An Outsider In SIS Pasir Mas

 This is the story about Mr. Thanda, my former teacher and Hostel Master from Bukit Mertajam Penang who came to teach in a far flung school known as Sultan Ibrahim Secondary School in 1962 immediately after graduating from Malayan Teachers College.

An Outsider in SIS Pasir Mas

Thanda Govindasamy/Wan Faridah Wan Jaafar

 Racial integration

The Kelantanese are generally friendly and helpful.   However, they do keep an arm’s length from people from outside the state.  This is especially so with people whom they recently meet and do not know too well.  These outsiders are normally termed as orang luar(outsider).  Despite this idiosyncrasy, once an orangluar is accepted, the Kelantanese will usually embrace an orangluar as a family member.

I was prepared for life in this Malay dominated state.  I had a two-year stint at Penang Malayan Teachers’ Training College, being thrown in the dormitory together with mostly Malay students from Kelantan, Terengganu and Johore. Furthermore, I had an early dose of racial integration as I grew up in Kampong Baru, Bukit Mertajam, Penang.  It was multi-racial kampong (village) and people of all races mixed freely. We assimilated so well that in school, it never crossed my mind that I must be careful with what said or did, so as not to hurt thefeelings of friends. Race, religion, culture and food were never issues of concern at all. Life was easy going for all of us.

At the end of our second year in the training college we were given forms to fill.  One was for us to indicate where we would like to be posted to start our teaching career.  My Kelantanese friends said to me, “Come to Kelantan”.  So I wrote “Kelantan”. I never told my parents that I had requested for a Kelantan posting otherwise they would have freaked out! For whatever reason, they believed that Kelantan then was not a safe place to be.  Those days there were too many stories floating around of bomohs(shamans) and black magic practised in these states, especially in Kelantan.

As requested, I got posted to Sultan Ibrahim Secondary School (SIS), Pasir Mas, Kelantan.  I was happy but dared not show how thrilled I was in front of my parents. Of course my parents were persistent that I appeal against the posting. I told them that if I were to appeal I might be posted to a worse town or a more remote village. I must have appeased my parents with that reasoning for the appeal issue was never again raised.

Getting to Pasir Mas

There was a nationwide railway strike in 1963 and all train services in the country were put on hold.  So how was I to get to Pasir Mas then? There was nobody from my village whom I knew were knowledgeable enough for me to ask about getting to Pasir Mas.

In panic, I forgot that schools had already reopened after the December long year end school holidays.  I also forgot that in Kelantan schools start on Sundays. In desperation, Icalled and spoke to the Principal, Mr. Yussof Ghouse.  He told me that I should take a flight to Kota Bahru. Flight? ButI have never flown before! After some inquiries I managed to get a flight to Kota Bahru, but the seat was only available a week later.  The airport was then in Butterworth.  All set, my flight was on 13^th January even though schools in Kelantan had reopened on 2^nd January. Never did it cross my mind that I was going to a Malay dominated state with different culture and customs.

I landed in Kota Bharu to be welcomed by my first shower of the heavy northeast monsoon rain. After asking around, I got into a shared taxi and headed for Pasir Mas. After over an hour’s ride, the taxi came to an abrupt stop.  It stopped near a wide river and while I was still at a loss as to what to do next, the other passengers got out of the taxi and rushed to some small motorised boats moored by the jetty near the river bank. I was told that the school I was headed to was across the river. I had to get into one of the boats, what the locals called ferry, to cross the river. In spite of my initial apprehension, we got across safely and again I looked for a taxi to take me to my final destination.

Upon inquiry, I was instead greeted by good-natured shouts of, “Mana ada teksi? Inilah teksi”,(What taxi? This is the taxi) from a few men standing under the shade.  They were pointing to what were really trishaws or beca. My first language lesson of the local dialect! However, I found that the people were very friendly and helpful, just like what my friends mentioned in college.  I relived the teksi ride many times over, a beholding sight it was!  Imagine tall me fitting into the small teksi cabin, with my luggage on the cabin floor by my feet and the poor thin teksi rider huffing and puffing across Pasir Mas town to deliver me to the gates of SIS.

On entering the school compound I met with two teachers, Mr. V. V.George and Mr. Leslie Abraham. They showed me to the school hostel as directed by the school Principal.

