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."