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| The famous scenery of Kampung Bharu no |
It's been a while
since I last updated my blog. But today I felt compel to pen some important
points about my village, the infamous Kampung Baru.
Sprawling over 223 acres, Kampung Baru is a renowned Malay town village in the heart of
Malaysia’s Federal capital.
Most Malays who
migrated to Kuala Lumpur would have resided in Kampung Baru before they settled
down elsewhere in the Klang Valley. They would have called Kampung Baru their
home in their quest of starting a new life, finding a job or furthering their
study.
Kampung Baru is a
very unique town village. I would deem it as a modern settlement yet its
inhabitants still practice and adopt the the Malay culture and tradition. Nevertheless,
as the basic facilities and infrastructure are in place, it is very convenient
should one wishes to move around the Klang Valley.
Although I was born
in Malacca (my grandmother's hometown), my village and hometown has revolved
around Kampung Baru, As far as I can remember, the two houses in Jalan Raja Uda
are the houses where I grew up, got married and started my own family.
My grandfather was a
town boy. Originated from a mixed Malay-Chinese marriage family, he was born
and bred in Kuala Lumpur.
I was made to
understand that my great grandfather whose parents hailed from Sulawesi was one
of the earliest occupants of this town village, formerly the home of tin mine
workers. My guess is that my great grandfather, Haji Abdul Hamid, who was then a
trader, met my great grandmother, Nyonya Khadijah, a well-known individual for
those who patronised Kelab Sultan Sulaiman, at Kampung Baru.
Establishment
of Kampung Bharu
In 1899, the Selangor
British Resident agreed to the establishment of Kampung Baru, starting with 223
acres of land between Sungai Klang and Jalan Batu (Batu Road).
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| Sultan Sulaiman Club, favourite venue for UMNO Meeting |
Sultan
Sulaiman Club and The Clan
When one spoke about
Kampung Baru, the Sultan Sulaiman Club is an important landmark for the
villagers and Malay community. It was built on a land donated by HRH the Sultan
of Selangor in 1909 to provide a proper place for community activities, thus
replacing the small hut build by the villagers in 1901.
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| My geat grandmother, Nyonya Khadijah |
Sultan Sulaiman Club is not only an important
landmark for Kampung Baru but also for our family. This is the place where our
great grandmother, Nyonya Khadijah (a Chinese convert who later married our
great grandfather), served as the caretaker.
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| The HMS Clan |
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| My Grandfather, Haji Mohd Salleh . Seated on the rights is my grandmother Hajah Salbiah (on her lab is my father ) and on the left is Hajah Hamidah, my grand auntie |
Not forgetting my
grandmother, Hajah Salbiah bte Mat, she is another respected lady in Kampung
Bharu and always sort out by the community if there is a feast or wedding
coming up. She was a super cook and has creative hands, both for food carving
and also the “hantaran” (engagement/wedding gifts) especially the “sireh
junjung” (the main item in any Malay engagement/wedding ceremony).
My
Kampung
As far as I can remember,
I grew up in Kampung Baru until I got married and moved to Petaling Jaya in the
1980s. .
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| Our first house, the wooden bungalow at Jalan Raja Uda . As far I can remember it was renovated two time. |
The first house at No
20 Jalan Raja Uda was a
a huge wooden bungalow with another house attached
to it (for rent). Once this house was the place for our ancestors and family to gather especially for feast (kenduri), Hari Raya, weddings and functions. My parents and his siblings all had their wedding at this house. The second house – a modern three-story
bungalow – which bears the No 13 address is located just opposite the road.
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| My parents had their wedding ( Haji Idris Haji Mohd Salleh and mother, Hajah Maimon Omar) at the house |
In this big wooden bungalow, that I seldom wanted
to be left alone should my grandparents or auntie were away.
The house, which traditionally known as "Rumah Abu" (main house for family) was built with unique features.
You will be amaze to see the architecture of
the "rumah Melaka". The moment you step at the front door, if the other doors to the different chambers/areas are open, one can see right through the whole bungalow until the area for house family, just before the kitchen.
As guests walk in, they would be welcomed
at the welcome area with sofas to sit before being invited into
the house. Than the guests are invited into the guests area, which is a long open space with some sofas at one corner. The other
corner is a dining table that can fit in 12 people. The guest area is always open with many small windows around to make the room airy.
A radio and also a gramophone was place in the center of the room. .
There are three big
rooms, including the master bedroom with Chinese antique bed, cupboards and
tables.
House Family Area
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| From front door entrance right through to the :family private chamber/areas, just before the kitchen |
You will be amaze to see the architecture of
the "rumah Melaka". The moment you step at the front door, if the other doors to the different chambers/areas are open, one can see right through the whole bungalow until the area for house family, just before the kitchen.
As guests walk in, they would be welcomed
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| "Rumah Melaka" guest chamber/area is very open and airy |
A radio and also a gramophone was place in the center of the room. .
