Deepavali Fever — Mixed blood woman makes many realize the festival should be celebrated by all Malaysians
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| Sulaiha with her grandmother, mother and daughter. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle) |
HAPPY DEEPAVALI
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| Sulaiha Ahmad with her tantalising array of Indian treats including coconut candy, gulab jamun, and rasgulla. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle) |
Deepavali is coming... In conjunction with the festival, enjoy reading special story shared by FMT Lifestyle
The weeks leading up to Deepavali are always a busy time for Sulaiha Ahmad. Her business, Tokey Coconut Candy, is known for its decadent Indian treats such as coconut candy, gulab jamun, rasgulla, nei urunde, kallu urunde and more.
Naturally, customers can’t wait to get their hands on them before the big day. When Deepavali finally arrives, Sulaiha looks forward to taking a breather by spending the day with her extended family and indulging in festive food.
“My husband, daughter and I will go over to my aunt’s house and also visit my cousins,” Sulaiha, who was born to a Malay father and an Indian mother, told the news portal.
“I enjoy eating thosai, idli and chicken curry. Idli is my favourite,” the 26-year-old added with a smile.
Visiting her aunt during Deepavali has been a tradition since she was young. She fondly recalls dressing up in vibrant Indian attire, creating colourful kolam designs, and dancing to Indian songs.
For Sulaiha, the Festival of Lights is a time for releasing the sadness and struggles of the past, while embracing the hope of a new beginning with loved ones.
That’s why Deepavali in 2022 held special meaning for her. Earlier that year, Sulaiha had fallen ill and had been hospitalised. Her recovery took several months and, during that difficult time, her husband, mother, aunt and sister all stepped in to keep the business going.
When she finally regained her health, she poured her heart into growing Tokey Coconut Candy into the thriving business it is today. That year, she truly experienced light after darkness – thanks to her family’s unwavering support.
A brighter future
Sulaiha explained that she had started her business in 2021, driven by a desire to change her family’s life.
“I come from a difficult background – my parents worked in a factory. As the eldest child, I’ve always wanted to change my family’s situation. I don’t want my daughter to experience what I went through,” she shared.
She decided to venture into the food business, determined to sell something people would keep coming back for. But what could she offer?
The answer came from a childhood memory: the delicious coconut candy her mother used to make for her and her sister! She learnt the recipe from her mum and, before long, word spread about her decadent candy.
Sulaiha gradually expanded her range to include other Indian treats. Today, she runs the business with her husband, Nur Muhammad Hafizuddin.
While most of her customers are Indian, Sulaiha happily shared that her treats are also enjoyed by members of the Malay and Chinese communities.
In the early days, however, Sulaiha inexplicably received some negative feedback. “Even though I have Indian heritage, there were Indian customers who criticised me for selling Indian sweets,” she recalled.
During difficult times, she finds strength in her mother’s example – a woman who once juggled multiple jobs to support the family. “I told myself, if my mother can persevere, so can I.”
Today, the positive feedback she receives far outnumbers the negative ones. “Indian customers have told me that they are proud that I am helping to introduce these treats to people of other races.”
Sulaiha describes her experience of growing up in a mixed-parentage home as a fun one – and her fluent Tamil, which helps her connect with customers, often surprises people.
Sharing that she had worked as a cashier before starting her business, Sulaiha recalled a funny incident: a customer had grumbled in Tamil that she was too slow and was left stunned when Sulaiha replied in the same language, saying she was working as fast as she could!
These days, she is raising her daughter to be multilingual by speaking to her in both Malay and Tamil. Sulaiha also plans to enrol her in a Chinese school, believing that being fluent in multiple languages will give her a strong foundation for the future.
And as she looks ahead, Sulaiha hopes the joy of gathering with her family each Deepavali will never fade. “I’ll never stop this because I want my daughter and husband to be familiar with Indian culture, too,” she said with a smile.
Uploaded and adapted from the article written by Sheela Vijayan, published in FMT, via its FMT Lifestyle today, Sunday 19 October 2025.
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