On Sunday 18 November 2012 I attended a wedding invitation in my hometown, Seremban. The most pleasent surprise apart from meeting my old school mates from KGV Seremban was meeting my teacher from my Malay School days. It happened that he is the uncle of the host.
When I arrived about 11.50 am at the function, there were a few guests who also arrived early and were happily gulping down their food and drinks. It was a bright and sunny day, up to a point. I exchanged a few pleasentries with the host before getting my plate and food and then sat at the table where Malek, my former classmate in KGV was already there earlier than me. Later on, Nasimah and Hazim followed me. As the guests began arriving in droves, Harith, the host began to call the other former classmates who had their reunion in September to let them know I was present. Rohani Yusof who was just about to sit at the next table, joined Nasimah and chatted about our school days. Malek began to remind me the nicknames of a few former classmates who came to the function and it became a sort of another get together.
So much so I did not realise how time flies. By the time we had sat there for more than an hour, a heavy downpour followed, and it was a peak time for the guests who arrived. As we were all trapped by the pouring rain, we had no choice but stayed under the tent. Luckily the tents were placed or the tarmac road in front of Harith's house, otherwise we would be wallowing in mud.
Then, Harith excitedly called me to meet his uncle, Cikgu Alias who taught me in standard 4, Central Malay School, Channer Road in 1954. He said I have changed much since he last saw me. I told him I remembered meeting him in Kampong Sogo after I joined the Special Malay Class together with Harith. I said to him " Cikgu, you still looked the same." I enquired about his age and he informed me that he is already 82. Alhamdulillah, it was such a pleasure to meet my teacher when I am already 67 and I suppose one is really privileged and fortunate to meet a former teacher after 58 years. I gathered earlier from Harith that Cikgu Alias became deeply religious and now stays in Kg. Batu Sesapan, Beranang, Selangor. I hope I can meet other teachers who had taught me in my early years and say a big thank you.
It is a small village in the kecamatan of Tambusai, Kabupaten Rokan Hulu in the Province of Riau, Sumatra. During the Padri Wars of 1830's , Tuanku Tambusai (aka known as Fakeh Hj Muhammad Salleh ) fought the Dutch forces together with Imam Bonjol and Tuanku Rao in West Sumatra and in Northern Sumatra .The last defence was in Benteng 7 Lapis,Daludalu which fell in 1838. He escaped capture and came to Malaya. He was buried in Rasah in 1882.
5 comments:
Dear Hal,
What a privilege and what a joy to meet again after more than half a century. Your Cik Gu must have been so overwhelmed and so proud to have met you again. I would have myself too though so far nothing like it had happened.
Hank
Actually I feel honoured to have met a teacher who taught me 58 years ago. I even told him the name of the headmaster whom we fondly called Cikgu Ahmad "Totok" because of his size.Teachers seldom remembered their wards because of the numbers, but pupils remembered their teachers. Without them we would have not been where we were. Alhamdulillah and Jazakallah.
How wonderful that is. I doubt very much there is one of mine still alive. And he can tell how much you have changed; quite a memory for faces.
Pak Cik,
These are just one of the Blessings from Allah, and thus not everyone has that privilege and the occasion. I thank Allah for such Blessings amidst uncountable others which we take for granted such as the air we breathe and the sun that never fail to rise everyday.
It's been a long while since I visited you here, after you've taken on to Haiku writing, Akhi. Well, I see that you still keep your blog updated and this account about meeting your ex-teacher after more than a quarter of a century is most touching. It made me remember my Malay Studies teacher in Form V!, KGV, Cikgu Abas, who asked me to give a talk to the class on modern Malay poetry and since then made me love the subject
until today.
I joined you in saluting our old teachers and recalling how much we owe whatever success we achieved in life to them.
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