Merdeka

Happy Merdeka Day

Since early this month I kept hearing the patriotic songs especially Tanggal 31 sung by Allahyarham Sudirman. I love the song. I have been singing that song since I was still in school. It was the time when we fly our Malaysian flag. That time it was still known as Bendera Malaysia not the Jalur Gemilang.

I don't feel anything about Merdeka Day except that it was school holiday and we got to watch the parade on the television. Mom always woke me up around 8am. "Dik, tak nak tengok tv ke? Merdeka hari ni."

And I would ran from the bedroom with the taik mata and all, parked myself in front of the black and white television (where some people those days turned their broken tele into an aquarium because it has flaps that goes left and right) and watched the two hour parade aired by RTM1 at 8am.

Dad never brought me to watch the actual parade in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad building. In fact, dad was always working that public holidays. So, I never seen the colourful costumes worn by those participants, but it doesn't bother me at all because the next day, he will bring back the Berita Harian or the Utusan Malaysia so that I can see the colourful pictures of the Merdeka Parade.

Now, each time I hear the Tanggal 31, I will always remember our black and white tele. How I will start watching the television from 8am - the Merdeka Parade - to cartoons, the old Malay movies such as P.Ramlee's Sarjan Hassan to my favourites Ultraman and He-Man.

And I will always remember my mom shouting "Mandi!"

Now it was my nephew's turn to hum that Tanggal 31 song but instead of...
Tanggal tiga puluh satu
Bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh....

he changed the lyrics
Tanggalkan seluar kamu
Bulan lapan beli seluar baru...

I wonder.....