Greetings members Here we are now in mid March already; the General Elections have made it an interesting time to be living in KL and Malaysia generally. That is all I am saying on that subject. However, speaking of elections, we have reached the time of year where MCG has its own elections for your Board representatives – you will find the Preliminary Notice of our 26th AGM included in this edition of your newsletter along with the Nomination Form for the various Board positions. This is an important event for MCG. As a registered society in Malaysia, we have certain legal duties we must perform for our members and the Registrar’s Office. Please make sure you participate fully in this process. The AGM is generally a short meeting where we present our financial accounts to our members and you have the opportunity to have input into the formation of our Board. The meeting will be followed by an interesting lecture (see the blurb regarding the lecture) and a complimentary luncheon for those members attending the AGM. Remember you must be a fully paid 2008 member of MCG to vote and eat! All Board positions are open to any member of MCG – I have been advised by Lynn Davies that she will not be standing for re-election as Vice President at the AGM. I thank her most sincerely for her contribution and for her support to me over the last year. While I am happy to continue as President, if re-elected, I have advised the current Board, it is on the understanding that I will only be available for a 6 month term. As I indicated in my message last month, Steve and I expect we will leave Malaysia early in 2009 and I will need time to concentrate on that process and do those last minute trips and shopping expeds. Please feel free to contact me via email or my handphone if you are interested in nominating someone or being nominated for a position in the MCG team. Best wishes and kind regards Lin Streefkerk
NEWSLETTER NOTIFICATION There has been much discussion at both the EP Team level and at MCG Board level about our monthly newsletter and whether we continue to print it and mail it to members or we step into the electronic age. We asked for member feedback and found from the few responses we received about 1/3 wanted to get it by post and 2/3 were happy with receiving it via email etc. Some members didn’t seem to mind one way or the other. The Board decided at its March meeting, that we would move into the electronic age from June – you will receive April and May in the mail. If we do not have an email address for you, please provide that information to our Membership Secretary Kathryn at membership@malaysianculturegroup.com and she will ensure our records are up to date and you don’t miss any communications. From June you will receive an email notification that the newsletter is available – there will be a link to take you directly to the newsletter on our website and also a copy attached as a pdf file that you can open to read and print if you so wish. The Board believes this is a good decision on a number of levels – it gets the newsletter distributed to members more promptly and effectively and does away with the long period of time between finalizing the layout and getting copies printed and back to us to be mailed – avoids relying on the postal system, it is environmentally friendly in that it reduces the amount of paper we consume and possibly waste – it is economically sensible and allows us to manage our overheads better and not have to look at increasing membership fees in the foreseeable future – it will also lighten the workload on the volunteers who keep the MCG ticking along. If you have any concerns about this, please address them to me. We will print a few copies to have available at events for potential new members to pick up and see what we are about.
PROGRAMME OF EVENTS
NOTICE
OF 26th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
PLEASE NOTE: Under Section 12 (v) of the Constitution notice is hereby given for the 26th Annual General Meeting of the Malaysian Culture Group to be held at 10.00am (Sharp) on Wednesday, 7th May 2008 at the The Green, Royal Selangor Golf Club, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur. Your attention is drawn to Section 12 (v) of the Constitution which states that nomination for the election of members to the Committee must be sent to reach the Secretary not later than fifteen days after the receipt of this preliminary notice. Please use the nomination form attached. Also note that under Section 12 (vii) of the Constitution , any motions for discussion at the meeting must be sent to reach the Secretary not later than fifteen days after the receipt of this preliminary notice. Please send your nomination form and any motion to be tabled to : The Secretary, MCG, P O Box 10050, 50704 Kuala Lumpur. If you are unable to attend the AGM and wish to vote by proxy, please fill in the Proxy Form below and fax it to (03-3377-1005) or email it to (secretary@malaysianculturegroup.com) no later than 01 May 2008 to the Secretary: Regina Stanislaus
