PEOPLE have mistaken me for an “anak mami”, the endearing term for sons and daughters of the Indian Muslim community in Penang. But other than these winning qualities typically associated with a northerner, I bear no similarity to a Penangite in other areas.
I am from the east coast, where I was born and bred. I speak Malay with a thick Kelantanese accent and have no idea how to string sentences like a dignified “anak mami” of Penang would.
Here, in Kota Baru, where I was born, they call me “che’ mek” — a term given to young women, the equivalent for “anak mami”. It is my badge of honour and I wear it proudly.
For many years, I was told that my state was the most underdeveloped in the country. It probably has to do with the fact that the state was run by the opposition for many years, so such terms could have been used by certain individuals to gain political mileage back then.
But as an adult, I have seen Kota Baru grow. I am proud of its progress, be it in infrastructure or the services industry. It happened without compromising the Kelantanese people’s culture and traditions.
Today, Kota Baru is a modern city that embraces its past with a reaffirmed devotion to Islamic teachings.
In the 1980s, Kota Baru was a small town with mainly Chinese traders living in the city centre in kampung houses.
The Chinese who lived in the city mainly owned sundry and traditional medicine shops. Nestled between these establishments were coffee shops owned by Malays, where friends would meet up to share their plans for the weekend, watch TV or catch up on the latest news.
In my growing-up years in the city, my hangout would be the playground near my house.
I remember going there to play with my neighbours. Our favourite game was “congkak”, “bola tin” and running in gunny sacks. We would spend hours trying to win a game.
Playing games then was something I looked forward to every day. It was different than the way games are played these days — without any social contact on computers, tablets and smartphones.
Back then, playing games was a social event with lots of physical contact that you often went home covered in cuts and scrapes. And that was the fun bit!
We were often reminded by our parents not to stray too far from home and to always return home before sunset, when people prepare for Maghrib prayers.
Of course, as children, we often failed to follow the directive.
Quite often, I incurred my mum’s wrath, who would shout my full name at the top of her voice and warn me that she would shut the door so that I would not be able to get in.
It worked every time.
Her choice warning? “Maghrib is the time for syaitan (devils) to come and play!”
I cherish memories of having breakfast with my family. We went to a stall nearby for “nasi kerabu” (rice mixed with herbs and vegetables). Traditionally, there was a choice of chicken, beef or fish as side dishes, as well as salted eggs and “solok lada” (stuffed chillies).
Some of the best years of my life was during my primary school at Sekolah Kebangsaan Langgar in Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra.
I made a lot of friends at the school, many of whom I am in touch with until today. We often meet up to reminisce about those days, although as working mothers, many of us can’t spend too much time away from our families.
As teenagers, our favourite hangout spot during weekends was Panggung Lido in Jalan Post Office Lama. Yes, Kota Baru had a cinema back then, four to be exact, including Odeon, Rani and Rex.
But with the advent of VHS and the then socio-political climate, cinemas were phased out.
Going to the cinema was a coveted affair. Coming from a religious family, it took a lot of arm-twisting to get my parents’ approval.
We bought tickets using our pocket money and rode on motorcyles to get there. Sometimes, we would be joined by other friends from Sekolah Menengah Zainab near Jalan Telipot.
Besides the cinema, another popular place to hang out was the Pantai Cinta Berahi beach (now known as Pantai Cahaya Bulan). Somehow, my parents were not quite as strict when it came to this beach, probably because it’s near my house and they would know immediately if there was any mischief going on.
Pantai Cahaya Bulan, better known as PCB, is about 18km from Kota Baru and is a favourite among Kelantanese, as well as outsiders. You could enjoy all sorts of delicacies and snacks at stalls along the beach.
At night, PCB came alive with people milling about, with dazzling neon lights lighting up the stalls and trees and the smell of food wafting in the night air.
PCB used to be a place for young couples to meet, where love and romance blossomed. In fact, that was how it got its former name, only for it to be changed after a change in state administration in the 1990s as the original name was deemed too suggestive and sexy.