As promised, here's the full version of the kompang story.
But there is also another side of the story.
If you google up the name Zainudin Andika (or Zainuddin Andika), you'll find various videos of him, featuring him as one of the left-wing political activists who fought for Independence. He was featured in Fahmi Reza's highly-acclaimed documentary Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka a few years back.
Funny thing I didn't realise this until recently. When we first did our Kuala Kangsar trip early this year with Raja Shahriman (another name worth googling), we found him in his workshop busy working on an aeroplane replica (no kidding!). We only went to see him because he was a kompang-maker, not as political activist who was jailed for more than 4 years in 1948. The moment we introduced ourselves he was already eager to give an interview. Zainudin has probably done it so many times before that it became second-nature to him. He probably spoke for about half an hour non-stop before we even get a chance to introduce ourselves!
If you look around his workshop you can tell the old man and the place has been around for quite sometime. Pieces of woods, mechanically-moving miniature models of water mill (and various other agriculture-themed models), holes on the roof, clocks everywhere, tools, oversized slingshot (I can go on and on until 1976) – and nicely-kept notebooks written in Jawi!
What I saw was an 84 year-old who, if born half a century later – could easily be known as an artist, inventor, watchmaker, fashion designer, or, if he's bored – a lecturer writer.
In other words: he was probably born before his time.
And that's the beauty of History - we can't change them. No. But we can learn from them. And Zainudin has a lot of things under his sleeves that we can learn from.
And move forward.
As I wrote this he's probably on his way to Institute Jantung Negara for his pacemaker check ups. But on other days, if you happen to visit his workshop, you'll probably find him busy working on something. The guy can't sit still. His current project involves studies of air. He was fiddling with a pinwheel when we came to interview him last week, wondering how in God's heavens air moves the wheel. Later he discovered that the wheel/blades need to be fixed at a slight angle for it to spin. Self discovery. And no, I don't think he got it off from the internet either.
I've probably given away too much already. We're coming up with another episode of Zainudin that has nothing to do with kompang, or his fight for freedom (others have covered that already). But more on his creative freedom. From a distance he may seem a little, er... different (talk about an old man not behaving as an old man should), but a closer look reveals a lot of creative thoughts jumping around in this man's head.
And another thing: I've not heard this man complain about his pasts or present, ever. Instead of badmouthing others or bitc*ing about this and that (which is kinda 'second nature' to our generation. Don't believe me? Check out facebook statuses), he carries on and focuses on doing things he loves.
Doing things he loves.
Via his own ways. In his own tunes.
Or in Malay - Dengan Rentaknya Sendiri.
Bless him.
But there is also another side of the story.
If you google up the name Zainudin Andika (or Zainuddin Andika), you'll find various videos of him, featuring him as one of the left-wing political activists who fought for Independence. He was featured in Fahmi Reza's highly-acclaimed documentary Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka a few years back.
Funny thing I didn't realise this until recently. When we first did our Kuala Kangsar trip early this year with Raja Shahriman (another name worth googling), we found him in his workshop busy working on an aeroplane replica (no kidding!). We only went to see him because he was a kompang-maker, not as political activist who was jailed for more than 4 years in 1948. The moment we introduced ourselves he was already eager to give an interview. Zainudin has probably done it so many times before that it became second-nature to him. He probably spoke for about half an hour non-stop before we even get a chance to introduce ourselves!
If you look around his workshop you can tell the old man and the place has been around for quite sometime. Pieces of woods, mechanically-moving miniature models of water mill (and various other agriculture-themed models), holes on the roof, clocks everywhere, tools, oversized slingshot (I can go on and on until 1976) – and nicely-kept notebooks written in Jawi!
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| Click for bigger image, and test your Jawi! |
In other words: he was probably born before his time.
And that's the beauty of History - we can't change them. No. But we can learn from them. And Zainudin has a lot of things under his sleeves that we can learn from.
And move forward.
As I wrote this he's probably on his way to Institute Jantung Negara for his pacemaker check ups. But on other days, if you happen to visit his workshop, you'll probably find him busy working on something. The guy can't sit still. His current project involves studies of air. He was fiddling with a pinwheel when we came to interview him last week, wondering how in God's heavens air moves the wheel. Later he discovered that the wheel/blades need to be fixed at a slight angle for it to spin. Self discovery. And no, I don't think he got it off from the internet either.
I've probably given away too much already. We're coming up with another episode of Zainudin that has nothing to do with kompang, or his fight for freedom (others have covered that already). But more on his creative freedom. From a distance he may seem a little, er... different (talk about an old man not behaving as an old man should), but a closer look reveals a lot of creative thoughts jumping around in this man's head.
And another thing: I've not heard this man complain about his pasts or present, ever. Instead of badmouthing others or bitc*ing about this and that (which is kinda 'second nature' to our generation. Don't believe me? Check out facebook statuses), he carries on and focuses on doing things he loves.
Doing things he loves.
Via his own ways. In his own tunes.
Or in Malay - Dengan Rentaknya Sendiri.
Bless him.