REPORTS   FROM   PREVIOUS   EVENTS

TRAVEL TIPS AND EXPERIENCES

Sunrise , Sunset over Borobudur – 23 February 2006

Until Iolanda's presentation on Borobudur, in Java, I had thought that this famous Buddhist monument was the least appealing compared to those in Bagan ( Burma) and Angkor Wat (Cambodia). Yet, after Iolanda's talk I, along with many others present, was convinced this was not the case. If Iolanda had a business in signing people up for trips to Borobudur after her talk she would have had a roaring trade.

Iolanda's trip was taken to Java not just as tourists but one of a party from the Buddhist Gem Fellowship of KL. They were accompanied on the trip by Lama Samten, a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Lama Samten's distinctive chanting was played during Iolanda's talk and I think we all felt quite calm and at peace with the world having listened to the hum of his voice. Lama Samten fled Tibet in 1959 when he was 13 years old whilst most of his family remained in Tibet. The purpose of the trip with Lama Samten was to travel as pilgrims to the famous Buddhist temple and to give offerings and meditate on the life of Siddhartha, The Buddha.

Iolanda explained that the group first flew into Jogyakarta (or simply Yogya) on Java, the main island of Indonesia. Yogya is located at the foot of the Merapi Volcano. In the 16th and 17th centuries it was the seat of the mighty Javanese empire of Mataram. Many significant sites remain from this time, including the Kraton, Sultan's Palace. Other places of appeal in Yogya include Jalan Malioboro, the main street where all the action happens. It is a one kilometer strip of stalls and markets that open early in the morning, trade all through the day and at night turns into a buzzing night market. Yogya is famous for distinctive batik, which can be seen worn by Javanese of all ages, and are sold on Jalan Malioboro. The main highlight of Jogya is Prambanan Temple. This is one of the last remaining Hindu temples. It was constructed in the 9th Century and provides an incredible back-drop for the Ramayana ballet which is performed every night.

After Yogya, the group made their way towards Borobudur – the main purpose of their visit. By way of background, Iolanda explained that Buddhism came to Indonesia in the 7th and 8th centuries as a result of trading links between the islands of Java and Sumatra and India. In Java, Mahayana Buddhism mingled with old Hindu-Javanese Tantrism in which reciting magic formulas was customary. And so Buddhist Tantrism developed which was to form the background to Borobudur. It was completed in the 9th century AD – 300 years before Cambodia's Angkor Wat and 400 years before the European Cathedrals. Borobudur is one of the greatest monuments in the world and the single biggest monument in the Southern Hemisphere.

Iolanda explained that the whole structure is in the form of a lotus, the sacred flower of Buddha. For about 150 years it was the spiritual centre of Buddhism in Java until, in 856 AD, it was abandoned, after Hinduism became the dominant religion. During the 10th century, the temple was less and less visited and was progressively covered by volcanic eruptions and tropical growth. It was 'lost' until Sir Stamford Raffles rediscovered it in the 18 th century.

Borobudur is a place of pilgrimage rather than worship. On the day Iolanda visited most other 'tourists' were Indonesian Moslems who had come to see and explore the magnificent site. The locals joined Lama Samten and the group as they wandered clockwise, keeping the edifices on the right.

Ascending the monument symbolizes the progression from the world of illusion to enlightenment. Borobudur is said to represent the Buddhist division of the universe into three intermingled separate levels. First there is Kamadhatu (the world of desire), Ruphadhatu (world of forms); and Arupadhatu (world of formlessness). The square terraces suggest Earth and the circular terraces represent Heaven. There is one great central stupa crowning the three circular terraces representing Nirvana and so contains an empty chamber.

Following the traversing of the terraces, the group assembled at the top to perform a puja (offering) to Buddha. This involved making an offering of flowers, a cleansing ritual and the placement of a white scarf around one of the stupas. At the base, they performed other puja's including, meditation, prayers and chanting.

We asked many questions of Iolanda, but were all silenced and in awe of the beautiful photographs that she and her fellow pilgrims took of Borobudur – at dawn, in the heat of the day, and at dusk. The grey brick is quite distinctive and the relief on the walls detailed and in good condition. But the most special photos were those taken of Lama Samten and members of the KL Buddhist Gem Fellowship. In their faces one could see great serenity and joy.

Thank you Iolanda, for sharing the story of your personal pilgrimage to Borobudur.

Sunita Varlamos

A Morning of Contemporary Malaysian Art

Wei Ling Gallery, Wednesday 15th March

Members of MCG enjoyed a stimulating morning at Wei Ling Gallery, learning about the local art scene here in Malaysia.

