Old Charm of the Pearl of the Orient

15.6.10

THE CITY OF GEORGE TOWN, PENANG - (1ST JANUARY 1957)

the said Municipality of George Town shall on the First Day of January in the Year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and fifty seven and forever thereafter be a city and shall be called and styled the CITY OF GEORGE TOWN instead of the Municipality of George Town and shall thenceforth have all such rank, liberties, privileges and immunities as are incident to a city." - Queen Elizabeth II

I think I will do something different. Why not just put up pictures of old Penang? Anyway, a picture paints a hundred words! On the left is the clock tower, which is situated near the PPC Complex.

I think it was erected in 1897 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria of England. It must be one of the most photographed sites in Penang as those days passenger and naval ships from many parts of the world used to stop and its passengers disembark at this complex. This monument was the first to greet them with periodic chime ala Big Ben! I remember passing this umpteen times as a primary school student walking to the bus terminal (when it used to be Downing Street, yes! there have a Downing St in Penang too.) Incidentally, some senior cyclists are planning to cycle all the way from Penang to London, and their tag line is from 1, Downing St. to 10, Downing St.!

If we remember our history, the area around the port was the most densely populated and busiest part of the island. Many multinational companies, banks and godowns were situated here.

I think the tall Moorish building on the right used to ABN-Amro bank. Just beside it in the background was the Mercantile bank, where Appa used to work from the age of 16 till he retired at 57! Of course, Mercantile Bank was later bought over by HSBC.

Barkath Stores, the famous uptown departmental store which used to sell foodstuff from the UK. Of course, we cannot forget the legendary Hacks cough droplets with the picture of the bald old man packed by this company. (Something like Robinson and its historical link with the development of Kuala Lumpur).

Other notable landmarks are the Cornwallis Fort near old Esplanade (upper left and below right)

and Capitan Keling Mosque in Pitt Street (left). The area around this mosque is where the brisk money-changing and jewellery businesses thrived.

Their Hindu compatriots also lived around there harmoniously in
spite of the turmoil back in their
country of origin. The second and third generations of these dwellers treat Malaysia as their home. Many Hindus frequently used to frequent the mosque to consult a healer for his revered holy water (Air Zam Zam).
Two Armenian brothers started this hotel on the right (E&O Hotel). At the height of British hegemony in Malaya, E&O was the hip and happening rendezvous for the expatriates. Once a month, when the British cargo disembarked with mail and supplies (inc. wines and spirits) in the Penang port, it was party time!

About 200 metres from this site was a place (at the junction of Northam Rd) where S.M. Muthu once lived with his 2nd wife and 2 kids. His neighbour was an Indian family who allegedly left France on their small trawler boat and reached the shore of Penang! On the left is how I came to know of the existence of Northam Rd. Look how shady and serene it looks. No wonder the Kedah Sultanate has a bungalow there!
Penang was quite a happening place in the pre-Merdeka era. Being one of the British Settlement States and proclaimed as the first city in Malaya on 1st January 1957, it was somewhat like Shanghai in the 30s with lots of activities.

Penang Road was adjacent to the Prangin Canal, where many trawlers used to bring in their produce for trade. Above is Boston Pub, the first rooftop restaurant in Penang. Penang Bazaar (below left) houses small stalls selling bargain goods. Also named 'Jual Murah' by the locals, it was a usual haunt for Deepavali shopping. It, however, cannot be classified as 'cheap'.

You can see the hive of activities surrounding Penang Road. Chowrasta (Hindi, Char Rasta, the meeting point of 4 streets) market was the busiest market in Penang, overlooking the Central Police Station. Many Penangites will have sweet memories of watching movies at the Cathay cinema. Appa took me there once when I was a pre-schooler. Upon returning home, Amma immediately knew that we had gone to the movies! How? Those days smoking was totally acceptable in the cinemas, and all patrons will come out smelling like an ashtray! As a teenager, I remember watching 'The Champ' and 'Kramer vs Kramer' here. This picture above must have been taken around the end of the 1950s. (Anastasia was released in 1956)

Odeon Theatre, on Penang Rd overlooking Chulia St., Watched Tamil movies there once overnight for Vaikunda Ekadasi. Normally they only screen Hong Kong movies.

Penang had advanced public transportation. It had tram services and later electric buses.

1958 shot of the ferry lower deck

When you talk of Penang and its transportation, you cannot forget its ferry service and once dedicated staff.