 A life new chapter

Came 14^th January, I reported to the Principal.  After the formal welcome greetings he directed me to ask Mr. George for my class timetable.  Only then did I realise that Mr. George was the school Senior Assistant.  He had heard a lot about me from Mr. Pang Chok Chu, who was my college mate. Apparently, Mr. Pang had told Mr. George a great deal about me; that I was this and that, and could do this and that.  Thanks to my absentee introduction, I became a home teacher, teacher in-charge of the English Literary and Debating Society, and the Scouts Master to top.  Matilah saya!(I am dead!)

Worse of all, my class was in the afternoon. There goes my time for games.  After this initial introduction, I headed back to the hostel.  The hostel residents were looking strangely at me, as if I had just arrived from Africa!  The smaller boys, with all heads popping in and out of the windows, looked frightened.  It was further terrifying for them to know that all of them were going to be in the afternoon session class with me!

Next, I was to enter a strange world, Form 1B, my home class.  To my surprise the class had only eight boys and 16 unruly girls.  To every question of mine, it was the girls who answered.  I told myself that this would not do.  For the first time I became biased against the girls!  Just to niggle the girls, I chose two of the quietest boys as the class monitor and  assistant.

I taught English to my class and woodwork lessons to all Form 1 class boys.  There were two form one classes.

It was much later when I realised that I had a mixed class of students; a group who came through bridge class and another from Standard 6 from the neighbouring English Primary School.  A bridge class in the school was essentially an adjustment class meant for students from vernacular schools who opted to continue their secondary education at SIS.  SIS was then the only English medium secondary school for the whole district of Pasir Mas.  In SIS most of the bridge class students were from the surrounding Chinese primary schools.  No wonder there was such a vast difference in speech, mannerism and level of confidence.  I decided I had to do something about this major differences; not according to race, religion and culture but based more on the confidence level of each student, especially that of the boys.

As months passed by, I managed to get the boys and ex-bridge class students to be more vocal and participative in class activities.  Little did I realise then that these devils I had would later break the school’s record with their Form 5 examination results!

To those who came through the English primary school, they had Mr. Vijaya to thank for developing their confidence while in Standard 6.  He did a great job and I was sure of that from the boisterous sample I had in my class.  Many still recognised his contributions.  Some from the bridge class who also managed to do well in Form 5, went on to university to further their studies and became successful in their chosen careers.  Well done to all my ex-students!  Surprisingly one who did not manage to do well quit school early but later in life was able to build by himself, his own two-storey house in his later years.  He is a successful man now, all by his own making.

Race, religion and culture were never ever mentioned or uttered in all the six years I spent in SIS, be it among my colleagues or students.  A big syabas (congratulations) to my ex-students especially the ones who completed their Form 5 in 1967 and 1968.  I had the privilege to move with the same class from Form 1 to Form 5, except in 1966, when I left for a one year in-service training course at the Specialist Teachers’ Training College in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

Those were the days, most memorable, unforgettable and the best part of my teaching career and life too.  A big thank you to all my good friends.

 The hostel story

My hostel story is another unforgettable episode of my days in Pasir Mas.  My SIS hostel days were so interesting and memorable, so much so that I am not sure how to start and end writing about all the experiences that I went through.

Mr.Vijaya, the Hostel Master, told me frankly, loud and clear that my hostel stay was only transient.  At the most I will be allowed to stay for another two or three days, after which I would have to move out and find accommodation elsewhere.  When I returned to the hostel after my first day in school, Mr.Vijaya was waiting for me, all dressed up to help go look for a room for me to reside.  So we went room hunting, but no rooms were available.  The few that we saw, Mr.Vijaya did not take a liking to them.  Privately, I was happy.  This went on for next two or three days.  Fortunately for me, Mr. Peter Souster started saying, “I don’t mind sharing room with you, further I am supposed to return to England in August”.

By that time Mr.Vijaya had taken a liking to me as he found out that we shared common interests.  He asked about his ex-students who were in my class then.  Our conversations became interesting and Mr.Vijaya suddenly said, “If Peter doesn't mind, you can continue to stay on”.  Peter was happy too because we played the same games; hockey, cricket and rugby.  We clicked well and what a relief it was for me as I no longer needed to worry about food, laundry or transport.  What more could I asked for?

Gradually I got to know some of the bigger hostel boys, especially those who played games.  The feeling that I was accepted by the Hostel Master and the student residents took a load of pressure and tension off my shoulders.

