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Remembering Penang’s Municipal Band
6 min read
DID YOU KNOW that in the late 1800s, Penang had its very own municipal band? The exact year of its formation remains unclear; newspaper clippings from January 8...
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Indian Music and Arts in Malaysia Have Many Roots
4 min read
Indian music in Malaya before the 20th century was mainly of the Indian Classical and Carnatic modes, and these were performed in temples for religious celebrations and festivities by classical musicians brought in from India.
Pottery in Penang Gains Popularity Again
4 min read
Potters know that to get a fire started, much depends on the size of the wood used. Small woods get a fire going easily, but it is the larger ones that sustain it for longer and that maintain the overall temperature of the kiln.
The Many Names and Traditions of the Hindu New Year
5 min read
HINDUISM AS A religion is interwoven with the practice of Indian astrology and the use of the lunisolar calendar, for prayers, marriages and christenings to be...
What’s in a Kampung Name?
6 min read
Ever wondered why certain kampungs are so named? Maybe they were named after their founders or an upstanding community member? Or perhaps, they got their names from plantation crops, or the hills and rivers in their immediate environs?
How to Strengthen Your Financial Health: Part Two
4 min read
LAST WEEKEND, I went out with a young friend. As we wandered through bookstores, bought pastries in bakeries and lunched at kopitiams, I admired his carefree-ne...
No Room for Economic Complacency regarding Ukraine-Russia War
5 min read
ABOUT TWO MONTHS ago, Russia shocked the world by launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, causing horrible human suffering and destruction. In response, the...
A Discourse on Birds – and Biodiversity
7 min read
BIRDS POPULATE literature and folklore as symbols of transit and freedom, embodying fleeting moments of beauty.[1] In Farid-ud-din Attar’s The Conference of the...
A Quaint History of the Mystical Islet We Call “Pulau Tikus”
9 min read
IT IS SAID that Francis Light, after negotiations with the Sultan of Kedah to take possession of Penang, anchored his three ships off the islet, Pulau Tikus, an...
Appealing Lifestyles on Offer in Seberang Perai
6 min read
A CONURBATION IS an extended urban region where several towns, cities and urban areas have merged through physical expansion and population growth. Penang, a po...
Hong Seng Estate: The Urban Kampung by the Hill
7 min read
JALAN MOUNT ERSKINE, the busy thoroughfare beyond the western-most end of Jalan Burmah, cuts through vast tracks of Chinese cemeteries and links together the su...
Keeping the Local Tamil Literary Ecosystem Vibrant
6 min read
WRITER M. NAVIN was a contradictory character growing up. At school, he challenged the wits of both the discipline teacher and the school principal, swiftly bec...
