
Our first Heritage Day was launched by Tan Sri Dato' Seri (Dr) Ahmad Sarji
bin Abdul Hamid to the welcoming sound of kompang and the clear voices
of the choir from Sekolah Sri Garden, one of the Pilot Schools for the
Education Programme.
Jimmy
Lim, a Council Member of the Badan was one of the winners of the 1998
Aga Khan Award for Architectural Excellence for his design of the Salinger
House in Selangor. The Badan recognised his achievement with the presentation
of a plaque.
The compound was festooned with garlands and bunches of green and white
balloons whilst traditional music was played over the PA system. The festive
atmosphere was further enhanced by banners and shady umbrellas, soft drinks,
ice cream and confectionery sponsored by Nestle. We are very grateful
to Ajit Saran, the Managing Director of Nestle, for his generous contribution.
It was an interactive day filled with educational activities, competitions
and performances in keeping with the theme 'celebrate our heritage'. Entrants
in the tile painting and drawing competition were mainly enthusiastic
children. However, it looked such fun, some adults joined in! Tile
painters were inspired by a showcase of tile designs from shophouses and
Malay houses in the Melaka region and the subject for candidates in the
drawing competition was the Rumah
Penghulu. A very popular woodcarving workshop was conducted by Perbadan
Kemajuan Kraftangan Malaysia under the Rumah Penghulu, with participants
turning out rehal (Koran stands) and other decorative pieces. Students
from the Akademi Seni Kebangsaan performed Gamelan from the verandah of
the Balai of the Rumah Penghulu. The soft and inviting music enticed spectators
to try their hand at the instruments.
In the
Colonial House, there was a talk and two displays. A big attraction was
the video and talk by David Koh, President of the Geomancy Society. His
topic was the 'Culture of Feng Shui and Tiang Sri'. There were two well-attended
sessions. In the gallery was the 'Our Heritage To Cherish' mixed media
exhibition by six local artists and an exhibition highlighting some of
the achievements of the Badan.
In conjunction with the building of the Rumah
Buluh Orang Asli there was a popular craft session led by Liew Kung
Yu. The nimble-fingered participants wove headbands, bracelets, crickets
and flowers based on Orang Asli designs.
The success
of an event such as 'Heritage Day' depends on the sponsorship and voluntary
support of a large number of people. Many thanks to the organising committee:
Ajeet Ahluwalia, the chairman; Lim Huck Chin; Sarah Shahrom and Ruby Loo.
The smooth functioning of all the activities was only possible with the
help of about 40 volunteers who gave freely of their time and energy.
The Badan would also like to acknowledge the Muzium Negara for the loan
of the bunga manggar, Music Machine, Raffique Rashid and Filem Negara
for the tapes of Orang Asli music, Mazlan Ali for donating mineral water,
Malaysian Nature Society, World Wildlife Fund, Victor Chin, Munira Salinger
and Sita Subramaniam for their stalls and Shamsu Mohd Yusof for the donation
of the wooden bed which was used to display wooden carvings under the
Rumah Penghulu.

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