FRIENDS OF THE MUSEUM, SINGAPORE

EXHIBITION: JOURNEY OF FAITH: A Visiting Exhibition From the Vatican

Dates: 18th June to 9th October 2005
Venue: Asian Civilisations Museum, Empress Place: Special Exhibitions Gallery

This exciting exhibition, which has been specially curated for Singapore, will feature over 130 artefacts and artworks from the magnificent collections of the Vatican Museums. This is an opportunity to learn about Christian history, experience the journey of faith and to admire the many artefacts and beautiful works of Christian art.

All normal entry fees apply.

TRAVEL TIPS & EXPERIENCES: TIBET - April 18

I felt exhausted and exhilarated after listening to Nisha's wonderful talk and seeing her beautiful photos from her trip to Tibet. The photos captured a trip Nisha and her husband made last year to Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse. The trip had been a long held ambition of her husband's and she somewhat reluctantly joined him on "his trip of a lifetime".

They entered Tibet from Kathmandu. We were shown some slides of old buildings and the Tibetan quarter, which appeared well preserved. The town of Kathmandu looked interesting though whether this is now the best way to enter Tibet, given the recent crackdowns by the Monarchy, is doubtful. The flight into Tibet looked magnificent. In fact, I fancied somehow being suspended in the air just to be able to take in the incredible sight of Mt Everest and other surrounding great peaks. Again, Nisha's slides were fantastic but I imagine these are unable to truly capture the beauty, scope and majesty of Mt Everest.

Nisha then showed us slides of Lhasa. We were as surprised as Nisha was by the sophistication of the city, both with its modern buildings, well made roads and traffic lights, not forgetting the wonderful mobile phone coverage available. Nisha explained that to see the famed sights of Lhasa required one to visit the "Tibetan quarter" of the city. She was evidently saddened by the realization that much of the Tibetan culture has been lost as a consequence of the occupation of the Chinese such that today the real Lhasa only occupies a small segment of the city.

Notwithstanding, the Potala Palace, former home of the Dalai Lama, looked amazing, even though it was well patrolled by Chinese guards, bugged, and much of it is not accessible to tourists. Nisha noted that the Dalai Lama has resigned himself to never formally being able to return to Tibet and the once very active international non-violent campaign throughout the Western world to "Free Tibet" has now been abandoned. Several Monasteries in and around Lhasa were visited - Drepung and Ganden - both of the Yellow Hat sect.

A highlight of their visit in Lhasa was a visit to a nunnery called Drubthub. At the nunnery they met an Ani, or a nun, of about 45 years age. They were invited to have Tibetan tea with her. This tea is a solution of black tea, salt and rancid Yak butter, and needless to say is an acquired taste!!

After a couple of days in Lhasa they travelled onto Shingatse and Gyantse. This trip by road across the Friendship Highway would normally take a few hours but they were diverted onto a muddy waterlogged track that took a bottom-numbing 9 hours (one way) to traverse!! On the way, they also stopped in a nomad's tent for a meal and were treated to other, more delicious, local staples such as yak meat. Shigatse is home to The Tashilhunpo Monastery, abode to the Panchen Lama of the Red Hat Sect.

From Shingatse they travelled to Gyantse, which is a small town. It was difficult to access as major roadworks were being done the whole length of the town. There are major works being done throughout Tibet, including a railway connection to Beijing, as part of the preparations for the Olympics in 2008. Gyantse is important for the Kumbum Chorten that has frescos painted in the Newari style, brought to Tibet from Kathmandu. There after they undertook the round trip back to Lhasa.

Overall, Nisha and her husband enjoyed their trip to Tibet. They were particularly impressed with the travel agent, which they used. (Anyone interested in going to Tibet can contact the agent at "Pigeon Travels" - Min Kc is the contact person, e-mail add - minkc@wlink.com.np. This is based in Kathmandu. They have a tie up with a local travel operator in Tibet.)