Yes, I became part of the hostel and enjoyed every moment of my stay there.  Sometimes in June/July, Mr.Vijaya gained admission to the University of Malaya and Peter left for England in August.  Both left and I was appointed as the Hostel Master.  With the job came the responsibility.  Mr.Yussof Ghouse told me in no simple term, “You cannot be smiling and just be a good friend to the boys.  These boys are mostly from the kampongs and need to be developed with proper discipline and mannerism.  They need proper supervision and you have to be strict.  Punish them if necessary”.

There were only three Chinese boys staying in the hostel and one of them was the school Head Prefect and automatically became the Hostel Head Prefect.  This further reinforced my belief that race, religion and food were not sensitive issues at all.  I had a meeting with the Head Prefect, got all the information I needed and began the task of working with the tiniest to the naughtiest.  Soon I found out that the Rantau Panjang gang was calling the shots in the hostel.  Most of the boys from other kampongs were scared of this Rantau Panjang gang.  I got around them by getting these big Rantau Panjang bullies involved in games.

The hostel residents were outstanding in nearly all school activities.  I found them well-behaved too.  The boys had nothing to complain because they had four meals a day compared to some of their classmates.  They were indeed well fed as just after three months in the hostel, one could see them gaining weight, looked healthy and were very active.

Having the opportunity to stay in the hostel was indeed a plus point for these boys.  However, these privileges came with strict conditions.  Should they be caught breaking the hostel rules, they could be expelled.  But I do not recall having to dismiss anyone from the hostel.  They were mostly from poor homes and life in the hostel was more than anyone could ask for, me included.  Similarly,  should I fail to perform my duties, I too would be replaced.  This made all of us in the hostel took our roles seriously.

 An Outsider Accepted

I was the Hostel Master from August 1963 till the end of 1965.  In 1966, I was away for a one year in-service training.  Mr. Pang then took over the role of the Hostel Master.  When I returned in 1967, the Principal asked me to take charge of the hostel again.  That was a surprise to me.  More so of the news of Mr. Pang getting married and moving to the teachers’ quarters.  I continued to perform the Hostel Master’s duty till the end of 1968.  By then I was fully accepted by the students and especially the hostel residents, that the orang luar feeling was all gone. It was indeed sad when I had to leave the place.

eTak Oh eTok

 Etak (Corbicula fluminea) Reposting an old article.

Fresh etak being soaked in water

Raykinzoku wrote a great informative piece about etak which he called etok (the way the Kelantanese called it is somewhere in between etak and etok) in his blog: Distinctively KeLaTte : ETOK This is how Ray describe the etak.
Etok is a small, pebble-sized, freshwater corbicula clam which lives at the bottom of rivers and canals, alongside scavenging fishes and crustaceans. Mostly found in the shallows and sandy parts of the river, they are least known or simply neglected by most Malaysians.
A very apt description. I can't do any better than that. Via his blog we now know that etok is not only found in Kelantan but also in other states of Malaysia and as far away as Japan! Only thing I would like to add is it is found only in fresh waters and it is very sensitive to the quality of the water.
When I started schooling in 1957, I went to school in Kampong Kangkong about 5 miles from my home in Kg Chekok both in the district of Pasir Mas to live with my maternal grandparents. The river was our source of life. We get our water for cooking and drinking from there carrying by the pails. My being small I have to carry a small container which is a kettle. We depend almost everything that has got to do with water on the river. Washing, bathing and as the toilet. A floating raft complete with cubicles with a gunny sack of a curtain as the door was the public toilet! Transportation back then was by river boat plying downstream to Pasir Mas and around noon upstream back home. Tarred road only became available much later.
Above all that we get some of our food like freshwater fish and prawns and etak from the river too.
Every time we go to the river for whatever activities especially bathing where we will get wet, we will use the opportunity to collect some etak. Without the pengokok, we either use our hands or feet to search for them. To use the hands was easy provided the place is muddy and there is no pebbles in that area. Most of such areas are by the river bank and much deeper than the sandy area. The way we do it is to dive in and feel for the pebble like etak among the mud and throw them on the bank or put them in the part of the cloth we wore to cover our 'aurat'. I was considered too small then and can just dip in without covering the 'aurat'. The etok from muddy areas are usually darker in colour and larger. The sandy areas where the water flows much faster the etak is of much lighter color and look very clean.
For the sandy areas usually towards the middle of the river where the water level is much shallower due to flat sandbank, etak can be collected by shifting the top 2 or 3 inches of the sand on the river bed to one side using our bare feet. If the etak were there they would be exposed and become visible to the naked eye provided the water is clear which was often the case in the olden days. The water should be shallow enough to bend down like you are in the roko' position when doing the prayers. Another condition is there must not be ripples on the surface of the water which was usually caused by the wind if it was a windy day. The ripples will prevent you from seeing the etak when it was exposed. During the dry spell some parts of the riverbed will be exposed. If it was recently exposed many etak will still survive and there are tell tale signs to show where the etak are. Digging it with the finger will expose it and if it is big enough, it will be collected. If the sandy river bed is exposed to the sun for too long the etak will die off.
Using the pengokok needs some strength.The pengokok is made of metal bars of about 2 mm diameter strung together with wires to form an open cage attached to a long bamboo or wooden pole for handle like in the picture below. A bamboo pole is preferred as it is lighter.