Some more sceneries for you to drool on... and yearn for the good old days... 

Yet another serene road, this time at Macalister Rd. One of the richest Indian entrepreneur in Penang (NTS Arumugam) had a bungalow on this road. This road is part of the route for the Thaipusam chariot, probably to honour this philanthropist.

This spot below with the swaying coconut tree is in Batu Ferringhi. It is also known as Miami Beach, only no Don Johnson, no Miami-Tate PD, no Miami Vice and no Lt. Horatio Caine (of CSI Miami). This spot was seriously wounded by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami wave.

Joyful monkeys entertaining fellow descendants of the same family tree (in Botanical Gardens).

  

The building that used to be called Supreme Court Building. After Merdeka and decentralisation,
it now houses the Penang High Court.

Below (right) is a view of the bygone era when Residency Road (Resident-General's bungalow was sited).
Now, it is a stream of cars on a one-way street.

A view of Botanical Gardens (a.k.a. Waterfall)

The High Court as it is now, after refurbishment!

Clockwise from above is a trendy lady posing on a trishaw which is sine-na-quon of Penang tourism. Check out her tiger-eyed spectacles, which are frequently depicted in Lat's cartoons! (As a fierce teacher or henpecking wife!). At her background must be the General Hospital of Penang. In the centre is the Moon Gate which is the gateway to hikers climbing up Penang Hill. I had participated in many of these hikes with the Boys Brigade, Red Crescent and Interact Club. It was also a legitimate gateway for both sexes to mingle! Hutchings School, named after Rev. Hutchings, who started the Penang Free School, is the primary school I attended. It is at the site of the old PFS building adjacent to the State Museum and the Supreme Court. On the left is Peel Avenue, with its unmistakable row of palm trees lining the sides. It has not changed much.

When I was small, I remember being brought to a Pather (Sundara Pather, Indian Jeweler) shop, and I was fascinated by the revolving neon lights on the KDK billboard (seen here on the right). I wonder if it is still there! On the left are pre-war buildings lining Chulia St.

Here, the State Museum stands majestically on Farquhar St. When I was in Primary School, we made a trip (just a long walk) here. While looking around the artefacts, guess who was also there? Appa!

This is the entrance to St. George's church, our school neighbour. Besides being a playing haven for school children, it was also a haunt for some shady characters and vagabonds. After all, it is a church; it is open to all, friends and foe alike. This is also where Sasi and Sweeny solemnized their wedding.

 This view is not from Fiji or Hawaii but from Penang's backyard in the pre-Merdeka days.

This is a snapshot of a Buddhist temple in Pulau Tikus, but it is located in Burmah Rd. 

Not on an island (pulau) and not a haven for the piped piper!

  

What is Penang without the ferry service? And the ferries servicing this route have not changed since the 1960s.

Penang Swimming Club in Tanjung Bungah, which is a frequent hangout for the well-heeled Penangites. 

A few hundred metres before this is located the Chinese Swimming Club, where PFS has its annual swimming meet.

This must a snapshot from the Penang Hill Hindu temple, overlooking the workers' quarters.

An old advertisement for Malayan Airways. Interestingly it later became MSA, and when Malaysia separated from Singapore, there was a debate on its name. The Malaysian Airlines System (MAS) was chosen over MalAir, which sounded like 'Bad Air"!

In the same vein, the National Award 'Tan Sri' was given instead of 'Tan', which was conferred in the Malacca sultanate. Tunku reiterated that if Mr Tan received such an award, he would be addressed Tan Tan, and Mr Dass received it; he would be called Tan Das (lavatory)!

Collection of Penang bus tickets. We used to play with these tickets as children in our make-believe buses.

These days, a rare sight to see Malay girls donning the baju kebaya, which was popularised by Saloma (P. Ramlee's 3rd wife). The outfit helped her to flaunt her hourglass appearance. Sadly, she succumbed to breast cancer, just like Rose Chan, another icon of the '60s. Before the Iranian Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Renaissance, Malays were more outgoing. We had many beauty pageants participated by them. In 1978, the Ms Malaysia award went to a Ms Yasmin Yusoff (below left pix, 2nd from left), who later woke most Malaysians on the Radio 4 breakfast show.

Finally, a picture of 1970 Ms Universe semifinalist. Did you know that Malaysian Ms Josephine Lena Wong Jaw Leng was short-listed as the semifinalist that year? Seen here standing, 2nd from the left.

