Feeling nostalgic? Go to Rasa

	IF you have a taste for all things old, colonial and laidback, Rasa in Hulu Selangor might be your cup of tea.
	Not much has changed in the town that was once the centre of British administration during its heydays as a mining town.
	Rasa became the four-year capital of Hulu Selangor after massive floods in 1926 sank the entire town of Kuala Kubu Baru.
	The British, wanting to rebuild Kuala Kubu Baru, moved everything, lock, stock and barrel, to Rasa, so that town planners could work on getting the former back to its old glory.
	Tinsmith Yew Chee Meng, 63, said when the British left Kuala Kubu Baru, they left the old world charm behind.
	"People living in Kuala Lumpur and other parts of Malaysia used to come here to see what the good old days of the colonial era was like. Even now, when you drive along Rasa town, people will still get the feel of what the small town was like in the 50's through to the 70's.
	"Frankly, not much has changed, except that we have more housing estates and more foreign labour here."
	Yew's father came to Rasa to open his own tinsmith shop opposite the old railway station.
	At that time, there was a demand for tinsmiths because of the thriving tin mining industry. Tinsmiths were also in demand by households who relied on them to mend their old pots and pans.
	Business then, was brisk. But now, Yew, who is the only tinsmith in the Hulu Selangor area, said he only made enough to get by.
	"People no longer use aluminium pots and pans, and instead rely on stainless steel cookware or even glassware. Many of them usually throw away things that have holes and cracks.
	"Moreover, Rasa does not have much business activities. My two children are reluctant to take over this business because it is not lucrative enough for them," he said.
	Former temple priest Jayandra Sharma, 63, said when he first moved to Rasa's Indian settlement in Kampung Kandaiah in the 90's, many parts of the town were like a cowboy town.
	Even Kampung Kandaiah, which was occupied by 23 families then, resembled a cowboy town.
	But things changed when more people moved into the settlement, and when the Sri Thandayuthabani temple was built.
	"Kampung Kandaiah was named after a local government councillor, who came from Sri Lanka. The house where I am living now was previously owned by him.
	"He sold the house to a local Chinese man, who then sold it to me. Mr Kandaiah passed away years ago, but his wife and grandchildren used to visit the Sri Thandayuthabani temple until she, too, passed away," Jayandran said.
	Currently, Kampung Kandaiah has about 1,000 families of all races.
	Former clerk Low Myin, 70, and odd-job worker Wong Kow, 79, said they had always enjoyed living in Rasa because it was a quiet place that was surrounded by hills and greenery.
	Unlike many parts of the Klang Valley and Hulu Selangor where development has brought much activity, time appears to have stood still in Rasa, but the residents are not complaining.
	"It's very relaxing to live here and there are still many nooks and corners where we can lepak," they said.
	So how did Rasa get its name?
	The men said Rasa was probably an ancient word for thunder.
	"Our ancestors spoke differently then and we suspect it is the ancient Chinese word for thunder."
	Wong said he had worked for Rasa's very own 'Yap Ah Loy' (Chinese Kapitan), known as Tan Boon Chia, briefly in the fifties.
	"My friend and I were gardeners at his mansion, and we were paid RM400 for the job. From time to time, we would see the old man, who was already wheelchair-bound, and surrounded by nurses and bodyguards.
	"We never spoke to him and our dealings were with his people. Tan came to Rasa from China and worked hard to buy tin mines and became a very rich man."
	The Tan Boon Chia mansion still stands proudly in Rasa.
	Hulu Selangor District Council town planner Azlina Mokhtar said Rasa had always played second fiddle to Kuala Kubu Baru, although it was only a five- to seven- minute drive away.
	"The British used both towns as their capital, and Rasa does have some similarities with Kuala Kubu Baru. Though the council has planned some development for Rasa, it will be controlled because we want to maintain the greenery it offers.
	"Rasa has become attractive to many house buyers who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city."

