'Vaithi: A Life of Service' chronicles lifetime of activism and change

Summary

• A biography of former Malaysia Hindu Sangam president A Vaithilingam, 91, highlights his roles in sports, education, activism, and interfaith work.

• In “Vaithi: A Life of Service”, written by veteran journalist A Kathirasen, Vaithilingam recalls landmark events, including the M Indira Gandhi case and the 2007 Hindraf rally.

• Reflecting on his approach, Vaithilingam says he solved issues by being friendly, and when necessary, by pursuing legal avenues.

Former Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS) president A Vaithilingam’s long life has been characterised by upheavals and the many ways one person can enact change.

Now 91, his life has been documented in “Vaithi: A Life of Service”, written by veteran journalist A Kathirasen.

Growing in tandem with Malaysia, Vaithilingam contributed to the country in many ways, including as a developer of the local sports scene, an educator, a rights activist, and an interfaith harmony advocate.

In an interview with Malaysiakini, Vaithilingam reflected on the many hats he had worn.

Seated in a comfortable recliner in his son’s home, he spoke softly about his memories with eloquent gestures.

When asked about his favourite role, his deep smile lines crinkled.

“All of them. If they were not favourites, I wouldn’t have been involved. I can’t say this is more important than that,” he replied.

From religion to sports

The book on his life begins with the arrival of his father, A Ampalavanar, in Singapore from Sri Lanka as a teenager.

After securing a job, he was arranged to wed V Neelayahthadchi Ammah, who was born in Selangor. Her family had originated from the same part of Sri Lanka as him.

Vaithilingam credits his parents with much of the values he still holds today.

As a child, he noticed that his father would raise his hand to his chest when passing non-Hindu houses of worship.

“I asked him (about it) and he said, ‘We have to respect all religions’. 

“Maybe that is the root of my interfaith (work),” the former Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Taoism president reminisced.

As for his mother, Vaithilingam described her as an avid reader of Tamil books and newspapers.

“My mother was the base for my knowledge on culture, (the Hindu) religion, and moral backgrounds,” he said.

As a young child, his family moved to Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, following orders from the Japanese occupiers in Malaya and Singapore at the time.

He grew up to be a young adult on the peninsula and began training as a teacher three years before Malaya declared independence from British colonial rule.

While a teacher at a primary school, he got his start in sports development - the school appointed him to organise the first national inter-school under-13 football tournament to celebrate Malaya’s independence.

An avid sportsperson since he was a child, Vaithilingam went on to organise major sports tournaments and manage national teams.

All of this culminated in the Olympic Council of Malaysia inducting him into its Hall of Fame in 2012.

History of activism

Besides sports, education became the avenue for another achievement: he organised the first teachers’ strike after finding out that newer teachers were placed on a worse payment scheme.

While this was happening, his involvement in Hindu activism grew.

Vaithilingam became the president of the Malaysian Hindu Youth Council from 1975 to 1983 and led the MHS between 1996 and 2009.

The latter role saw him playing a part in two historic events: the M Indira Gandhi case and the 2007 Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) rally.

The first occurred in his last year as the MHS president, he said, recalling how he had quickly organised a press conference about the controversial child conversion case upon hearing of it.

His nephew, K Shanmuga, was also one of Indira’s lawyers.

As for the Hindraf rally, he was among those called to meet the then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after the protest to discuss the dissatisfaction of the Indian community that had led to the outburst.

In the biography, Vaithilingam said Abdullah went on to form a task force to address Indian issues.

Unfortunately, Vaithilingam could not speak on the task force’s effectiveness as Abdullah did not remain in his role for long.

Looking back, Vaithilingam said he solved many issues by “being friendly”.

“If (I had to) fight, then (I chose to) fight by the law,” he said, pointing to a protest he had helped organise over the detention of M Revathi in 2007.

According to Bernama, “Vaithi: A Life of Service” was launched on Aug 12 in Kuala Lumpur by National Land Finance Cooperative Society chief executive officer P Sagathevan.

Those interested in purchasing the book, priced at RM50, may call 03-2698 9199.

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