An Early Nation Builder Re-Examined for his Great Contribution
to Malaysian Society!
K.
Thamboosamy Pillay was a prominent Malaysian of Tamil origin during the
pre-independence years. He was considered the leader of the Tamil
community. He was a wealthy businessman, tin miner, money lender and
government contractor.Thamboosamy was one of the founders and one of the
original Trustees of Victoria Institution as well as the founder of the
Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur and the Batu Caves Murugan Temple. A Sivan Temple in Klang is also said to have been built on land which was owned by his family but later donated to the temple committee.
Born in Singapore
in 1850, K. Thamboosamy Pillay received his early education at Raffles
Institution. He sailed to Klang in 1875 with James Guthrie Davidson,
when the latter was appointed Malaya's first British Resident. Prior to that, he had been a clerk in the legal firm in which Davidson was a partner.
He
was later transferred to the Treasury where he eventually became chief
clerk and acted as State Treasurer on a few occasions. He was sent to India
by the Malayan Government to bring over the first batch of Indian
immigrants for the Railway and Public Works. Thamboosamy resigned from
Government service in the 1880s and, going into partnership with Towkay
Loke Yew, managed the New Tin Mining Company in Rawang. They were the
first to use electric pumps for mining in Malaya.
A
Justice of Peace and member of the prestigious KL Sanitary Board,
Thamboosamy was the acknowledged leader of the Tamil community in
Malaya, especially in Kuala Lumpur.His
other business interests included coffee planting, real estate and
construction. He was a member of both the Selangor Club and the Turf
Club and owned several horses. Thamboosamy was one of the founders and
one of the original Trustees of Victoria Institution. One of the sports
houses in VI is named after him. His son, K. T. Ganapathy Pillay, was a
Victorian and served as the second President of the VIOBA.
The Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur
was founded by Thamboosamy in 1873 and was initially used as a private
shrine by the Pillai family. The family threw open the temple doors to
the public in the late 1920s and eventually handed the management of the
temple over to a board of trustees. This is the oldest functioning
Hindu temple in Malaysia. It is also reputed to be the richest in the country. The Temple
was originally sited somewhere near the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station.
It shifted to its present location along Jalan Tun H.S. Lee (next to
KL's Chinatown) in 1885.
He was also said to have discovered Batu Caves,
with its vel-shaped entrance, and was inspired to start a Hindu temple
in devotion to Lord Muruga in 1888. The first Thaipoosam festival in Malaysia was also started by Thamboosamy Pillay in 1891.
So
great was Thamboosamy's philanthropic spirit, that he donated money to
whoever needed it, regardless of race or religion. He contributed a
sizeable amount of money to the building fund of St. Mary's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur in 1893, despite being a Hindu.
Thamboosamy died in 1902 in Singapore, where he had gone to attend a meeting at the Singapore Turf Club.
A street in the Chow Kit district and a Tamil primary school in Sentul are also named in his memory.
Besides The Victoria Institution Web Page, Wikipedia
and Bernama, all information on K Thamboosamy Pillai that I have posted
have been verified/obtained first hand from one of his great grandsons
who has inherited and collected a vast treasure of historical documents
on his great great grand father’s legacy. Having said that, I am pleased
to say that he is an important forefather of our nation who helped lay
the foundation for a better future. Needless to say,he should always be
remembered for his service to the Indian Community and Pre-Independence
Malaya. However,the above mentioned is only a small portion of his
undeniable contribution as one of the earliest leaders of the Indian
Tamil Community to a young Nation in the making.
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