Guests who were not
family member were confined to this guests area only.
Family Member Area
As we enter to the next area through two
big doors, there is a large open space where one can see Chinese antique furniture
with tables, chairs and cupboards filled with many traditional silverware.
This area serves as a place for family members to gather when they come for a
visit. There are no sofas, but only carpets and mats with a low table for our family members to sit around and have their meals when there is a feast or during festival like Hari Raya. The area are ventilated by a few long windows around.
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| Stairs to the attic |
House Family Area
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| "Batu Giling" for pounding spices |
Next is the kitchen area which is is
divided into two – big kitchen and the small kitchen. The big kitchen has a modern
stove, food store, cabinet to keep cooked food and a special rack to place our daily use plates, cups, saucers, cutlery and glasses, a big water container (the Malay call it kolah air), washing basin and two big serving areas (pangkin - a big table like made of wood) which is also the place for us to have our daily meals.
Most house family members prefer to eat at the big kitchen.
The small kitchen is solely for traditional cooking, using fire woods and so are the pots and pans are traditional in nature (some are made from clay and also copper).
It is here that I first learned how to use the batu giling to pound the spices. I love to meddle with my grandmother's batu giling whenever she is at work, until I learn the art of pounding spices. My grandmother is very particular that one must follow the protocol of pounding the spices, what to pound first, from the fresh turmeric, the prawn paste (belacan), salt, onions and chili as it will make the pounding work easier and smoother. We believe the traditional methods of preparing the spices for cooking made our dishes taste better than using the ready made powder spices. Today the batu giling has become a museum artifact since it has been replace by the modern blenders and with so many ready made spices in the market.
Activity Under the House
Not to forget, the area under house, which serves as another activity area for the family due to the height of the house and it is more airy.
Our family loves to sit around at this area during the day to have coffee, either with family members, neighbors and kampung folks.
My grandmother use this place to dry the flour, sugar, nuts and spices for her cooking. She also hang dry her sarong here to avoid the direct sun. I also utilise the area to do my homework and group study.
At one corner we keep a big store to place all kinds of cutlery, casserole dish, plates, saucers, cups, teapot, glasses and big pots and pans enough for a big feast which is for rent to the community.
Most house family members prefer to eat at the big kitchen.
The small kitchen is solely for traditional cooking, using fire woods and so are the pots and pans are traditional in nature (some are made from clay and also copper).
It is here that I first learned how to use the batu giling to pound the spices. I love to meddle with my grandmother's batu giling whenever she is at work, until I learn the art of pounding spices. My grandmother is very particular that one must follow the protocol of pounding the spices, what to pound first, from the fresh turmeric, the prawn paste (belacan), salt, onions and chili as it will make the pounding work easier and smoother. We believe the traditional methods of preparing the spices for cooking made our dishes taste better than using the ready made powder spices. Today the batu giling has become a museum artifact since it has been replace by the modern blenders and with so many ready made spices in the market.
Activity Under the House
Not to forget, the area under house, which serves as another activity area for the family due to the height of the house and it is more airy. Our family loves to sit around at this area during the day to have coffee, either with family members, neighbors and kampung folks.
My grandmother use this place to dry the flour, sugar, nuts and spices for her cooking. She also hang dry her sarong here to avoid the direct sun. I also utilise the area to do my homework and group study.
At one corner we keep a big store to place all kinds of cutlery, casserole dish, plates, saucers, cups, teapot, glasses and big pots and pans enough for a big feast which is for rent to the community.
Our
Second House – the First Three-Story Modern Bungalow Like Town-House
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| The three story bungalow (town house) |
There's not much I can say about the features of the bungalow, no different from any ordinary house today with leaving room, dining room, bedroom and kitchen equip with modern furniture. After the demise of my grandfather, I persuaded my grandmother to move to this three story bungalow. I am too excited to stay in this new modern house. Naive at that time, when we moved to the new bungalow, all the antique furniture and heritage are left in the tradisional "rumah Melaka"
Given the chance again. I would always choose to stay back in our traditional "rumah Melaka", now that I have learned to appreciated the heritage left by my ancestors.
All our houses are
now in a rundown condition and we have no plan to rebuild them since the government
has announced plans to develop Kampung Baru in line with the re-development of
Kuala Lumpur. Me, my siblings and cousins are the right owner of the land where the house was built, left by our grandfather. However, we no longer stays there – have long
moved out of Kampung Baru to live around the Klang Valley.
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| The Kampung Bharu Development Plan in progress - the future |
I don’t know about
others but Kampung Baru will linger on in my memories. I already missed the
good old days when I was young. I have no regrets of growing up in Kampung Baru
– only memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
However, in moving
forward, we are equally excited to see Kampung Baru transforming into a modern
township that will make my future generation and I proud.
20.08.2016
20.08.2016
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