As for myself, I have long cherished a dream to visit Tibet and it is still a place I would love to visit. I appreciated Nisha's honesty and feel that should I be so lucky to visit one day I will not hold any allusions or false dreams about the lost kingdom, but instead be aware of Tibet's advances and its spiritual offerings. Thank you Nisha for a very interesting, informative and enjoyable talk.
- Sunita Varlamos

A COLONIAL MOSAIC - A BYGONE ERA - April 20

Tucked away in Damansara Heights, at 24 Jalan Semantan Dua, there is a house with a large collection of fine antiques. The house, with its high ceilings, is a splendid setting for the many interesting pieces on display. Our delightful hosts for this event were Mr and Mrs Moorthy who run an antique business called A Colonial Mosaic. They first started collecting antiques 29 years ago in Bombay. Their passion grew until eventually space became an issue. They took their collection to auction and this was the start of A Colonial Mosaic. They later opened in Goa, Sydney and in 2004 here in Kuala Lumpur.

Jacintha Moorthy entertained us with an informative talk on the history of colonial furniture in the Indian Subcontinent. Mr Moorthy, who is responsible for any restoration work required, discussed the merits of various pieces on display, in particular a rare example of a sample table with many different types of wood inlaid into its top.

We learned that the Arabs were the first to come to India. They took back spices with them to trade with Europe. The Europeans, already great seafaring nations, decided to cut out the middleman and set off to find the spice route for themselves. The Dutch were the first to arrive in 1602. They traded gold and silver for spices and silks. Once they had established settlements there they discovered that India had some very exotic woods, teak, ebony, rosewood, mahogany, satin wood and coromandel. They also discovered that Indians had no furniture with the notable exception of thrones. They sat, ate and slept on the floor and their cupboards were built in. The Dutch brought out samples of their furniture from home and employed local craftsman to copy them. The British, followed by the Portuguese and the French, also came to trade in spices and silks and they too took advantage of the beautiful woods available.

At the height of this period 4500 people were employed locally in making furniture. Much of the furniture was made for export back to Europe but many pieces survived in India having been given as gifts or incentives to local dignitaries. The Dutch allowed the local craftsman to have some input and you will therefore find carved panels and mythical embellishments on many of the Dutch pieces. The British on the other hand liked their furniture to be reproduced exactly like the Victorian pieces they had brought with them. There are however examples of Anglo-Indian furniture which are highly carved and incorporate strong influences from the East. Some colonial furniture was made to be dismantled so that it could be moved around the provinces with their owners who liked to take their nice pieces of furniture with them. The Portuguese colonised Goa for 450 years and built churches, and in order to preserve the stocks of teak for the pulpits and pews they cunningly told the local people, who were highly superstitious, that it was a bad omen to have teak wood in the home!

Jacintha then gave us a few pointers to bear in mind when buying antiques:

I am sure everyone who attended that morning will agree that a visit to A Colonial Mosaic is well worthwhile. The house is open daily but if you wish to telephone first the number to call is 03 2095 4190.
- Diana Campbell

EXPLORERS MAY 2005: INSTITUT KRAF NEGARA - 9th May

On Monday the 9th of May, 10 the intrepid Explorers and one newcomer travelled up the old Kuala Lumpur/Ipoh road to Rawang to visit the Institut Kraf Negara (The National Craft Institute).

Upon arrival we were greeted by Madam Mahizan Binti Hashim, Assistant Director for Administration and Student Welfare who was to be our guide for the morning. She gave us a brief introduction to the complex and explained the following:

After our introductory talk we spent two hours walking around the complex and visiting the different sections of the Institute. We were able to see how the different crafts were completed from beginning to end and speak to some of the students. We were even able to see some of the final projects of the final year students which were to be judged the following week. This was a very interesting trip and it was great to see how the Malaysian Government is ensuring that Malaysian crafts do not die out.
- Michelle Pease

ZOROASTRIANISM - A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE - May 12

To impart this perspective to us was Hootoksi Tyabji, an MCG member and herself a Zoroastrian. For us, the audience, the talk was not only an intellectual awakening, but also a visual delight as it was peppered with a lot of slide transparencies.

Hootoksi said that Zoroastrianism is the oldest prophetic religion in the World which influenced all subsequent religious.

The founder, Zarathushtra, or Zoroaster as he is popularly called, was born between 1000 and 1500 BC in Bactria (Afghanistan).

Those were troubled times. There was rampant ignorance and the people were controlled via fear and oppression.

Zarathushtra was appalled by all this and he withdrew into a cave to ponder over the situation. Ten years of meditation enlightened him and he realized that there are certain eternal truths. He called the being governing these laws, Ahura Mazda, who he said manifests itself through six powers. He composed some hymns which were compiled into a book, the "Gatha". Zoroaster preached that good and evil exist together. Confronted by a choice between the two, one should have the prudence to choose good over evil. He coaxed men to think and rationalize, not simply follow. His creed was - Good thoughts, Good words, Good deeds. Zoroastrianism came to be recognized as a religion in due course.

