Malaysia Day: Hundreds of individuals dressed in sarongs, retro ‘raid’ Ipoh Railway Station
IPOH: It’s like going back in time, full of nostalgia like in P. Ramlee’s classic black and white film.
It is no less to bring back the memories of the Pak Maun character played by the late Mahmud June in the movie Nasib Do Re Mi.
That’s an accurate picture of the atmosphere in the grounds of the Ipoh Railway Station building, on Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang Wahab, here, today.
Hundreds of individuals can be seen dressed in traditional Malay clothing such as kain sarong, baju kurung and some are also fully dressed according to the retro theme.
When observed closely, they are actually participating in programs organized in conjunction with the celebration of Malaysia Day which is celebrated on Sept 16 every year.
According to the Founder of Ipoh Social Club, Deena Erissa Delaila Mohd Zawawi, the Sarong 22 Train program was organized for the first time in the state, after Kuala Lumpur.
It is jointly organized by Ipoh Social Club and Locco.
She said that Ipoh Railway Station, which is over 100 years old, is the location to gather representatives from northern Malaysia.
“We made a campaign to attract people’s participation through social media Instagram, Facebook and so on, Alhamdulillah many attended.
“The Sarong 22 train was the first to be built in Ipoh. This city was used as a location to bring together representatives from the north. We will carry out activities here.
“Many are present today, not only from Perak, but including other states such as Penang and Kedah.
“This event runs simultaneously in Kuala Lumpur, and some other selected locations,” said Deena when met by reporters here today.
She said, the objective of this program, which requires participants to wear sarong or retro themed clothes from the 60s to 90s, is to bring back past heritage.
In addition, she said, the dress also symbolizes the spirit of unity between races, which is not only worn by certain races, but also by all.
“We want to unite everyone, regardless of race. It is true that all races wear sarongs. The significance of this day is that it symbolizes unity.
“Our activities today include joining the non-governmental organization Dapur Jalan Ipoh, to deliver food packs to the homeless,” she added.
Meanwhile, a program participant, Mohd Sinar Ishak, from Tanjung Rambutan, expressed his excitement to be able to liven up today’s celebration.
“I am excited to gather here to celebrate Malaysia Day. Before this I was involved in organizing the same in Kuala Lumpur.
“I found out it was organized here this year, it’s really fun. The theme I’m wearing today is village people, like Pak Maun, recalling the 70s and 80s,” he said.
Another participant from Kuala Lumpur, Nur Ruzaini Ruslan, came here with his daughter.
Nur Ruzaini informed that she had participated in the same program several times in Kuala Lumpur.
“Next year maybe we can make it more lively and involve more participants, in addition to attracting more interest from other nations.
“I feel excited to wear a shirt like this. Even my children want to join in. I feel very happy. My younger brother also has a friend today,” she said.
The same spirit was shared by Nur Afieqah Ashmawi from Chemor, who attended with her friend as early as 7.30am.
“I found out about this program from Instagram. Preparations were done at the last minute because friends invited friends here.
“We can also meet new friends from other states, many of whom here share the same interests.
“Tourists who come to this train station can see our culture and traditional clothes,” she added.
source – Aida Aziz
