Zainah bt Mohd Yusope 1924-2000

Zainah bt Mohd Yusope
@ Cik Nah; a math genius
1924-2000
Kakak Bapak

Name: Zainah bt Mohd Yusope
Call name: Bapak called his sister Che' Nah. I called her Che' Nah. Noni called her Mak Che' Nah.
Relationship: She is Bapak's 2nd eldest sister (Mak Ainon is eldest)
Children: She married a few times but had no children
Born: Thursday 12 midnight (Khamis 12 malam) on 3 April 1924
Deceased: 2000
Place of demise: Rumah Pak Din in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur


I asked Che Nah about her schooling. Che Nah attended school till Standard 2 and then dropped out of school. She spoke Malay, English, Indian and some Chinese languages which I don't know.

She married a few times, but unfortunately none of her marriages worked and she did not have any children (tiada zuriat).

I still think of her as a math genius. She was a math genius but her mind flipped and she became insane. Most people said she was "gila" but I don't think so. When I knew her, her mind was already flipped but she remained a math genius when I knew her in 1964-1973. She could do a third root of any large number and she didn't use a calculator but she can give the correct answer to any decimal number. She was very quick at multiplication especially of very large numbers. I haven't seen a math genius of this nature. Malays say that to be able to do something like this (calculate big #s) would involve the use of "jin" which would eavesdrop on answers, etc. I don't believe so.

How was her brain affected? I asked my mother (Mak) about Che Nah's brain. Mak said she probably had chickenpox of the brain and her state of mind was like that after she recovered from severe chickenpox.

She needed to be looked after. At first Bapak helped to look after Che Nah. Then Pak Din took care of her till she died. Later Pak Din died, and then Mak Cik Fauziah died.

We didn't do MRI on her brain and didn't do brain autopsy on her at death. We should have done them because that was a big clue we missed for how she became a math genius.

She was thin and tall. She was quiet most of the time. Sometimes she smiled or politely asked a question or two. She was always talking to herself or talking to me. She liked to tell stories and spontaneously told stories about anything. She never stopped talking except when she was asleep. She talked incessantly while not connected to others around her. Her talk was aimless. When I asked her, she responded to my questions, but then continued talking and seemed like she entered into a world of her own, talking to nobody.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsive_talking
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-couch/201204/5-steps-dealing-people-who-talk-too-much

Che Nah suffered from a hip fracture due to osteoporosis in her old age. Pak Din took her to hospital for hip treatment.

She died in 2000, aged 76.

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Middle-aged life

Che Nah and Mak Nya with Mak Nya's eldest son Rahim (he is also named Wahid). They are having lunch. Location is unknown. Rahim was born earlier than me (maybe about 1954/55/56). This photo would be a few years after Rahim was born.

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Life in Banda Hilir, Malacca early 1960s

Che Nah walking near the front gate (entrance) of Masjid Banda Hilir. Early 1960s.

Che Nah near the ablution pool (kolah) of Masjid Banda Hilir, Malacca, Early 1960s.

Che Nah near the refrigerator (these refrigerators are made in the 1950s). The retro fridge was light green. This photo was taken inside 262-T Banda Hilir house. The wall behind the fridge is the bathroom. There was no toilet in the house before 1972. There was an outdoor bucket latrine, where a Chinese man (Apek tong tahi) came to remove filled bucket of human excreta and replaced it with an empty one. I saw him a few times.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Banda Hilir, 1963. Our family and Che Nah. At the table (from left) are Rabi'ah (Rabi), Amin (hidden), Mak, Farid, myself, Che Nah, Sharif and Sharifah (Pah). Che Nah lived with our family at 262-T Banda Hilir till the end of 1963. We then moved to Alor Setar, Kedah in 1964, before I went to school in 1965.

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Marriages

Che Nah married a few times in her old age. I went to one of her weddings in Malacca. However, she did not have any children.

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Visit by relatives

Che Nak (left) with Khadijah bt Zainal (Nya Elok). Nya Elok is the younger daughter of tok moyang saudara Zainal bin Ismail. Zainal bin Ismail is adik tok moyang Hj Md Sharif bin Ismail. Nya Elok's elder sister is Nya Intan (Maimunah bt Zainal). Nya Intan and Nya Elok have an elder brother named Mohamad Arshad bin Zainal (the eldest and only son of tok moyang Zainal).

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Che Nah lived with Pak Din's family in Cheras 

Photo before Year 2000

Before Che Nah died in 2000
Before Mak died on 5 June 2004
Before Pak Din died on 18 August 2006
Before Bapak died on 8 March 2009
Before Mak Bedah died on 3 February 2018

Mak Bedah and her surviving siblings, before Year 2000. Standing from left are Che Nah/ Zaina (#3) and Mak Bedah (#12). Men seated from left are Pak Din (#13), Bapak (#8) and Pak Saleh (#15).