A Dialogue Between Two Generations
(a duet co-written by Nor Faridah Abdul Manaf and M. SHANmughalingam)
Faridah:
Thatha
The day you told us of your journey to the new land
I half listened in between MTV and instant noodles
You spoke of the early days' hardship and how lucky we were
You collected empty bottles, sold used newspapers
to pay for Dad's school and his six other siblings
I heard your stories too often
that I could tell you which line you'd forgotten.
Shan:
Your Thatha was pioneer Paper Lama man.
I did not even dream of a van.
I walked everywhere
Saving on trishaw fare
When the sun was at it's hottest
I thought of our daughters.
Then our sons, my wife and our family
What I had to do just to live simply
Faridah:
Pak Mat thinks you are a tough man
Despite confined to your wheel chair
Auntie Mei Lin serves you nice, warm Chinese tea
It looks very Malaysian to me.
You spoke, saw, heard no evil
in this land of opportunities
one wise way to survive, you say.
But Thatha,
explain to me
the divide and rule I face at school
Indians do what Indians have to do
Malays see what Malays want to see
Chinese hear what Chinese want to hear
Thatha, teach me how to stay cool like you.
Shan:
I only look - cool
Don't judge a look by its cover
The Colonials started the divide and fool
But do we need to perpetuate it as a rule?
Must a Malaysian fear and
face loneliness in his own homeland?
Almost every one else here
Is First a Malay, a Chinese, an Indian,
an Iban or a Kadazan.
And now first a Muslim, Buddhist,
Christian, Hindu, or a Holier
Than thou even within his
own community.
Must a Malaysian be relegated
Down to the "Others" category
For being none of the above racial
or religious categories first?
A Malaysian lost in Malaysia
Will he be found?
By whom?
When?
- Published in Indian Literature, Sahitya Akademi's Bi-Monthly Journal, No. 267: January/February 2012 Vol. LVI No. 1, pg 114-116.
