Che Puan Besar Kalsom Abdullah

IssueTengku Fahad Mua'adzam ShahReligionSunni Islam

Royal family of Pahang
Al-Sultan Abdullah, the Sultan of Pahang Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, the Tengku Ampuan of Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, the Tengku Mahkota (Crown Prince) of Pahang Tengku Muhammad Iskandar Ri'ayatuddin Shah, the Tengku Arif Bendahara Tengku Amir Nasser Ibrahim Shah, the Tengku Panglima Raja Puteri Suraiya Afzan, the Che Puan Panglima Tengku Adam Ibrahim Shah Tengku Sulaiman Abdullah Shah Tengku Nuh Mohamed Shah Tengku Ahmad Ismail Mu'adzam Shah, the Tengku Panglima Perang Tengku Puteri Afzan Aminah Hafidzatullah, the Tengku Puteri Raja Tengku Puteri Jihan Azizah 'Athiyatullah, the Tengku Puteri Raja Che Puan Julia binti Abdul Rais, the second wife of the Sultan Tengku Puteri Iman Afzan, the Tengku Puteri Raja Tengku Abu Bakar Ahmad Tengku Zayn Edin Shah Tengku Aleya Norlini Tengku Puteri Ilisha Ameera, the Tengku Puteri Raja Tengku Puteri Ilyana, the Tengku Puteri Raja Che Puan Besar Kalsom, the Che Puan Besar and stepmother of the Sultan Tengku Abdul Rahman, the Tengku Muda Che Puan Julita Aishah binti Abdul Latiff, the Che Puan Muda Tengku Ameera Asya Tengku Eddie Akasya Tengku Ahmad Firhan Shah Tengku Armaan Alam Shah Tengku Fahad Mua'adzam Shah, the Tengku Arif Temenggong Tengku Meriam, the Tengku Puteri Seri Lela Wangsa Dato' Sri Sheikh Mohamad Toufic Al-Ozeir Tengku Nurul Kamalia Dato' Ahmad Najmi Puteri Nadra Raniya Puteri Shakira Nurjenna Tengku Madina Kamalia Muhammad Fadhil Tengku Aidy Ahmad Shah, the Dato’ Setia Pahlawan Mai Nurliyana Meyor Hamdan, the To' Puan Setia Tengku Abdullah Amir Ahmad Shah Puteri Noor Afzan Tengku Muhaini, the Tengku Puteri Seri Teja Tan Sri Dato' Sri Affendi Buang Puteri Fara Natalia Ahmad Nazri Sophia Nina Imran Naeem Ayoub Ameer Puteri Imee Suhaila Puteri Munawwarah Syammiyah Tun Putera Matin Ahmad Shah Aida Rahimova Tun Putera Muhammad Abu Bakar Tun Putera Abdul Mubin Shah Saskia Natra Schwarz Tengku Aishah Marcella, the Tengku Puteri Seri Kemala Tunku Syazwan Kaiyisah Wan Putera Shahril Tun Putera Shakeel Abdullah Shah Tun Putera Khyrie Ahmad Shah Tun Putera Ahmad Aizuddin Shah Puteri Afzan Shakira Nabila Khairul Fahmy Khaira Alayna Sofia Khadijah Aishah Tengku Nong Fatimah, the Tengku Puteri Lela Manja Puteri Suraiya Afzan, the Che Puan Panglima Tengku Amir Nasser Ibrahim Shah, Tengku Panglima Raja Tengku Adam Ibrahim Shah Tengku Sulaiman Abdullah Shah Tengku Nuh Mohamed Shah Tun Putera Yasir Ahmad Shah Diyana Hazmi Isa Gabriel Shah Inara Alia Afzan Tun Putera Iskandar Alam Shah Tengku Shahariah, the Tengku Puteri Seri Bongsu The Hon. Dato’ Baharim Puteri Amida Afsha Afzan Wan Putera Shahjuan Puteri Ameera Azwa Asyarah
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Che Puan Besar Hajjah Kalsom Abdullah (Jawi: چئ ڤوان بسر حاجه كلثوم عبدالله), formerly known as Sultanah Kalsom (née Anita; born 12 September 1951 in Taftan, Baluchistan, Dominion of Pakistan) is the former Sultanah of Pahang as the second wife of Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah.^[2] She is of Persian and Pakistani descent.

Early life

She was born on 12 September 1951 in Taftan, Baluchistan, Dominion of Pakistan.

Prior to her marriage, she was an air stewardess for a prominent airline.

Personal life

She and the Sultan have a son together Tengku Fahad Mua'adzam Shah, the Tengku Arif Temenggong of Pahang.^[2][3]

Titles and styles

After marrying with Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang on 14 March 1991, she was then styled as Che Puan Kalsom Abdullah on the day of her marriage.

On 30 September 1992, Sultanah Hajjah Kalsom Abdullah was proclaimed the title of Her Royal Highness Sultanah of Pahang.

After her husband's death on 22 May 2019, her stepson Al-Sultan Abdullah bestowed upon her the title of Her Highness Che Puan Besar Hajjah Kalsom Abdullah on 15 August 2019. The title of Che Puan Besar (equivalent to Queen dowager) is for a commoner who becomes the widow of the late Sultan.^[4]

Contributions

Che Puan Besar Hajjah Kalsom has been active with social causes and is a patron of numerous organisations, lending her presence to inspire those engaged in managing these organisations.

Yayasan Sri Kencana Kalsom

The Yayasan Sri Kencana Kalsom, named after her, provides shelter for single parents as well as women who have been victims of domestic abuse. The Yayasan helps these women rebuild their lives finding them jobs that enable them to be independent and lead their lives with dignity.

OrphanCARE

She is also Patron of OrphanCARE Foundation, a non-profit organisation that aims in getting orphans adopted. OrphanCARE also set up Malaysia's first baby hatch for mothers to anonymously leave their unwanted newborns to be put up for adoption. She has given her full support to the organisation which has the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development as its smart partner.

Soroptimist Club of Kuantan

As Patron of the Soroptimist Club of Kuantan, a gathering of professional women who pool their talents to assist the needy, Che Puan Besar Hajjah Kalsom works closely to guide the movement with her strong views on empowerment. Her concern for women stems from her personal philosophy that dreams must be pursued to the fullest and that women must be given every opportunity to realise their talents.

The Sorority

Che Puan Besar Hajjah Kalsom is also an Honorary Member of The Sorority, an exclusive members-only club for inspiring professional women based in London, is considered an iconic inspirational woman who represents the modern, professional woman who is shaping the future with individual style and expression.

Kiwanis Club of Kuantan

Che Puan Besar Hajjah Kalsom has been the patron of the Kiwanis Club of Kuantan since 2004.^[5][6]

Honours and recognitions

Honour of Pahang

•  Pahang :
  • Member 1st class of the Family Order of the Crown of Indra of Pahang (DK I) (24 October 1999)

Honorary doctorate

•  Malaysia :
  • Honorary Doctorate of Social Development from the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology - (18 December 2010)^[7]

Places named after her

Several places were named after her, including:

• Hospital Sultanah Hajjah Kalsom in Cameron Highlands, Pahang
• Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultanah Hajjah Kalsom, a secondary school in Kuantan, Pahang
• Rumah Kanak-kanak Sultanah Hajjah Kalsom, an orphanage home in Kuantan, Pahang

References