REPORTS FROM PREVIOUS EVENTS Explorers' Trip to KLPac KLPAC was opened in 2005 and is situated in Sentul Park on the site of a former saw mill which later became the KTM railway repair sheds. The new theatre building is of a very modern design, however it cleverly incorporates the engine sheds which date back over a hundred years. The open concept of KLPAC means that all parts of the theatre from rehearsal studios to set design can be viewed by the public. Raw materials such as brick, concrete and metal have been used in the design of the entrance hall. There are two auditoriums (Pentas) at KLPAC with the main hall seating over 500 people and the smaller one just under 200. The multi-coloured seats in Pentas 1 are very funky and have their own air-conditioning unit underneath. They are also very comfortable and I speak from experience! Pentas 1 has one very unusual feature – a vomitory. We needed Cheryl’s daughter to enlighten us on what exactly this was, I suggest you pay KLPAC a visit yourself and all will be revealed! Pentas 2 is based on an experimental theatre format, which means that everything from lighting to stage and seating is portable and can be moved around the hall to suit the performance. If you haven’t been to KLPAC then you should check out their future performances, you won’t be disappointed. Mandy Collins
Michael Chick, a documentary filmmaker, took us on an arm-chair tour through the states of Perlis, Kedah and Kelantan. Here are some interesting facts - PERLIS is the smallest state and heavily influenced by its closeness to Thailand. Wang Kelian has a spectacular view of the Timah Tasoh Lake and the unique twin peaks of Bukit Chabang. The Sunday Market is a prime attraction. Kaki Bukit Gua Kelam , a 370-metre long limestone cave with stalactites and stalagmites. Access is through an 8-feet wide suspension bridge. There is a brightly lit wooden walkway inside the cave. Tip: It is best to go with a guide. Kuala Perlis has only a couple of streets and many cheap seafood restaurants. Kota Kayang Muzium Kota Kayang is situated close to a historically fortified area. During excavation works, artefacts from the Neolithic period and Indian-related artefacts were unearthed at the site. KEDAH is mostly of paddy fields and mountain ranges. It is the main producer of rice. Langkawi KELANTAN is captivating with its fishing villages, padi (rice) fields, and beautiful palm-fringed beaches. It is also rich in Malay traditions, culture and crafts such batik printing , kite-making and traditional woodcarving . Its history dates back to between 3000 B.C. By Road : It takes about 7 hours from Kuala Lumpur. Gunung Stong (Mount) is a dome-shaped granite (1,422 meters high) over 500 million years old. It has a seven-tiered waterfall, the highest in Southeast Asia (990 metres) with inclinations of 60 to 90 degrees. With a good guide, trekking uphill is interesting with species of wildlife sighted along the way. Gua Cha (Cave) is a significant prehistoric site with evidence of human activity from at least 10,000 years ago. Over 40 skeletons have been found at the site. Some of them from the Kelantan cave dated back 5,000 years. Tumpat Wat Phothivihan (a Thai temple) houses the 40m long reclining Buddha (one of the largest of its kind in the world). Pantai Cinta Bersih Beautiful white sandy beach The show ended with a Q&A session, and some eager to know when the next session of the other states will be shown. Regina Stanislaus
When the Sungai Buloh Leprosarium opened in 1930 it did indeed become the “Valley of Hope” for the sufferers of this disease. Previously, leprosy patients had been confined to prison style camps often enduring inhumane conditions. But the Leprosarium, set in a valley surrounded by the Bukit Lagong hills, 25 kms outside KL, revolutionised treatment of both the disease and attitudes towards these patients. The Settlement was designed by Charles Reade as a ‘Garden City”, with zones for housing, agriculture, treatment and social centres, aiming to create a self contained and self-sustainable community. Able bodied leprosy patients worked the small garden lots allocated to them, so establishing the plant nurseries for which Sungai Buloh is well known. In 1940 the population of the Settlement swelled to 2,000, and peaked at 2,400 in the mid 1950’s. They were from diverse backgrounds, races and religions and together they created a unique community which was self governing with its own police station and jail (now demolished). For a brief period of time the Settlement even had its own currency. Walking around the Settlement you can still see the Hindu temple, Buddhist and Taoist temples, a Roman Catholic and an Anglican Church, the kopitiam shops and market area set up by the former residents. Over time the Settlement became known also as a leprosy research centre and gained a worldwide reputation, when in the 1960’s it used Dapsone medication to successfully treat sufferers. This radically altered not only how patients were treated but proved that leprosy was curable. As a consequence from that date the number of patients at the Leprosarium began to decline. Today the Settlement is still home to 300 patients, and during our morning visit we were privileged to meet and chat with some of them. Thirty nine residents have, after many years, had to move to another section of the Settlement as 40 acres of the Centre is now being redeveloped to build a medical faculty for UiTM. The Sungai Buloh Settlement was the second largest Leprosarium in the world and is undeniably significant in both Malaysian and medical history. Hopefully, this historic importance will be recognised and the remaining 118 acres preserved so that the Settlement’s legacy can be shared with future generations. Diana Cooper
