Tiaran Profile – Sita Rajagopal

Like clockwork, Tiarans can often see a petite saree-clad lady, umbrella in hand, walking the turf twice a day. At 7.30am, and again around 5pm, Mrs. Sita Rajagopal, an Indian national, does her rounds.

"This is the only exercise I have these days," said the grandmother of 4, all girls.

Modern-day life, with all manner of appliances, cuts down on using the limbs for pounding, grinding, doing the laundry and other forms of work which could otherwise be considered "exercising", she added.

"In the past, we had to spend a long time grinding ingredients to make a paste. These days, we just put everything into a grinder, or blender, and the paste is done in a jiffy. So we don’t get exercise at all these days. My twice-daily walks are a must for me. My son insists on it too," she said.

Her son, an expatriate doctor on contract with the Malaysian Government, stays at Queen's. Dr Raman Rajagopal, a father of two girls, has been in Malaysia the past 7 years, and his widowed mother comes on three-month visits twice a year. One of his daughters, a graphic designer, lives in Auckland, New Zealand, while the other, a doctor, lives in Philadelphia. His wife continues to work in India. The family meets up often whenever there is a chance.

Whilst her late husband, the Director of Finance in the Central Government of India, was working, Mrs. Sita lived and travelled with him in New Delhi, Simla, Bangalore and Calcutta, returning to live in Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, after his retirement. It was here that he passed away.

Mrs. Sita spends 6 months in India, where she has a home, with sisters and relatives close by. Her other son, Balachandran, a marine engineer, lives 6 - 8 months aboard a ship. She recalls that from the tender age of 7, he was passionate about ships and submarines. The parents thought it a childhood fantasy, but he lived his dream, becoming a marine engineer later in life.

Married at the age of 14, Mrs. Sita stated that she has known her parents-in-law more than her own parents. She and her in-laws are a very close-knit family. A housewife all her life, her joy in life, and her achievement, she said with a smile, is having brought up her sons well. They are very filial and affectionate, as are her daughters-in-law and grandchildren.

She describes herself as a very contented lady. Life has been good to her. A total vegetarian, even eggs do not feature on her menu. Her meals are cooked daily. It is always fresh food, hearkening back to the days when she was young, and refrigerators were unknown during those times.

This time round, her fifth stay with her son in Tiara, Dr Raman took his mother to Penang. She enjoyed visiting the temples, shopping and the sightseeing. It was her very first experience crossing over by ferry, she added.

Here in Kuala Lumpur, of course she has taken in the Petronas Twin Towers, she said, the Bird and Butterfly Park, and done some shopping.

I asked whether she had any problems travelling by herself from India to Malaysia. "No problem at all. It is quite simple. I get onto a wheelchair and am taken up and down the plane, and when I arrive, my son is at the airport to receive me."

Does she have any hobbies? "I enjoy reading, and I cook."

Mrs. Sita returned to India at the end of June, but will be returning for another stint with her son in a few months time. “ This is the pattern of my lifestyle now,’’ she added.

We look forward to seeing you again soon, Mrs Sita.