this picture?

Rifle Range Flats

                                


The other boy (Gobi) and I went to the same secondary school and later lost touch. Thanks to Facebook, I managed to chat with him.

Between 1970 and 1982, Rifle Range Flats was home to all of us and holds many pleasant childhood memories to me and my sisters. Personally, we hated the place but it helped us to be tough, kiasu and keep our priorities intact.

Latha's 3rd birthday

These are the views that we use to see, day in day out!
In 1972, we celebrated Latha’s 3rd birthday. Seen here in the centre with her colourful cake baked in our new oven! Guess the cake must have looked so pretty that everybody decided to pose in front of it before cutting!

(1974, on a moonlit night?) Since digital photography had not been developed in 70s, each time you wanted immortalize your good looks in print, you run to your friendly photo studio. Kok Wah studio in Jalan Dato Kramat was particularly popular.

Happy families of mid 70s

During long school holidays, like a pilgrimage, Auntie Indra's family (both Shans) would congregate in Rifle Range and they would all sardine pack themselves into this tiny one room bedroom flat. Everyone would be chit-chatting till the wee hours of the morning. The youngsters would be busy their pranks! The end of the visit would be marked with the mandatory crying and the general tone would be sombre for the next few days.

1990

Here Amma is seen posing with her beloved sister, Indra at the compound of their beloved brother's mansion in Klang in the 1990s.In 1990, the first wedding in the family happened. After 3 decades of married life, my parents had a new role to play- Paati (grandma). Here seen with grandchildren... As the clan gets bigger and bigger...

Amma, Divya, Tania.

With Ashvirni and Agshay

Chagani's 16th day ceremony

Now we are left with the next generation of people of the Sham clan. These are the people who would hold the reign of the fort and probably organise surprise parties like these in the future (hint, hint).

In the pre-Independence era when the main mean of transportation was by sea, E&O Hotel, which was an exclusive hotel frequented by ruling aristocrats, played an important role in disseminating information to the community. Once a month when the ship from England had docked at the Penang Pier, its flag would be hoist at full mast announcing that their supplies are stocked to the brim and it is party time at the E&O. In the same vein, we, the children of Mr & Mrs Shamuganathan would like to wish our parents a very happy golden anniversary and a happy 70th birthday wishes to Amma. Thank you for all the things that you have done for us. No one could have done it better.

My brother in law, Chandra, and my sisters have organised an array of musical extravaganza for your listening and visual pleasure. Hope everyone has a good and we return with only fond memories.

Thank you...