PEKAN: His heart was set on moving to Gugusan Felda Chini almost 33 years ago and since then, A. Selvaraju, a settler in Felda Chini Timur 5, near here, has never regretted his decision.
The sole Indian settler in Felda Chini, Selvaraju, 65, popularly known as Raju, said he joined Felda in November 1987.
Despite being of a different race and religion, Selvaraju said he had never felt unwelcomed in the community of 20 families in his Felda block.
“Life here is simple... you go to the estate at 6.30am and return at 7pm. At times, there are community activities.
“There is no pressure and we enjoy good health and good sleep because of the quiet environment.
“Each month, Felda pays us a dividend, which supplements our income. There are also other aids from Felda and the best part is that we are surrounded by good people, ” he said at his home here.
Selvaraju said he had applied to become a settler in 1984 and was offered to join Felda Selendang 1 in Rompin as the Felda officer was worried that he could not fit into Felda Chini because he was of a different race.
However, Selvaraju, who was born in Bukit Pelanduk, Negri Sembilan, was set on going to Felda Chini and told the officer that he was used to living among Malays as he had worked in Felda Jengka 1 in 1971 and once lived in a settlement in Rompin.
The minute his application was approved, the first person he told was his wife M. Chinnamah, now 61, who immediately bundled their five daughters to Felda Chini. The couple’s only son was later born there.
“We were given a piece of land and a house with water supply while electricity was installed eight months later.
“At that time, I already had a car. There were times when there would be a knock on the door late at night from a neighbour asking for help to send his wife to a local hospital to deliver a baby or other emergencies.
“Because I often left for the estate early in the morning, my neighbours would send my children to school on their motorbikes together with their children and later fetch them home if I was not able to.
“This is the neighbourly spirit that I want, ” he added.
Selvaraju said during Deepavali, his home would be the centre of attention and he would ask his neighbours Amir Sabar, 63, and Fatimah Man, 65, to cook mutton and seafood, which he would then serve to the people in his block.
“During Hari Raya, it would be our turn to visit them. My favourite are the lemang, ketupat and chicken rendang.
“If I do not turn up, my neighbours will ask for me and send food to my house, ” he said.
Selvaraju’s son S. Sivvaneshann, 26, said growing up in Felda Chini gave him the chance to enjoy village life.
Fatimah said her neighbour Raju was a generous person and concerned about his neighbours, earning the elderly Indian couple the title of “uncle dan aunty” to the younger generation in the community.
“We helped to cook when Raju’s children got married. The people here address Raju’s wife as ‘aci’.
“We have no problem asking them for help or they of us, ” she said. -—Bernama
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