Obituary

Since I was in school I develop a weird hobby. Everyday, after having lunch at the dining hall I would read the newspaper, particularly NST in the common room before going back to my dorm. In my uniform I would seek for my favourite page, comic strips and obituaries. I know it's morbid but I dunno why I'm attracted to read about people's death. To me it's interesting to know whether someone died peacefully or if they died suddenly. Plus, I love to read poems written for the dead by their love ones. And I still keep that hobby until this very day.


From my conscious, I only came across Chinese, Indian and other races obituary except Malay. Humm. Issit sinful to do that? I mean, does our religion forbid us to do something like that? Or issit a sensitive issue? I think we have better ways remembering those we love who passed away . We don't advertise, we do kenduri arwah. Like every year my family will hold kenduri arwah in remembrance of my late grandpa and late uncle. The last kenduri arwah was last three weeks ago and my cousin punched someone right to his face for disrespecting my late uncle. I still remember what happen that night.


Me, my bro, ayang and wawa [both are my cousin] we sitting on the stool at the garden while my other cousin, bobo sat on the swing with a boy who came to follow her mom to the tahlil. Apparently the mother is an ustazah. We have no electricity that night and it was pitch black. The unknown boy was talking loudly and laughing hysterically. My cousin in the other hand tried to control his voice. Out of no where, came my other cousin A'ai who is a son of my late uncle. A'ai was in form two and he has a petite body frame but the boy is quite big. He approached the boy.


A'ai :Kau ni bisingla. Dahla tak baca tahlil untuk bapak aku, memekak pulak tu.Respekla sket.
Unknown boy:Apehal pulak kau ni?Dah mati tu matila.Yang hidup ni kenelah teruskan hidup:
Bobo: *murmuring something*


After that, we didn't hear anything so we ignored their conversation and continued talking softly even dalam hati masing-masing amatlah bengkak. Suddenly we heard the swing shake. I'm sort of blind so I can't see what exactly happen but my bro and ayang [both are big-sized] leaped from their seat and rushed to the swing. It happened in a flash.Tapi, even masa tu gelap gelita aku nampak bobo membelasah budak tu.Aie who was holding a ciggie in his hand, terpaksa cucuh rokok dia dekat diorang untuk meleraikan diorang.Ayang in the other hand, try jugak nak leraikan diorang tapi siap kene tumbuk lagi okey. Finally after aie threaten to belasah them , they finally stop.

During makan time, we finally asked bobo why did he create such scene.


"Bobo bukan apo.Sakit ati tau tak dio buek camtu.Pakcik kito yang moninggal tu.Dio ingat kito ni sapo? Bobo kosian kek si A'ai, todiam bilo oghang megato cik jahir [my uncle], iyola..awak kocik, ontok-ontok jolah.. tu yang aku tinju muko dio tu."


Yup, death to Malay is a very sensitive issue. Sensitive and personal. I guess that explain why I don't see any obituary for Malay. But that won't stop me from flipping to my favourite section everyday..