Mango Tree Memories

I had this conversation with a person regarding neighbours and the topic came to the fact that our house was not fenced. It was an excellent intention. No fence and the people living there would interact with each other more. At least that’s what the authority thought. But the result was the total opposite of the real intention of the authorities. We seldom talk to our neighbours and all we do was go home went into the house and close the door and the door will not open not until the next day.

But I did talk to my neighbours when I have the time and when we were around doing the garden et cetera. But the person I have this conversation with didn’t agree with me when I pointed out the real intention and he says, “We are just not ready to live the way the westerners live. I agree not because I am agreeing to what he is saying but I just don’t want to prolong matters or even the conversation. What’s the point of having a conversation when you are not allowed to give your views? It will bring you to a point where the conversation was void.

If we think about this matter I am telling you now, we would realise that malay houses in the rural areas don’t have fence. It has always been that way since time immemorial. See I don’t think Hang Tuah has a house with a fence (but if you watch P. Ramlee’s movies, most of the houses have fences even Nujum Pa’ Belalang’s house).

I still remember back in the old days (not that old since I am not that old either but old enough to tell this story) in the kampong at my grandmother’s place (where I spent most of my time when I was small) we use to have this “evening conference” under a mango tree on a “pelenggark” (well it is a Kedahan’s word for a public sitting place where several people can sit on it. Usually it will be under a tree near the paddy field or in normal Bahasa Melayu, is it “wakaf”? please correct me if I’m wrong here). Since those who lived in the parameter of the pelenggark were related to each other, thus, the topic of the conversation would range from family matter to family problems and national matter (who said people in the kampong do not know what is happening to the world).

My grandmother, Tok Puteh (for those who read my blog earlier would know who Tok Puteh is), is a regular among those who commune on the pelengark. There were Tok Ndak (Tok Puteh’s sister in law and has passed away), Tok Lang (Tok Puteh’s other sister in law and has passed away also (she makes good “pulut inti” and “pulut udang”), Mak Tam, Mak Teh, Mak Su, Long Kiah, Teh Aishah, Mak Su Pah (all Tok Puteh’s nieces) and my mother on the pelenggark at times. Sometimes the men would join the group. Tok Puteh and Tok Ndak were almost 75 or 80 years old at that time. They were the “advisers” to all the matters in hand. All things, this and that but as the elderly, people come to seek advice from them.

The best thing about the evening meeting was the food. Mak Tam will bring “cucork udang” with kuah kacang and tea from her kitchen and sometimes Mak Teh (Mak Tam’s sister) would make her famous “tepong talam” (she sells this some time ago) and coffee and how I miss Tok Lang’s pulut inti and pulut udang. Oh my God, the foods were wonderful. The event was more or less like hi tea event for kampong folks but lesser budget though. Hi tea in Hilton’s “Paya Serai” would cost triple the price compared to hi tea on the pelanggark and it is more fun. Fresh air (at that time I think we are still haze free), fantastic view (ok the view was only my grandmother’s house and tok ndak’s house but what the heck it was fun) and not forgetting the fond memories I had with Tok Puteh, Tok Ndak and Tok Lang.

Believe it or not, weddings, trips, and other events were planned and discussed on the pelenggark. Well at least most of my second cousin’s wedding plans were discussed here. Luckily the meminang ceremony or the akad nikah was not done on the pelenggark. If not I would apply to the Museum and Antiquity Department and ask them to certify the pelenggark as one of the “National Treasure”.

But now, it is about twenty years later, the pelenggark is no longer at the place where it used to be same as the elders like Tok Puteh, Tok Ndak and Tok Lang becuase they have left us behind. Mak Tam is still around but not that young anymore and I have since then completed primary school, secondary school and graduated from Law school. The mango tree is the only thing left there keeping all memories of those people who commune under her long time ago. Once in a while, I look at the mango tree and try to figure out the memories that it has with her, the memories it kept and the memories I have and kept with me when I was growing up then in the kampong.

p/s: the mango tree is something like the old grandmother willow tree in Disney's Pocahontas.