Further, we were told that Zoroaster recognized fire as a source of energy and associated it with justice and purity. All rituals are thus centred around fire. The structure housing the sacred fire is called a fire temple. Every child goes through an initiation ceremony, the Navjote, in front of the holy fire, between the ages of six and nine. He recites his first prayer in Avesta (a language) and is invested with the Sudreh (sleeveless vest) and the Kasti (girdle woven from goat's wool or camel hair).

The Zoroastrian faith has been conscious about polluting the environment, from the day of its inception, so there is neither burial nor cremation. Traditionally, the corpse was laid out on mountain top as food for vultures. As people started living in cities, this was not possible, so an enclosure was made to facilitate this practice.

Their main festival is Navroze (new day) which marks the spring equinox and is celebrated on the 21st of March.

The symbol of the faith is a winged figure - the guardian spirit, which is worn around the neck. It can be seen above the doorway of most fire temples.

There are 130,000 Zoroastrians worldwide, of which 70,000 live in India as Parsis. With the advent of Christianity and Islam, the influence of Zoroastrianism started to diminish. They were persecuted and chased away. Some lived in secrecy in Northern Iran and assimilated with the Muslims. Some fled to India and were granted refuge by King Jadav Rana. They assimilated with the Gujeratis and came to be known as Parsis.

The speaker touched briefly on the influence of other cultures on Zoroastrians, mainly Parsis. Due to trade ties with China, embroidered fabric was brought back home to India for the womenfolk. Thus was born the Gara - embroidered sari, a prized possession of every Parsi woman. Three of them were on display. For the perusal of the audience were some beautifully illustrated coffee table books and some silver puja items.

The talk was followed by a question and answer session to satiate the curiosity of the audience.
- Amita Shah

THE NEW ISLAM - May 17

The meeting on New Islam was held on Tuesday May 17 at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, and was well attended.

Dr Fadzilah Din is the Assistant Professor of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Science at the International University of Malaysia.

The title of the topic was fairly deceptive and actually covered the Concepts of Islam Hadhari - a reformation in the implementation or modernisation of Islam. Dr Din told us that the present government wishes to express a new view of the steadfast principals and pillars of an established and practising religion, Islam.

Islam Hadhari is the Government's approach that emphasises development consistent with the tenents of Islam to enhance the quality of life through the mastery of knowledge and development of the individual and the nation; "the implementation of a dynamic economic, trading and financial system; an integrated and balanced development that creates a knowledgeable and pious people who hold to noble values and are honest, trustworthy and prepared to take on global challenges."

The concept of Islam Hadhari is not new, but strives to bring the Ummah back to basics, and the fundamentals as prescribed by the Quran and Hadiths that form the foundation of Islam. It aims to achieve ten main principals:

1. Faith and piety in Allah
2. A just and trustworthy government
3. A free and independent people
4. Mastery of Knowledge
5. Balanced and comprehensive economic development.
6. A good quality of life
7. Protection of the rights of minority groups and women
8. Cultural and moral integrity
9. Safeguarding the environment
10. Strong defences.

These principles have been devised so that Muslims can face the global challenges of today. It was agreed that these principles do not seem any different from the principles and practises of any great religion or philosophy.

The government does not have programs put into place yet to implement the new ideas as this religion is a practising religion in Malaysia. Much has been left to the discretion of schools to impart their ideology.

Interpretations apart, Islam embraces the followers of the book and in itself is thus secular, and tolerant of other faiths, whose principles and values are similar.

The discussion after the presentation of the concepts was very interesting and scintillating. It was widely felt that concepts of all major religions perceive similar ideas, presenting them in their own way, with problems in encompassing new concepts of modern living such as contraception and preservation of environment.

How these new concepts and ideas were to be implemented, is still the subject of debate

The speaker felt the motivation of the change in presentation of the concept of Islam would buy new votes as it encompasses the acceptance and toleration of all the peoples with various beliefs and customs that live in Malaysia.