Sights and sounds of Jalan Masjid India

	G. Shanti
	IT was once known as belakang mati (dead end), but today it is anything but.
	In just over two decades, Jalan Masjid India, which began life as a few shops and a mosque of the same name, has blossomed into a popular tourist destination.
	It is a place where cultures intertwine, especially during two major festive seasons - Hari Raya Puasa and Deepavali. The iconic street is turned into a huge Malay bazaar during Ramadan and becomes Little India during Deepavali. But, even without festivals, Jalan Masjid India is a shopper's paradise.
	M.L. Puneithavathy, whose family runs Madras Store Sdn Bhd, says Malaysians of all races and tourists flock to Jalan Masjid India year-round, as there is much to see and do there.
	"Shopping is the biggest attraction in Jalan Masjid India. When my mother opened her small stationery business here 37 years ago, the whole place was isolated and quiet.
	"Only a handful of stores were open and, in addition to Masjid India, was all that was present here.
	"The road behind our shop was a dead-end, which was why it was called belakang mati, and there were many brothels in the neighbourhood," says Puneithavathy.
	Before venturing into the saree business, her mother supplied books, magazines and stationery to the nearby offices.
	Jalan Masjid India was then a far cry from what it is today, as the place used to be quiet and dark after sunset. Many shopkeepers did not venture out of their premises at night.
	It also had its own theatre, called the Hindustan Theatre, which was located down the road from the present Semua House.
	In its earlier incarnation, the Masjid India mosque was a wooden and brick structure. The mosque was financed by Indian Muslim traders who lived and traded there and in Batu Road, now known as Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.
	Today, Jalan Masjid India, which runs parallel to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, is surrounded by office buildings, condominiums, shopping complexes, hotels, bazaars and malls.
	It is also the place everyone makes a beeline for to get their festive shopping done, especially for Hari Raya and Deepavali.
	From clothes to cookies, tableware, silverware, glassware, home decorations and traditional delicacies, almost everything is available at the shopping haven. The goldsmith shops that line the road are also heavily patronised by locals and foreigners.
	Puneithavathy says Hari Raya shopping starts as early as February, with many wholesalers buying six-metre sarees to make baju kurung, shawls and tudung.
	During the "Festival of Lights", the whole road becomes a vibrant little India, where one can shop to your heart's content for sarees, silverware, home decor and traditional goodies.
	Tourists have often said that to experience the real atmosphere of Deepavali, Jalan Masjid India, is the place to go.
	Open almost all year-round, the street is where online entrepreneurs and siblings Yaya and Mymin Azahar, have been doing their shopping on a large scale, for the last two to three years.
	Their shopping destination is usually the saree shops that sell ready-made baju kurung fashioned out of the saree fabric.
	"What we do is buy the baju kurung at the saree shops and sell it online. The demand for baju kurung, especially those made from chiffon, georgette and silk materials, are very popular," says Yaya.
	Nurul Farhana Abdul Shukor, who sells dates and nuts from all over the world at the Ramadhan bazaar, says nothing beats shopping in Jalan Masjid India for Hari Raya.
	"We usually open our shop at 9am and close about midnight.
	"The closer we get to Hari Raya, the later we will close. We are here till the wee hours of the morning."
	When friends Ikhwan Mohd Amran and Jusoh Musa, started their small business selling cotton baju kurung during the fasting month in Jalan Masjid India, they never expected their business to take off in such a big way.
	"We have our own clientele who come looking for cotton baju kurung. This year, we sourced for paisley prints and sales have been brisk."
	Hari Raya would not be complete without cookies and serunding (meat floss), which is supplied by Rosnita Ahmad and Mohd Afiq Mohd Zain, who source their delicacies direct from Kelantan to city folk who have not the time or inclination to prepare these items.
	Belgian tourist Christine Buytaert, who hails from Antwerp, says Jalan Masjid India offers a whole new experience.
	She "stumbled upon" its Ramadan bazaar while exploring Kuala Lumpur and was instantly fascinated.
	"This place is definitely not what I had expected.
	"It is absolutely wonderful, and we can't wait to explore all that it has to offer," says Christine, who is in Malaysia with her husband and two children.

