This newsletter will undoubtedly find many of you back in your home country visiting family and friends, trying not to forget anyone or anything, rushing from place to place as you try to cram everything into a few short weeks. At least that is how my 'vacation' normally goes when I balik kampung. No time for boredom there! But then I am absolutely never bored living in KL, are you? I was at a luncheon recently when a tablemate said to me "I am so bored, there is nothing to do here". My first reaction was 'she's crazy', there aren't enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do. Naturally I proceeded to tell her the advantages of membership in the Malaysian Culture Group, but it also started me thinking about the myriad of things there are to do in this fabulous country. Visit the National Art Gallery, the National Museum, the Orang Asli Museum in Gombak or my personal favourite, the Islamic Arts Museum. If you want to experience local sights and smells, go to a local market such as Pudu, or if you are after something more 'colourful', the Chow Kit area. There are hundreds of mosques and temples throughout KL. Did you know that the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah mosque in Shah Alam is the largest in Southeast Asia? If you are in Chinatown, take a look at Chan See Shu Yuen Temple or Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, the latter ranked as one of the most ornate in Malaysia. Take a tour of the old KL railway station and then have 'top hats' at the Heritage Hotel. Badan Warisan (Heritage Trust) has fabulous pamphlets on various walking tours of KL which will give you a history lesson about Chinatown or Merdeka Square. How about batik lessons at the Craft Complex on Jalan Conlay or get to know the artists at The Artist Colony located on the Craft Complex grounds, they are a very friendly bunch. A short distance from KL is Sungai Buloh which is an absolute must for anyone who enjoys gardening, but its history is what makes it so interesting. Contact the Malaysian Nature Society and become a member of this very worthwhile group which offers many family activities. Through them you can visit the dark cave at Batu Caves which is an unbelievable experience for the adventurer. A little further afield is the elephant sanctuary at Kuala Gandah where you ride, feed and swim with the elephants. If you want something really special, check out the Rainforest Music Festival in Sarawak. It will be held from July 11 to 13. Well, this is only a very short list of some of the ways you can alleviate your boredom. The possibilities are endless, but if none of these ideas whet your appetite... there is always shopping!!! We have listed a few websites in this newsletter that may be helpful in planning your summer activities. Wherever you are and whatever you do, I wish all of you a great summer and hope to see you at our MCG activities if you are in town.
- Cindy Zeier PROGRAMME OF EVENTS TIGER RUGS FROM TIBET - 08 JulyTucked away in the inner sanctum of the House of Suzie Wong, is an outstanding collection of Tiger rugs. These rugs, mainly, from Tibet, were virtually unknown outside their country of origin until the mass exodus of refugees in 1959. Then the rest of the world had an opportunity to appreciate these beautiful works of art. This comprehensive collection belonging to Susanna Goho-Quek has been displayed at Muzium Negara, and Susanna will be sharing her extensive knowledge of these rare rugs with us. Originally, tiger skins were used by senior Buddhist monks as seats during meditation and symbolised their ability to control powerful forces. By the early 19th century, stylised woven rugs had replaced these pelts. Tiger rugs were only used by the elite and so were associated with the aristocracy and consequently became a hallmark of authority and wealth. We shall be shown examples of the three basic categories of Tiger rugs: realistic or flayed tigers; representational tigers; and abstract tiger designs. This is a wonderful opportunity to view a collection that so brilliantly displays the creative diversity of the Tibetans.
PRANIC HEALING : AN INTRODUCTION - 23 JulyPranic Healing is an ancient method of treatment that originated in the East. This system of healing has been used for centuries by Indian rishis, Chinese Taoists and Tibetan monks, and as a consequence has until recently been shrouded in mystery. Join us for the morning when the truth will be uncovered about Pranic Healing, which means energy, or life force and how it is used by practitioners to cleanse and energise. The origins of Pranic Healing will be discussed and it will be compared with other energy healing methods. The session will also describe our ‘energetic anatomy’: the aura, meridians and chakras as well as explaining why disease occurs. Basic Pranic Healing techniques will be explained together with the resulting benefits. The presentation promises to provide an interesting and informative morning hosted by the Pranic Healing Society of Malaysia.
