I was surprised when Pak Cik Braim handed to me my grandfather's manuscript that he had compiled and completed in 1967 at the age of 67. It was 124 pages long, written by cursive jawi script which I recognised the handwriting to be that of my grandfather. It was family history depicting his childhood experience. his adulthood, his marriages, his family and the final sense of satisfaction he got from life after all those years of hardwork and misfortune. The muniscript ends up with a pantun asking his future generation to be down to earth and humble.
Reading the manuscript brought me back to my grandfather with whom I had stayed for many years when I was in my primary school kampumg school.My grandfather was a determined man and serious with what he was doing. At the time when I was close to my grandfather he was already a reknown petition writer in Sitiawan. As a petition writer he assisted kampung folks with their problems in government matters particularsly with the land office, the road transport department and the registration department. His shop in Sitiawan would be a meeting place not only for people to get their problems resolved, but also for the Sitiawan Malays to get together to have a chat or catch up with the latest news.
I was always at my grandfather's shop whenever I had nothing much to do. We hardly strike at a long conversation, because my grandfather was normally not the type who easily strike conversation with anyone. But the fact that he was there was very reassuring. I read the jawi Utusan Melayu, the newspaper he subscibed and that was how I was conversant with jawi. Sometime he would give me money, that that motivared me to drop in at his shop more often.
After reading his manuscript, I understood more why my grandfather was more resourceful than most people his age that I knew in my childhood days. My grandfather must have indeed learnt from my great grandfather to be involved in all sort of ventures in order to survive as an immigrant from Sumatra. My grandfather had tried many things in his life before he settled down as a petition writer in the 60s.In the 70s this job must have brough him some moderate sucess to enable him to buy some landed propoerties that he was able to pass on to his sons to build houses of their own. Indeed my grandfather was proud that his children were sucessfully starting families of their own.
Of course my grandfather seemed to have some weak spot that he could avoid that made his journey in life going through rough patches. He was a person who acted on his feelings and emotions. His several marriages and divorces did not seem to come from rational thinking, but rather on emotional feelings that was decided by the sentiment of family members. I couldnt blame him for that for the Malays of the early 20s and 30s was a closed society trapped in old tradition.He changed jobs a number of times and when he had a job he did not plan to build a career out of it. He also moved from place to place quite often without ever figuring what was ahead.His moves to Kuala Ketil with my grandmother in the middle of the night, unannounced and with no clue of the trouble ahead was one example of his daring exploit. And quite surpringly, he was flamboyant man who look for fun in boria and music.
These are fact of his life I knew very little about the man whom I had known as a pious and godfearing man. I knew my grandfather when he must have been 55-60 years of age. I used to stay with him when I was a boy attending a Malay school in Sitiawan. If he didnt go to the mosque for his subuh prayer, he would pray in the house and I could remember the melodious surah he used to recite at dawn. It was such a sweet music to my ear. but I pretended to be sleep and despite his piousness ,my grandfather had never woken me up to say prayer.
A man inherits some genes from the aerlier generations. I guess too I must be having some of the genes that my grandfather had passed down to me.I love the sea and harbour a dream that one day I would sailing like my great grandfather.I like having fun too and sometimes would go for a fling and enjoy good things in life. I am focused in my career and family life and would do anything to make my life and that of my family sucessful.Intelectual curiosity was something that grandfather possessed that put him apart from his friends and peers, indeed he was a reference source for many information and would make conversation in politics and society more lively.These are some of the traits that I inherit from my past generations.
Reading the manuscript brought me back to my grandfather with whom I had stayed for many years when I was in my primary school kampumg school.My grandfather was a determined man and serious with what he was doing. At the time when I was close to my grandfather he was already a reknown petition writer in Sitiawan. As a petition writer he assisted kampung folks with their problems in government matters particularsly with the land office, the road transport department and the registration department. His shop in Sitiawan would be a meeting place not only for people to get their problems resolved, but also for the Sitiawan Malays to get together to have a chat or catch up with the latest news.
I was always at my grandfather's shop whenever I had nothing much to do. We hardly strike at a long conversation, because my grandfather was normally not the type who easily strike conversation with anyone. But the fact that he was there was very reassuring. I read the jawi Utusan Melayu, the newspaper he subscibed and that was how I was conversant with jawi. Sometime he would give me money, that that motivared me to drop in at his shop more often.
After reading his manuscript, I understood more why my grandfather was more resourceful than most people his age that I knew in my childhood days. My grandfather must have indeed learnt from my great grandfather to be involved in all sort of ventures in order to survive as an immigrant from Sumatra. My grandfather had tried many things in his life before he settled down as a petition writer in the 60s.In the 70s this job must have brough him some moderate sucess to enable him to buy some landed propoerties that he was able to pass on to his sons to build houses of their own. Indeed my grandfather was proud that his children were sucessfully starting families of their own.
Of course my grandfather seemed to have some weak spot that he could avoid that made his journey in life going through rough patches. He was a person who acted on his feelings and emotions. His several marriages and divorces did not seem to come from rational thinking, but rather on emotional feelings that was decided by the sentiment of family members. I couldnt blame him for that for the Malays of the early 20s and 30s was a closed society trapped in old tradition.He changed jobs a number of times and when he had a job he did not plan to build a career out of it. He also moved from place to place quite often without ever figuring what was ahead.His moves to Kuala Ketil with my grandmother in the middle of the night, unannounced and with no clue of the trouble ahead was one example of his daring exploit. And quite surpringly, he was flamboyant man who look for fun in boria and music.
These are fact of his life I knew very little about the man whom I had known as a pious and godfearing man. I knew my grandfather when he must have been 55-60 years of age. I used to stay with him when I was a boy attending a Malay school in Sitiawan. If he didnt go to the mosque for his subuh prayer, he would pray in the house and I could remember the melodious surah he used to recite at dawn. It was such a sweet music to my ear. but I pretended to be sleep and despite his piousness ,my grandfather had never woken me up to say prayer.
A man inherits some genes from the aerlier generations. I guess too I must be having some of the genes that my grandfather had passed down to me.I love the sea and harbour a dream that one day I would sailing like my great grandfather.I like having fun too and sometimes would go for a fling and enjoy good things in life. I am focused in my career and family life and would do anything to make my life and that of my family sucessful.Intelectual curiosity was something that grandfather possessed that put him apart from his friends and peers, indeed he was a reference source for many information and would make conversation in politics and society more lively.These are some of the traits that I inherit from my past generations.
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