Seputeh: From rubber trees to real estate

	By G. Shanti
	IT was a rubber estate that offered much greenery and was often enveloped in mist while several mining ponds completed the scenic view.
	Even after the first housing estate was developed, residents enjoyed tranquility and cool weather on a daily basis.
	Today, the rubber plantations and mining ponds have made way for townships, mixed development projects, a sports complex and offices, but to the locals who have been residing in Seputeh constituency for generations, there is no better place to call home.
	Seri Petaling has come a long way in more than three decades.
	With access to four highways, Seri Petaling is considered one of the most easily accessible places in the country.
	"When we first moved here 35 years ago, many of our family members and friends thought we were out of our minds as Seri Petaling was considered isolated and was accessible only via the Seremban highway. We moved here because our single-storey terrace house cost us RM42,500 and it was considered reasonable then," said Raymond Ong and his wife, Lee Chui Kee.
	"Today, similar properties cost almost RM800,000 but unlike others, we have never thought of moving because we like this neighbourhood."
	Businessman Tan Tai Tong, who is also the president of the Seri Petaling Residents' Association, said when he moved from Johor Baru to the central region to start his wholesale business, Seri Petaling was the obvious choice because office space rental was affordable then. At that time, Tan could rent a shoplot for RM1,200 per month.
	Seri Petaling started off as Castlefield Estate, a rubber plantation in Selangor.
	Petaling Garden Development later bought the land and developed the estate into Seri Petaling in stages.
	The name Seri Petaling derived from the name of the development company, which also developed the township of Petaling Jaya.
	Tan said Seri Petaling in Chinese, Tai Seng Poh, meant "Big Castle".
	"Seri Petaling had three or four mining ponds and there was another one nearby in Seri Endah. The mining ponds offered beautiful scenery but the developer drained one of the ponds and turned it into a landfill, much to our disapproval.
	"For some years, Seri Petaling had to endure the smell and flies that came from the site. But, eventually, it was cleared to make way for the Bukit Jalil Sports Complex that was built for the 1998 Commonwealth Games."
	A coffee lover, Tan recalled that he had to stop drinking in coffee shops because of the presence of flies.
	Association vice-president Francis Foo and assistant secretary Ng See Eng both claimed that over-development of the township had brought about heavy traffic and parking woes.
	"As more development takes place, this place becomes more congested. Finding parking space is a major problem, especially around the business centres."
	The township is considered a food haven and boasts the largest night market in the country, with more than 1,000 stalls.
	Seri Petaling, along with Salak South and Taman Desa, make up the Seputeh constituency.
	Taman Desa, off Jalan Klang Lama, is viewed as the jewel in the crown of the constituency.
	According to Taman Desa Residents' Association chairman William Chan, Taman Desa was once a rubber estate that was developed by the Faber Union Group and many bought houses here because they sat just "down the road" from the city centre.
	"We are a self-contained township that has everything, such as hospitals, offices, houses, schools, eateries, places of worship and condominiums. We are happy there is no shopping mall here as it would create only more congestion in the neighbourhood.
	"For us, Mid Valley Megamall is just a stone's throw away and many of us would rather do our shopping there. Taman Desa, which has the Danau Desa and Bukit Desa Abadi neighbourhoods in the vicinity, is one of the best planned neighbourhoods," added Chan.
	As for the name, Molly Goh, one of the earliest residents in the area, said Taman Desa, in Chinese meant a "township on a hilltop".
	"Well, it is not far from the truth because when you look at where and how Taman Desa is situated, we are actually sitting on a hilltop."

Kerling and its famous `father'

	By G. Shanti
	HIS great-grandfather was a powerful man whom rulers relied during the 19th century civil war in Selangor.
	A well-known Malay warrior, Saiyid Mashor Mohd Ash Shahab, was the man, who was also Kerling's first penghulu (village headman).
	The small town in Hulu Selangor, famous for its tin mines and rubber plantations, was Saiyid Mashor's "baby", which he kept a close eye on for the state's rulers.
	Speaking about his famous ancestor, Syed Zahari Syed Ibrahim, 78, said his great-grandfather was a caring man who looked after his people.
	"However, my only memory of him is of him playing with me when I was a toddler. He died when I was four or five years old, and all that I know of him is what my grandfather and father told me.
	"Some of the older generation who lived in Kerling knew my great-grandfather well, because as a village headman, he took care of them. Whenever there were problems in Kerling, which was then a small village, surrounded by rubber estates and tin mines, my great-grandfather would intervene to prevent trouble from breaking out and disrupting the harmony in the village."
	The Selangor Civil War or Klang War was fought for six years between 1867 and 1874. The conflict was initially between Malay rulers but it later involved Chinese secret societies who wanted control of the state's tin-rich areas.
	According to Syed Zahari, his great-grandfather treated all the villagers like his own children and made sure they stayed safe.
	The town, he said, got its name from the way one moved their eyes.
	"In the old days, people did not speak Bahasa Malaysia like it is spoken now. It was very different then and kerling, in those days, meant how one moved their eyes.
	"Kerling has always been a small town. It played second fiddle to nearby areas like Kuala Kubu Baru and Rasa in the heydays of tin mining," said the former civil servant.
	These days, especially on weekends, people visit Kerling for it famous hot spring.
	While some rubber plantations still stand, many have made way for either palm oil plantations or small housing estates.
	The town itself comprises two rows of shophouses. The wet market in the town centre, has been abandoned by traders in favour of the bigger and better one at Kuala Kubu Baru town.
	Many of the colonial houses built by the early settlers are either dilapidated or have been turned to motor workshops.
	For 80-year-old Yu Yan Yoke, Kerling will always be home for him and his children.
	He was born there when his parents came from China to work in the rubber plantations. Due to hardship, Yu never went to school and was instead sent by his parents to tap rubber at a young age.
	Yu said Kerling was then surrounded by plantations and secondary jungles, and they lived in small wooden houses.
	"We had to grow our own vegetables, and rear our own chickens and pigs. The houses were scattered, and to get to our neighbours' houses, we had to walk a few miles.
	"After tapping rubber from dawn till dusk, we had to come home and look after our plantation and livestock. As the years went by, life became easier because rubber was doing well and we were paid between 70 and 80 Malayan dollars, at that time, it was considered a big amount of money."
	When rubber prices fell and many tappers were laid off, Yu took up vegetable farming to support his family. His children have now taken over the business.
	"I can never see myself moving out of Kerling. My parents lived here, now I am living here and my children are all staying in the same village where they were brought up.
	"My wife has passed on, along with many of my friends and relatives. Those who are still alive make it a point to gather, at least a few times a week, to exchange stories from the past."