LECTURE SERIES : A MALAYSIAN WRITING IN MALAYSIA, IN ENGLISH - 13 August Have you ever wondered why there is such a profusion of Indian writers writing in English today, and yet merely a handful of Malaysian writers? There are many possible reasons other than just population size! Perhaps there are not enough readers or perhaps there are not enough writers. Perhaps the writers are afraid of censorship, or there is a cultural cringe factor where readers prefer foreign writers. Perhaps writing in English smacks of 'neo-colonialism' à la New Economic Policy. Whatever the reason, we have an accomplished Malaysian writer in English, Dato Dr Shanmughalingam, to give us the inside story from a writer's point of view. In addition to a career in finance, economics and merchant banking, both in the government and private sectors, he is a widely published author of short stories and poetry. So please join us for what promises to be a fascinating morning.
The lecture is being held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month in August, due to many members being away for the school holiday break.
ATTENTION EXPLORERS AND POTENTIAL EXPLORERS - 25 August Since our 'rebirth' we have visited the Money Museum; Pulau Ketam; the Dark Cave at Batu Caves; Yayasan Restu; Bentong; Sin Chew Daily; and Datin Leong. If some of these are unknown to you - that's the point!!! You can learn more about these events and the Explorers' group on our website www.malaysianculturegroup.com.
TALK AND SHORT PRESENTATION ON CHINESE OPERA: CANTONESE OPERA - 28 August We are privileged to have Datin Paduka Rosemary Chong, an ex-Malaysian Deputy Minister talk to us about her passion for performing Cantonese operas. And who says there is no life after politics? She herself trained with a See Foo for many months, learning the acting as well as the singing. She concentrated on 'male roles' as she says: "I am not petite, my height usually means I am cast as the general or the empress".
She formed the Yoke Yip Association of Dramatic Arts consisting of ladies only starting from scratch and now performing for charity. Since she is also the Chairman of the Ampang Old Folks' Home, she has helped to raise funds for the Home by arranging performances there as well as at other venues. For that reason we decided to have the event at the Home, as this will give us an opportunity to both appreciate the art a bit better and walk around the Home if we wish to do so.
REPORTS FROM PREVIOUS EVENTS
VISIT TO PORT DICKSON : LUKUT AND CHARPOYS! - 19 May The Museum is located close to the Lukut Fort which was constructed to protect these lucrative tin mines. By 1877 Lukut's economy had deteriorated with the depletion of tin deposits and internal wrangling that the fort was no longer maintained. Artefacts unearthed at the Fort by the Museum department are on display including stoneware from Thailand and Qing dynasty porcelain pieces.
Another attraction of the Museum is the Nassau Gallery, which is dedicated to the Dutch East Indies company ship which sank off Cape Rachado, close to an area now known as Tanjung Tuan. The Nassau was part of a fleet which challenged the Portuguese supremacy in the region and the control of the profitable spice routes. The Nassau was discovered by chance in 1993, when a salvage company was searching for a lost French vessel which they never found. Fortunately, 5,000 artefacts from the Nassau were recovered, some of which are on display at Lukut Museum and Muzium Negara.
Our second stop was to visit the mother and daughter team Raj and Neena Gill who have revived the craft of making charpoys - Indian woven beds. The charpoys are made in a variety of sizes and Raj explained to us how multi-functional they can be. Traditionally, charpoys were made from hemp which was woven onto a wooden frame. Raj, in sourcing a reliable supply of materials, has experimented with a variety of fibres before selecting a synthetic cord, which has the added attraction that it can also be obtained in colours apart from the traditional ecru. A number of trials with the construction of the frame determined that it required a strong timber to withstand the tension of the weave. Now they are experimenting with a stainless steel frame. Sourcing materials is only part of the equation. Finding people who had the skill to weave the body of the bed sent Raj on a trip round the peninsula, searching for those who could pass on their knowledge. We were fortunate enough to be given a display of the weaving process, and could appreciate that it was very much a team effort requiring careful choreography of four pairs of hands to create the finished item.
The final treat of the day was an excellent north Indian lunch cooked by Raj. Both the food and the hospitality was so enjoyable that we were all so reluctant to leave.
FRANK SWETTENHAM'S INFLUENCE IN SELANGOR - HENRY BARLOW - 21 May Necessarily, with such a long career and only one short hour, we focused entirely on Swettenham in Selangor and did not touch on Perak where arguably he was more influential. There was one picture though of the intelligent and formidable Che Mida, Ranee of Kuala Kangsa who was of great political assistance to Swettenham and with whom he may well have had a liaison.