She reminded us that the Government has never practiced secularism that rejects the Hereafter and focuses solely on worldly matters. Islam must be lived as a system that integrates the worldly life in preparation of Judgement day

"But seek with that (wealth) which Allah has bestowed upon you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of lawful enjoyment in this world; and do as Allah has been good to you and seek not mischief in the land." (Al Qasas:77)
- Shameem Sukhia

TRAVEL TIPS & EXPERIENCES: CHINA - May 23

Our group was invited to the House of Suzie Wong, on the fourth floor of Starhill, where we were introduced to Suzanna Goho-Quek who would share her personal experiences of travelling in China for the past eighteen years. Suzanna has been seduced by the sights, smells and idiosyncratic ways of the rural people she has met, who have become great friends of hers and her family.

Suzanna has been a guest at many tables and has sampled challenging delights in the form of worms, beetles, snake and other foods that are enjoyed by the rural villages. During the course of the morning her son and work colleagues brought out little dishes of corn and waterweed, sliced lotus root with fish sandwiched between layers and deep fried in sesame oil, a beancurd dish with zucchini, snake soup, slices of persimmon fruit and other delights to accompany her many wonderful tales of her travels and experiences in China all synchronised to follow the stories.

Suzanna stopovers are always away from the main cities of Beijing and Shanghai, She stays in small villages like Herbei where she has found stone carvings for front doors and other furniture items. One of her stays was in a ramshackle inn where floors and ceilings creaked, where she read by candlelight, listened to strange noises emitted from the building and clutched her rosary for comfort.

In Jiangsu she found a wonderful market place that sold incense burners made from clay and she met friends to go to the Boundfoot exhibition. She was invited to meet a boundfoot lady in the mountains but the weather was cold so she delayed the visit. When Suzanna revisited six months later she found the lady of one hundred and fifteen years had just died. This was a big disappointment. Again she was staying with a friend whose Mother invited her to a bamboo forest. She described how she was encouraged to tiptoe through the forest so as not to damage the new bamboo tips. The family regarded the forest as a treasure. Suzanna then witnessed her friends' mother picking wild mushrooms, taking fish from a pond and cooking the bamboo shoots to provide a nutritious meal for all the family. Right on cue to accompany these tales, little dishes of corn and waterweed and the other aforementioned delights appeared from the back room of The House of Suzie Wong for us to taste.

During this stay she was invited to sleep three women to a bed, with a wooden bucket and lid for a toilet and a duck basin for washing. She was given the privilege of hot water while other member of her hosts' family washed in cold water, but had to attend to natures requests in full view of all in the room. Privacy was not a highly regarded feature of the stay. The slight surprise element was the friends' mothers removal of her wooden leg to sleep. But Suzanna was not fazed by this. The climate in these remote country villages is often very cold and the conditions austere but Suzanna found her hosts warm and very hospitable and was somewhat glad to huddle up together for warmth.

Other visits included a trip to the museums of Beijing, including the capital Museum, to see the treasures of the dungeons not shown to public eyes. Her eyes feasted on jade and coral Buddha's. Suzanna was treated to a re-enactment of a wedding ceremony of a boundfoot lady, who would be carried by sedan chair by eight strong men through the streets to her husband. The concept was that the daughter would marry well if her feet were small enough.

Further visits have given Suzanna the opportunity to stay in old villages outside of Shanghai in timber houses some restored others in poor condition, to visit tea houses and seek out antiquities by chatting to villagers where possible. On one trip to the Ming Tombs she requested her host to take her to an orchard to pluck the fruit from the trees. The gentleman in question offered to take her to the supermarket or to a market but she insisted a visit to an orchard was what she wanted! An orchard was sought and Suzie plucked apples from the tree and brought them back as gifts for friends and family. She has visited many markets on route and bought fabrics and rugs that could only be found in rural China. In Herbei a lady with boundfeet walked to visit Suzanne and share her story. Suzanne and her son have made many visits to meet with old friends and to find other treasures including logs five hundred years old, old doors and windows negotiating with locals on price. When the deal doesn't feel good she backs away and waits for another opportunity to make new friends and business acquaintances.

The morning was animated, interesting and Suzanna entertains her audience well. We have been promised a treat of ghost stories by candlelight for a future event, so be sure to watch out for that event when it occurs. Many thanks to Suzanne for a wonderful, informative warm welcome and for sharing her experiences with us.
- Lynne Samuel

UNDER THE STARS: AN INDIAN ODYSSEY - May 28

Stepping through a wooden door into the gardens of Sutra House was like stepping into an oasis. The lush gardens and the incense wafting fragrantly through the balmy air created the perfect setting for an evening of classical Indian dance.