We have all been to Brickfields sometime or the other but it was a totally new experience to go and explore the area with longtime resident Mano Maniam, a popular Malaysian theatre actor, who had agreed to show us around. We met at the YMCA building at Jln Tun Sambanthan, where Mano, who has also starred in a Hollywood film Anna and the King, told us a bit about the history of the area. In the early days the place became the centre for brick making because the whole area was a clay pit, hence the name Brickfields. Mano told us that Brickfields also used to be the site of the main depot for the Malayan Railways (KTM) during the British rule. The British brought people from India to work the railway and the depot. Many lived in quarters around Brickfields. We went along a lane where some of the old quarters still exist. The railway depot has since become the imposing KL Sentral. We saw the Malaysian Association for the Blind, the charming Vivekananda Ashram that was built in the early 19th century, The Temple of Fine Arts, a cultural organization promoting Indian art and music. Brickfields is also dotted with places of worship many at least a 100 years old.. We went to a Hindu Ganesh temple, a Chinese temple, a Buddhist temple, we saw some churches along the way. We also saw a mosque under construction. We were pointed out narrow dark staircases fronting several old buildings, with tiny curtained windows, in one of the back lanes. The world’s oldest profession apparently is still thriving there. The highlight of our tour was a visit to a toddy shop. Rows of plastic bottles filled with white liquid were displayed on the small shop counter. Behind the counter, the wall was adorned with garlanded pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses. Sale of toddy is legal and controlled by the government, the shopkeeper told us. Though we were all curious but none of us tried the concoction made of coconut flowers. Brickfields is popular for its Indian food, especially the banana leaf meals, thosais and other savories. We ended our tour at a restaurant where we had Dal and Rotis and downed cold lemonade. We went back home satisfied that we now knew what the some of the tucked away lanes had to offer. Thanks Mano. Jaishree Balasubramanian
The Planters Bungalow Peter Jenkins commenced with an introduction of how he and Waveney visited over 100 estates established between 1800 to 1942, investigating over 150 bungalows and sites of 90 that no longer existed before writing their beautiful and informative coffee table book. They also interviewed over 250 planters, retired planters and their families and went to U.K. for more in-depth study of this neglected aspect of Malaysia’s plantation industry. Waveney continued with a slide presentation,: The Bungalows differed from place to place in architecture, style and methods of construction. Henri Fauconnier, a planter, defined the architectural styles of planter’s bungalow’s as the little hut – the first pioneers built, the wooden house – then they looked for more comfort, the stone and cement – corporate companies started giving better living conditions. The Pioneer-style Atap roof secured by bamboo strips, simple stairs, small verandah, stumps to allow under-floor ventilation. Simple plank construction as in the Rasak Estate (Selangor), 1900s The Wooden House or Transitional House Early Chinese planters added features from China like the terrace houses lining the streets of early towns as in the Kee Family Home (PRAI) . The Developed Malay House The 2-storey (half timber, half brick) bungalow was built with usable space on the ground floor, a raised 1st floor with balcony railng and verandahs with louvred panels, hipped roof, entrance porch. The Mansion and Corporate House Mostly built atop a hill overlooking some view. Tiled roof and canopy shaded the verandah They typically convey strong individual personalities in their adapted tropicalised Western Classical style as typical in the Glugor Estate (Penang). Fantasy Hybrids Personalized bungalows such as the ‘flying saucer-like’ bungalow built by Nigel Gardner (Bukit Tagal) Estate (Selangor), 1930s and Kellie’s Castle (Perak) started by William Kellie-Smith in 1915. The Later Bungalow Built on top of high hills with shady verandahs and tennis courts like the UP Plantations Lima Belas Estate, 1929. Living conditions improved from simple to basic fine living such as those at the Repah Estate (Negri Sembilan), 1930s and now Bentam (Prai), 1904, Sg Wangi (Perak), 1920 and the Hope Estate, 1930. Staircases too changed. Initially utilitarian to get from ground to upper floor, they became grander with affluence. As it became an indication of wealth, magnificent staircases were built. There is a memorial garden in Batu Gajah (Perak) which is the resting place of many planters who were killed in the Emergency (1948). A memorial service is conducted on the 2nd week of June every year. Regina Stanislaus
Japanese Girls' Day The Japanese Girls’ Day event was a morning designed to delight the senses. We were treated visually to a beautiful collection of dolls and audibly by the delicate music from the Koto. Lunch was a delicious and generous variety of Japanese foods. Our morning began with an interesting presentation by Mrs. Chie Tanabe. She began her discussion with the background of Doll Festival also known as Momo-no-Sekku or Peach Festival in Japan on March 3rd. This celebration originated from an ancient Chinese practice of transferring the sins of the body and misfortunes to dolls, then the sins and misfortunes are washed away by setting the doll in a river to drift away. When this practice spread to Japan people threw paper dolls into rivers and into the sea to drive evil spirits away with them. On this special day girls are celebrated in Japan. Families pray for the health and happiness of young girls. In their homes dolls called Hina-ningyo and their dedications are displayed. The dedications typically are peach blossoms, rice cake cubes, special coloured and diamond-shaped rice cakes and white