Migration* makes the world go round!

Yet another meal from another relative to mark the departure of K's family to the 'Land of the plenty'. With so many dinners in their honour, it looks like they simply cannot reverse their decision now to migrate lock, stock and barrel to Land of Vegemite Sandwich.
K's ancestory saga began at beginning of the 20th century when K's grandparents made their own boat to escape unlivable living conditions in the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. They with a couple of friends set sail on a thug boat to Maldives. The captain, obviously a captain of circumstances who got all his bearings crossed and pretty soon found himself and all the passengers stranded in the wide open ocean at the mercy of the elements of nature, clinging on to whatever bits and pieces of their dear lives. Rescued by a passing steamer,  left with Hobson's choice, they landed in their next of calling, Pearl of the Orient, Penang. Seeing many of their fellow countrymen (and women) in a harmonious symbiotic life with other immigrants and locals, they decided to set home there. (as if they had much of a choice). In that situation, I suppose, everywhere you lay hat, that would be home!
They built home in a vacant plot of land in Parit Buntar, started cultivating and pretty soon were prosperous enough to be known as the place for a square meal and where the kitchen never sleeps. After scaling through life in the rough seas to edge of life and back, they took it upon themselves to be guardian angels to fellow men. They had no qualms of helping others and valuing inter and intrapersonal relationship. Their home was home to anyone who walk through their front door and never walks back hungry!
The blessing uttered by the contended hearts of a full stomach must have gone a long way in ensuring longevity of its inmates and prospering lives of its descendants. The next generation of the clan saw its members educated, responsible and holding respectable vocations. K's father became a top ranking feared by villains of the day as he posed majestically in the dailies after foiling yet another attempt by the bandits in creating mayhem! With his wife, a Kirby trained educators, travelled the country over, their motherland, educating the natives and ensuring peace in the newly independent nation called Malaysia. With the continuity of showers of blessings, like the falling petals of lotus flower off Goddess Laxmi, -gratitude of the satiety of a sage, perhaps, ensured life to be smooth sailing with succession of offsprings all well mannered and overseas educated.
Looking at the direction of the country with its uncertain gutter politics and communal upheavals, the 4th generation of the Malayan's own Quakers (parallel to Quakers who migrated to American fearing persecution only to prosper their newfoundland) suddenly felt they had to migrate for the well being of their downlines just as their ancestors had fled adverse living environment a century earlier . They have decided that Australia would be their new found home. We all wish them the best! Bon Voyage!
Over time, perhaps living conditions in Australia may decline and the need to migrate again may arise in generations to come. The whole cycle may be complete when migration to India may be the 'in thing' and the way India and China are holding the helm of economic prowl, its pull factor may not be an illusion but indeed could be imminent!

Indy Nadarajah & Alan Pereira

I just cannot help but remember the little caption from Indy Nadarajah and Alan Pereira's stage show (Man-O-pause) a few years ago where they were cross-dressed as Devi and Myrtle respectively. Devi, a happily-living-in-Malaysia contended gossipy housewife meets up with her old neighbour, Myrtle , who had earlier migrated to Australia for 'better life'.  Being inquisitive and busybody as most Malaysians are, Devi asks how Myrtle's children were performing as they were the main reason for immigration. "Oh, my first son has got a skating scholarship to teach children on a beach, my second has become gay and my daughter is living in with a man and have 2 children from two different men. And they are all very happy!" 


[*My English master(KSG) would be very crossed. Even though now migration and immigration used interchangeably, he strongly believed that migration is strictly for movement of animals whereas for humans the word is immigration!]