A Tribute to Mr. I. Selladurai

On 25 th March 2021 MES lost its iconic past principal, Mr. Selladurai Isriel. This legend was born on 21 st  March 1943 in Permatang Estate in Banting When he was a 32 day old baby, his Dad, Mr Isriel was taken by the Japanese to work in the Death Railways in Siam and he died there His beloved Mum, Madam Pakiam Isriel brought up Mr I Selladurai with the guidance of her father, Mr Selvanayagam who played the father figure and mentor role to bring up and educate Mr. I. Selladurai The grandfather of Mr. I. Selladurai realised the importance of English and made sure his grandson attended English School in 1953 after studying at SJK ( Ladang Dusun Durian from 1948 till 1952 Hence, Mr. I. Selladurai was enrolled to the Methodist English School (MES) in Telok Datok Banting in 1953. This marked the beginning of his journey in MES.

Mr. I. Selladurai upon completion of his secondary education in 1961, started his working life in MES as a clerk on 1 st May 1962 till 24 th January 1965 Then he left for Teachers Training at the Regional Training Centre (RTC) on 25 th January 1965 till 31 st December 1966. He was later posted as a trained teacher to SMK Methodist Banting on 1 st January 1967. On 12 th May 1969, he furthered his studies at University of Malaya and completed his degree on 31 st January 1972. After which he was posted to SMK Slim River for six months on 1 st February1972 to 31 st July 1972 and later to SMK Sultan Abdul Samad from 1 st August 1972 till 15 th November 1983. On 16 th November 1983, Mr. I. Selladurai was promoted as the principal of SMK Methodist Telok Datok, succeeding, Mr. V.K Vincent Daniel. Later, on 16 th February 1993, he was again promoted and was sent to SMK Menglembu, Perak till 31 st January 1995. After some time, he applied for a transfer and he came back to his Alma Mater, MES on 1 st February 1995. Mr. I. Selladurai, then retired as the principal of SMK Methodist on 20 th March 1998.

Mr. I. Selladurai’s great passion and desire was to build a four-storey building with a multipurpose hall in SMK Methodist replacing the old ‘Merdeka Block’. Although he was not able to do so while he was in service, he was appointed as the secretary of the building project and he pursued his dreams and with the help of his beloved friend, an ex pupil of MES, and a well-known corporate figure, Tan Sri Dato Hj. Mustapha Kamal Bin Hj. Abu Bakar. He organised various projects like ‘Walkaton’, ‘Jogaton’, canteen day cum fun-fair, and together with the support from parents, teachers and the public, he was able to make his dream a reality after 12 years. The RM 1 5 million, four-storey building was officiated by the Minister of Education, YB Dato Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak on 14 th August 1999.

Mr. I. Selladurai was a great educator who has mentored many successful sportsmen, professionals, educators, politicians and many others He was conferred the ‘Pingat Perkhidmatan Cemerlang’ (PPC) in 1988, Tokoh Guru Selangor in 2011 and the Pingat Jasa Kebaktian (PJK) in 2010.

As the saying goes, “Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die”. Mr. I. Selladurai is truly a legend whose memories and contributions live on.