Framed photograph of Ramasamy Suppiah

This photograph shows Ramasamy Suppiah Naidu seated in an indoor setting. He wears a plain t-shirt and a chequered sarong.Ramasamy Suppiah was born in Malacca at the turn of the 20th century. In 1920, he and his Chitty Melaka (Peranakan Indian) wife, Kathai Ammal Chitty, moved to Singapore where he joined the police force, rising to the position of Detective Sergeant-Major. Peranakan Indians (also known as Chitty Melaka or Chetti Melaka) are descendants of South Indian traders (particularly Tamils) who settled in Malacca during the15th to 16th centuries and married local women of Malay and Chinese descent. They trace their roots to Kampung Chitty, in Gajah Berang, Malacca, and there is a small community numbering approximately 5,000 in Singapore.

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