A Man of Two Owls: Cikgu Nik from Merapoh

Two guardians : The owl is always known as a bird of wisdom. It represents a symbol of knowledge, wise, rational and justice.

There was one night, where all around the road was filled with the mist. I was driving my Kancil from Kuala Lumpur going back home at Kelantan. The watch showed the time was 5 o'clock in the morning. Even I've switched off the air conditioner, I was still shivering of the cold outside air. I maintain the speed of my car at 80km per hour. My wife was still sleeping. I can't see nothing where were us. What I could see was just thick forest and hills. I felt strangely tired and sleepy. I nodded sometimes but managed to force my eyes to look at the road.

After hours of struggle, we arrived at a destination. We stopped at Merapoh. I was invited by one brother, a Pusaka Gayong Cikgu, who is a student of Cikgu Awang Daud and Cikgu Majid. Even though it was too late, they welcomed us gratefully. We talk about many things. From Gayong, lessons, Masters, wirids and petua until the Fajr prayer.





A simple and religious man, Cikgu Nik Iznan sat in front of me while drinking hot coffee with "biskut". Like me, he is a pure Kelantanese blood and raised like other "Orang Kampung". He is also the owner of the blog Aku & Gayong, one of the best blog about Silat Seni Gayong. His blog is much appreciated by many Gayong students and always full of teachings and advices.

In the morning, we prepared to move, but were surprised to found two little tiny creatures making a sound at the back of his house. Soubhanallah, two beautiful owls in a cage, widely opened their eyes to greet us. The last time I saw the owl when my late grandfather was still alive, as he kept an owl and fed him with fresh meat in front of our house under "Ketapang" tree. I forget how did Cikgu Nik get this birds but really, it was exciting to "talk" to these creatures.


Ambo berpesan kepada anak-anak Gayong sekitar Merapoh atau Gua Musang, boleh lah datang bertemu Abe Nik kita ni. Orangnya merendah diri, cakapnya berlapik, penampilannya juga menarik. Beliau bukan orang baru dalam Gayong. Malah, antara anak Gayong Kelantan yang berpeluang belajar Silat Seni Gayong dengan Guru ternama di Perak, Kedah dan Kelantan. Kalau ikut dari segi silibus, tak silap ambo ini, sudah berbengkung hitam dalam Pusaka Gayung. Sanadnya sahih, antara anak didik Cikgu Jebat, Pak Andak Majid dan Pak Su Awang. Daripada adik-adik semua belajar Gayong yang "tak betul", marilah jumpa Cikgu Nik ni. Dia sentiasa merendah diri kata "ambo tak pandai, tahu sikit-sikit jah".....

Comel teh sijil hitam pusaka gayung. ambo saja letak ni, minta izin abe nik deh. suka tengok kepala singa tuuu... hhehehe

DANCING WITH CIKGU JAZWAN

Cikgu Jazwan Kahar

Two weeks arriving in Malaysia, and I am still looking for the Gelanggangs. It has been two times (if I'm not mistaken) that the American broadcasting groups came to Malaysia, once during the Human Weapon series, and other the National Goegraphic Channel. Both of them passed by the Gelanggang Nirwana. For most of the non-selangorian Gayong practitioners, mostly the newcomers, they hardly know the Nirwana. What is so special about this Gelanggang??? Why every foreigners who intend to see Silat Seni Gayong will come first to this Gelanggang??? The research begins, and my question answered when I got a green light from Cikgu Jazwan, the son of Gayong Master, Cikgu Kahar Redza.

That was the first time I met Cikgu Jazwan. One of the most popular young Gayong Gurulatih, who was endorsed by the late Cikgu Siti Kalsom herself, to be the supervisor for the foreign Gayong group. (until now, I don't know why PSSGM still doesn't have that function in the HQ). The Americans, (USGF), under Cikgu Syeikh Samsuddin, always trained under Cikgu Jazwan and his father Cikgu Kahar at the Nirwana. Even Cikgu Ariffin and his group Gayong UK, came to Nirwana for the training. Nirwana itself sounds good to me. It sounds like "heaven". Hehehehe. Heaven of cats, perhaps! lol ;) One of the unique quality of Nirwana, is that it blessed with thousands of cats. (am I too generous perhaps. Hundreds? ;p). I love cats. So Cikgu Nyz. I'll bring her there next week, to look a potential future spouse for our male cat, Joix.