By introduction to our subject, we started with the famous picture of Swettenham by Sargent which hangs in the National Portrait gallery in London. His arrogant pose with his right hand possessively clutching the regalia of sovereignty exemplifies both the man and the nature of British colonial power.
Henry Barlow then swiftly and ably took us round the early life of Frank Swettenham - born 28 March 1850, childhood in 'gentile poverty', his move to Dollar, Scotland in 1860 to achieve a good, low cost, education at the academy of that name. At 11 years old his mother died, and care for the young lad fell to his 17 year old sister Charlotte. The fact that this sister had nothing to do with her brother once grown-up seems to bear out Henry Barlow's assessment "that [Frank] was an outstandingly able and effective man: but scarcely a nice one"
Moving on, we focused on slides of early Malaya: Old Klang, Tunku Kudin's compound there; early KL as just a shanty town in the 1880's; a later one of a rough padang with the Selangor club as a rotunda nestling at the foot of Bukit Aman with the government offices atop; to the final one of 1894 in which the padang is now flanked by the quadrangle of St. Mary's cathedral (in construction), administration and justice buildings and the Selangor Club. Influential ghosts from the past flitted by with Governors Clark and Weld and the wily Sultan Abdul Samad of Selangor who so ably played off all parties to achieve an equilibrium.
Finally we centred on Swettenham as the man whose ruthless ambition allowed none to stand in his way. Whilst his evident ability as an administrator and linguist is acknowledged, his financial probity and liaisons with women exposed him to blackmail over many years. As the husband of the unfortunate and tragic Sydney, he is open to charges of cruelty and deceitfulness, although to be fair the lady also sought solace outside of their miserable 60 years in wedlock. He finally succeeded in divorcing her in his 88th year because of changes in the 1937 divorce law, but Sydney only found out of the decree nisi when she read the papers later. Swettenham remarried Vera, his long-term partner, 13 months later but Sydney outlived him.
We did not have the time to focus on Swettenham as a historian and artist, but his paintings with George Giles have been collected into a book by Henry Barlow and Lim Chong Keat which we were able to buy after the lecture.
PERSIAN DELIGHTS : CARPETS AND CUISINE - 29 May Reza started his discussion about carpets with a brief but interesting overview of the history of carpets and the traditional weaving areas. The earliest known knotted carpet is the Pazyryk Rug that dates back to c.500 BC. This beautiful carpet found in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia in 1949 proves that even at this early date there was a sophisticated level of carpet production.
Reza's specialty is the traditional Persian areas of carpet production. He is extremely proud of his Iranian background and its culture. Although there are extremely good carpets produced in other areas of the Middle East, Turkey and the Caucuses, Reza deals only in Persian carpets. To try to help us understand this vast subject Reza split the topic into two basic classifications:
First the City Carpets: these pieces are of the finest quality and can be found to have as many as 2,000 knots per square inch. The high knot count of these carpets make the incredibly intricate curvilinear patterns possible. This is when the making of carpets becomes the highest art form and can be found signed by both the person who knotted the carpet and the production house. Reza showed us an example from his collection of a carpet signed by Habibian, one of the most famous families in the carpet business today. These family businesses have been passed down generation-to-generation and go back, in a few instances, hundreds of years. Reza showed us that with some study of carpets anyone can learn to recognize the structural and pattern differences between the City Carpets of Qum, Isfahan and Nain.
The second area that Reza covered was the Tribal and Village Carpets. These carpets are usually designed and produced by one person or members of one family. In the case of the tribal carpets these were usually produced for the use of the family and only occasionally were extras made for barter or to sell. As some of these Bedouin Tribes settled in villages, more production became for sale. The knot count in these carpets being much lower than the City Carpets results in the patterns becoming more geometrical and the decorative motifs reflect their nomadic or country life more. Often the main colours of these carpets are deep reds and blues. These carpets with some study can be identified by the different guls used or specific border patterns that are traditional to that tribe or village.
