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IT was a challenging time for Puan Sri Rathi Khoo when her husband, Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim, much loved Malaysian historian and the love of her life, passed away in 2019. As Rathi mourned his death, tributes began pouring in.
She said “it was just overwhelming” to receive messages of love and concern from Malaysia and all over the world. From sultans to prime ministers, ambassadors, childhood friends, work colleagues, and those who admired his work.
Rathi said her husband was a humble, soft-spoken, and caring individual. Above all, he was much loved by everyone and so she wanted to create a permanent tribute to him.
“I took all the messages, letters and had them typed out one by one, then saved in one pen drive, and subsequently printed out on a cloth in different sizes, cropped and had individual panels created for each one of them.
“I then sewed each of them into one giant-sized quilt – all fitted in painstakingly. It took me three months and I worked 24 hours on it. Even though it was a painful memory for me, it was something for me to do during that difficult time of mourning,” said Rathi.
Indeed it was a labour of love. Today, the quilt has pride of place in the sitting room of her home.
She also inserted the pictures of her wedding day, the happy carefree moments spent together with the children, the various awards he received over the years, and the unforgettable moments of their lives together.
Reading some of the messages on the quilt, one poignant message was from DYMM Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah and his wife, DYMM Tengku Zara Salim, who both expressed their deep sadness at his passing and the respect they both shared for him as a person and scholar.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, politician and opposition leader, was a former pupil, whose message appears on the quilt:
“The goodwill and sacrifice of the deceased who was also a teacher of mine will forever be remembered. He had also played a key role in drafting the Rukun Negara, and with that, his contribution will always be remembered.”
Rathi herself was a trained teacher. She had attended the Malayan Teacher College and was qualified to teach English and History.
It was during college that she met her husband, who at that time had just graduated and was her lecturer. And so began their love story, which took off when she married him at the age of 21 and he was 29. The enduring marriage bore them three sons and a lifetime of happiness.
Her childhood was a happy one and she shares how she picked up quilting as a skill:
“When I was a young girl growing up in Taiping, my mother who was an excellent needlewoman made sure we could sew, knit, and do embroidery.
“Everything around the house was embroidered. From cushions to pillowcases and even the dresses we wore. In those days, people did not have much money and so many skills were developed and as a young girl, I picked up all these skills, not realising how useful they would be later,” said Rathi.
She was in the comfort of her sitting room surrounded by beautiful, designed quilts she had created herself.
These memories are something I shall always treasure, and this precious quilt will always remind me of him. I feel his presence with me when I look at it."
How did she find time with a busy working life and a mother to three boys?
“Tan Sri was busy with his work as a professor and Malaysian historian. And I had my hands full bringing up three sons, who all had varied interests. Mavin took up Indian classical dance, Eddin and Rubin were in broadcasting and journalism,” she shared. “But my heart was in quilting.”
“I had no time to myself with three young boys growing up, yet I found myself more and more involved in creating quilts of different colours and sizes, finding peace and joy in designing them, choosing the colours, and working out the threads to use,” said Rathi.
Looking around the sewing room was indeed an eye-opener, with thread spools of every colour and everything so well-ordered and organised.
“I think it was a haven for me, in my sewing room with some time to contemplate and plan my pieces,” shared Rathi.
“I look at a basic design and if I were not happy with that design, I would modify it to my liking, choose my own vibrant colours.
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“One of my favourite quilts is a lovely clown design done by one of my students, which was traced onto the fabric. Each part of the clown was done individually and sewn onto the quilt, a job which requires one to be meticulous and patient,” said Rathi who has created hundreds of individual pieces over the years for friends.
Looking at the various beautifully crafted quilts hanging in her sitting room, each piece is unique and bears the hallmark of her individuality.
“The quilts that have flower designs take a lot of time and effort. The flower is made up of five different petals of different sizes with a flower centre. Each petal is cut out separately leaving a one-eighth margin, then the petal is put in place and stitched on, using a technique known as 'needle turn'."
In a corner of the dining room hangs a piece known as ‘Sun Bonnet Sue’ which is a series of figures in various types of bonnets. It is a famous pattern according to Rathi, with no faces showing.
“The wonderful thing was that my husband was very supportive of my work. I carried out quilting in my free time while he spent many hours working and researching history in the home library for his book and teaching.
“These memories are something I shall always treasure, and this precious quilt will always remind me of him. I feel his presence with me when I look at it,” said Rathi as she gazed upon it. – The Vibes, May 8, 2021