* The last few photos have nothing to do with the old charm of Penang, but I decided to include it anyway as it involves the charm of the old days. These charming ladies must be in their golden years now! A little bit of self-indulgence does not hurt, I suppose!

In conjunction with the FIFA World Cup 2010

11.6.2010

FIFA World Cup 2010

(# denotes FIFA ranking as per 24^th May 2010)

In the spirit of FIFA World Cup, we Malaysians (#147), can only contribute by sucking up all the World Cup merchandise and memorabilia by paying exorbitant prices and rejoicing by seeing other teams which were below or at most at par with us showing their prowl at world football rankings. South Korea(#47) who were our arch rivals in the 70s at our Merdeka tournaments have been consistently representing Asia in the 8 world cups and even emerged semifinalists in 2002 when they co-hosted the finals with Japan (#45), who were many rungs below us in the 70s! What can we do but stare blankly in to sky and blame everybody else (except ourselves) whilst others leap by bounds over the moon! We (the dumb cows) can run with the spoon. And you can reminisce the fine Malaysian footballers of the yesteryears. Maxis, in their effort to promote their 3G phones to view the soccer matches, are hitting on this sentiment to fatten their coffers.  

Have a look at our compatriots of Merdeka tournament. See where they are now whilst our royalties and politicians run the soccer bodies like they are running their households. Just look at the Kelantan royalty and our learned politician from Kinabatangan Bung (Dung) Moktar Radin and the mess he is in with polygamy and his mid-life crisis (he should try running instead, but he must be worried about his complexion after all the facial treatments and rejuvenations! UV light in the sun may be damaging and his trophy wife might just abscond!).

Australia #20	Tunisia#55	Oman#91	Singapore#127	Myanmar #147
Algeria#30	Iran#61	Kuwait#97	India#133	Bangladesh#160
Ghana#32	Saudi Arabia#66	UAE#100	Indonesia#137	Nepal#161
Japan#45	Iraq#80	Thailand#106	Hong Kong#139	Philippines#170
SouthKorea#47	China#84	Vietnam#117	Malaysia#146	Laos #174

We can only dream about the dream that we had and our glory of yesteryears.

We can think about… (list is by no mean exhaustive)

• Spider R. Arumugam, the best Asian goal keeper;
• Chow Chee Keong, Malaysian bred, in Hong Kong league;
• Soh Chin Aun, the Datuk defender;
• Santokh Singh, the cool Singh;
• M. Chandran, the composed Malaysian Captain;
• Shahruddin Abdullah;
• Jamal Nasir;
• Reduan Abdullah;
• Namat Abdullah;
• Abdullah Ali;
• Ali Bakar;
• Bakri Ibni, who gave a curved banana kick from the corner post;
• Isa Bakar, hard worker;
• Hassan Sani, the typhoon from Sabah;
• James Wong aka King James;
• And of course the legendary Super Mokh, Mokhtar Dahari!

Read all about it and cry….

Mokhtar Dahari : Malaysian football player (1953 - 1991)

Tuesday, 30 March 2010 17:39 History - Biography

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Mokhtar Dahari (13 November 1953 – 11 July 1991) was a Malaysian football player from Setapak, Selangor (now Kuala Lumpur). He was one of the best players in Asia in the 1970s.

Born in Setapak, Mokhtar Dahari showed interest in playing football at an early age. He played for his school and later for his home state, Selangor FA. He was only 19 years-old when he first played for the Malaysia national football team in an international game. Mokhtar helped Selangor FA win the Malaysia Cup 10 times and scored 177 goals altogether. In international games, he helped the Malaysia national football team score a total of 125 goals in 167 caps. He was the best striker in Malaysia. His first game for Malaysia national football team was against Sri Lanka national football team in 1972.

The Merdeka Stadium was his second home. Roars of "Supermokh" was all over the crowds including the young generation who tried to imitate his move.
Along with goalkeeper R Arumugam, defenders Santokh Singh and Soh Chin Aun, midfielders Reduan Abdullah and Shukor Salleh and Mokhtar's partner upfront Isa Bakar, Mokhtar Dahari's Selangor FA and Malaysia national football team were powerful forces in the '70s.