Syed Azmi demonstrating how the pengokok is used

 

Details of how the pengokok is made

It is like a sieve to filter out the smaller sands and keep the etak inside. Some pebbles that are larger than the gaps between the metal sieve will also be retained. At the stage where the etok and pebbles are caught in the pengokok, an expert can segregate the etak from the pebbles using the principle of differences of specific gravity between the etok and the pebbles and the water flowing through the sieve. While the non expert will have to collect the etak by sight. In places where the sand is fine, only the etak will remain in it.
My activities of collecting etok ceased after I went to an English school in Pasir Mas. The occassional weekend trip home didn't provide enough time for such activities. Only after 1981 when I started working with Kumpulan Fima and based in Kuala Besut that I began to go to Sungai Besut to collect the etak. The locals there who were mostly descendents from Kelantan knows how to collect and consume etak. So whenever I feel like having etak, a trip to the river near Kg Amir will yield enough etak for my small family.
Later in 1996 when we moved into our own house in Kg. Kasa, Pasir Mas that we were able to enjoy etak again. Kampong Kasa is located on the bank of Sungai Kelantan and lots of etak were found. They were gathered and cooked by roasting it on a small fire after marinating it in a paste made of salt, blended with lemon grass, shallots, ginger and garlic. I suspect monosodium glutamate is lavishly added. Some may deny using it entirely to entice those non MSG consuming etok lovers. The marinating process takes at least an hour.
Before marinating the etak it must be washed clean and soaked in clean water. The soaking will make the etak purge all sand particles and mud within itself which may make it feel gritty when eating it if it is not totally purged. Soaking it over a minimum of 3 hours is necessary and overnight will be best.

Washing the etak

Roasting platform

Lighting the fire.

As Ray correctly said it, etak are mainly used as light snack but some people use it as appetizer to go with their rice ecpecially nasi kerabu. It can also be taken as lauk which I will describe later.
Roasting over a small fire on a platform raised 2.5 feet above the floor. The platform is made of long split bamboo pieces spaced close enough to each other to prevent the etak from slipping through. Over a slow fire the etok are constanly turned with a piece of plank attached to a wooden handle. The constant turning over is necessary to ensure evenness of exposure to the heat below. An hour of roasting is enough. Overheating or too long an exposure can result in the split up and the flesh to dry up and become less succulent. If there are extremely large etak in the mix, they must be separated and roasted first before adding the rest to it.

Turning ove the etak

Other than roasting over a fire, the etak can also be roasted in the hot sun. Some people love it that way. This way will ensure that the flesh will be succulent enough. For those who make a living out of roasting and selling etok, the sun is not a reliable source of heat and the timing isn't suitable. Grilling job must be finished by the latest at 11 am for them to start selling.
Roasted etak or etak salai as the local term for it is highly hygroscopic due to the salt coating on its shell. The best container to keep it is a badang which has more surface area or a bakul. A badang is best. Both are made of plaited bamboo slices and so has better breathing quality compared to metal containers. Thus the etok will not become wet too soon due to the hygroscopic nature of the salt coating it. If metal containers are to be used, absorbing materials are necessary to be placed on the container before putting the etak in it.

A badang

Etak in a badang

Newspapers being very good material to absorb moisture is the best material to use as wrappers. Unfortunately the ink used for printing is hazardous to health and the sellers are often reminded by health inspectors to refrain from using newspapers as wrappers. If you care for your health, better don't buy them when they are wrapped in newspapers. If you still have to use newspapers, quickly transfer them to some other containers so as not to allow the newspaper ink to stick to the shell of the etak.
Etak salai can be taken as snack or as lauk with rice be it nasi kerabu or nasi putih.

Etak salai showing the succulent flesh.