The fact is that, Cikgu Kahar was the late Dato' Meor's driver. Many Gurulatihs, mostly in Selangor, trained under Cikgu Kahar. He is small, but has a fierce and strict looking. What made me smiling when looking to him is that he was holding a plastic bag, with a cat food. Now I understand why there is many cats at the Gelanggang. ;) Other than teaching Silat Seni Gayong, Cikgu Kahar works as a massage, traditional herbs and healing expert. He admits that he learned many traditional healing technics from the late Dato' Mahaguru.

I met also Cik Nor, and Cikgu Jazwan's little brother Jaz. Thank you Cikgu Jaz, Master Kahar and family, brother Wan and other Gurulatihs for welcoming me. InsyaAllah see you all during the competition. Ah yes, there will be a Gayong competition this weekend for Selangor. I heard that I'll start at Friday afternoon until Sunday evening at the Kompleks Muhibbah. So guys, come and bring your whole family to this event!!! ;)

CIKGU SHAM BANGI : KSSG

Cikgu Sham, Pak Su Awang Daud & Cikgu Jail

I met him during a program with Ayahanda Amin Hamzah at Ipoh last time. It is always said that the Kelantanese (people who born in Kelantan) has the "assobiyah", or their strong attachment with their language/dialect Kelate (which is shared also with people at the south of Thailand, the ancient Malay Kingdom of Patani) . As usual, when I met him, this "special bond" made us close quickly. He is a professional lawyer, a graduate Bachelor and Master in law from UKM.

In Silat, he is a holder of Black Belt of Silat Seni Gayung Pusaka. A direct student of Cikgu Majid Mat Isa and Cikgu Awang Daud at Gurun, Kedah. He is so modest that most of the time doesn't want to talk about him, but prefers talking about his Masters. I participated in his program with his students of visiting the Old Gayong Masters at the north of Malaysia. Believe me, even though my Mom was quite mad of me because rushing from Kelantan to Slim River where my brother lives,and spend a time just to give my brother the Keropok and Lepuk before taking a train from there to Butterworth, and "jumping" from bus to bus, Butterworth- Sungai Petani - Gurun, and moreover it was raining cats and dogs, I was happy to have had made it.



Cikgu Sham is the Gurulatih (if I'm not mistaken he is the 'Boss') of KSSGSJ: Kelab Silat Seni Gayong Subang Jaya. He and others Gurulatih have the Gelanggang all around Selangor: Puchong, Shah Alam, Putrajaya, Petaling Jaya, Sepang, Subang Jaya and at Kelantan. Not bad. YES, NOT BAD AT ALL! ;) Moreover, they have complete equipments and good pedagogical system too.

What I like about him, other than his skills and experiences, is that his effort to visit many Gayong Masters, which for certain, has already been forgotten by the young Gayong practitioners. From Singapore to Penang, just only to visit the old Gurus needs a great understanding and great sacrifice (financial and time) in Gayong. This routine should be practiced by the young generation, as a simple visit, will make these Gurus feel appreciated and ease their difficulties if we can help them financially.

Errr.... kalo tersalah tulis, maap yer abe sham. Jgn kunci daku....! hehehehe

CIKGU AZIZAN IBRAHIM: A Reformer from Kelantan

Reformation......

