Okay For Us To Get Wet, But Not The Paper

Abdul Gafoore, who will turn 101 in August, left Tamil Nadu for Singapore at the age of 22. He is the father of Singapore's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN, and the PropNex co-founder. His family views the newspaper business as a proud legacy.

- Grace Leong

For most of his life, centenarian Abdul Gafoore placed his family before all else.

It was why he left Tamil Nadu for Singapore in 1946 at the age of 22, to earn money to send home to his parents and four siblings. It was also why he delayed marriage until he was 36, after his brothers and sisters were settled.

Mr Abdul, who will turn 101 in August, ran a newspaper delivery business and a provision store for more than 40 years. They brought him stability, but demanded long hours and discipline.

"Rain or shine, the newspapers had to be delivered by 7am every day. If it rained, it was okay for us to get wet, but not the newspapers," says Mr Abdul in Tamil, with sons Mohamed Ali Gafoor and Ismail Gafoor translating.

"That's how demanding the newspaper industry was," he says. "If you were not feeling well, somehow you had to finish the job, then take care of your body."

Even the compensation from injuries sustained while on the job went to his wife.

In 1980, a Japanese tourist opened the door of a taxi and accidentally hit Mr Abdul as he rode past on his motorbike stacked high with newspapers. The tourist gave him $100, which Mr Abdul used to buy a gold coin for his wife. She still has it today.

He and his wife of 65 years, Madam Maharunnisabi, 79, have a daughter and five sons, 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. One son, Mr Burhan Gafoor, 59, is Singapore's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations. Another, Mr Ismail, 61, is co-founder and chief executive of real estate giant PropNex.

Mr Abdul's first job as a grocery shop assistant in Joo Chiat earned him $30 a month. "In those days, $30 was big money," Mr Ismail says. "He would save up two months of pay, convert it to Indian rupees and send back 100 rupees every two months to his family."

Mr Abdul's journey in newspaper vending is deeply interwoven with Singapore's media history.