Country Cottage Arts

Friday 26th August 2011


In view of our impending Independance Day ( Merdeka ) on 31 August 2011, and  feeling very very Malaysian indeed , I decided to  read up on the origins and history of  ' Negaraku ' , our national anthem .  Would you  believe it if I told you  that I actually sang along when it was playing  ?    Well, I couldn't believe it myself either (  and hearing my voice cracking and croaking on the  notes made me realise that I'm not that young chick I used to be anymore, ouch !)     Its one of those songs which you sing instinctively with reverence and pride and it's at these moments that  I feel so proud and 'banga betul '  to be  Malaysian, my ' tanah tumpah darah ku '   ( hey, I'm a very patriotic  Malaysian  first, then only Indian ,   unlike our  esteemed Deputy Prime Minister's statement of  he's Malay first and then  Malaysian  .  So,   you agree with me that  I'm better qualified to be the Deputy Prime Minister, right ? !    .

I remember the days when as a  primary school kid, it was sung during all the school assemblies and the flag would be hoisted up and the song  sung with such gusto, vigour and feelings.  Of course, I didn't understand the true meaning of the words then , my early primary years , I mean   ( the teachers didn't explain and as was usual, we just learned it by rote and sang because everyone did ) But,  there was that special atmosphere  of importance and reverence  whenever the song was sung - teachers and students alike would  stop everything and stand as stiff as a ramrod  and no one dared to even turn their heads .

This reminds me of an episode in school.  During my primary school days, we did not have these backpacks and canvas bags that students so casually sling over their shoulder.  We had these strong and sturdy  rattan baskets with a semi-circular handle in which we had to carry all our books and fountain pens complete with black and blue  ink bottles, blotters and handkerchief .  It really did weigh a ton and  how did I know that ? Because when I was in Primary 2 , I had come late to school ( at that age of 8, it was  not my fault but by parents, okay ) the assembly had started and I had to hold my  big and sturdy rattan basket with its contents  in my hands and stand still under the blazing hot sun  until the anthem had been sung. I was too afraid to even move an inch and put my bag down !  Hmmm..... those were the days, my friend, we thought it would never end...................


Goodness, I've gone off tangent again.......... anyway,  my very best friend, Ms Gouri , had emailed me this video of the origin of our national anthem which I thought should be shared with all the readers. 

And just to share with my readers, here's some background info about how a melody of a French song, "Mamula Moon" became  ' Negaraku ' our national anthem..............

Both the excerpts below were taken from  public archives made  available online.