No bias judging, say hosts Terengganu

Terengganu have given an assurance that there will be no bias judging in their favour in the silat competitions at the Terengganu Sports Arch in Gong Badak from June 2-8.

Silat team manager Alias Abas said that their 29 exponents had worked hard for the Games and would earn success on merit.

“I admit that we have an edge in competing at our usual training venue. And the home support will lift the spirits of our exponents to perform better. But that is all there is to our advantage as the hosts,” he said.

“If we win gold medals, it would all be due to our exponents' skills and hard work. I can assure the other teams that there will be a level playing field in the silat competitions.”

Pahang, who supply a steady stream of talented young exponents to the national squad, are the dominant force in Sukma.

“Pahang have ruled the roost in Sukma silat but I feel that the other states, including Terengganu, have caught up. No single state will dominate this time,” said Alias.

Terengganu have set a modest target to win four gold medals but their chief coach, Shahrul Fahmi, believes that his exponents are capable of winning more than that from the 23 at stake.

“We disbanded the team immediately after the disappointment of winning only one gold medal at the last Sukma in Kedah. We brought in new talent and I believe that our two-year preparation will bear fruit next week,” he said.

“The advantage with the present squad is that they are all Sukma debutants and will not be psychologically affected by past failures. They are also all fired up to impress in front of the home crowd.”

Terengganu will compete in all the 23 events – eight seni (performannce) and 15 olahraga (combat). They are pinning their hopes on the seni exponents, among them Masnidah Zakaria, Kamillah Sulong, Noryana Mohammad and Mohd Fadli Ismail.

Sourced from http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2008/5/30/sports/21401269&sec=sports

Of articles and encylopedia

I got a nasty IM message the other day from my best friend (you can tell it's nasty because he started with "Woi!") berating me for being away from this blog for so long.

I told him, I haven't been away. I have, in fact been posting almost every other day, to which he replies, "Write something!" Ahhh... it took me a while to realise, that I haven't actually written anything of my own for a while, meaning my "An original article by Mohd Nadzrin Wahab" graphic hasn't been making an appearance.

Things have been pretty hectic, and since this is not a personal blog, but a blog about silat, I'm obliged to write only about silat, even though my opinions on politics, corporate training and the social sciences have been appearing elsewhere on the net.

Ever since my daughter arrived, my attention has been diverted somewhat and quite a few things have been put on hold indefinitely. There was a promise to study an ancient silat style from a guru I deeply respect, but haven't had the opportunity to fulfill (I will get there one day!)

I've also had several ideas for articles, and could probably write them on the fly, but desperately need to find the sources to support my reasoning. It's very dangerous to write anything about silat and culture without proper references, even anecdotal ones.

What shouldn't be difficult is fiction, thus the second thing I was berated on was the halting of the The Azure Keris series. Thing is, I told my friend, I'm not sure anyone was actually reading them since I never I got comments for those posts. I could actually just be wasting my time writing it. (And by the way, gushing comments from JD, Ustaz and Djambu don't count. They're just nice people).

So, if you want to see The Azure Keris continue, do give me your comments. What do you want to see, what do you hate about it, what cultural errors exist, etc. In any case, the series was a long time in the making and whether or not this blog existed, I had always wanted to write it, as a sort of tribute to my masters and those people who shared their knowledge with me. There was always a very clear end in mind with a definite fate for Pak Din and Saiful.

Other articles that I've planned are those concerning Islam, Pukulan Jarak Jauh, Silat Abjad, practical methods of the Keris, evolution of silat through the ages, kuntau and silat, etc. If you have any other ideas, do drop me a mail.

I've been having interesting discussions with Ustaz Saiful of Silat Telapak Nusantara and I wish, I wish, I wish I could publish them! But Jeff, now I know how you feel!

In any case, whoever misses the opportunity to study with Ustaz will have missed seeing true Silat Melayu in action. I have seen some silat claiming to be keris arts, but what Ustaz has in his home is amazingly authentic. Look for his videos on YouTube and you'll see what I mean.

For those who regularly reads the comments will know that a local film company is doing a documentary on silat, and I'm proud to say that guru Shamsudin SM Salim of the United States Gayong Federation is once again involved. They might be doing a piece on Gayong in Malaysia. I'll definitely keep you updated on that.

One piece of good news though, several months ago, I was approached by Editions Didier Millet, a publishing house specialising in high-end social studies books to write an entry on Silat for the Encyclopedia of Malaysia.

My editor called me last week to inform me that the official launching ceremony will be on the 18th of June 2008. I'm expected to attend the function, but might have to give it a miss, due to work contraints. I'd love to be there.

The book is now out in the market and they have sent me a copy, albeit to my former workplace. I have yet to see it personally. I'll put up some scans as soon as I get it.

But for now, my apologies again to all if you've expected to read anything original from me these last few weeks. I'll burn rubber as soon as my schedule frees up again. Promise. Until then, salam persilatan,

Silat Gayang Lima vs Silat Setiabakti

On 10th May 2008, Perguruan Silat Melayu Keris Lok 9 held a seminar on 'Sembah Salam DiRaja - Adat, Adat & Istiadat' where participants were enlightened about the Melayu Royalty, cultures and heritage which originated thousands of years ago blended with the best of societies's high moral and ethnic values.

Through the years, the Melayu race and culture expanded from Sind in Nothern India and Hadramaut in Southern Arabia inheriting along the way, fine cultures of the Tartars, Nablus and even Turks.