In 1975, he represented the Malaysia national football team against English giantsArsenal F.C.. Malaysia national football team won the game 2–0, with Mokhtar scoring both goals. After the game, Mokhtar was rumoured to have been offered a chance to play for the Gunners. He also famously scored a goal in a 1–1 draw against England national football team's B team in 1978, dribbling past half of the opposing team coached by Bobby Robson. Paul Mariner was on the scoresheet for England that day.

He won his 100th cap for Malaysia national football team when he played in a Merdeka Football Tournament match against Japan national football team in 1976. This number 10 of Selangor FA also had a friendly game against another number 10, Diego Maradona's Boca Juniors of Argentina in January 1982. The match ended with a 2-1 result; won by Boca Juniors of Argentina.

Mokhtar Dahari retired in May 1986 after winning the Malaysia Cup for Selangor FA and himself the man of the match. He also gave his number 10 jersey to Raja Muda Selangor. He came out of retirement in January 1987 to play one more season for Selangor FA.

In January 1988, he joined Kwong Yik Bank and won the Selangor League that year.

Mokhtar died at age 37 years-old of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) at 8:25 am on 11 July 1991. His body was laid to rest at Bukit Permai, Taman Keramat Permai Muslim Cemetery.

Ashoka, the not so Great, from: Lazacode

Ashoka the Great - Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty (304 BC – 232 BC)

Sunday, 06 June 2010 11:34 History - Biography

  

Bodies lay strewn around the smashed city, and the Daya River ran red with blood. The Mauryan Emperor Ashoka surveyed the damage that his army had inflicted on the Kalinga region. About 100,000 civilians were dead, as well as 10,000 of Ashoka's soldiers.

Far from feeling the glorious rush of victory, Ashoka felt sick and saddened. He vowed that never again would he rain down death and destruction on other people. He would devote himself to his Buddhist faith and practice ahimsa, or nonviolence.

A Chakravatin (possibly Ashoka) 1st century BC/CE. Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati. Preserved at Musee Guimet

This story and many others about a great emperor called Ashoka appear in ancient Vedic literature, the Asokavadana, Divyavandana andMahvamsa. For many years, westerners considered them to be mere legend. They did not connect the Vedic ruler Ashoka to the stone pillars inscribed with edicts that are sprinkled all around the edges of India.

In 1915, however, archaeologists found a pillar inscription that identified the author of those edicts, the well-known Mauryan emperor Piyadasior Priyadarsi ("Beloved of the Gods"), by his given name. That name was Ashoka. The virtuous emperor from the Vedas and the law-giver who ordered the installation of pillars inscribed with merciful laws all over the subcontinent were the same man.

ASHOKA'S EARLY LIFE


In 304 BCE, the second emperor of the Maurya Dynasty, Bindusara, welcomed a son into the world. The boy's mother Dharma was only a commoner, and he had several older half-brothers. This baby was named Ashoka Bindusara Maurya.


Ashoka grew up to be a bold, troublesome and cruel young man. He was extremely fond of hunting; according to Vedic legend, he even killed a lion using only a wooden stick. His older half-brothers feared Ashoka, and convinced his father to post him as a general to distant frontiers of the Mauryan Empire. Ashoka proved a competent general, likely much to his brothers' dismay, putting down a rebellion in the Punjabi city of Taxshila.


Aware that his brothers viewed him as a rival for the throne, Ashoka went into exile for two years in the neighboring country of Kalinga. While there, he fell in love with a commoner, a fisher-woman named Kaurwaki. The two later married.


Bindusara recalled his son to Maurya after two years to help quell an uprising in Ujjain, the former capital of the Avanti Kingdom. Ashoka succeeded, but was injured in the fighting. Buddhist monks tended to the wounded prince in secret, so that his eldest brother, the heir-apparent Susima, would not learn of Ashoka's injuries. Their patient learned the basic tenets of Buddhism from them. A woman from Vidisha called Devi also attended Ashoka during this period - he fell in love with her and married her.


When Bindusara died in 275 BCE, a two-year-long war for the succession erupted between Ashoka and his half-brothers. The Vedic sources vary on how many of Ashoka's brothers died; one says that he killed them all, while another states that he killed several of them. In either case, Ashoka prevailed and became the third ruler of the Mauryan Empire.

CHANDASHOK - ASHOKA THE TERRIBLE


For the first eight years of his reign, Ashoka waged near-constant war. He had inherited a sizable empire, but he expanded it to include most of the Indian subcontinent, as well as the area from the current-day borders of Iran and Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh and the Burmese border in the east. Only the southern tip of India and Sri Lanka remained out of his reach, plus the kingdom of Kalinga on the northeast coast of India.


