Zubir Said, the Composer of Majulah Singapura

5. Where the Sky Above I Hold, the Earth Beneath I Tread

Chapter 5 Where the Sky Above I Hold, the Earth Beneath I Tread rb111313_iseas_zubir_layout_c5_v5.indd 64 13/9/12 11:29 AM Third Passage to Singapore When my father returned to Singapore on his short trip, a Japanese officer he met quietly and in great confidence told him that the Japanese were about to surrender. My father was much relieved because it meant he could finally leave Sumatra. With my mother and me in tow and two Indonesian army officers, we set sail again for Singapore, leaving behind a Sumatra that was jubilant to be rid of the Dutch colonial yoke and an even greater satisfaction that they were rid of the Japanese. Papa remembered how a small group of Indonesian youths meted out severe punishment on the Japanese and gave vent to their hatred of them with a horrific act of cannibalism. They caught some Japanese MPs, tied their hands, brought them to a hill and chopped off their heads, take out the brain and make soup and they eat the soup.1 As I was whisked back to the island state of Singapore — Papa’s dream island — I carried with me pleasant thoughts of my early childhood in Sumatra, and many fond memories of Bukittinggi, in particular. Besides remembering the very brief jaunt in school, it was that — a mere jaunt — I remember indulging in traditional games that have become largely forgotten. My friends and I used to play a game called “hit the sticks”. We would dig an oval-shaped hole in the ground, recline a 20 cm piece of stick against one end of the hole, and with another stick of the same length hit and flick the stick out of the hole and continue to do this as many times as possible. The winner would be the person able to sustain the most number of hits of the sticks. I played with tennis balls, too — not lawn tennis — but I bounced the ball between my legs as I skipped left and right. For amusement, we would also catch a harmless black horned beetle from the coconut tree. I thought with my child’s eyes that it looked rather large. I put it in a box and proudly showed it off to friends. We would also catch green dragonflies which I remember were rather big. What to me was beautifully vivid were vast green padi fields, green as far as the eyes could see. I recall helping the family plant young padi shoots in knee-deep mud in nice neat rows. Then, one day, to my horror and fear, I found a leech stuck to my leg. My scream shocked and hastened everyone to my aid. It was really not anything to be alarmed about, I was gingerly told, because it was quite common. I cannot remember how my mother removed the leech — either with salt or a Opposite: Zubir Said acting, one of his many talents, in a comic sketch with Aman Ramli Jaafar, famously known as A. R. Tompel, the actor and comedian of the 1950s and 1960s. Their act brought the house down. Where the Sky Above I Hold, the Earth Beneath I tread 65 rb111313_iseas_zubir_layout_c5_v5.indd 65 13/9/12 11:29 AM lighted match. Leech aside, harvesting time was very memorable. When the padi plants turned a luxurious gold, my family and I would picnic in the rice fields. There was a little pondok or hut for shade. There we spread our picnic lunch and we children indulged in carefree play to our hearts’ content. We were also taught to make flutes out of the golden padi stalks and weave slippers from padi straws. Another exciting pastime was going round with friends “hunting” for live eels. These were eels that lodged themselves in holes on the hillsides. With a bait — I cannot remember what — we would purse our lips and make some kind of “soft hissing” sound to lure them to the surface. When they showed up we would quickly pull them out of their hiding place. I have mentioned elsewhere in the book that dried eels are delicious and it was one of Papa’s favourite delicacies. Papa was not one to indulge in these frivolous activities; it was understandable because he was too preoccupied with his work. However, he made sure that Mama would always accompany us when we went on these picnics in the padi fields...