Social Change
(The Practice Of Bengkulu Traditions
Had Become The Norm)
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| Provide Comfort |
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| Social Changes |
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| Way Of Life |
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| "Old is Gold" |
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| Bengkulu's Honour |
Those were the days, when Kampung Sungai Choh
had gone through changes, but a bit slow in the progress. However, there were not
many facilities that could provide comfort to
the villagers. There were also no social changes that
could bring great events. Anyhow, we still adhered to the old way of life. Nevertheless, the practice of Bengkulu
tradition has become the norm and the value of life during the "puntung
berasap" era. So it should be maintained and sustained. As the elders
said, "old is gold". So no matter
whatever the change was, they had to ensure that it did not affect the village's
stability and Bengkulu's honour. So the old people were the source of the village's
wisdom that brought harmony and serenity.
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| Priority Needs |
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| Basic Necessities |
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| Political Protest |
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| "Ayo Dalam Besi" |
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| Take Its Course |
Then as a boy, I just went through my life as
usual and went on as before. I did not
even know what were the priority needs in life.
In modern times, of course electricity and water are the basic necessities of life. By then it is not only an
issue but a big problem if electricity is cut off or there is no water from the
pipe. It's however hard to predict what will happen then. Perhaps it will
provoke a political protest or it will be
street demonstrations by the opposition. Yet in those days, even no "ayo dalam besi" and no "api dalam
kace", our life went on as usual. There was nothing to protest and nothing
to demonstrate. We do not insist on appealing for convenience. We only smiled as the life went on. We didnot even regret what
happened. Sometimes challenges and hardships were what the life was
actually. So might as well we just let life take its course.
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| Part Of The Life |
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| For Daily Living |
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| Not Polluted |
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| Symbol Of Village |
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| Dignity Of The Village |
However in those days, most of the villagers got
water from the well, not only for drinking but for washing and bathing
as well. I still remembered when bathing at the well. I just leaned on my elder
brother's back. So I shared the shower with my brother. The well was thus a part of the life of the villagers. Equally
important was the river that provided water for daily
living. We were not really fussy,
as long as the water was available for our need. Moreover the river was not polluted and not cloudy, but crystal clear. So
for us the river was a symbol of village life, from
which the village got its name "Kampung Sungai Choh". It was also the
lifeblood of the villagers. That’s why the river represented the dignity of the village.