In 265, Ashoka attacked Kalinga. Although it was the homeland of his second wife, Kaurwaki, and the king of Kalinga had sheltered Ashoka before his accent to the throne, the Mauryan emperor gathered the largest invasion force in Indianhistory to that point and launched his assault. Kalinga fought back bravely, but in the end it was defeated and all of its cities sacked.


Ashoka had led the invasion in person, and he went out into the capital city of the Kalingas the morning after his victory to survey the damage. The ruined houses and bloodied corpses sickened the emperor, and he underwent a religious epiphany. Although he had considered himself more or less Buddhist prior to that day, the carnage at Kalinga led Ashoka to devote himself to Buddhism. He vowed to practice ahimsa from that day forward.

ASHOKA THE GREAT


Had Ashoka simply vowed to himself that he would live according to Buddhist principles, later ages would not remember his name. However, he published his intentions across his empire. Ashoka wrote out a series of edicts, explaining his policies and aspirations for the empire, and urging others to follow his enlightened example. The Edicts of King Ashoka were carved onto pillars of stone 40 to 50 feet high, and set up all around the edges of the Mauryan Empire as well as in the heart of Ashoka's realm. Dozens of these pillars dot the landscapes of India, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan.


In his edicts, Ashoka vows to care for his people like a father. He promises neighboring people that they need not fear him; he will use only persuasion, not violence, to win people over. Ashoka notes that he has made available shade and fruit trees for the people, as well as medical care for all people and animals.


His concern for living things also appears in a ban on live sacrifices and sport hunting. Ashoka urges his people to follow a vegetarian diet, and bans the practice of burning forests or agricultural wastes that might harbor wild animals. A long list of animals appears on his protected species list, including bulls, wild ducks, squirrels, deer, porcupines and pigeons.


Ashoka also ruled with incredible accessibility. He notes that "I consider it best to meet with people personally." To that end, he went on frequent tours around his empire. He also advertised that he would stop whatever he was doing if a matter of imperial business needed attention - even if he was having dinner or sleeping, he urged his officials to interrupt him.


In addition, Ashoka was very concerned with judicial matters. His attitude toward convicted criminals was quite merciful. He banned punishments such as torture, the putting out of people's eyes, and the death penalty. He urged pardons for the elderly, those with families to support, etc.


Another principle that Ashoka stressed in his edicts was respect for others. He recommends treating not just parents, teachers and priests with respect, but also friends and even servants.


Finally, although Ashoka urged his people to practice Buddhist values, he fostered an atmosphere of respect for all religions. Within his empire people followed not only the relatively new Buddhist faith, but also Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Greek polytheism and many other belief systems. Ashoka served as an example of tolerance for his subjects, and his religious affairs officers encouraged the practice of any religion.




ASHOKA'S LEGACY


Ashoka the Great ruled as a just and merciful king from his epiphany in 265 until his death in 232 BCE, at the age of 72. We no longer know the names of most of his wives and children, but his twin children by his first wife, Devi, a boy called Mahindra and a girl named Sanghamitra, were instrumental in converting Sri Lanka to Buddhism.


After Ashoka's death, the Mauryan Empire continued to exist for 50 years, but it went into a gradual decline. The last Mauryan emperor was Brhadrata, who was assassinated in 185 BCE by one of his generals, Pusyamitra Sunga.


Although his family did not rule for long after he was gone, Ashoka's principles and his examples lived on through the Vedas. He is now known the world over as one of the best rulers ever to have reigned.

SOURCES

By Kallie Szczepanski , About.com Guide

1. " The Edicts of Ashoka ," trans. Ven. S. Dhammika (Buddhist Publication Society, Sri Lanka: 1993).
2. Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas , Romila Thapar. (Oxford University Press: 1997).
3. Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300 , Romila Thapar. (University of California Press: 2004).

Memories of RRF: நான் சிரித்தால் தீபாவளி

நான் சிரித்தால் தீபாவளி*(Naan Sirithal Deepavali)

Deepavali in RRF

I do not remember being particularly joyous at the arrival of Deepavali in RRF. Most of the time, it was just a hindrance as it came amidst year end and public examinations.

As usual Amma will complain about the ever increasing cost of living and increased expenses incurred because of this one day celebration. Again, she would remind us not to overspend because even though Deepavali only comes once a year, it comes every year. And that we should not suffer the whole year just to enjoy on one particular day! 