Tranquil living on top a spinning hill

G. Shanti BUKIT Gasing, a 100ha green lung that divides Petaling Jaya in Selangor from Kuala Lumpur, has long been a haven for nature lovers and sports enthusiasts who enjoy trail running, jogging, hiking, walking and cycling. The highest point in Bukit Gasing at 160m is a well-known spot to enjoy a panoramic view of Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. The hilltop area is also popular among Hindus who go there to worship at the famous Sivan temple. It is not known how the place got its name, which translates into top (Gasing) hill (Bukit) in English. The hill and the surrounding areas, which stretch from Section 5 in Petaling Jaya to Pantai Dalam and Taman Gasing Indah in Kuala Lumpur towards the south, was once a thriving rubber plantation. Left abandoned for more than 50 years, the plantation was overtaken by lush secondary jungle covered with tropical trees and undergrowth, which became home to various fauna. In the early days when the area was opened for residential development, many were reluctant to move there. The lush jungle environment kept them at bay. In the 1960s, civil servants were given incentives to move to the neighbourhood. Today, the scenario is different as people are keen to live in the area, said Gasing Indah residents association president Alfred Chuah. "The greenery has attracted many home buyers to the area. It is also peaceful and quiet." According to resident Simon Cheng, who first moved into the neighbourhood some 20 years ago, development is slowly impacting the physical surrounding of the area. "Before the multi-storey condominiums were built in the neighbourhood, the air around here used to be cool. These days, we still enjoy the greenery, but to get the cool air, we have to walk closer to the condominiums which sit on the fringes on the forest," he said. Another resident, Peter Lai, also one of the pioneer house buyers in Bukit Gasing, said the neighbourhood on the Petaling Jaya side was actually the second phase to be built by the developer. "The first phase is on the Kuala Lumpur side. Luckily for us, we are on the Petaling Jaya side of the hill, which has been gazetted as a reserve area," he said. The area covering about 36ha was gazetted as a green belt in 1961. However, the Kuala Lumpur side of the ridge covering about 50ha is not protected. The Bukit Gasing educational forest was launched about 12 years ago and since then, it has become a popular recreational area for the locals. During the weekends, the place is packed with joggers, runners and hikers. Residents Gurdeep Singh, Chan Siew Hong and Pang Kam Wong also echoed that overdevelopment had caused the area to lose its peace and tranquility. They said residents were against overdevelopment as it would make the area congested. They want a peaceful neighbourhood, not some place that was crowded and noisy. They added this was a peaceful and serene neighbourhood, and all of them played their part in ensuring that it stayed that way. Gasing Indah Residents Association vice-president Benedict Indran said rubber trees could still be found in many parts of the forest reserve and some people had been profiting from illegal rubber tapping. "We have seen people tapping rubber in the forest reserve, although it is prohibited. People continue doing so because there is no enforcement."