Matriarch fit and strong at 102
HAVING survived two world wars, financial recessions, bouts of depression, broken and kept New Year resolutions, Chatsworth resident Rookmoney Moonsamy has “seen it all”. Today she celebrates her 102nd birthday.
Although her eyesight might no longer be sharp, Moonsamy said she was not plagued by any medical condition and was in good shape physically.
“I’m still fit and strong and able to take care of myself,” she declared proudly.
The centenarian credits her fitness and longevity to her disciplined diet, which comprises mostly vegetables.
Moonsamy said she still enjoyed a good cup of tea and listened to Lotus FM for much of the day.
While she might not be able to bop as effectively to the beat of her favourite tunes played on the radio nowadays, Moonsamy said Tamil music usually perked her up.
“Deflated” was how Moonsamy felt about not being able to speak Tamil these days – after speaking the language for most of her life.
“It is sad that I don’t get to speak Tamil. Who will I talk to?” she asked while acknowledging that the current generations of her family no longer speak the language.
Moonsamy was born on a farm in uMkomaas in 1914. She had two brothers and two sisters, but she is now the only surviving member of her family.
At a young age her family moved to Clairwood and lived in the area known as Bayside. There they lived communally in a wood-and-iron home with uncles, aunts and cousins.
Catching crabs in the nearby bay was her favourite pastime.
She never attended school and whatever ambition she had for an education ended when her mother died when she was 12 years old.
It became Moonsamy’s duty to mother her siblings while her fisherman father (Munian) provided for their family.
Her heart sank when she learnt one of her uncles had legally married her off, without her prior knowledge, to a relative from her mother’s side of the family.
She was only 15 years old at the time.
The trauma of being forced into a marriage was too much for her to bear and caused her to flee from her husband.
Accepted
She did so on three occasions until she finally accepted her lot in life and had 10 children (five daughters and sons) with her husband.
Only three of her daughters – Debbie Goodman, Daya Nair and Gracie Moonsamy – are alive.
“I eventually accepted him (her husband). What was I supposed to do? But I grew to love him eventually,” she said.
After leaving their Dayal Road home in Clairwood, Moonsamy and her family moved house on numerous occasions until they finally settled in Croftdene, Chatsworth, when the area was first developed in the 1960s.
Asked about the number of grandchildren she had, Moonsamy said: “I have many grandchildren and many more great grandchildren. I’ve lost count.
“But I’m very excited to meet every newborn that comes into my family.”
Her life’s philosophy has been to “be the best and do my best in everything”.
“I’ve seen it all. I think the only thing left for me to do is to see God.
“My advice to youngsters is to always live a happy life,” she said.
The Reverend Cyril Pillay, a nephew of hers, said: “My aunt is a wonderful, bubbly person. She reminds me of the peace and tranquillity my dad (Shunmugam) enjoyed while he was alive.
“He was a dancer and comedian whose stage name was Bulbul Mynah.”