I hope that all of you have been enjoying the holiday season! Maybe you are like me and celebrate all holidays regardless of your religious or cultural background. The MCG will continue in this festive mood with a couple of events which you won’t want to miss. Help us celebrate Chinese New Year at Ming Goh’s home, which is an architectural marvel. Plus, we will also be celebrating Japanese Girl’s Day early March. Our ‘theme’ this month is the environment and our February lecture concerns the rainforests that surround us and how they are affected by the timber industry and our buying habits. How many of us have bought teak pieces while living in Asia? I have certainly done my part for the furniture retailers, but not much for the environment, I’m afraid. Our Banana Leaf cooking lesson continues on this theme, since our plate is user-friendly and biodegradable! This event also allows us to learn more about one of the varied ethnic groups in Malaysia. One holiday also celebrated in early February is Thaipusam, a Tamil festival. It is a spectacular event that begins at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, KL, and culminates at the Batu Caves where devotees climb the steep steps, some bearing Kavadis, which are steel frames supported by the shoulders and decorated with flowers and peacock feathers. Others walk in sandals embedded with iron nails or may stick silver pins through their cheeks, tongues and bodies. Many of the devotees claim to feel no pain for they are deep in thought on God. Although some may find this event unappealing or even gruesome, it is a once in a lifetime experience for the brave. The MCG is not organising a tour, but you can check the web for information if you are interested. Hope to see you soon at one of our great events!
- Cindy Zeier PROGRAMME OF EVENTS
REPORTS FROM PREVIOUS EVENTS
CHAKRAS - THE ENERGY CENTRES OF OUR BODY—03 November Darshana was a big attraction for MCG members when she returned to Kuala Lumpur in November to tell us more about energy lines, chakras andpranayama. The screening room at the Stonor Centre was almost filled to capacity for Darshana’s whirlwind tour throughtraditional Indian knowledge, with the main emphasis being on pranayama. The Sanskrit word pranayama is usually translated as the science of breath, but this translation is a very limited interpretation of the word, for pranayama literally means the ayama expansion or the manifestation of prana–pra: first unit, na: energy. Prana is the vital energy of the universe and pranayama is the science which imparts knowledge related to the control of prana. The nadis too are a very important aspect of our bodies; they are linked with the chakras. The central canal Sushumna plays a vital role in tantric practices. Chakras are centres of interchange between physical and psychological energy within the physical dimension, and prana is the force that links the physical with the mental and the mental with the spiritual. I was particularly amazed to discover that humans only breathe through one nostril at a time, and that the ‘active’ nostril switches over every two hours or so. But judging from the questions and depth of knowledge of our members, there were plentyin the audience who were well versed in the artand practice of breathing and meditation. Darshana has encyclopedic knowledge on the topicand a great presentation style. I came away wishing we had more time to delve into the topic—please come back again soon!
THE GURKHAS IN MALAYSIA - A Talk & Lunch - 16 November Question: Where do you go for lunch on Sunday? Well, if you are a lonely Nepalese man, yearning for the taste of a home-cooked meal, searching for familiar faces and for the sound of your own language being spoken, then you must join the hundreds of men thronging the street outside and within the environs of the Nepal House Restaurant right in the middle of KL. Last Sunday some 44 members of the MCG braved the congested footpaths of Jalan Silang and climbed two crowded flights of stairs to join charming host, Encik Bal Bahadur Rana, our speaker, for a very interesting talk and for a typical Nepalese meal of rice, chicken, dhal, and dumplings.
The Malaysian Government has recognised the invaluable service contributed by the soldiers of the Ghurkha regiments and by the loyalty of the Nepalese in Malaysia and has given (through Tourism Malaysia), an area of 11.2 acres of prime land at Rawang. On this land the Ghurkha Association plans to build 82 houses, a temple and a community hall. The project is expected to be finished in 2007, and time and effort is now being expended on seeking sponsorships and donations towards the huge cost of the enterprise. The Ghurkhas follow the Hindu religion (90%), and in the past a problem has existed as they have their own customs and rites within the religion, which are quite different from those practised in Malaysia. Consequently a Nepalese priest was bought to KL in order that weddings, funerals, etc, could be carried out in the traditional way. The people of Nepal vary in features and dialects from the north to the south. The country is wedged between the super powers of China and India, an unenviable situation for any small country. Nepal is a country embroiled in internal strife, but according to our speaker, it is still a great place to visit. He maintains that the cities are safe and that the best time to visit is during September, October, or November (these months are festival times). There is now a Nepalese Embassy in KL, where visas to visit Nepal are issued. Apart from the Nepalese residents in Malaysia, foreign workers are being brought here from Nepal on work permits of 3 years. After this time they return to their homeland and then usually re-apply to return. The fighting prowess of the Ghurkhas is well known, and their skills are being utilised today in many countries around the world. The Ghurkhas have fought bravely and well for the British in many theatres of war, including World Wars I and II, the Malayan Emergency and in Borneo against the Indonesian Army, the Falklands War, Bosnia, to name a few. The Ghurkhas remain one of the best fighting units in the world, and their skills with the Kukri (fighting knife) are legendary. It is understandable therefore why so many of the Nepalese turn to becoming security guards in their later years. Because many Nepalese strive in their own land in a relatively harsh environment as farmers and herdsmen, it is considered fortunate indeed to be chosen to join the army training squads run by the British. Ghurkha brigades are integral to the British Army and have been for many years. At the conclusion of the talk, Hilary Munro, MCG’s organiser of the event, thanked Bal for his insights into the Nepalese community in Malaysia and for allowing us to visit his restaurant, one it is unlikely that many of us would have discovered on our own in downtown KL.