A month before the auspicious day, Amma will start receiving sewing orders and this will go on until the eve of the celebration!

2 to 3 weeks before this day of the win of good over evil, the whole family will throng the stores at Penang Road, Campbell Street and ‘Jual Murah Bazaar’ on bargain hunting. It will end with each child getting about 2 sets of clothes and the whining of ever escalating price of things year in year out.

By a week before Deepavali, Amma without fail will start scolding all of us and will groped in (at knife point) to help out in carrying out simple manoeuvres (e.g. sewing buttons, cutting off the loose threads, sending for edging etc. etc.). In the midst of all these, something will go missing and again everyone will be at the receiving end (including Appa for the financial turmoil). The missing item will invariably be found right under Amma’s nose where it had been all the while! The brunt of the abuses will be hurled at pitiful Sheila who will be accused for all the mistakes, but life went on…

People will continue placing their order, some even pleading on the eve of Deepavali to get their saree blouse stitched. Amma will usually oblige on compassionate grounds. Maybe not so compassionate to Sheila – she will be chided for not helping. If it were today, Sheila could probably call 1-800-‘teledera’ number and the Americans would label our small cottage industry as sweat shop using child labour!

As the day got nearer, Amma would become more desperate. The children, all preparing for the examinations would be nagged for not helping enough, unlike other children – as if we were the only children in the world who needed to study! The sewing sessions would go on and on till the morning of Deepavali. On one occasion, probably due to fatigue, she actually cut out the wrong design for the wrong customer and Amma had to replace the material. Probably that customer must have ‘celebrated’ Deepavali that year with no saree blouse!
In about a week before Deepavali, in the middle of this entire melee, cookies will be prepared. By tradition, the first to be cooked must be oil based; hence the opening ceremony is done by murukku and ghee balls (ney orundei). I would be assigned to give my muscle power to press down the murukku dough with the troublesome Indian-made murukku device. 3 or 4 other cakes will follow – peanut biscuit, sujee and ghee cookies, plain butter cake, athirasam, jelly and glutinous rice with black sugar paste (wajik/pulut kacau).
On two Deepavali eves, I remember the similar incident happened twice. Sheila had been left inside the house to take care while parent went to do Deepavali shopping. Lats as usual was at Ah Leng’s house. I came home (after afternoon school) to find a big commotion outside E15-11! Who’s who of the 15th floor were all there standing outside the unit, banging on the door calling for Sheila who was cozily in slumber-land on the chair right in front of the TV! And that was not too far from the main door, but she continued snoozing. All our ingenious maneuvers finally bore fruit. As this type of incidence (being locked outside) was rampant, everyone had their own simple devices including the charcoal stirrer which was similar to what is used laparoscopic surgery! Finding Sheila snoring in the midst of that entire ruckus, she was severely reprimanded (meaning whacked!). Kaboom! Swish! Kastakaalam கஷ்டகாலம் !

With all that build-up, preparation and countdown, Deepavali was actually an anti-climax – except for the new clothes, the food and the angpows that we received after distributing cookies to our neighbours. Amma will be sleeping after finally finishing her sewing and cooking. Appa would be catching his forty winks on his easy chair and we, the children would be watching all the special programmes on TV. Nobody actually came to visit us even on Deepavali day. Afternoon would come and the family will again manifest in front of the idiot box to watch the Deepavali special Tamil movie on RTM. When this was over, essentially Deepavali was over and reality bit in. It was time to prepare for school the following day. In the Deepavali nights we would play from 1 or 2 packets of Chinese sparklers.
All the money collected in the form of angpow would go straight to the Post Office Savings account (No. 3472) in the next few days. The grand finale of Deepavali curtain would fall with the family outing to the movies in either Royal or Paramount theatres. We would invariably end up watching a Sivaji movie.
Amma may be painted like a female version of Uncle Scrooge in this article but she had her priorities. She wanted to extricate the Sham clan from the rubbles of fall and reinstate their place in society. As she would always say, “If you are healthy and wealthy, every day can be Deepavali

*நான் சிரித்தால் தீபாவளி (Naan Sirithaal Deepavali) is title of a song from the 80’s super duper Tamil movie titled ‘Nayagan’ about a ‘Robin Hood’ type of a Tamil mafia lord in Bombay. The scene in the song depicts the sweet sad mood of Deepavali in the slum area of Bombay. It was skillfully composed by music maestro Illayaraja setting the retro 1950s mood by using primarily using musical instrumentals used in songs of that era and background singers of that long forgotten era! The movie itself was the beginning of anti hero roles and escalation of nonsensical violence in Kollywood to the present movies of Anniyan and Ghajini. With that movie too, the focus of Tamil movies changed from the predominantly family oriented sob stories of the 60s and the arty movies of the late 70s (village backdrop, e.g. 16Vayathinile; minimal makeup. e.g. Pasi; adult topics, e.g. Aval Oru Thodarkathai and Nool Veli) to what it is today.

