Rasammah Bhupalan (born 1 May 1927), also known as Rasammah Naomi Navarednam or Mrs F.R. Bhupalan, is a Malaysian freedom fighter and social activist.
She has championed causes such as the anti-drug abuse movement, women's rights, education and social justice causes.
Pre-Independence
Rasammah was one of the earliest women involved in the fight for
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
n (then
Malaya) independence. She joined the
Rani of Jhansi Regiment, the women's wing of the
Indian National Army, to fight the British.
[Looking East to Look West: Lee Kuan Yew's Mission India By Sunanda K. Datta-Ray, p.71] She served in
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
Women's Rights
As founder president of the Women Teacher's Union, she fought for
equal pay for women
Equal pay for equal work is the concept of labour rights that individuals in the same workplace be given equal pay. It is most commonly used in the context of sexual discrimination, in relation to the gender pay gap. Equal pay relates to the ful ...
teachers and tried to bring disparate teachers' unions under an umbrella.
The former school principal was the first Asian representative of the World Confederation of Organisations of the Teaching Profession for two successive terms. She was also very active in the National Council of Women's Organisation (NCWO) and Pemadam.
Recognition
Bhupalan was a teacher in the Methodist Boys School Kuala Lumpur (MBSSKL) from 1959 to 1964 and was the principal of Methodist Girls School Kuala Lumpur (MGSKL) for 14 years from 1969 until she retired in 1982. On 11 November 2007, Mrs. Bhupalan was among the few veteran teachers who were honored at MBSSKL's 110th Anniversary Celebration Dinner. The dinner was specially organized to honour all the former and current teachers of the school.
On 21 November 2006, a book entitled ''Footprints on The Sands of Time, Rasammah Bhupalan: A Life of Purpose'' authored by Associate Professor Dr Aruna Gopinath was launched by Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister Datuk Dr
Rais Yatim
Tan Sri Dato' Seri Utama Dr. Rais bin Yatim ( Jawi: رئيس بن يتيم; born 15 April 1942) is a Malaysian politician who is now serving as the 18th President of the Dewan Negara since September 2020. He was a Cabinet Minister in mul ...
.
The biography, published with the support of the National Archives, the ministry and NCWO, is about the life of Rasammah seen in a historical context.
See also
*
Janaky Athi Nahappan
*
Lakshmi Sahgal
Lakshmi Sahgal () (born Lakshmi Swaminathan; 24 October 1914 – 23 July 2012) was a revolutionary of the Indian independence movement, an officer of the Indian National Army, and the Minister of Women's Affairs in the Azad Hind government. La ...
References
Ministry in search of remarkable Malaysians The Star, 22 November 2006
Mothers of substance The Star, 20 August 2007.
They dared to take up public office The Star, 20 August 2007.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhupalan, Rasammah
1927 births
Living people
Education activists
Indian National Army personnel
Indian revolutionaries
Malaysian activists
Malaysian people of Indian descent
Tamil activists
Tamil military personnel
Indian women's rights activists
Indian women of World War II