SPECIAL FORCES IN THE MALAYAN EMERGENCY - 03 December DATO’ JJ Raj lived through and experienced first hand the tribulations of the Emergency in Malaysia–the period when the Communist movement threatened the formation of Malaysia. The talk covered the time from the Japanese Occupation of Malaya (1941-1945) right up to the formation of Malaysia in 1963. This was a very intricate part of Malaysian history. Therefore Dato’ JJ Raj gave us the highlights of each period and also amused us with several personal experiences of his. During the Japanese Occupation, people lived mainly in a state of arbitrary arrest and torture and were fearful of being sent to the Death Railway in Thailand. To fight against the Japanese the Malayan Peoples Anti Japanese Army (MPAJA) was formed. After the Japanese surrendered, the MPAJA ruled the country for about 3 months and held kangaroo courts to sentence people who were under the slightest suspicion of collaboration with the Japanese during the Occupation. The British returned to Malaya and began to rebuild the country. In 1948, the Communist Party began its campaign. Members of the Communist Party included former members of the MPAJA, who had not surrendered their weapons when the British returned. Dato’ JJ Raj worked as an OCPD in several districts in Johor, Perak and Kedah during the Emergency. He served under General Sir Gerald Templer. General Templer was the British High Commissioner whose task it was to save Malaya from the Communists and to unite all the races so that common citizenship could be achieved for all Malayans. New villages that were fenced and patrolled by policemen were built throughout Malaya. This was to prevent communist interaction with the villagers. To counteract the communist attacks on these villages, the corpses of the communists that were killed in the jungle were laid outside the local police stations for the general public to view. Even though this was a crude method, it was effective as it helped the villagers to slowly relinquish their fears of these communists. The communist threat was quelled by the concerted effort of all those involved. As Malaya approached its independence, the leaders of Malaya sought a smooth transition period from colonial rule to independence. Many British officials, including the then Inspector General Sir Claude Fenner, were requested to remain for a while to aid with the running of the country. Malaysia would still face challenges after its independence, e.g. the 1963 riots and the Ganyang Malaysia (Crush Malaysia) campaign by the Indonesians. Dato’ JJ Raj left us with the message that racial tolerance in Malaysia must be promoted to achieve “Bangsa Malaysia” (Malaysian Race). The talk was informative. More details about Malaysia’s journey through those times are recounted in his book, The War Years and After.
EXPLORERS IN SIAM - 08 December December saw the Explorer’s Group visiting a Siamese location. Although we met at KL’s second Thai Temple, we began the morning with a brief discussion about the city’s first Siamese Temple, which was founded in 1925, in what became known as Kampung Siam. The temple does still exist in Pekeliling off Jalan Tun Razak, but now it is surrounded by high rise flats, a far cry from its initial days when it was set in jungle and swamp land. Wat Chetawan is the second and far more visually appealing temple located in Petaling Jaya just off Jalan Gasing. Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, promised the Thai Government to build a new temple. Two acres of land were donated for this purpose and the temple was completed by Thai craftsmen in 1962, and inaugurated in the same year by King Bhumipol and Queen Sirikit of Thailand. Visiting the Wat or monastery gave the group the opportunity to discover the features of a temple compound as well as learning about the significance of the Buddha. Certain features are found in every wat compound:
It is in the Ubosot that all the important ceremonies are conducted and the principal dates in the Buddhist calendar celebrated. These are:
There were a number of other features that we observed when walking around the compound. From the simplistic mural paintings we could follow the main events of the life of the Buddha as well as appreciating some of the recurring symbols. One of the most significant is the lotus, reminding believers in the story of the Buddha’s birth when he took seven steps and wherever his feet touched the ground lotus flowers bloomed. Also within the grounds is a shrine to Kwan Yin, who is often described as the Goddess of Mercy and known as a Bodhisattva, one who turned away from enlightenment in order to use her wisdom to help others. There is also a shrine to Brahma, the creator in the Hindu pantheon of gods. He is shown with four heads indicating that he is watching over the four corners of the world, and his four arms hold the Vedas, water vessels, a ladle, a rosary and a conch shell. Although Wat Chetawan is situated close to the busy Jalan Gasing, it is a surprisingly serene and quiet place, an oasis of tranquillity in the midst of P.J.