In the 13th and 15th century, the Melayu Kingdom of Pasai and Melaka respectively signified the majesticity of the Melayu race. The Melayu empire went on to expand throughout the Melayu Archipelago. There are less than 25 monarchies left in today's world. 10 of them are in Malaysia and Brunei. In short, the Melayu race were exposed to the high and noble Brahmin cultures while holding steadfastly to the faith of Islam.

The imperial glories of Pasai (Northern Sumatra) and Melaka have long past us but we still have the present monarchies and values that we must serve and uphold with our lives.

"Tak Melayu hilang didunia".

The way we interact and address others, the clothings that we used to wear, the finesse of our craftsmanship, the humbleness and bravery of a God fearing race seem to have faded away in today's Melayu society. We like to think that we will live forever in this world. Acquire wealth, enjoy life and forget about sins.

When the time comes for us to die, we suddenly realise or even not, that it was all worthless unless we leave behind 3 things, knowledge which benefit others, children who never fail to pray for us and wealth which we have provided for those in need. Nevertheless, the one unique thing which differentiates the Melayu race from others is Silat.

The night before seminar, Guru Azlan Ghanie of Silat Melayu Keris Lok 9 extended an invitation for Guru Dahlan's Silat Setiabakti to perform during their 'selempang' awards ceremony on the next night. Only Cikgu Hamidi of Silat Setiabakti came along with Guru Dahlan for this seminar.

It was fine if Cikgu Hamidi had performed the Langkah Panglima of Silat Setiabakti alone. I suddenly came up with an idea, why don't we perform as two Silat systems and 'clash' as one? The idea was accepted. Seni Silat Setiabakti performed on one stage with Seni Silat Gayang Lima.

Alhamdulillah, the presentation went well and I humbly extend the video footage for your viewing pleasure. Please pardon the poor quality though. Until next time, Wassalam.

By Mr TM

Edited from http://gayanglima.blogspot.com/2008/05/silat-gayang-lima-vs-silat-setiabakti.html

Terengganu Banking On Puteri Ganda Pair In Pencak Silat

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 (Bernama) -- Terengganu are banking on two women pencak silat competitors, Kamilah Sulong and Maslinda Zakaria, to help them achieve a 4-4-6 medal tally for the silat events at the 12th Sukma (Malaysia Games) that will be held in Kuala Terengganu from May 29 till June 9.

The duo, nicknamed as "Puteri Ganda" and hail from Kampung Jeram Manir in Kuala Terengganu, have been on winning streak since year displaying sterling performances at the Kelantan Open 2006, the Women's Games (Sukan Wanita, the Penang Festival Open and the latest in the Teluk Danga International Games in Johor Bharu in February.

Chief coach Alias Abas spoke highly of them as the hosts aim for a 4-4-6 tally in pencak silat - which offers 23 gold, 23 silvers and 38 bronze in the sports carnival."Kamilah and Maslinda are in top form. They have four titles to their credit and I am confident they will bag their fifth," Alias told Bernama here Saturday.

This is the first Sukma for Maslinda, 22, who is very excited to make her debut in the biennial games in front of her home fans, while Kamilah, 23, is appearing in her second after making her debut in Kedah two years ago.

"We are very close... more like sisters. We have trained very hard for this year's Sukma and hopefully we can deliver the goods in front of our home fans," said Kamilah.

By Hilary Sebastian

Sourced from http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_sports.php?id=335136

Assemblyman: Publish books on Silat

Silat experts have been urged to help “immortalise” the martial art steps and techniques in books.

Telok Bahang assemblyman Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said it was high time the traditional Melayu martial art was documented for reference.

“There is now no booklet or documentation that shows the silat movements in graphics.

“We need proper documents to disseminate knowledge and instil interest in this traditional martial art,” he said after opening the 5th Tak Melayu Hilang Di Dunia programme at Kampung Terang in Balik Pulau, Penang, recently.

He said masters in the arena should take the initiative to publish such books.

Dr Hilmi also urged the Malays in the villages to strive towards excellence.

“We must excel in whatever we do. But we should not be extreme,” he said, adding that Melayu unity was important to maintain stability.

Sourced from http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/5/20/north/21294999&sec=north

Museum Day 2008

In conjunction with Museum Day 2008, the National Museum of Malaysia is organising cultural activities for visitors. Most relevant to fans of silat are the Keris Cleaning and Silat Lincah demonstrations. All are invited!

Venue: Open Stage & Gallery 2, Department of Museums Malaysia

May 21st (Wednesday)
10.30 am - Sabah Dance
11.00 am - Demo of Cleaning up the Keris
2.00 pm - Traditional Music: Sompoton (Sabah)
3.30 pm - Sarawak Dance

May 22nd (Thursday)
10.30 am - Joget Dance
11.00 am - Demo of Cleaning up the Keris
2.00 pm - Traditional Music: Bungkau (Sabah)
3.30 pm - Zapin Dance

May 23rd (Friday)
10.30 am - Sabah Dance
11.00 am - Demo of Cleaning up the Keris
2.00 pm - Traditional Music: Suling (Sabah)
3.30 pm - Sarawak Dance

May 24th (Saturday)
10.30 am - Joget Dance
11.00 am - Batik/Textile Parade, UiTM
1.00 pm - Batik/Textile Parade, UiTM
2.00 pm - Silat Lincah Performances
3.30 pm - Live Band, Police Museum

Seni Gayung Fatani International Video