Improverished estate boy makes it big as entrepreneur

Photo used for illustration purposes only
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This is the first of a two-part article about a teenager from Sungai Siput, Perak who defied the odds to make his way to England in 1956 to further his studies so that he could extricate himself and his family from a life of poverty. Today, at age 82, Robert K. Chelliah is a successful medicinal plant nutritionist and entrepreneur in Cambodia.

KUALA LUMPUR – Robert K. Chelliah was barely 17 when he made a decision that would change the course of his life forever.

It was sometime in August or September 1956 and just as Malaya was making the necessary preparations to emerge from the shackles of colonial rule, he resolved to leave his life of poverty in Kamunting Estate, near Sungai Siput in Perak – where he lived with his widowed mother and three siblings ­– and hitchhike to England to pursue his further studies.

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It was no small feat but he was driven by ambition, with his sole mission being to study hard to exit poverty and travel to places he had only read about in comics he collected from rubbish bins.

He had a rough start but Lady Luck shone on him and he got to study at Oxford University, no less. The rest, as they say, is history.

Now aged 82, Robert, who regards himself as a global citizen, is still going strong and is a successful medicinal plant nutritionist and entrepreneur in Cambodia. This far-sighted man, who once walked barefoot to school because his mother could not afford to buy him shoes, also owns a number of property assets in Australia, Malaysia and Cambodia.

Letter from Tunku Abdul Rahman

Growing up in Kamunting Estate, Robert was no stranger to challenges that life threw at him. His father died when he was six years old and his mother worked at the rubber factory in the estate to raise her children. Some years later, the house where he stayed with his family was destroyed in a fire. They could not salvage a thing.

“At that time, I wanted to change my life, help my family, and coming from a poor family, I had nothing to lose. I was also hungry for knowledge and experience and also wanted to give something back to my country,” he told Bernama in a telephone interview from Phnom Penh where he is now based.

When he left Sungai Siput for England in 1956, he just had 100 Malayan dollars in his pocket, a rucksack which he got courtesy of the local police station and an A3-sized paper passport.

“I began my journey even before I got my Senior Cambridge examination results,” he said.

What stood out in his life story was a letter he received from Tunku Abdul Rahman – who was the first prime minister of independent Malaya – wishing the plucky teenager good luck as he embarked on his ambitious journey. Robert said the message was in reply to a letter he had written to Tunku Abdul Rahman to inform him of his intention to hitchhike to England.

The first leg of his journey saw him hitching rides in lorries and cars to get to Singapore where he stayed for two months whilst waiting for approval from shipping company Blue Funnel Line’s headquarters in London to travel to Calcutta, India, in their ship. He had planned to sail to Calcutta and then travel overland to London.

In the meantime in Singapore, he worked as a labourer for five dollars a day to make ends meet and slept under a bridge. Eventually, he boarded a ship bound for Calcutta and paid for his passage by working on board.

All in, it took about five months for Robert to arrive at his destination London. Hitchhiking most of the way, the adventurous youth travelled from Calcutta to Delhi (India), then to Lahore (Pakistan). Crossing the Baluchistan Desert, he arrived in Quetta (Pakistan) before setting off for Zahedan (Iran) and Istanbul (Turkey). He then crossed over to Greece to get to Skopje (Yogoslavia) and crossed Austria, Germany and Belgium before finally arriving at Victoria Station in London.

Oxford University

Incidentally, when the ship he was sailing in earlier docked at Calcutta, Robert happened to meet a tourist who befriended him. Fascinated with the adventurous youngster’s story and intentions, the tourist apparently wrote an article about him which was published by some local newspapers in London.

So, when Robert reached his final destination, the news was already circulating of him being the first Asian teenager to hitchhike from the east to the west, which prompted famous BBC Television host David Frost to actually interview him on his show.

As Robert recalled, the first question Frost asked him was “What is your intention in coming to England”, to which he promptly responded, “To study.”

Shortly after the interview, Robert received several offers to pursue his higher studies at leading British public schools as well as Oxford University. He studied for a year in Lancing College before joining Oxford University where he pursued a major in Public Administration and Social Service Professions.

He returned to Singapore in 1963 for his post-graduate studies with a study grant from Lee Foundation. After completing his studies, he married a fellow Malaysian Indian. He worked in Singapore until 1975 when he migrated to Perth, Australia, with his wife and two daughters. In Australia, he worked as a registered migration and employment agent and his job required him to travel widely.

“I’ve lost count of the number of countries I travelled to. Finally in 2018, at the age of 80, I decided to retire in Phnom Penh,” he said, adding that he chose to settle down in Cambodia as he had fallen in love with the country during a vacation there in late 2017.

By then Robert had become a widower and his daughters were settled in Perth, Australia.

Another chapter begins

Just as he was about to enjoy his retirement, Robert chanced upon a moringa tree in his backyard. With his estate background, he was familiar with moringa, also known as drumstick tree, and knew that its leaves, bark, flowers, fruit, seeds and roots can be used extensively for medicinal purposes.

He was over 80 then but this enterprising man did not let his age stop him from hatching a plan to commercialise the cultivation of this particular species.

He started by investing US$3,000 on a small farm where he cultivated moringa. Then, together with the support of his daughters, he managed to secure a total of US$80,000 from crowd-funding to set up a company, Lexmin Pty Ltd (which was registered in Australia), to cultivate organic moringa and other Southeast Asian traditional herbal plants and process them into dietary supplements.

Three years have passed since the establishment of his company and all his hard work, determination and passion have paid off. Lexmin, of which Robert is group chief executive officer, is currently valued at US$3.6 million.

Robert, meanwhile, expressed his desire to lend his professional expertise to ASEAN member nations.

“At the age of 82, I do not need to amass wealth but I do want to focus more on doing community outreach work and empower and liberate communities from poverty and a sense of powerlessness,” he said.

The poverty he had experienced in his younger days has taught this humble and happy-go-lucky man that everything he has achieved is meant for sharing with the needy.

And, although he no longer lives in Malaysia, he intends to help Malaysian children from the B40 group, as well as poor Cambodian schoolchildren, suffering from malnutrition.

“Nutrition is very important for young students as they need it to boost their learning capacity and strengthen their natural body immunity,” he said.

Asked about his motivation in life, Robert said: “I think I have the ability to connect the dots and make things happen and of course I owe a deep sense of gratitude to many people who gave me a helping hand to be where I am now.”

He also urged Malaysian youths to never stop hoping and looking for opportunities to excel in life.

“Always be alert to the circumstances around you. Acquire knowledge and apply that knowledge to enhance your life, which is a lifelong process.

“Don’t expect to take shortcuts as you will end up in a mess,” he said, emphasising that good ethics and principles and integrity are crucial values one must possess to succeed in life.

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