Wei Ling Gallery is situated in a charming converted shop house, in one of oldest parts of Brickfields. Owned by Artist Lim Wei Ling and Yohan Rajan, it originally housed the architectural practice of Wei Ling's father. It was converted into a gallery space after it was gutted by fire in early 2004.

After admiring the building, we listened to Wei Ling explain the origins of the Malaysian art scene from its inception to today. Malaysian art has less than a 100 year history. Colonized by both Dutch and Portuguese, neither left an artistic legacy and it wasn't until 1952 that the British introduced art education to Malayan schools. Along with this introduction came influences such as Chinese brush painting from China, and art movements from Europe such as impressionism. There was also the input of artists from the Nanyang School of fine art which encouraged experimentation with both European & Chinese traditions.

Many artists during the 50's & 60's went to Europe and the UK and came back to a newly independent Malaysia with ideas such as abstraction and impressionism. Enthusiastic about post independent Malaysia, they were keen to contribute to the new country and try out their new skills and ideas. The period until 1965 was really a golden era for Malaysian art with many exhibitions being held here from around the world.

It was after the race riots in 1965 that there was a country wide trend towards Islamification. Malay National Art schools were no longer allowed to teach students figurative art and self expression was discouraged. There began a 20 year trend towards decorative and abstract art. It wasn't until the early 80's when many artists were studying and traveling abroad, that students started to rebel and figurative art and self expression slowly started to return to the Malaysian art scene. Artists began occasionally expressing subtle political commentary through their work.

We are now in a very exciting period with talented young artists working with both traditional and non traditional medium. Malaysian art is on the ascendant with many Art patrons in the form of large companies and multinationals recognizing the talent of the local art scene.

After the talk we enjoyed looking at works by some of the artists represented by the Gallery as well as the solo exhibition by Sabri Idrus who works with aluminium, computer and acid treated plastic epoxy.

Thanks to Wei Ling for an extremely interesting and enjoyable morning

Angela Naylor

MCG NEWS

THE MALAYSIAN CULTURE GROUP NEEDS YOUR HELP

As you may know a small and dedicated team of our members known as the Events Planning Team organize many varied and interesting events for the MCG. Unfortunately the numbers in our team have reduced in the last couple of months and will reduce further in the next.

We are looking for people to join our team. Don't worry if you are new to Malaysia and don't have any contacts. We have people on the team who have lived in Malaysia for many years and have the contacts we need. Often if someone has an idea we can find the contacts.

We are looking for people who can help with the general running of the MCG, reply to bookings, take money at events, help with setting up the events and of course put forward new ideas.

If you would like to join our team or would just like some further information please call our EPT Convener, Michelle Pease on 03 20952530 or 012 3660681.

MCG Noticeboard

BOOK CLUB REPORTS

Chapter I
Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

Li Cunxin's journey is how one moment in time changed the course of a Chinese peasant boy's life in dramatic and unimaginable ways. His story takes us from the bitter poverty of his childhood to defection in the United States and some of the greatest ballet companies of the world. It is a story that very nearly vanished, like millions of other peasants' lives, amidst revolution and chaos.

Li Cunxin was born in 1961 in Qingdao , China. At age 11, he was chosen by Madame Mao's Cultural advisers to study at the Beijing Dance Academy. He endured 7 years of hard classical ballet training and graduated at the top of his class. Li Cunxin was awarded the scholarship to study in the US in 1979 upon his graduation as one of the two first cultural exchange students ever sent to the US under the communist rule. Then in 1981, Li Cunxin defected in Houston, Texas and was locked up against his will by the Chinese Consulate for 21 hours. It became a huge political incident and caused international headlines. He was finally released after a dramatic standoff between the Australian and the Chinese Governments.

Li Cunxin then went onto became one of the best dancers in the world. He won numerous dance awards including two silver and a bronze medal at International Ballet competitions. He performed all over the world with many top ballet companies.

Li Cunxin and his family moved to Australia in 1995. He went on to dance as a Principal Dancer with the Australian Ballet for another 4 years. Li and his wife Mary have three children, and live in Melbourne. He is now a senior manager at Bell Potter Securities - one of the largest stockbroking houses in Australia.

Li Cunxin's extraordinary autobiography Mao's Last Dancer was published in 2004. A tale of talent, faith and determination, the book is a moving account of the moral complexities, personal costs and rich rewards of following one's dreams.

Currently in its 23rd reprint, Mao's Last Dancer is now sold in over 20 countries. It was awarded the Book of the Year by the Australian Booksellers Association, the Nielson BookScan (2004) and was named in Amazon.com's Break-Out Books list just weeks after its USA release.

An inspirational and motivational speaker, Li Cunxin's story is an account of his extraordinary journey told with honesty, dignity and pride.

