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Sinniah S/O Sinnathamby Inspector Of Indian Schools, Perak.
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Subject :Sinniah S/O Sinnathamby Inspector of Indian Schools, Perak.
Published By : None
Location : Ipoh
Estimated Year : 1950
Media Type : Photograph
Source : The Sinniah Family
Remark : Sinniah Sinnathamby, father of 20 children and husband of Vallithai, was a scholar and philanthropist, who lived by the policy: What the right hand does, the left hand must not know?
Born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka on 20 August 1899, Sinniah died at the ripe old age of 95 in 1994. He passed his Junior Cambridge Overseas Exams in St John’s College, Jaffna in 1914. He came to Malaya at the age of 16 and was attached to ACS Ipoh in 1915. The schools he taught in were Government English School, Batu Gajah, Clifford School, Kuala Kangsar and Anderson School in Ipoh. In 1945, he was appointed Inspector of Indian Schools, Perak. He was also a lecturer for the Tamil Schools trainee teachers. Sinniah retired from the education service in August 1954.
Sinniah organized the 12th Ipoh Scout Troop and became the Secretary of the Perak Boys Scouts Association and the Quarter Master for Perak. He also organized several football and tennis tournaments throughout the state. He was the:
Sinniah, with Vallithai opened the Indian section of the Perak Library in 1952 and in 1953, it was declared the best Tamil library in Malaya.
Ha was an enterprising man who even bought and sold cattle and firewood besides selling insurance policies for Great Eastern Assurance Company.
Most of the copper and chromed flag poles, silver caskets and statues of deities were bought and installed by him. The Hindu Crematorium halls in Ipoh and Jaffna were erected by Sinniah. He also set up orphanages in Jaffna and the Sai Matha Orphanage in India. They are still being funded by him via his son Sundralingam. Besides, a hospital wing at the Divine Life Society Movement at Rishikesh in the Himalayas and hospital wards at Pattamathadu in Tirunelveli, India are products of his charity. There is a hall with rooms for the usage of travelling pilgrims at the Durga Devi temple and Ramakrishna shrine in India. There are water pumps for the poor constructed at temple grounds in India. He also did not forget the miseries of refugees and gave selflessly and charitably to the Ceylon Tamil Refugees Rehabilitation Fund. Though he has long gone, his charitable legacy is still carried out by his son, Sundralingam to whom he entrusted this responsibility.
Great believers in a sound education Sinniah and Vallithai ensured that their children received the best schooling available and thereby were able to go out into the world capable of standing on their own two feet. Their efforts were not in vain as, despite having 20 children to bring up, the following list of the names and professions of the children of Sinniah and Vallithai, shows just how successful they were.
To read about the Anglo-Chinese School, Ipoh, click here.
To read about the Government English School, Batu Gajah, click here.
To read about Clifford School, Kuala Kangsar, click here.
To read about the Anderson School, Ipoh, click here.
To read about the Wills of Sinniah S/O Sinnathamby, click here.
To see a photograph of Vallithai opening the Indian Section of Ipoh Library, click here.
Born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka on 20 August 1899, Sinniah died at the ripe old age of 95 in 1994. He passed his Junior Cambridge Overseas Exams in St John’s College, Jaffna in 1914. He came to Malaya at the age of 16 and was attached to ACS Ipoh in 1915. The schools he taught in were Government English School, Batu Gajah, Clifford School, Kuala Kangsar and Anderson School in Ipoh. In 1945, he was appointed Inspector of Indian Schools, Perak. He was also a lecturer for the Tamil Schools trainee teachers. Sinniah retired from the education service in August 1954.
Sinniah organized the 12th Ipoh Scout Troop and became the Secretary of the Perak Boys Scouts Association and the Quarter Master for Perak. He also organized several football and tennis tournaments throughout the state. He was the:
- Hon Sec and Treasurer of the Government Servants Co-operative Thrift and Loan Society in Batu Gajah and Kuala Kangsar
- Chairman of the Perak Ceylonese Congress
- Deeply involved in The Divine Life Society in Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur, the Arul Oli Manram and several temple, orphanage and hospital projects in Malaya, Ceylon and India towards which he donated generously.
Sinniah, with Vallithai opened the Indian section of the Perak Library in 1952 and in 1953, it was declared the best Tamil library in Malaya.
Ha was an enterprising man who even bought and sold cattle and firewood besides selling insurance policies for Great Eastern Assurance Company.
Most of the copper and chromed flag poles, silver caskets and statues of deities were bought and installed by him. The Hindu Crematorium halls in Ipoh and Jaffna were erected by Sinniah. He also set up orphanages in Jaffna and the Sai Matha Orphanage in India. They are still being funded by him via his son Sundralingam. Besides, a hospital wing at the Divine Life Society Movement at Rishikesh in the Himalayas and hospital wards at Pattamathadu in Tirunelveli, India are products of his charity. There is a hall with rooms for the usage of travelling pilgrims at the Durga Devi temple and Ramakrishna shrine in India. There are water pumps for the poor constructed at temple grounds in India. He also did not forget the miseries of refugees and gave selflessly and charitably to the Ceylon Tamil Refugees Rehabilitation Fund. Though he has long gone, his charitable legacy is still carried out by his son, Sundralingam to whom he entrusted this responsibility.
Great believers in a sound education Sinniah and Vallithai ensured that their children received the best schooling available and thereby were able to go out into the world capable of standing on their own two feet. Their efforts were not in vain as, despite having 20 children to bring up, the following list of the names and professions of the children of Sinniah and Vallithai, shows just how successful they were.
| Name | Profession | Sex |
| Amirthalingam | Lawyer | Male |
| Dharmalingam | Gynaecologist | Male |
| Rajaletchumi | Trained teacher from Singapore University | Female |
| Yogalingam | Normal trained teacher | Male |
| Nesaratnam | Teacher ?History graduate | Female |
| Leelamoney | Lawyer | Female |
| Sundralingam | Estate Manager | Male |
| Jothilingam | TNB Officer | Male |
| Rajamalar | Normal trained teacher | Female |
| Devika Rani | Science Graduate teacher | Female |
| Rajalingam | Professor Pathologist | Female |
| Barathalingam | Professor/Dr of Parasitology | Male |
| Davendralingam | Professor ?Paediatrician | Male |
| Pavala Rani | House Science graduate teacher | Female |
| Nirmala Devi | Lawyer | Female |
| Nettymoney | Matron/Manager of hospital | Female |
| Lanka Devi | English graduate teacher | Female |
| Navasilingam | Physician cum lawyer | Male |
| Saraswathy Devi | Skin Doctor | Female |
| Selvaranee | Phd in Immunology | Female |
To read about the Anglo-Chinese School, Ipoh, click here.
To read about the Government English School, Batu Gajah, click here.
To read about Clifford School, Kuala Kangsar, click here.
To read about the Anderson School, Ipoh, click here.
To read about the Wills of Sinniah S/O Sinnathamby, click here.
To see a photograph of Vallithai opening the Indian Section of Ipoh Library, click here.
Filename : 20090419-001