Skip to main content

The conquest - E&O Hotel

E & O Hotel
With the euphoric atmosphere of last week's Anniversary party still lingering in the air, let me just jot down a thing or two about the venue while it is still fresh on my mind.

E & O Hotel was officiated in 1885 with the merging of Eastern Hotel and Oriental Hotels, both built by Armenian Sarkies brothers.The brothers were also instrumental in the establishment of many hotels in the region including Raffles Hotel in Singapore. E & O boasts of being host to many notables celebrities like Rudyard Kipling (author of Jungle Book), Douglas Fairbank (silent movie star of the 30s), Charlie Chaplin (needs no introduction), Sun Yat-sen (Founding Father of Modern China) and many more.

In 1893, during a 10year celebratory luncheon, Sir Frank Swettenham (then the Resident General of Malay States) cracked a joke about the Sarkies brothers. ‘A little boy was asked by his teacher in Perak who the Sakais were, and replied that they were people who kept hotels.’ 

(The Sakais are one of the indigenous races of Malaysia.)


Just like the 'Spotted Dogs' in Kuala Lumpur (Royal Selangor Club), E & O was the favourite rendezvous for the ruling elites and their apple polishers (a.k.a. ball carriers) - i.e. locals with unabated zest to rub shoulders and hang out with their colonial masters and probably lived off their crumbs - while the rest of Malaya and the subjects of the Empire were busy living a living hell for self-rule!

When I was about 10 or so, my maternal grandfather was working as a driver in a mansion near this prestigious hotel. I remember my sisters and I were looking from outside the fence like refugee children at the merrymaking hotel guests during one Christmas eve. Funny how after 2 scores of years later, we are all on the inside of the fence in a merrymaking mood ourselves!

The 50th Wedding Anniversary is a symbolic one. It is an announcement that the descendants of maids, labourers and drivers have indeed come a long way since their great ancestors decided to take that tug boat to Malaya in search of better lives...
Arshak, Tigran, Aviet Sarkies (Clockwise from top)
Iranians of Armenian ethnicity
Labels:

Comments

  1. Anonymous16 January 2011 at 14:04

    Hi,

    The credit should go to all those who made this event a success.

    ReplyDelete
  2. rifle range boy17 January 2011 at 12:04

    Thanks, Yeah everybody played their roles well including the invitees and the hotel for the superb arrangements. Of course, a group of well wishers who saw my parents at the lobby, whole-heartedly extended their hands in felicitations innocently, not realizing that it was a surprise function (It was written clearly on the card, anyway). There were others who, realizing their odd situation, appeared busy on their mobile phones and looking the other way!
    No harm done, anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous20 January 2011 at 18:16

    It is very interesting and historical.. Kids should be reading your blog rather than watching American Idol!

    O.G

    ReplyDelete
  4. rifle range boy21 January 2011 at 11:25

    thanks

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gory historic details or gore fest?

Razakar:  The Silent Genocide Of Hyderabad  (Telegu, 2024) Director:  Yata Satyanarayana In her last major speech before her disposition, Sheikh Hasina accused those who opposed her rule in Bangladesh of being Razakars. The opposition took offence to this term and soon widespread mob throughout the land. Of course, it is not that that single incident brought down an elected government but a culmination of joblessness and unjust reservations for a select population group. In the Bengali psyche, Razakar is a pejorative term meaning traitor or Judas. It was first used during the 1971 Pakistan Civil War. The paramilitary group who were against the then-East Pakistani leader, Majibur Rehman, were pro-West Pakistan. After establishing independence in Bangladesh, Razakars were disbanded, and many ran off to Pakistan. Around the time of Indian independence, turmoil brewed in the princely state of Hyderabad, which had been a province deputed by the Mughals from 1794. The rule of N...
Post a Comment
Read more

The products of a romantic star of the yesteryear!

Now you see all the children of Gemini Ganesan (of four wives, at least) posing gleefully for the camera after coming from different corners of the world to see the ailing father on his deathbed. They seem to found peace with the contributor of their half of their 46 chromosomes. Sure, growing up must have been hell seeing their respective mothers shedding tears, indulgence in unhealthy activities with one of them falling prey to the curse of the black dog, hating the sight of each step sibling, their respective heartaches all because of the evil done by one man who could not put his raging testesterones under check! Perhaps,the flashing lights and his dizzying heights that his career took clouded his judgement. After all, he was only human... Gems of Gemini Ganesan L-R: Dr Revathi Swaminathan, Narayani Ganesan, Dr Kamala Selvaraj, Rekha, Vijaya Chamundeswari   and Dr Jaya Shreedhar.  ( Abs:  Radha Usman Syed, Sathish Kumaar Ganesan) Seeing six of Ge...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chicken's Invite? (Ajak-ajak ayam)

In the Malay lingo, the phrase 'ajak-ajak ayam' refers to an insincere invitation. Of course, many of us invite for courtesy's sake, but then the invitee may think that the invitation is for real! How does anyone know? Inviters and invitees must be smart enough to take the cue that one party may have gatecrashed with ulterior motives, or the other may not want him to join in the first place! Easily twenty years ago, my family was invited to a toddler's birthday party. As my children were toddlers, too, we were requested to come early so that my kids could run around and play in their big compound. And that the host said she would arrange a series of games for them to enjoy. So there we were in the early evening at a house that resembled very little of one immersed in joy and celebration. Instead, we were greeted by a house devoid of activities and no guests. The host was still out shopping her last-minute list, and her helper was knee-deep in her preparations to ...
2 comments
Read more