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| Terengganu's Rich Heritage June 2005  In June 2005 a rather mixed gathering of people from the arts, the media, the adventure travel business, photographers and film makers were assembled at the salubrious Sutra Beach Resort north of Kuala Terengganu courtesy of DiGi Telecommunications for a celebration of some aspects of the state’s rich cultural heritage. The primary focus of the occasion was DiGi’s “Amazing Malaysians” contribution to its corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the individual concerned was none other than the renowned architect and conservationist, member of Badan Warisan YM Raja Dato’ Kamarul Bahrin Shah.The event was stretched over an entire weekend and it comprised, to me at least, two rather remarkable elements of tradition and modernity that involved both the experienced practitioners and the promising new faces of the young. It was particularly impressive to observe the natural youthful curiosity and their somewhat tentative fascination of some 80-odd school children from Kuala Terengganu with the visual symbols of their State’s cultural past. Not only were these formative minds, mostly 16 to 18 year olds, treated to an insight into the incredibly rich built wooden architecture of the State, they were also provided the rare opportunity of experiencing a hands-on introduction to typical Malay weaving and woodcarving skills. The students were divided into three groups and besides the above arts a third group attempted the difficult task of line-drawing of old Malay wooden structures. The whole session was presided over by the “Amazing Malaysian” himself and this obviously lent a lot of meaning and sense of importance to the school children who participated in the event.
 On the side of Terengganu’s incredibly rich cultural heritage, DiGi Communications sponsored the launch of a rarely-seen Malay socio-cultural observance, namely, the raising of the tiang seri or central pillar in the construction of a traditional Malay timber house. It was quite an absorbing experience since the event had to be preceded by the playing of old Malay musical instruments and a display of the Malay martial arts in the form of the silat. Both of these were so impressive in their traditional purity that is rarely seen in the more stylized versions in tourist-linked activities in Kuala Lumpur, that they exuded as much solemn recognition of Terengganu’s cultural and historical heritage as the beauty of the building that was being restored by YM Raja Dato’ Kamarul Bahrin Shah. I must confess that the exceptional standard of silat wizardry by four young men under the tutelage of an old guru from the interior was a joy to appreciate, not to speak of the musicians playing the old tunes relevant to the event.
 There is not doubt that the drawing in of the younger generation into the world of social and historical conservation in a rapidly changing rural and semi-urban milieu is most welcome and DiGi Telecommunications must be credited for their initiative and concern in having this session. At the end of the day, it is the involvement of the younger generation in heritage conservation that is sorely needed today particularly in the older semi-urban settings of smaller Malaysian towns. Judging by the contributions of aspirants to the Mubin Sheppard Memorial Prize, one gets the feeling that there is an over-emphasis on the usual architectural symbols in the major cities and towns. Efforts should be made, as Digi Telecommunications did, to first of all invite greater participation of the more “rural-suburban” children into the conservation of their built heritage and all the socio-cultural activities associated with it.
This is all the more urgent these days as the transformation of this entire socio-cultural and economic fabric of Malaysian society continues at a relentless pace and the visual past history of the country is being systematically demolished.
Report by Dr Chandran Jeshurun
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