Earlier, her father had spotted a newspaper advertisement calling for policewomen. Recognising a golden opportunity as women had not previously been let into the force, he’d asked his only daughter – the younger of two – if she would be keen.
A graduate teacher from Kerala, India, Koshy’s father had had an open mind and understood that his daughter had big dreams. Even in school, he’d seen how she shone: she was the head girl at Sultan Abu Bakar Girls’ School in Muar, Johor, and part of the debate team.
Later, when she transferred to Muar High School for Form 5, she was one of just two girls in her class.
“I was already ambitious. I wanted to go to university and my father encouraged me to further my studies,” Koshy, now 89, told FMT Lifestyle.
Ambitious she was: Koshy trained as a Carnatic singer, plays the harmonium, and speaks eight languages: English, Malay, Tamil, Malayalam, Punjabi, Hindi, Hokkien and Cantonese. In her younger days, she enjoyed playing hockey and netball.
If she hadn’t responded to the advertisement, she said she would likely have ended up a teacher like her father.
She was studying for her Higher School Certificate (Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia today) at a boarding school in Melaka when she was called in for an interview in Kuala Lumpur. Astonishingly, at least 600 people were there.
Koshy must have made a strong impression: within a week, she received the news that she had made the cut.
In 1955, she joined the force and became part of the country’s first batch of policewoman, a multiracial group with three Malays, three Chinese, and one Indian.
“I was very happy to join the force and I enjoyed the training, which included marching,” she said with a laugh, adding that she later helped to train new policewomen who came in.
But the real feather in her cap was when she led a platoon of female officers in the first Merdeka parade in 1957. “We were very, very excited and were all shouting ‘Merdeka!’ As we marched, people clapped,” she recalled of that exhilarating day.
What a striking sight they must have made in their uniforms, shattering stereotypes about women in a newly independent country.
Wearing many hats
Over the decades, she was posted in Muar, Melaka, and Bukit Aman in Kuala Lumpur. She also got married and her late husband, like her father, was a teacher.
The couple were blessed with three children and six grandchildren, although her daughter and granddaughter passed away in recent years.
Balancing work and family required establishing healthy boundaries. “When I was at work, I focused on work. Likewise, when I was at home, I focused on my family. But if there was an urgent matter where I was needed, I’d go,” Koshy said.
She retired from the force at age 55 as a deputy superintendent. Not one to sit idle, she later spent time working with the Film Censorship Board.
Looking back on her illustrious career, Koshy – who now lives in Petaling Jaya, Selangor – said some of her favourite memories involve protecting women and children who had to testify in court cases.
“Some of them were not willing as they were frightened. So I took care of them, spent time with them before they testified, and kept them safe.
“I served my country as best as I could.”
For her service, she has received numerous awards, including the Ahli Mangku Negara and Pingat Jasa Pahlawan Negara. Hers is truly a remarkable example of a courageous woman who risked the road less taken and paved the way for many.
And on International Women’s Day today, she has this to say: “If you have the chance to help other women – talking to them or training them – take the chance and step forward.”