AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS !

It was a dinner hosted by my College (MCKK) senior at Cozy Corner Ampang Park. At a glance there were ten of us, and we were made to feel that we were the selected few by our host. Just before dinner it struck me as somewhat funny that the host handed each of us a personal envelope, which most of us thought might contain some sort of appeal charity letter or sponsorship to a club or even a wedding invitation for that matter. Surprise of all surprises it contained a personal photograph of the host being conferred Agriculture Doctorate from the Universiti Pertanian Malaysia during the University's 30th Convocation on September 2006, and a Biographical Sketch of our host. It still left us wondering just why he should give us his photo and a personal write up on himself. After all, we have always known him since our College days. Just what then was the motive of this "presentation" we all thought. As it turned out later on during the dinner, our host said he was about to launch a book written by himself and that the materials contained in it were more or less duly summarized in that biographical note that he gave us. Indeed as it turned out, our host was virtually the only speaker for the next two hours of the dinner !

What took place next was as I was quietly immersed reading "Don't be Sad" by 'Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qami at the patio overlooking our front garden , when another College mate sms me to sms to our dinner host a short note on myself as a Collegian, it took some thinking to try to write concise note on myself using the sms space. Luckily I managed to do it. Apparently our friend intended to use our info's as parts of his written book, may be a footnote of some sort, whatever, which only he knows what he wants to do. Sadly to note the host that I mention above Dato' Abu Bakar bin Mahmud passed away in April 2008 after a short illness of food poisoning. May Allah bless his soul !

Hence , the above incident cannot but make me think this morning that I should do the same to my family members, barring dinner of course and a biographical book of my own to write and publish, but to have something pen off right here and now for you all to discern. It should serve a purpose for postery perhaps to know just who their great grandfather or great great grandfather was once upon a time ! Let's see now. Just where should I begin !

It all started from that day when my elder brother Tunku Faisal and I arrived by train in Kuala Kangsar on the morning of 29th December 1948 at precisely 6.45am to present ourselves to the new place of learning, the much envied and prestigious Malay College Kuala Kangsar , accompanied by my uncle Pa'Dor or Mohd Nor Suriadi who was my grandma's nephew.( Sadly Pa' Dor passed away October last year, 2008 ) It was not the first time for my brother who had been there a year earlier, but it was the first for me. Whilst my brother had a big metal trunk luggage of sort - something like what the buccaneers used to have then, I had with me a medium sized metal trunk case full of clothing and a somewhat oversized cotton mattress, which when placed on the small bed in the dormitory, it overlapped on both sides of the bed. I took a quick look at the other beds around the place and found mine absolutely an odd one. Somehow I did not feel funny or embarrass but in my heart if anyone were to say anything of it, I would know how to fix him ! You see, I had a protected childhood back then with my grandparents in Sri Menanti and similarly too later with my parents in Seremban when I moved there for my schooling, which schooling never really existed when I was with my grandparents - the very reason why my parents decided to take me back to be with them in 1947 and admitted to standard One Rahang Malay School. Thus when I got chosen and admitted to MCKK I was only a standard Three student as compared to the others who were at least standard Four upwards as I found out later.

I was never nervous or experienced any anxiety as a new pupil at the Prep School ( Preparotory School ) but it could be because I knew for a fact that my elder brother was around to protect me plus the fact that the College had traditionally been the learning institution of my father, uncles and senior cousins years past during the prewar years of 1905 when it was first opened by the British for the sons of the nobilities to study there. My late father was the Head Boy of the College at the time when Tuanku Ja'afar and the late second Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak were studying there then. My father was popularly known as the "pope' by the boys of his days due to his religious outlooks on life and an exemplary character to the boys then. I can only imagine, the boys then must be really well disciplined and well-mannered, just as what he expected of all us at home then. Indeed as far as I can remember we were all always very respectful of our father. At no time can I recall my late father playing any games with all of us siblings except perhaps later on when we were slightly grown up at the occasional picnics by the sea when he would splash sea water on us to make us get into the sea with him. Parents of those days never play or joke around with their children. It is just the contrary today.

( TO BE CONTINUED )