Reza went on to break down the types of carpets that one readily finds on the market: the flat weave kilims and sumakh; the very popular thick piled Gabbeh carpets with simple geometrical patterns and other examples of the many styles of carpets available on the market. He continued with an explanation of the structure of the carpets. The warp and weft base of a carpet are what the knots are tied to, these can be of many different materials and an important way to identify origin. These can be in cotton, silk or wool and sometimes, in the tribal pieces, goat or horsehair. The knots tied to the base can be either in wool, silk or wool and silk.
Many other topics were discussed, such as maintenance and care of carpets, what carpets are best for different areas of your home. Reza continuously gave good examples of what a person should look for in a carpet dealer and a shop. He may as well have been describing himself. Reza has a true love of the business that he is in and a passion for carpets. Each piece that comes into his shop is considered a work of art worthy of respect and care. He feels that the relationship that he builds with his clients will be one of trust and friendship. He suggested that anyone who is interested in buying a carpet should look at many carpets first and at many stores. Compare prices and the business style of different dealers until you find the right person to work with and the right carpet to own. I know that I have found both a friend and one of my favourite dealers and shops in Kuala Lumpur - Reza at Ziba.
We continued the talk about carpets over a wonderful Persian meal and finished a lovely morning with good friends, both old and new and good food. I am a 'Ruggie', a person addicted to the knotted and woven textile art form. I was very pleased to see that twinkle in more than one person's eye and know that they will be back for more information and will learn the joy of flipping stack after stack of carpets.
BITS AND PIECES
THE UPANISHADS...HINDUISM By 500 BC both religion and society in India were changing rapidly. The swift growth of cities, with the subsequent emergence of a strong merchant class, meant that the old varnas -caste/class of priest, warrior, trader and serf - no longer corresponded so neatly with reality. Breakaway sects of ascetics, mystics and renunciants repudiated the authority of the Brahmin priests and their long-established monopoly of religion. Instead, they followed teachers such as Siddartha Gautama who became the Buddha, and Vardhamana who became Mahavira. This led to a transformation of Indian religious life. More than any other Hindu texts, the Upanishads embody this transformation. Rather than invoking external gods, the Upanishads look for a god within, so that the emphasis shifts from ritualised acts of sacrifice to the search for brahman (the sacred force) that lives in all things. Just as the Aryan sages believed that sacrifice embodied and mirrored the divine, so the emerging new philosophy saw brahman's reflection in the atman, or soul. Union with the divine was no longer to be achieved through external ritual but by an inward transformation. The outer trappings of divine worship, which were so important to later Vedic religion and could involve the sacrifice of scores of animals, were not only avoided but were vehemently rejected. Well before 700 BC, Indian sages were chanting neti neti (not that, not that), denying the ultimate reality of an external world in which they saw little more than illusion, and searching instead for the eternal spark of brahman in the soul within all beings. The prime concern of most of the Upanishads is the desire for moksha (release) from transmigration, a concept by then almost universally accepted by those familiar with the sacred texts. This was to be gained through meditation, yoga and asceticism, to unite the atman -soul, with the brahman -absolute spirit.
BALAKI The earliest, and thus the least mystical or philosophical Upanishad, tells the story of Balaki, a proud and learned Brahmin who approached the king of Benares to instruct him in the Vedas. The king offered the Brahmin 1,000 cows if he could reveal to him the nature of brahman. The priest first displayed the sun, then the moon, the elements, lightning, thunder and soma (the draught of immortality) - all symbols of the Vedic gods - but the king was not satisfied. Instead, he himself expounded the theory of atman, yoga and the cycle of rebirth to the humbled Brahmin. For deeper study of this subject, there are many sites on the Web, including:
Though there are more than 200 Upanishads, there are 108 traditional Upanishads recognised as more significant. Of these, 10 are the principal Upanishads: Isha, Kena, Katha, Prashna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya and Brhadaranyaka. Brahman is the whole world.