sake. It was during the Edo period (1603 – 1867) that people began displaying dolls. Originally two or three paper dolls were displayed with rice cakes and other foods considered special. As their popularity grew the displays became larger and the dolls more intricate with beautiful clothes and ceramic heads and hands. The displays grew from three, five and finally seven steps over a meter in height. Complete sets of dolls became available in the 1920s. Prices range from $500 to $5000 and are determined by size, quality of clothing, ceramic versus plastic and the fame of the doll maker. After World War II smaller doll sets of two in glass cases became popular, this is thought to be due to space limitations. The Japanese celebrate their sons on May 5th. Samurai dolls are collected for boys. The koto music provided for our entertainment by Mrs. Sube and her students was delicate and very beautiful. The koto came from China during the Nara Period (year 710 - 784) and was played as a solo instrument in the court. It was originally a 23 string instrument but was changed to 13 strings when brought to Japan. After court life disappeared the koto remained in the world of priests and noblemen. For a time it was also the official occupation for blind men and was apparently limited to this group. It was not until the late 16th century that vocal accompaniment to meditative music began to appear but its performances were limited to temples. Yatsuhashi Kengyo (1614- 1685), the greatest composer of koto music, invented new tunings, composed many new pieces and began to play koto music outside. Koto music was no longer limited to blind men; it also became of interest to females of wealthy families. The modern 13-string koto originates from the so or kakuso of Japanese court music, and was a major instrument in the exclusive Gagaku “Elegant Music” performed by the Imperial court ensemble. The koto is popular among aristocrats and was a romantic instrument in ancient Japanese literature. In Japan’s first novel, The Tale of Genji, Prince Genji falls deeply in love with a woman he has never seen after hearing her koto performance. Mrs. Hiroko Yano organized a delicious boxed Japanese lunch containing a wide variety of food. Thank you ladies for a fabulous and informative morning. Sharon Bannon
MCG NEWS BOOK CLUB REPORTS Title: I am a Cat “I am a Cat” is a satirical look at Japanese society during the time of the Meiji emperor. The narrator of the book is a cat who lives in the household of the main character. Being a cat, the narrator necessarily examines various aspects of daily life with innocence and objectivity. Our book group members agreed that the book is frequently humorous because of the cat’s non-human point of view and because of the unusual characters and events that are described. We also agreed that by reading the book, we had gained some insight into Japanese life at the turn of the century. In particular, the book’s exploration of the tension between Western ideas and Japanese traditions was interesting. So, what held most of us back from having a positive experience with the book? It seems to be a case of “lost in translation”. The writing in the English version of the book is extremely dense, the vocabulary is obtuse, and the plot seems to be non-existent at times. The word that several of us used to describe the book was “tedious”. As it turned out, the one member of our group who was very enthusiastic about the book had read a Chinese translation, not the English version like us. It also seemed as if this member’s cultural background enabled her to understand the nuances of the text in ways that the rest of us could not. Much of the book’s text is available on-line. So there is an opportunity, if you’re intrigued and want to form your own opinion of the book without purchasing it. Elizabeth Munroe Title: The Wonder House Justine Hardy, a journalist who covered Kashmir politics for several years, based her first novel set in the beautiful landscapes of Kashmir’s Nagin lake. The story revolves around a widowed Indian princess-by-marriage Englishwoman in her late seventies, who rents a houseboat named ’The Wonder House’. It is about the human relationships, personal dilemmas of the Englishwoman Gracie Singh and the two other women in the houseboat -a mute mother and her beautiful daughter and a dark secret they hold. Some of us found the writing delightful while some thought it was too verbose. However, we all found that the message that the author wanted to convey was a bit vague. Somewhere in the background there are references to a looming militancy in the valley. However, the political developments are not very clear. Jaishree Balasubramanian NEWSLETTER This is the March issue of the newsletter. The next issue will be in May. The deadline for sending in your articles/photos is April 8. Please email your write ups to newsletter@malaysianculturegroup.com or jaishreemcg@gmail.com The write-ups should not be more than 350 words. They should be in Times New Roman font size 11. Jaishree Balasubramanian BOOKING POLICY FOR EVENTS eservations Wait List
Cancellations Eligibility Your co-operation with the Booking Policy would be much appreciated by the Events Planning Team
PLEASE NOTE that the information in this website has been gathered informally within the group and reproduced privately for members' enjoyment only. There may be inaccuracies and these publications are not designed for commercial use. Anyone intending to make formal or outside use of MCG material is requested to contact the President | Events
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