Program Merakyatkan Seni Budaya - Love Your Roots

Program Merakyatkan Seni Budaya - Love Your Roots | My late grandmother always reminded me to never forget my roots, wherever I ended up being. And yes, until now, I am a proud Iban, Sarawakian, and Malaysian.
But sadly, as I grow wiser (not older), it seems that the games that I love to play in my younger years are getting forgotten by the younger generation. Not that it is their fault entirely but the current state of public safety and time constraint has made the current generation unable to be playing freely with their neighbours like we used too. The younger generations seem to be more engaged online now.
Gone were the days where you see kids playing with their toys and with each other on the housing's playground or in front of their houses in the evening. 
Why? Safety first.  It's understandable.
That's why I was so happy that Pertubuhan Ikatan Muafakat Serumpun invited me to the launch of the 'Program Merakyatkan Seni Budaya' at the Summit USJ, Subang last weekend (10 November 2019). 

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Yesterday, I attended the launch of Program Merakyatkan Seni Budaya by YB Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari at the Summit USJ. And what fun I had there. The program let me revisited my favourite past time when I was younger with the likes of Batu Seremban, Congkak, Teng Teng and the crowd puller, Tali Getah! I was I am slightly lighter so I could jump over the highest level but it was both fun and liberating to be able to play such game again. And to see the younger ones eager to learn the game really made my day. It is not easy to get the young ones to leave their gadget and to explore all these games. I applaud the organisers for such rigorous effort in promoting our cultures at both local and international levels and I know there will be more programs like these in the nearest future. What is your most memorable and favorite past time, growing up? #MerakyatkanSeniBudaya2019 #VisitMalaysia2020 #RawlinsGLAM #byrawlins #byrawlinsdotcom

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Walking towards the center court, I was smiling inside when I saw Ting-Ting site and tali getah (jumping rope made of rubber bands tied together) at the entrance of the launch site. There were also congkak and stones for batu seremban. "I hope I get to play some of these later on" I prayed to myself.
Then I saw a few of my friends there. We started playing with the games available there and in no time, crowds were piling up to see us playing Zero Point. The younger ones were asking the name of the game and the wiser ones started to share their experiences playing the game growing up. And the best thing is, all these games do not belong to any particular race or religion - everyone can play them!

YES. Mission achieved - at least we have managed to share our traditional games to the younger generation. 

Later, in his launch speech, YB Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari urged everyone to play their parts in sharing our roots with all - may it be the younger generations and foreign visitors. He wants all the initiatives to promote our traditional and local culture to be a concentrated initiative - it has to be coordinated and planned well with the assistance from all body of work - may it be the local authority, the education sector, the tourism sector and many more so that we could keep our roots relevant and not forgotten - as enable us to pass it with pride from one generation to  the next.

When the ASWARA dancers started  to perform traditional dances such as Jatiswara (Indian), Cina Kipas (Chinese), Alu-Alu (Melanau), Daling-Daling (Bajau & Suluk), Zapin and Joget, everybody was no longer sitting down, some were dancing to the beats (not everyone, maybe only me hahaha). As a dancer myself, traditional dance is very close to my heart. And it is always hard to control myself whenever the music is playing. 

Bob Yusof serenaded us with a few traditional songs and when he sang 'Anta Permana' the crowd went wild and sang along with him. Bob Yusof is one of a  few singers who can really hold his tone and sing traditional songs beautifully. Idup Orang Sarawak!

So guys, anyone wants to challenge me in the game of zero-point anytime soon?

#MerakyatkanSeniBudaya2019 #VisitMalaysia2020 #RawlinsGLAM #byrawlins #byrawlinsdotcom

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