I got a message in my facebook inbox today. It was sent by a good friend of mine, Cikgu Hafiz, an engineering student and a Gayong teacher at Stoke-on-Trent. It was not a really good news, a part of certain things. He said that he had accomplished his studies there and returning to Malaysia for good really soon. It was a lightning struck for me. Since teaching here in France, one by one of our members dissappear. Kak Nisa', Kak Izdza, Diana, Liyana, Ipin and many others were our Gayong family members from Ireland that already left us here. Many will do so. My Silat partners, like Cikgu Rais from Bristol, Cikgu Faiz and Cikgu Warid from Plymouth were those I used to meet in Dublin, Paris or UK to exchange some Gayong technics and to train for demos.
Me too, I'll leave La France after completing my studies. I'll leave my Silat Seni Gayong France (AFSSG) to my students to continue our activites and tradition. But seems that many advices urge me to stay, and for the certain personal reasons, I'll try my best to stay here another couple of years for my PhD... hopefully I can find somewhere here in Paris!
I should have started "blogging" since I start teaching here, to introduce some of the good Anak Gayongs, but I am not talented in writing, especially in English! Most of them are students, but have the hearts of steel, and the courage to bring back Gayong wherever they live. Cikgu Hafiz, for example, had been critisized, harshly, by certain Gayong people of teaching Silat Seni Gayong there, eventhough what he was doing is legal. He travels a long way journey from Stoke to Plymouth, to give assistance to Cikgu Faiz and Cikgu Warid to start Gayong class for university, and even to teach some Silat stuff for a theater! For Cikgu Rais, how many times did he go to Dublin to teach Gayong to the Anak Gayong of Ireland. And how many did Kak Izdza, Firdaus (a.k.a Taro) and others spent to welcome us Cikgu-Cikgu at their home and treated us a warm tasty Briyani. How difficult Cikgu Fadhlil and Cikgu Haris to come to train the Anak Gayong even though it was during the period of examination. And how those Anak-Anak Gayong, Diana, Syiqin, Feer, Liyana, Ju, Munirah, Asrih, Tun, Ipin, Muhaimin, Ammar, Fahim, Taro, Chot and Eroz "fight" bravely day and night for their belt grading during the winter season, eventhough their bare feet numbed and caught a 40 degrees fever after that!
All of Gayong students in oversea, do as same as their Master did when they were younger. Sacrificing time, money, energy, and many other commitments for the sake of Gayong. That's why we have to choose to be "Crazy" to build something concrete. We don't expect anything from anyone. What we need is only our Guru's blessing and Doa for what we do. I remembered the moments when I was isolated, backstabbed and slandered. It was so hard that made me to give up everything. But when suddenly, my soul spoke to me, reminded me one thing that I learned at the Mosque. "Ikhlas, the sincerity, is a virtue that one attains, when the praises don't make him happier, and the curses don't make him sad".
That is why this petit-malaisien still running here and there with his bag full of Keris and Parang to see Anak Gayongs really exist in France. What really counts me, is whether my Masters are still have their trust to me for what am I doing......
ZAAATTTTT!!!!!
i am starting to face the same things and i really don't like it :(
ReplyDeletebeing harshly criticized by certain people, and being back-stabbed are not the best things to experience...what a pain to go through all these even when we really 'ikhlas' to do things..
whatever it is, because of it, we become stronger than ever.. hurm~~
when you are critisized by certain people, it means that you do something good, that make them envy. You manage to get more and more the attention of publics, which keep them being more jealous. so keep that good work che det, drive them crazy by marking more success, until they are all died of exhaustion critisizing you! hehehehhee
ReplyDeleteas you said, that will only make us stronger! ;)
Bravo to alll Gayong who try to teach outside Malaysia! It's not an easy task, especially if your life takes you to other places. Do you have any idea how many people don't like that I, female, mat sellah, american, non-muslim, learn gayong? :) But It's okay, lah. I find the people who do good things and stick with them. There are always people who want to learn, but there are a select few that have je ne sais quoi, the drive, to stick with Gayong, not just overseas, but in Malaysia too. How many people continue to train and promote gayong? Sometimes life gets in the way, but those who want it, will always want it, and will find ways to make things happen even when they are alone without other Anak Gayong around for support.
ReplyDeleteI bet that you have done many crazy things to be as what you are now Jen! As you said, there are few that still keep learning and promoting the art. Especially when the life styles change, and more commitments need attentions, one would choose something that bring him material benefits than a traditional spiritual stuff like Gayong....
ReplyDeletelet us keep 'Gayonging' Jen! until the last breath! there are the late Cikgu Siti's SriKandi spirits inside you! ;)
thnx cikgu hakim. i'll meet you someday to get the 'secret' and 'recipe' to be a gayong master like you. i'll try to envy you so that i can do better than what you have done in france.hehe
ReplyDeletehope Allah will give the opportunity for us to meet someday :)
btw, if i have the time, I'll join the 'khatam keris' ceremony at teluk batik, but as spectator only =P
errr.... thanks che det, but i am not a master, just a little gayong teacher! hehehhehe. insyaAllah, surely we'll meet one day. i'll try my best to visit you one day at NZ, if possible, with Cikgu Wan Fauzi! ;)
ReplyDeleteproud of you che det, keep promoting Gayong there. insyaAllah, action with good intention, could trigger a nation union... errr ape daku cakap ni... huhuhh
why not having your Khatam? it's rare to have that opportunity. if I got another RM4000 now, it is sure I'm going back for that Khatam! (unfortunately, that's only a wish... ;p)
i know it is a huge lost if if i do not join. but the thing is, i have not learn keris yet, that is why i can not join.hehe =P
ReplyDeleteif only when i come back to malaysia (on 8th of nov) and straight away learn keris from cikgu wan in intensive way, i might be able to join. if not, i'll just can be the spectator only.hehe
n.b.: you know my bengkung level, right. i can't afford to wear that colour of bengkung while the others wear red and yellow belt in the ceremony.hehe (-_-)"
cikgu wan will only be available on disember, so i have no one to teach me gayong in november.
ReplyDeleteif only i can go and stay at cikgu amin's place, that would be great, wouldn't it?
getting the 'ilmu' of keris straight away from him and 'khatam' it. what a wonderful dream of mine.haha
but sure cikgu amin is so busy and has no time for 'stranger' like me (he even has thousands of students to entertain).
hopefully, i can join the ceremony and it will be a good start for me to know more about cikgu amin, other 'otai's and meet other gayong members from all over malaysia, i'Allah =)