The film was nominated by the Government of India as its entrée for the 1988 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category. It did not make it, however, to the final list. So far, only 3 Indian movies had made it to the shortlisted list – Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay (1988) and Lagaan (2001). Sadly none has won. In 2005, Time Magazine included ‘Nayagan’ in its ‘All time 100 Best Film’ list.

Radio Ga Ga

9.6.2010


Radio Ga Ga

When we were growing up in RRF, radio was a constant companion and sometimes an unwanted irritant playing and buzzing in the background like mismatched background music score of a B-grade movie!
Appa had the habit of tuning in to the radio the moment he returns from work. After the normal broadcast time of Radio Malaysia Rangkaian Merah (Red Channel, later to Radio 6, now it is named Minnal), he would fiddle with the transistor aerial and tuning knob to receive a decent reception of SW transmission from Radio Singapore Tamil Channel. Invariably, the sounds from the radio will be waxing and waning, from melody to static noise, much to Amma’s annoyance. Most of the time, after painstakingly searching the band, Appa would just doze off on the sofa!
Once a week, there will be radio drama on the Tamil radio. Dramas written by Anjalai from Simpang Empat and S. Vairakanoo were particularly interesting and the whole family would be glued to the radio for a full half an hour. These make dramas recorded in the RTM studios with the aid of pre-recorded sound effects were quite spell-bounding and would usher us in to land of make believe of suspense, terror, horror, melodrama and preachy! During those days they also had children drama on the educational radio on hermits, elves and fairy tales (சித்திரக்குளர்கள், chittirakkullargal)
Just like how the Queen and The Buggles were complaining about the glory days of the radio and how the visual media has replaced the nostalgic days of the radio in their respective songs (Radio Ga Ga and Video killed the radio star), those days of the whole family listening to the radio drama with each other creating their own scenario in their minds is over. The newer (post MTV) generation is too lazy to imagine but yearn for instant gratifications! That reminds me of yet another scene from a P. Ramlee’s 1956 award winning movie, ‘Anakku Sazali’, where P. Ramlee and his wife enjoy an intimate moment playing an old gramophone player and singing the song, ‘Mari Mari Che Adek’…. .

The song Radio Ga Ga was a commentary on how television was overtaking radio's popularity and how onewould listen to radio for a favorite comedy, drama, or sci-fi program. It also mentioned the advent of themusic video and MTV. (Ironically, the video would become a regular staple on MTV in 1984.)

Roger Taylor of the Queen (the writer of the song), originally conceived of it as "Radio CaCa" (apparently from something his toddler son once said), which doubled as a criticism of radio for the decrease in variety of programming and the type of music being played. At the time of release that name was changed to Radio Ga-Ga - rumours denote the publishers were objecting to the original title because of the close resemblance of "Ca-Ca" to a common word for faeces in many languages! (Except probably for Portuguese language; Brazilian star striker's name is Kaka!)
"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song by the British Synthpop/New Wave group, ‘The Buggles’ in 1979. It celebrates the golden days of radio, describing a singer whose career is cut short by television. The song topped the music chart in several countries and has been covered by many recording artists. It was the first music video shown on MTV in North America at 00:01 on 1 August 1981. (Ref: Wikipedia)

Excited over small pricks!

