Birth certs best Deepavali gift for widow and her twins

MALACCA: The twins can finally go to school and their mother says she has been presented with the best Deepavali gift.

The 35-year-old mother B. Dewa Mala, from Machap, was overjoyed that her twin daughters finally obtained their birth certificates from the National Registration Department (NRD) here yesterday.

Sisters S. Shamini and S. Shanthini were among 13 children between two and 14-years-old who received their long-awaited birth certificates from state MIC chairman R. Perumal during a simple ceremony.

A beaming Shamini, the elder of the two girls, was glad she and her sister would now be able to attend school.

Overjoyed: Twin sisters Shanthini (left) and Shamini smiling after receiving their birth certificates at Kompleks Seri Negeri in Malacca Friday.

"We have always wanted to go to school like the other children in our village, but we were unable to do so because we did not have our birth certificates.

"I'm very excited and can't wait to go to school," she said when met here at Kompleks Seri Negeri.

For Dewa Mala, a widow, only the eldest of her four children, 16-year-old S. Prakash, has a birth certificate.

"I was unable to register the birth of my 12-year-old twins and another 13-year-old daughter as I did not know how to do it, " she said, adding that she had also fallen ill after being diagnosed as diabetic.

She said she had almost given up hope and even considered taking her own life several years ago when faced with the hardship of raising the children on her own.

"Things are much better as the MIC has helped me to apply for the RM450 monthly aid from the Welfare Department," she said, adding that her 13-year-old daughter Anitra would also be receiving her birth certificate soon.

(Edit:Ruby)