Verily, this whole world in Brahman. Tranquil, let one worship it as that from which he came forth, as that into which he will be dissolved, as that in which he breathes. [Chandogya 3.14.1] Brahman, indeed, is this immortal. Brahman before, Brahman behind, to right and left. Stretched forth below and above, Brahman, indeed, is this whole world. [Mundaka 2.2.11]
THE RAMAYANA The Ramayana, one of the great Sanskrit epic poems, helped to develop a more popular, devotional religion. A product of the less exclusive world of the Kshatriya ethic, it is not so heavily dominated by the Brahmin-controlled sacrificial and ritual elements of Hinduism. It remains a popular source of religious teaching through public readings and dramatisations. The core of the epic poem was first composed in the 4th century BC as a secular tale recited by bards who were attendant on the royal courts. However, as the centuries passed, the religious elements of the story were expanded upon, and Rama, its hero, became transformed from a warrior king into a warrior deity. By the 4th century AD, Rama was widely identified as the 7th incarnation of the Hindu god, Vishnu. The Ramayana's links with Vedic religion are, however, still strong. Brahmin priests are widely honoured in its verses, and the horse sacrifice plays a crucial part in the narrative. Like the Vedas and the Mahabharata, the Ramayana is also believed to have been divinely revealed. The story is supposed to have come to its composer, Valmiki, while he was meditating upon the mantra "Ram". Valmiki's own life assumes mythic proportions in the introduction to the main text, in which he plays an active role. Legend has it that he retired to the forest where, during 1,000 years of meditation, he kept so motionless that his body became covered by a valmika (anthill) - hence his name, meaning 'son of the anthill'. Despite the secular nature of the poem in its original form, the narrative scheme of the Ramayana clearly shows the influence of essentially Vedic elements. In its early pages, for example, Rama is frequently linked with the glorious Vedic sun god Indra and with the battle against evil. Like Indra, Rama is an ideal warrior, and - unlike the confused Arjuna of the Mahabharata - he never hesitates to raise his bow, and clearly draws the battle lines between good and evil.
RAMA AND SITA Rama's actions in the Ramayana epic are governed by dharma - the irrefutable law that is the foundation of both the cosmic and the social orders. Although the Ramayana is a tale of martial glory, it is also a corpus of moral and ethical precepts, providing a guide to statesmanship, human conduct and relationships. Rama is an idealised figure, a perfect king, warrior and husband. The epic traces his life, beginning with his birth as the eldest son of the good king Dasharatha. He wins Sita, the epitome of purity, as his wife. But on the eve of their accession, they are denied the throne, and sent into exile for 14 years by Rama's father. Typically, Rama acts with honour: in accordance with the rule of dharma, he obeys his father, who then dies of sorrow. Rama does not return until he has served the full term of his exile. He roams the wilderness with Sita, fulfilling his caste duty by protecting Brahmin hermits from local demons. The greatest demon, Ravana, kidnaps Sita and takes her to Lanka (Sri Lanka). Rama's devotion leads him to spend many years in search of her. The narrative climaxes with Sita's eventual rescue, as Rama and his monkey ally Hanuman obliterate the capital of the demon kingdom. The lovers are finally reunited but still Rama puts dharma above his own interests, and in a tragic dénouement he banishes Sita. Although he knows her to be pure, the dharma of a king decrees that her time spent in the company of another man brings him dishonour. Sita prays to the earth to swallow her up, and Rama is left to mourn her loss until he too offers himself to the god of death.
OTHER COMMUNITY EVENTS LECTURE/EXHIBITION:
The Spiritual Edifices Of Islam Exhibition - 3rd May - 3rd August 2003
Badan Warisan : Straight Takes, 2 - 30 June
THEATRE:
Leslie-The Legend: 4 - 6 July, 8.30pm , 6 July, 3pm
The 2nd First Annual Bolehwood Awards: 9 - 12, 15 - 17 July, 8.30pm; 13 July, 3pm
The Sleeping Heart : 18 & 19 July, 8.30pm; 20 July, 3pm & 8.30pm
DANCE:
RESOURCES ON SUFISM While it may be difficult for us to truly experience the Sufi path, there are a prolific number of web sites that members can access to learn more about it.
Here are just a few that provide introductions to Sufism in English and links to further reading:
Members would realise that Sufis rely on allegory and parables to pass on lessons to initiates. Thus packaged, the lessons become easier to slip past the ego of students, and useful when concepts are too abstract to be digested.
One classic Sufi story from Persia is 'The Conference of the Birds' by Fariduddin Attar (Penguin Books), which can be found at Silverfish Books in Bangsar and MPH. Do you know that the Swiss legend of William Tell is actually based on this tale?
