IPOH: Raising six children on her own after her husband’s death in 2007, Umi Kalsom Bahak never imagined her sacrifices would one day earn her the state’s highest recognition.
The 74-year-old from Taman Seri Bidor was named Tokoh Keluarga Mithali (Anugerah Keluarga Ammar bin Yasir) at the state-level Maulidur Rasul celebration here yesterday.
Visibly moved, she said receiving the honour from Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah was beyond anything she had expected.
“I never thought I would receive such an award, let alone from the Sultan.
“This is my first time,” she said when met after the ceremony.
Her husband, a lorry driver, died at the age of 60, leaving her to raise their children, the youngest of whom was still in school at the time.
Despite limited income and years of working in a factory to support the family, Umi Kalsom, who has 30 grandchildren, said she never considered her circumstances a burden.
“As a mother and father, it is our responsibility to our children.
“I never felt it was difficult, even when our income was small. I just kept reminding my children to study hard if they wanted to change their lives, and Alhamdulillah, they succeeded,” she said.
Her perseverance paid off – today, her children hold respectable careers, including as a district education officer, two science teachers, a doctor, a Quran teacher and an enforcement officer.
Umi Kalsom recalled that even when her children were in primary school, she quietly prayed to one day be recognised as a Tokoh Keluarga Mithali.
“When I saw it on TV or in the newspapers, I thought how wonderful it would be to become a ‘Tokoh Mithali’.
“I never told anyone, only Allah. And today, Alhamdulillah, my wish came true,” she said.
Umi Kalsom took home RM10,000, an umrah package worth RM9,000 and a plaque.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