Today's pointless discussion is on some of the meaningless celebrations that we as Tamilians honour. It caught my attention when one of the neighbours in my housing estate erected a canopy across the road blocking half of the road just to officiate the erection the small Muniswar statuette in his house compound. From my life experiences, I can say with conviction that the usual justification of such an erection is usually as part of fulfilling the demand of a dream. The Gods (or some of their representation of them, e.g. dog, whip or an apparition with a big moustache) would have manifested during their sleep and demanded or hinted for something of that nature. You cannot say this is something new or nonsensical as others have also known to have done this in the name of religion. Abraham (Ibrahim) almost put his son (Issac/Ismail) to the slaughter as God supposedly manifested in his dream to test his faith. Just as the unthinkable was about to happen, the 'sacrificial lamb' was replaced with a ram via miraculous work of God and now a good proportion of the world population rejoice this event as Eid Al Adha. The ceremony (at the neighbour’s newly built mini temple) started at the heat of noon sun with chanting of high pitch hymns accompanied by beating of loud drums. Just to clarify, I was not there witnessing the brouhaha. The obvious pandemonium was clearly audible to whole Taman! Interestingly, the sounds of the drums were the same as the one used in Tamil Nadu village funerals! The climax of the event was the billy goat sacrifice. From my limited knowledge of religion, this practice is not ordained by any of the reputable Hindu bodies anywhere in the world. In fact, such a similar sacrificial practice is one of the reasons Siddarta Gautama started his brand of religion which is really an off shoot of Hinduism. 

   
[Image][Image][Image][Image] Illustrations suggesting how the mass of human race is conned with hearsay. A convincing preacher has managed and will continue eluding mass hypnotism on his subordinates to achieve his self ego maniacal self interest by one day bringing homo sapiens to the brink of extinction following the same road as the mammoths, T-Rexes and Saber-tooth tigers!
Right up to the mid 20th century, only two groups of the world population pierce their ears – Indians and aboriginal head hunting people (e.g. Borneo, Africa, Papua New Guinea). Fast forward to the late 20th century and ear piercing became a fashion statement and an art. Many other body parts, visible and otherwise, got pricked as well. Together with this, other traditionally South Indian practices like nose ring and toe rings have became synonymous with the rebellious youth of the 21st century just like the pelvis gyrating and bra burning counterparts of the 50s and 70s respectively. The ear piercing ceremony in the Tamil society came about as a status symbol and became a hallmark of culture among the society as gold (in the earring) has had a special place in their society. It also created an avenue for relatives to meet and mingle as society had determined that certain relatives had specific roles in this ceremony and would be frowned upon if they fail in their undertakings. A few months ago, I was invited for such an event. It was hosted in a 5star restaurant with soothing ambience complete with traditional musicians and paraphernalia. For a few moments, the venue was immersed in a cheerful festive mood, with the baby hoisted on the shoulder and the highlight of the event was the piercing of the baby’s ear lobes by the traditional Indian jeweler with the seated on the maternal uncle’s lap! There was a designated master of ceremony who was giving a running commentary of the events and the significance of each step of the occasion. One particular comment that struck me was the reason for such a big fanfare on the ear piercing ceremony. If one were to look at the ear auricle, it is supposed to resemble the divine letter ‘Aum’ or ‘Om’ in the Tamil alphabet. Piercing the ear lobe is said to complete the letter by putting a dot where it is due. (Is this for real, rationalization or artistic creation, I wonder?)

How something frowned upon as a practice of the ‘less cultured’ as assimilated in to world culture and is considered trendy and hip. Here, Harrison Ford spotting earring on left ears. Why left ear? If worn on the right ear, it is a subtle announcement of the wearer being gay. I wonder if it applies on both sides of the Atlantic, bearing in the mind that the traffic is reversed on the either side of the Atlantic!
One of the functions that has outlived its usefulness in the ‘coming of age’ ceremony. It is done to announce to the world that their female child has attained menarche. During this time, probably the only time, the girl is given special diet rich is proteins and mineral so as ensure her future fecundity. (As if fertility is determined by the female factor alone!) 

In the era when child marriages were accepted as norm, this ceremony hailed as perfect way to announce to the world around them that a maiden is available for continuation of species. At present times where the female is determined to rule the world with their academic and career ambitions, it appears totally irrelevant. They mostly choose their life partners way past the teenage years and their exposure to the outside via education and work makes it unnecessary. The society however has given many religious significances to this event and even the position of the stars at time of menarche is said to of high significance towards the fecundity and even her obstetric performance in her childbearing years!
Even though far from their motherland, the Jaffna Tamils still cling on to their age old practices. Here an immigrant family (Siva and Indira Segaran with Ketharini) performing a ‘coming of age’ (Poopunitha Neeratuvilla) ceremony in Toronto (1993). They are happy to be able to practice their own culture in a foreign land after being persecuted in their motherland! [Photo: Vincenzo Pietropaolo]