It refers to one of the most outstanding and charismatic young Gurulatih, Cikgu Azizan Ibrahim and all Kelantanese Gurulatihs united with him, Ustaz Wan Halim, Ustaz Atiqullah, Cikgu Khairi and others. Married to Srikandi Za, he is a pure student of Cikgu Amin Hamzah. Not only his skills and syllabus, but also the way he speaks and teaches in Gelanggang are as like as Cikgu Amin's. I know him since I was green belt at Kelantan. He was one of the red belt holder at that time in the Machang area. I saw the diffrence between him and other Red belt holder in terms of the richness of technics and his generosity to share with the novices like me. I heard myself from Cikgu Amin, that Cikgu Azizan receives a lot of Ilmu from him.

Started to learn Silat Seni Gayong in Kelantan, he continued his training with Cikgu Amin Hamzah when he was still a student in USM. He is now one of the Gurulatih at Labuan and actively develops Silat Seni Gayong everywhere he goes, especially in Labuan, where he works, and in Kelantan, his hometown.., He speaks for the truth, and has a high confidence and certainty in his belief and his Ilmu, makes him respected by friends and enemies. Learning with him, you will get two things: Pain and Gain. Until this article is written, Cikgu Azizan Ibrahim is a holder of 3rd DAN of Black Belt and a holder of Sandang Panglima Pelangi Hitam, a sandang which only one person can hold in one state.

Cikgu Azizan opened the Gelanggang for the airforce and teach them since them until now at Labuan. Because of his love to see that Silat Seni Gayong is well established there, he postpones his intention to continue his work at Kelantan eventhough he could do that now. The day when he comes back to Kelantan, I am optimist that everything will change. For the better of course. That's why I made this article titled as a Reformer from Kelantan, which is also can be said as Kelantan Reformer.... ;) Takbir!!!Ayahanda Amin Hamzah, Cikgu Azizan, Cikgu-Cikgu and the most wanted and controversial Gurulatih Ustaz Halim! heheheheheh Gurra jah Ustaz!

REYOKIWARA

The Reyokiwara is not a simple word. By combining both Reyok and Kiwara, the author, who found the terms, claiming that the meaning can be translated as "The Ancient Warrior". The author, I met him one day at Slim River, when I brought my two nieces to play in the nearby playground. The Reyokiwara is a group of motivated teen, started by Cikgu Jent and Cikgu Lan, both are actives Silat Seni Gayong teachers at Perak. Young, full of energy, crazy of hunting the Gayong's treasures, and have a great understanding about the Adat and Adab towards the Gayong Masters. They are modest, but yet full of comitment and fearing that one day this art would vanish if it is not taken care rightly.

UPSI, PSAS, UTP, and other colleges are known to be "the factories" of the professional and educated Gayong teachers. They are intelligent and know the pedagogic method of transmitting the lessons. The elders of Gayong, used to be more practical. But nowadays, the needs to arrange the lessons and the explanation the self defence theory are great, as Silat Seni Gayong needs to be promoted internationally. It is them, those Gayong students from the Universitys that can do that. The author of The Malay Art of Self Defense, Cikgu Sam, is a professional (engineer) at United States. The author of Gayong books like MAHAGURU, Organisasi dan Kuasa Adat, and Selayang Pandang, Cikgu Wan Ahmad Fauzi, is a professional lawyer. The first ever Gayong book was the Tempur Tanpa Senjata (and now the latest is TETAK), made by the Gayung Pusaka, whose the Master is Cikgu Majid Mat Isa. Eventhough he teaches only Silat Seni Gayong, but he is talented and could have been working as a teacher at school, but never realize it due to his love to Gayong.

So when I met the Great Duo, Cikgu Jent and Cikgu Lan, knowing that they are the students of Cikgu Nor Azman, who is one of the Gayong Master, I was sure that both of them had learn a lot and sincere in their action. They were conducting Gayong class for the children, and believe me, it is not easy to teach children! In France, we used to have a class for children too, but for the reason of safety, and here they need more insurans and licence to conduct a class with children, so sadly we have to give it up.

This time, I met with Cikgu Jent and Cikgu Lan. Next time I'll meet their Master, InsyaAllah. So the glorious Reyokiwara, here I come! I'm gonna need a partner to train there. So who would be my blood and tears brother?!!!! ;)