EVERY morning at 6.30am sharp, when the rest of his household has not yet stirred, P. Abraham Verghese waits in anticipation at his home in Seremban, Negri Sembilan.
Not for breakfast or his first sip of coffee, but for the sound of the newspaper delivery man.
At age 101, Abraham is one of the three oldest subscribers of The Star, having faithfully been reading the daily for about 30 years.
The arrival of the The Star newspaper is the highlight of his day.
Paper in hand, he settles into his favourite armchair for the next two hours, starting with the main news before moving to the rest of the newspaper.
Sharp and sprightly, Abraham credits his daily ritual for keeping his mind in tip-top shape.
“I must read the paper first thing in the morning. I scan the headlines first and then zoom in on articles that catch my interest.
“I especially love the business section, stock market summaries and articles on health,” he said.
He remains particular about the delivery. Woe betide a late delivery – or a wet one.
“I get impatient if the delivery man is late.
“And if the newspaper gets wet, I put it in the toaster oven to dry,” he chuckled.
Once he has read every page, Abraham passes the paper to his son-in-law Philip Matthews, and the two dissect the day’s headlines over conversation.
Abraham’s daughter Susan Verghese attributes her father’s sharp mind to his naturally inquisitive nature.
“He is fascinated by how things work in the modern world, and is always ready to explore and learn,” she said.
The elderly gentleman is caring too, always eager to share pearls of wisdom he has gleaned from all his reading.
He often has Susan photograph interesting articles to share with family and friends.
Susan said her father’s tenant, whose children are medical students, also receives a steady stream of news on the medical profession.
“Papa is very caring and wants to ensure that nobody misses anything important.
“Whenever he reads news about doctors or medical students, he makes sure I snap a photo and send it to his tenant,” she said.
Abraham’s reading habit has rubbed off on his children.
Growing up, Susan, a corporate trainer and educator, and sister Dr Sara Verghese, a dentist, were assigned homework by their father every day.
They had to summarise the editor’s column for him to read when he got home from work.
“I suppose his love for reading inspired my love for language,” said Susan.
These days, whenever his grandchildren and five great-grandchildren visit, Abraham reads to them from The Star for at least 15 minutes.
And then quizzes them on what they absorbed!
The paper is such a part of his daily routine that for his 100th birthday, his family gifted him his own “newspaper” charting his journey and milestones, including his marriage (his wife Lizzy passed away in 2023), family life and retirement.
Born in Kerala, India, in 1925, Abraham sailed to Malaya in 1948, a young man setting off, as his family puts it, “into the unknown in pursuit of new beginnings.”
He spent 14 years as a clerk in the British Army’s Forward Ordnance Depot in Kuala Lumpur, before joining Malayan Cement, where he retired as a works accountant.
Past the official retirement age, Abraham worked as an office manager and accountant at Sipro Chemical Company until the age of 79.
The centenarian was also active in the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, serving as treasurer, secretary and auditor for the Kuala Lumpur parish.
While he once enjoyed playing badminton, football and tennis, today the impeccably dressed gentleman − who still swears by Brylcreem hair product − prefers to catch up on all the sports action through the newspaper or television.
Susan said her father sometimes stayed up even until midnight, following global affairs, US politics and market shifts to keep abreast of the latest happenings.
When asked if he would consider switching to reading news on his phone, Abraham vehemently shook his head.
“I have a phone but I get all the information I need from the newspaper.
“Young people today spend too much time on their devices.
“I wish they would enjoy the paper like I do,” he said, adding that keeping his mind alert through reading, eating healthy and staying active were his secrets to longevity.
To mark The Star’s 55th anniversary, its circulation team presented mementoes to the oldest subscribers of the newspaper.
The memento was presented to Abraham by Star Media Group (SMG) print, circulation and subscription senior general manager Goh Kok Soo, alongside circulation senior manager Andrew Lim and circulation managers Mohana Devan Murugan and Shalini Gunnasan.