The evening began with the chance to meet and mingle with other members of the MCG and to browse through and appreciate the interesting art gallery in the house.

We then moved to the amphitheatre where the performances of the evening began with a fashion show by successful Malaysian designer Amanda Brown titled "Denim Desire". The show began with two outfits which have been painstakingly created from coins that shimmered beautifully in the lights as the models sashayed down the stairs and across the stage of the amphitheatre. The show then progressed to Amanda's denim collection. Amanda presented us with some interesting designs for the youthful and demonstrated that denim isn't only for casual wear it can also be fashioned into formal wear.

A sumptuous banquet dinner followed the fashion show and after the main course we all moved back to the amphitheatre for the performance of classical Indian dance by Ramli Ibrahim and the Sutra Dancers (Anushya Nair, Nishah Devi Govind, Divya Nair and Sivagamavalli Selvarajan).

The first dance performed by the Sutra dancers was about Saraswati, the goddess of revelation, song, myth, art and learning. From the moment the dance began I was mesmerised by the wonderfully sensual movements of the dancers and also by the tremendous energy in the stamping of their feet and the jingling of the bells on their ankles.

Next, with a turn of his eyes and a flick of his wrists Ramli Ibrahim brought the classic story of the Ramayana to life by conveying the nine sentiments of erotic love; heroism; compassion; wonderment; laughter; terror; disgust; anger and serenity in a dance called "Navarasa". He performed with such amazing skill that during the performance I felt as though I was watching the sculptures step off the walls of the ancient temples in India.

The third dance was the "Sankarabharanam" composed by the Odissi Guru, the late Pankaj Charan. We were privileged to witness the first public performance by the Sutra dancers of this new work. Again I sat spellbound by the skill of the dancers who seemingly effortlessly executed the many sculptural poses that formed part of this dance.

The last dance of the evening was "Ashta Sambhu", a dance of the eight-fold forms of Shiva. It was performed by Ramli Ibrahim together with the Sutra dancers so it was an appropriate conclusion to the performance. Again the performance was amazing and I was left wanting more when the dancing stopped.

After the performance we enjoyed dessert and coffee in the gardens and were lucky enough to meet the performers. It was a wonderful evening that I will definitely sign up for again next year.
- Bronwen Shelley

MCG NEWS

Chapter I
Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for the Lost Cities and Treasures of Chinese Central Asia by Peter Hopkirk

This proved to be a very interesting read for the 7 members who attended the meeting on Friday, 27th May at Jo Adamson's home. As I had recommended the book, I opted to lead the discussion. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous as to how the group felt; many opinions were voiced and notably it was said that if it were not a book group choice, most would never have considered this as a personal choice. However once started, all found it hard to put down!

The book is about the race to steal the treasures of north-western China at the turn of the twentieth century. Sir Aurel Stein and Sven Hedin began a thirty-year competition to find and save for posterity the ninth century Buddhist artwork that had lain under the sands of the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts for the best part of a millennium. After Stein and Hedin there came the ever-brilliant French, notably Paul Pelliot, the Germans with Le Coq and a very strange bunch of Japanese 'holy men' as spies. A Russian or two arrived a little late and the final curtain came down on a headstrong Yank, Warner Langdon who didn't quite get what he'd bargained for when the Chinese decided enough was enough.

The discussion was very spirited and animated; most agreed that they would prefer to see the treasures insitu and wondered why the western museums and governments refused to hand back the relics - Sir Aurel Stein's collection in the British Museum is tucked away in a corner with little room to explain or reveal it's unique value. Of course the most important question was why did the Chinese allow the 'Treasures' to be removed in the first place!

There are several measures being taken today. According to a recent announcement on 13/4/ 2005 - The China Cultural Relics recovery programme funded by the China Foundation for the development of Folklore culture announced a large scale program to claim back Chinese cultural Relics scattered around the world. The group said it would mainly look for stolen, excavated or looted items between 1840 and 1949. This we felt was too little too late.

The real question this book raised was, have we learnt any lessons from history? There is testimony that there was large scale ransacking of Cultural artefacts from Iraq and Afghanistan during the recent wars.

For the most part we all agreed that Peter Hopkirk wrote a wonderful tale, he managed to keep his opinions under check and factually but humorously write about a very important time in history. If you haven't read this or any other of his books, I definitely recommend them very highly.

