My kampong playmate.

You can take me out of the kampong but you can never take the kampong out of me – Badiozaman Abdullah 02 April 2013. I agreed with him. I too always address myself as a simple kampong boy of which I am truly proud of. In fact I still live in a kampong.

Badiozaman was my childhood playmate in Kampong Bikam in the 50s. We got separated as his late parent, Pak Cik Dollah and Wan Embun decided to join the first Felda scheme at Lembah Bilut, Pahang sometimes after Merdeka.

I had been looking for Badiozaman for ages, inquiring about him from people that I know of from Lembah Bilut. No one seems to know where he was but they know who he is.

Through the internet, Badiozaman traced me through a comment I posted at GES Primary Bidor. He sent me an email inquiring whether I am the right Mustapa from Kampong Bikam. I immediately replied that I am the one and called him over the phone. I browsed the internet and saw him as experiential Trainer at one Adventure Holiday Tour Company.

We were practically neighbors’, only separated by a swamp full of mengkuang. Together we used to swim in the crystal clear river and enjoyed the yearly tuba festival. We walked to the main road to catch the bus to school. During rainy season, the road became muddy and we hanged our shoes at the collar. In the afternoon, we went to the same Madrasah to learn the basic of Koran reading and everybody feared Tok Adam, the grand old man who taught us alif, ba ta. In the evening, it was playtime and we normally joined the old folks at the riverside makeshift farm (ladang) and enjoyed our self barbeque tapioca and maize. Our duty was to chase away the monkeys and it was really fun. Sometimes at night we watched the kampong youth practicing their silat and Pak Unggal Bedul was the Mahaguru. I wish I can go back to time tunnel and back to that era. Life was easy going, the air was fresh and the world was at peace with us. We only watched movie once a month when the Information Service Department Van came visiting. We were not interested with the Government propaganda about communist Terrorists and rural development. Though we did not have pipe water and electricity then, we never complained and now we are grateful with the absence of those utilities, we are able to compare and appreciate what is life all about. 

       

02 April 2013 – Badiozaman made an appointment that he would visit and encounter with me personally. He took the KTM Commuter and I anxiously waited for him at Kampong Raja Uda KTM Station. At last, after over half a century the two (2) buddies met.

The meeting was nostalgic and over coffee at my house we talked about the good old days. He furthers his studies after ITM to the States for six (6) years to do his MBA. He is retired and do various freelancing. He used to revisit Kampong Bikam as he still has close living relatives there. I did visit the kampong but I don’t seem to recognize anybody and they don’t seem to recognize me either. My old grandparent’s house is still standing, unoccupied. My relatives are either gone forever or migrated like me. However, I still remain a kampong boy.

Badiozaman brought along surprises with him. He showed me a Malay poetry (Syair) script in jawi composed by my late Grandmother about the matrimonial story of his parent. I was really shocked to see the over 50 year old script and it is readable. While reading, my memories flew back trying to recollect the personalities as mentioned. I never know my late Grandmother was a great composer of syair. Badiozaman is treasuring the script but he made a copy for me. (I will Romanize it and posted later).

He also brought along a photograph of the Kampong Home Guard with Sir General Templer. Gosh!! I was astonished to see the faces in the old sentimental photograph. Of course all of them are already gone. Badiozaman assisted me to recall who was in the photo.

I showed Badiozaman some old Primary school photographs and surprisingly he could recollect most of the names in the photo.

We adjourned for lunch at Asam Pedas Restaurant and I send him to Port Klang KTM Station as he had another appointment at 1600 hrs in KL. We promised that we both will make a trip back down memory lane to the kampong soon. We plan to gather the entire kampong once little rascals and organize a “Grand Get Together”.