Upmarket cafés and restaurants in the area often draw a crowd of young party-goers over the weekend, but few are familiar with the very man after whom the street is named.
Born in Singapore in 1859, R Doraisamy Pillay was the son of a contractor. After completing his education at Raffles Institution, he worked as a general trader and military contractor for several years.
In 1884, he moved to Kuala Lumpur where he became a successful merchant and tin miner who owned several mines and properties throughout Malaya. At some point, Doraisamy even became a lessee for all the private mines belonging to the Sultan of Selangor.
Doraisamy also collaborated with others in business. Together with Messrs CE Strode Hall, Loke Chow Kit and San Ah Wing, they formed the Batu Village Syndicate Ltd and purchased an 18-acre plot of land in Batu.
The four men acquired the land to build quarters, shophouses and entertainment centres for those working at the nearby railway workshops.
Doraisamy was a benevolent man, especially in the eyes of Indian labourers, or coolies as they were called then, who worked on the estates. They would often seek him when they fell ill, and he would provide them with two meals daily.
He also generously donated to his son’s alma mater, Kuala Lumpur Methodist Boys’ School, where a sports house and a hall are named in his honour.
In addition to being the founder of the Selangor Hindu Association, he was the Visiting Justice of Jails and one of the patrons of the Vivekananda Reading Hall.
Doraisamy has even served on the Sanitary Board Kuala Lumpur, alongside other prominent Indians such as K Thamboosamy Pillai, Chellapa Chetty and Pariaman Pillai. However, his tenure was eventually cut short due to ill health.
He died in 1911 at the age of 52, leaving behind three sons.
Despite his numerous acts of kindness and the British administration’s recognition of him as a leader of the Indian community, Jalan Doraisamy is only one of a few landmarks named after him.
He is perhaps one of the many Indian figures in Malaysia’s history who has gone unnoticed.