Beside roasting, etok are also consumed by making it into a dish called sayur etok where the gravy becomes opaque like, after adding pounded shallots, garlic and crushed lemon grass with salt and sugar to taste. MSG can be used instead of sugar. For etak masak lemak, santan is used instead of plain water as in the case of sayur etak. Why the word sayur etak is used by the Kelantanese really confounds me. It must be the misuse of the word like they say makan air or makan rokok. Makan angin is of course a different matter altogether.

Etak sayur

Etak masak lemak

Eating sayur etok or etok masak lemak is easy as the shell will be split open when subjected to heat but eating etok salai is a different ball game altogether. To retain the flesh succulent, the shell must not be allowed to split. If it is splitted, the flesh will dry up.
Lots of practice is required to acquire the skill to open the shell of the etak. Unlike the cockles which merely needs sufficient force to open them, the etak is too small and smooth to grip the shell the way you do to cockles. The regular eaters will just use their teeth to split them using the incisors (the front teeth) without breaking the two sides apart. The shell should open outward with the hinged part intact. The next act is to suck out the flesh from the inner side of the shell. The ingredients sticking to the external part of the shell will give flavour to the flesh. That is why splitting it with the teeth always taste better.
Those without the incisors or using dentures can still enjoy etak salai as there are other means of opening it. Ray's mother taught him how to use the knife to open the shell to save his teeth from wearing out faster. In Ray's case his mother taught him to scrape the edge of the etak to reveal the slit between the two sides. Inserting the blade of the knife and twisting the blade to either side will open the shell. In my case I will just put the knife blade across the slit and slowly turning the blade to align with the slit with a little pressure will make the blade penetrate the slit. A slight twist of the blade will open up the shell.

Using the knife to open the shell

Using half a shell

If you don’t have a knife around, using one half of the shell can be a substitute for the knife. Using the sharp edge of the shell, use it the same way as a knife. With some practice, it will get just as good as a knife and less dangerous.
My two grand daughters Lis 8 years old and As 6 yrs from Puchong which I used to call Budak Puchong in my earlier blogs is back in Pasir Mas for 2 months. We have introduced them to etak salai and they are learning up on how to open up the etak with their teeth. For the moment they could open them but the shells spilt apart. Give them a bit more time they will soon get the hang of it.

Lis and her sister As enjoying etak

Etak salai can be purchased in many places like the markets and roadsides. Near my home in Kampung Kasar there is a special gerai constructed by the Majlis Bandaran Pasir Mas solely to sell etak. Unfortunately not many sellers prefer the place and only one or two sellers use the place. Others prefer their own spots down the road.

Mak Su Minah selling etak

I first returned in Pasir Mas in 1996, etok was still available in the Kelantan river. A few years later they were not there anymore. What happened?
I asked Syed Azmi a regular etak gatherer whose livelihood solely depends on etak. He said etak disappeared from the Kelantan river some years back. The reasons was the proliferation of the use of chemicals to catch udang galah, the fresh water prawns. The other reason is the many sand mining operations along the river. The spawns of the etak were sucked up by the powerful water pumps used to suck up the sand being mined.
So where does the etak come from now?
He said he has to go everywhere as far as Pekan in Pahang, Terengganu, Sungai Sayong in Kota Tinggi Johor and Perak to get his supplies. He will go in a mini lorry with his other brothers and brother in law. They now know where the locations are and every trip will secure about 100 kg. His own need is about 30 kg per day so he had to store them somewhere. Earlier they tried putting them in the Kelantan river and harvest them again for use on the day itself. To his consternation he found that only 50 percent survived. That was a heavy price to pay. Now he kept them under refrigeration. At RM8.00 a kg, his loss was quite substantial.
A commentator at Ray's blog said etak was a nuisance at his place in Pahang. During the dry season they had this vast expanse of flat sandbar near they village which they use as a football field. They even call it the stadium. The problem is the dead etak leave behind sharp shells that often cut up the players feet as 'beach soccer' is of course played bare footed in his kampong in Pahang. He is appealing to anybody to come and harvest all the etak from his place. It will be a gold mine to people like Syed Azmi if he were to know the place. Unfortunately Pahang banned etak gathering as etak is considered as food for their fresh water fish.
The only solution is to educate the people there on how to consume etak. Once they have acquired the taste, they will harvest them for their own consumption. Another way is to teach them how to harvest the etak and sell them in Kelantan. It will be an economic activity and contribute to their income. Hey isn't that an easy way to make money?