A palatable compilation of Sufi stories can also be found in 'Tales from the Land of the Sufis' by Mojdeh Bayat and Mohammad Ali Jamnia (ISBN 1-57062-891-2), published by Shambhala Publications. There are useful biographical notes on the original authors, providing us with historical settings and stories about the stories! The book's introduction is also a succinct introduction to Sufism.
Other works can be found at a specialty bookstore in KLCC that stocks titles on Islam and Islamic arts and culture, called unsurprisingly, The Specialist Bookshop. It is located at 321B, Level 3, Suria, Tel 03 2166 3433.
Some titles that you may be able to find include:
Do make your own searches and share your finds with other MCG members. Happy reading.
The ways to God are as many as there are created beings. But the shortest and easiest is to serve others, not to bother others, and to make others happy. - Abu Sa'id
EVENT BOOKING SUGGESTION MCG NEWS In this respect Mukherjee, the authorial 'middleman' between East and West, herself an immigrant, has illustrated these transformations quite successfully. So much so that some chapter members felt as if there were several authors writing these stories, speaking from different cultural perspectives that cross genders and age barriers.
For example, more than half of the 11 stories feature male voices, including an unhinged Vietnam veteran (Loose Ends), a yuppie ruminating on his Filipino 'aristocrat' girlfriend (Fighting for the Rebound), a Baghdad Jew in Nicaragua (The Middleman), a middle-aged Sri Lankan Tamil refugee (Buried Lives), and another Vietnam vet struggling with competing loves - his illegally sired Vietnamese daughter and his long-suffering American girlfriend (Fathering).
Mukherjee's masterful manipulation of American slang and cultural signifiers ("cherry bombs and rockets") as well as of language - both conversational and metaphorical - have brought a high degree of realism to each of these varied characters and settings.
Yet despite this, a few of us felt that the book as a whole left very little lasting emotional impact. In fact, the only story that received universal approbation was the last, The Management of Grief, which tenderly portrayed a grieving, tearless Indian-Canadian mother.
While the collection has been an educational read, the bleak isolationism experienced by the characters, and the stories' ambivalent endings left a lot of us feeling not a little depressed. Perhaps the missing element is optimism. The land of milk and honey for which these immigrants have left their homelands has been painted roughly in very dark hues, "an exaggeratedly bad view of the West" as one member suggested. Even the 'native' Americans are cheerless and dispossessed, strangely drawn to yet repelled by these new immigrants, responding violently sometimes at the meeting point of cultures.
We are indeed thankful that Mukherjee chose the short story format to sketch these people in transit. (Once literally in The Tenant, where a courtship is conducted in an airport lounge, Chicago's space-pod-like O'Hare.) As they are so angst-filled, all of us felt that we might not have wanted to read them if each of the stories had been developed into novels.
In the end, while the collection definitely lacks the feel-good factor, most of us would recommend it to the other book groups without regret.
This book was an interesting insight into the secretive world of the geisha but simply told in a rather mundane style without the evocative prose of Golden's novel. There are detailed descriptions but there's little emotion except when Mineko talks about her jealous sister. The book was enjoyed by the group members and most found it a quick read but it failed to arouse any strong feelings.
We were somewhat skeptical of the author's memory for detail and surprised by her concern over the decline of the geisha lifestyle when, as the new owner of the geisha house, she played a major part in its downfall!
The book has been translated from Japanese and 'edited and shaped' to bring clarity and sense to it- but perhaps something was lost in so doing.
Recommended as a glimpse into the mysterious (and still misunderstood!) life of a geisha.
BOOKING POLICY FOR EVENTS Reservations - When making email reservations for events, please send one email for each event and place the event title on the subject line. Telephone reservations can be made Monday to Friday
Wait List - Events Planning follows a policy of booking places for events on a first come first served basis. If an event becomes full then a wait list is created and participants will be informed as soon as possible if a place becomes available.
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Cancellations - If for some reason you cannot attend a programme when you have reserved a place please let the Events Planning Team know as soon as you can.
Cancellations received within less than 48 hours are only eligible for a refund if the vacancy can be filled from the wait list or if the person can find another member to take their place.
Refunds - Refunds can only be given if EP has 48 hours notice of a cancellation. Please note that some events have a cancellation time of longer than 48 hours, this will be indicated in the description of the event.
Eligibility - Please note that all events, apart from the monthly lecture are for Members only, unless otherwise stated. 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 
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