MCG NEWS BOOK CLUB REPORTSThe Soul of Malaya by Henri Fauconnier, Translator: Eric Sutton ISBN: 981-4068-48-9 The Soul of Malaya, published in 1930, was Henri Fauconnier’s first book based on his life as a planter in Malaya. He was awarded France’s highest literary honour, the Prix Goncourt, for this book. The story revolves around a French planter’s experiences of living on a Malayan rubber plantation and his interaction with a host of characters and situations that help him to better understand the country and its people. Most of the group enjoyed the book for its vibrant imagery, strong characters, realistic description of Malaya, the use of appropriate couplets and beautiful illustrations. It was felt that the colonial lifestyle had been described very well and the differences between the French and the British planters were real. A few in the group felt that the frequent philosophical passages were tedious to read. Some members, however, suggested that this made the book very French in orientation. Specifically, there was an animated discussion on the relationship between Lescale, the protagonist, and his mentor Rolain. There seemed to be many incidents throughout the book that suggested a physical undertone to their partnership. It could also have been based on a combination of loneliness, hero worship, and the fact that Rolain was more worldly than his protégé. Another point of discussion was Smail, Rolain’s servant, whose character went from loyal servant to a love-crazed killer. This made his character somewhat unbelievable since he was the epitome of a sensitive, gentle Malay, who worshipped his white master through most part of the book. The members were of the view that the book was a bestseller in the 1930’s as it portrayed the romance and the glory of life in an exotic country. All in all, the book was well received by the group. Thanks to Anna for hosting and serving the delicious pancakes–I think the recipe should be printed in the next newsletter!
Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje ISBN: 0-330-48077-4 After a few problems for some members in getting hold of this book, everyone managed to read it before we met this month. Michael Ondaatje was born in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1943. His father was a tea and rubber plantation superintendent and his mother performed part-time as a “radical dancer” inspired by Isadora Duncan. His parents separated in 1954 and he moved to England with his mother. In 1962 Michael Ondaatje moved again. This time to Canada, where he still lives, to continue his university education. He is a member of the English Department of York University in Toronto. He also edits a literary magazine with his wife, novelist/editor Linda Spalding. Anil’s Ghost is a novel which follows the story of Anil, a forensic anthropologist, born in Sri Lanka, educated in England and America. He returns to Sri Lanka when sent by an international human rights group to investigate the organised murder campaigns devastating Sri Lanka. It is a story about love, family, identity, fear and the unknown enemy. Chapter 2 enjoyed the book. The discussion compared many passages in the book to poetry. Simple sentences written with such economy, and inspirational use of words, showed Ondaatje’s love and mastery of the poetic form. In an interview Ondaatje has said of his most recent book of poems, Handwriting, and Anil’s Ghost, “The books are in some ways a pair, though they seem to be from a different perspective. The poetry, by its nature, is more enigmatic and aphoristic. The novel is much more detailed and tactile, of the present as opposed to the past, forensic in that sense.” There was an interesting discussion about our sense of national identity. How, often without being conscious of it, we carry our national identity wherever we go. We may not be overly patriotic to our birth country but no matter where we go or where we live we are observed and identified by our nationality. When your country of birth is in such turmoil as Sri Lanka has been and such atrocities are happening, it deeply affects not just those living within the country’s borders but also those living in other countries who no longer call Sri Lanka home. This is evident in Anil’s wish to return to Sri Lanka with her professional abilities to try to solve the mystery of Sailor’s death. We thought it was also evident in Ondaatje’s choice of subject for this book. This book is not a light read but to quote from the British Independent newspaper review, “This is why I read, this is why literature matters, this, in short, is IT...”
LIBRARY REPORT I wish a very Happy New Year to all members, especially to visitors of the MCG library. Santa Claus visited our library so we’ve some wonderful books this month, mostly about one of the Malaysian states–Sabah–previously known as North Borneo. If you plan to travel to this part of Malaysia or are thinking about it, please come and have a look at these books first. Agnes Newton Keith’s trilogy–Land Below the Wind, Three Came Home and White Man Returns–describes old North Borneo from pre-war years, when the state was under the Chartered Company rule, through to the outbreak of the Pacific War and Japanese occupation, and thence to the early years of post-war recovery as a British Crown Colony. Keith came to Borneo in 1934 and she describes very well the life of European expatriates and their families as well as of the indigenous people. The book Twenty Years in Borneo by Charles Bruce, first published in 1924, and With the Wild Men of Borneo by Elisabeth Mershon, first published in 1922, are interesting records of the adventurous life of expatriates at the beginning of the 20th century. The Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society publishes its journal twice a year with very interesting articles. We have the almost complete collection in the library. Come investigate! Also, the Sabah Museum Kota Kinabalu publishes the Sabah Museum Monograph. I bought one issue, so please come review it and let me know if you find it interesting and if it is worth investing for the long term.
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