We began our morning, by listening to the beautiful sounds of the "piba" the "erhu" and the "yanqin," traditional instruments whose music made Li "want to dance"

This set the tone for our discussion and at the end of it, we all agreed that it was a heart warming read, and for some of us it was a compelling one as well. We enjoyed the style in which it was written though some of our members felt that Li wrote about the most stressful periods of his life without sufficient depth and passion.

We all agreed that his use of language was good and that the inclusion of fables and Chinese customs is a wonderful way to teach and inspire children and young people.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was quite moved by the courage and determination of Li, and of his mother and his wife. It is a book that I recommend and would like to keep on my bookshelf!

Hootoksi Tyabji

Chapter II
The Jacaranda Tree by H.E. Bates

The Jacaranda Tree is a rare book – imminently readable, beautifully written and wonderfully thought provoking. We enthusiastically discussed passages and characters in the book, and much more, as it raised a wide range of issues from living in KL today to the concept of what makes a 'good' person. We generally found the book hard to obtain: one copy came from a second-hand bookshop in Canada, another bought second-hand on Amazon was an original print

from 1949, and yet another was found in a member's bookshelf purchased in 1973 with her maiden name written on the inside cover! It is certainly a book worth holding onto or hunting down.

The Jacaranda Tree is a masterly account of a cruel flight from invasion. Paterson, the English manager of a rice-mill, organizes the evacuation of a small English community in Burma when Japanese forces invade. Paterson takes with him his Burmese mistress and her young brother. The rest of the party take along their prejudices, their pettiness and their squabbles, and a small enclave of English insularity moves north through Burma. Swiftly and inevitably the journey becomes a tragic working-out of tension and insoluble conflicts.

We all thought the description of characters and their foibles or strengths the work of a very astute and brilliant author. We discussed aspects of the characters' lives as though they were living people and we felt emotionally attached to their fate. Although some of the characters could be described as clichés, we also felt that they were credible. Even the protagonist of the book, Paterson, whom we all initially felt some sympathy for, was deconstructed so that after our discussion we felt he was not the hero we first thought. On the one hand, he looked after his servant, Tuesday, by giving him a discarded broken radio. This item was treasured by Tuesday above all else. However, the fact that Paterson failed to mention that this was a broken set and of no use highlighted the patronizing way he related to the Burmese even though at the outset he appeared to be their champion.

H.E Bates (1905-1974), described by Graham Greene as Britain's successor to Chekhov, was a prolific and popular writer whose work ranges from the hit 1950s comic novel The Darling Buds of May to government-commissioned war fiction such as Fair Stood The Wind for France. Herbert Ernest Bates, called H.E. both personally and professionally, was born in Rushden, Northamptonshire, in 1905. He knew at the age of 12 that he wanted to be a writer.

The Jacaranda Tree is a wonderful read – we all reported feeling gripped by the narrative and the paths of the characters. It was such a pleasure to read a book written some time ago, and now sadly out of print, which in our view, is significantly better than most contemporary books. If you can't find a copy, please feel free to borrow mine - though it is now held together with a rubber-band.

Sunita Varlamos

LIBRARY REPORT

There was a flurry of interest in the library this month!

A total of 11 books were borrowed and we had one new member join (Rebecca Needham).

There were no new donations or purchases. Some past donations are duplicates of existing holdings, or are—at least in my opinion—of no great value to the library.

There are a number of other duplicate copies which are not being borrowed and which are taking up limited shelf space.

Subject to the Board's approval I propose to offer them for sale to MCG members with proceeds being returned to MCG funds.

Jo Adamson

NEWSLETTER REPORT

You can submit articles, artwork and photographs to the editor at mcgevents@yahoo.com with ''newsletter'' in the subject line.

Please submit all articles for the June newsletter by May 8.

Stories are edited for reasons of clarity, space or accuracy of expression. The opinions expressed in the MCG newsletter are those of the writers concerned and not necessarily those of the MCG.

Jaishree Balasubramanian

BOOKING POLICY FOR EVENTS

Reservations
When making email reservations for events, please send your full name (as it appears on your membership registration) to mcgevents@yahoo.com. Send a separate email for each event and place the event title on the subject line. Telephone reservations can be made Monday to Friday, however you will need to consult your paper newsletter to obtain the number of the committee member taking bookings for that particular event.

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.

Payments
For most events monies are collected on the morning of the event itself, unless otherwise stated.
It is thus important that you come with correct change on hand. For clarifications please call or email a member of the Events Planning team.
MCG is not responsible for reservations and/or payments sent to any person other than the Events Planning member identified as the contact person for the event.

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, which 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.

Event Participation
Members are kindly requested to arrive promptly for events. Please turn off your cellular phones and refrain from talking during lectures and presentations.

Eligibility
Please note that all events, apart from the lecture, are for members only, unless otherwise stated.