Shantha Sundram
Shantha Sundram | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 6, 1926 |
| Died | February 7, 2017 |
| NSA member | Malaysia 1969 - 1973 |
| ABM | Asia 1973 - 1988 |
| Counsellor | Asia 1988 - 1995 |
Shantha Sundram (April 6, 1926 - February 7, 2017) was a Bahá’í who served as a Continental Counselor for Asia.
Biography[edit]
Sundram was born Shantha Davies in 1926.[1] She met Chellie Sundram at Sunday classes of the Methodist Church in her youth and they ultimately married.[2]
In 1958 Sundram became a Bahá’í with her husband also declaring a short time after.[3] In 1965 she began serving as the editor of Malaysian Bahá’í News, a magazine which incorporated news, information, and deepening materials and throughout the 1960's she assisted in designing and producing Bahá’í published materials.[1]
In 1969 Sundram was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Malaysia and served until 1973 when she was appointed an Auxiliary Board member. In 1974 she was commissioned by the National Spiritual Assembly of Malaysia to produce a pocket sized prayer book and her design remains in print to the present day.[1] In 1988 she was appointed a Continental Counselor for Asia and she was appointed for a full five year term and appointed the Trustee of the Continental Fund for Asia in 1990 serving until 1995.[1]
Some time after completing her term as Counselor Sundram moved to Australia and passed away there in 2017. The Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message to the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia after her passing:
We were grieved to learn of the passing of Shantha Sundram, consecrated handmaiden of the Blessed Beauty. Her long years of tireless, sacrificial, and devoted labour to promote the Cause of God—as a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Asia, an Auxiliary Board member, and a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Malaysia—are recalled with deep admiration. May her shining example of a life dedicated to the service of the Faith be a source of inspiration for generations to come. We ardently supplicate at the Sacred Threshold for the progress of her radiant soul throughout the heavenly realms, and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to her daughters, Nita, Padma, Susheel, and Malini, and all other members of her family.
We call on your National Assembly and the Spiritual Assembly of Malaysia to hold memorial gatherings in her honour, and we ask that the National Assembly of India arrange a memorial service in the Bahá’í House of Worship in New Delhi.[1]