Thanks to Jo for hosting under very trying circumstances. We also said goodbye to a long-standing member of the group and a previous Book Group Convenor, Jean Wingfield. Finally, thanks to Joanne, who lent me her wonderful photographs of the Silk Road, to share with the group.
- Nisha Dobberstein

Chapter II
Murder on the Verandah by Eric Lawlor and "The Letter" by W. Somerset Maugham

A 'first rate place for second rate people'

Murder on the Verandah, by Eric Lawlor, is a social history of the British in Malaya during the period 1900 - 1920. Eric Lawlor is an American freelance travel writer who was born in Dublin but now resides in Texas. He has also published Looking for Osman - an account of travelling in Turkey and In Bolivia. It is not clear what his motivation was for writing about Malaya.

The raison d'etre of the book is the Proudlock case: a murder by Ethel Proudlock of her putative lover/rapist William Steward on April 23rd 1911. The first part of the book sets out the events of the night of the murder, suggests the "uninvited" visitor to the verandah was more than a casual acquaintance, traces the police investigation, trial and eventual pardon. The second part of the book seeks to explain the social and political milieu of the protagonists and is a fairly damning account of the British in Malaya: small-minded, middle-class, racist and stifling. No outside context is offered linking the Malayan world to other colonial or post-colonial practices. The third part of the book briefly follows the Proudlocks escaping Malaya and disappearing into obscurity.

The book is written as social history in a light, journalistic style. There is much conjecture about the feelings of Ethel and her family - but unfortunately there are no letters or diaries to support the supposition. The description of early Kuala Lumpur is interesting to any residents, and there are many echoes of expat experience in today's KL. Some things never change (people in particular) and some have changed dramatically.

Lawlor refers to Maugham's story "The Letter" in his book; in order to extend our understanding of the events it seemed appropriate to read the story, not only as another view of the events of the murder, but also as an example of contemporary writing which highlights the prejudices and concerns of the day.

W. Somerset Maugham began life studying medicine and in his final year published Liza of Lambeth. The success of the novel convinced Maugham to give up medicine and concentrate on writing full-time. He published many novels and was a successful playwright. In 1921 Maugham visited Malaya where he learnt of the Proudlock case which became the basis for his short story "The Letter". It was adapted for a play (1927) and later filmed as a movie three times (in 1929, 1940 and 1947) and in 1982 a television version was produced. Maugham's short stories were not well-received in Malaya where his hosts felt betrayed and belittled. When the play was produced in London, writers to the Malay Mail in Kuala Lumpur felt it was poor taste to relive the events while the Proudlocks were still alive.

W. Somerset Maugham, like many writers of his period, believed that only the presence of "the policeman round the corner" (Of Human Bondage, also Joseph Conrad in Heart of Darkness) preserved the veneer of civilization in human beings, but removed from his steadying influence moral decay, spiritual waste and self-deception take over. This is one of his themes in "The Letter", where Mr. Joyce, the lawyer who is to free Ethel Proudlock/Leslie Crosbie from jail and the threat of a death sentence, has changed after twenty years in The East. His standards have shifted so that the priority is to be seen to be under self-control and keeping up appearances.

The prestige of the British community, keeping the high moral ground, becomes more important than justice, truth, and the "policeman round the corner" must also keep his place.

Maugham makes clear his view of the guilty party, whereas Lawlor leaves some questions open. Our discussions were focused less on "who did it" and more on parallels with recent experiences.
- Julie O'Rourke

LIBRARY REPORT
The library has reopened at its usual home and is ready to receive visitors. Please give me a call (012 930 4471, or 2142 0152) to arrange a time to drop by.

We have a couple of new additions which I hope will interest members. First is Tagore's "The Gardener", a collection of poems by the great Indian poet which was first published in 1913. The poems in "The Gardener" (Tagore's most popular single volume), are simple and charming.

"Reflections: the Mahathir Years" is edited by Bridget Welsh (an American academic with extensive knowledge of Malaysia) and contains essays from Malaysian and foreign commentators including Marina Mahathir and Karim Raslan. Recommended reading for all of us wanting to know more about contemporary Malaysia.

Finally, we have a copy of Tash Aw's "The Harmony Silk Factory", the new Malaysian novel, already much acclaimed. A great read.

That's all for now. See you at the library!
- Joanna Adamson