THIS Aug 31, Malaysians from all walks of life will celebrate Merdeka Day, as has been the tradition.
How time flies. Sixty years of independence from British rule. The nation has definitely come a long way since then.
Many things, including tech innovations, play a major role in shaping the Malaysia we know today. But, the Malaysia during the time I was growing up was different in many ways.
Back in the early 70s, life was very much simpler... I can still remember the feeling of reckless abandon and without a worry in the world.
Yes, life was a routine of simplicity. We didn’t have much growing up, but our lives were rich in many ways. As a kid, the world was relatively a safe haven for me as I roamed the tiny uneven streets and alleys that stretched throughout my neighbourhood.
Schooldays were fun. There was ample time to learn and play. Before class started, we would play a game of galah panjang or sepak raga. Over recess, we would have a quick meal, before heading for the field for a more physical game of football or “chopping”, where you tried to hit a friend nearest to you. And, when class resumed, we would all look very much a spent-force.
The school also maintained a high level of discipline, I would say. The headmaster was a dreaded figure, a no-nonsense guy, always with a cane in his hand when he made his rounds. There would be the occasional public caning sessions over assembly on Monday mornings, when students who broke the rules were dealt with. Yes, the school was headed by a strict disciplinarian and it worked to keep the mischievous ones in check.
As soon as the familiar school bell shrilled loudly, we would all be rushing to the school field, looking forward in excitement to playtime, despite knowing that we still have homework to do when we get home later. Hopscotch, batu Seremban (Five Stones), bottle caps and lompat getah were games we knew. There was also the popular “one, two, jus!” or catch and tag (police and thief) that we would play repeatedly every day without so much of a thought of boredom. We would sweat and laugh, even run out of breath, and yet, it was such a happy time.
Two hours of after school felt like a long time of fun with friends. Friends who came together regardless of race or ethnicity. There was
never any thought in mind, but rather the fact that we were all Malaysians living together in the neighbourhood.
No traffic in sight, no car to fetch me home, I would scurry home like a bolt of lightning once it was time for dinner. My mum, having slaved most of her day in the kitchen, would be setting out a few simple
dishes of meat and vegetables with rice, waiting for everyone to get home for the evening meal.
A quick yelp from her to take a bath and finish my homework was a daily thing. When everyone in the family arrived home and dinner is finally served, mum would run her usual “interrogation”, getting each one of us to tell her what we did today. We ate and talked. Intermittently, mum would correct us on our table manners and words, but we were always together during dinner time.
For home entertainment, there were not many options. We had a small transistor radio in the kitchen and it was switched on most of the day! We would also make the neighbour’s house our second home to watch programmes on the telly. In those days, not many households could afford a television set. The house would usually be packed on Friday nights when there was a
P. Ramlee movie.
It would take about three hours to finish as, in between, there would be several breaks for News, Peristiwa and the occasional Sidang Parlimen. It was very much later when we finally had a TV at home. There were only two channels back then, and the programmes were in black and white, but it kept the entire family entertained. Many TV shows back then presented heartwarming family values that appealed to a diverse audience.
Those days, the evenings were long and filled with lots of conversations from everyone in the family. It was a routine carried out through the years of growing up before graduating from school. Weekends were the best, of course. Looking back often, I do realise how I miss the sheer simplicity of my early years of growing up.
Things are, albeit, more complicated these days, but definitely easier than before with advances in many aspects, including our standard of living and advancements in technology. Time seems to move faster than before, too, or maybe it’s just because I have forgotten to slow down, breathe and take a look at where I am today.
On this auspicious occasion, Merdeka Day, let’s all take a step back and look at our past. Let’s recollect the precious moments of our yesteryears. May this day remind us of how we used to be, as Malaysians growing up in a young nation, simply enjoying the sheer beauty of what Mother Nature and life has to offer us in our rich and diverse country.
Happy 60th Merdeka!
The writer is editor of BOTs, the weekly tech section in Life&Times. Trained in Maths, he has since traded his problem-solving skills with
writing about how tech has helped
to transform the world for the better