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Memoir hijrah dua negara Nor Baiti

Oleh GHAZALI ALIAS
Foto FARIZ RUSADIO

NUR BAITI (kanan) bersama anaknya, Izuan menampilkan kelainan dengan mencipta lagu tema untuk buku Across The Causeway: A Singapore Childhood.

MEMBESAR pada sekitar tahun 1960-an tatkala kontroversi pemisahan dua negara Malaysia dan Singapura telah menyingkap 1,001 kenangan yang menjadi rencah dalam kehidupannya.

Pada zaman kanak-kanak yang sepatutnya diwarnai dengan keceriaan, penulis berpengalaman Nor Baiti Badarudin akur dengan keputusan keluarganya untuk berhijrah dari Kaki Bukit, Singapura ke Kampung Datuk Keramat, Kuala Lumpur bagi memulakan kehidupan baharu di sana.

Bertitik tolak daripada penutupan Stesen Kereta Api Tanjong Pagar, Singapura pada 30 Jun 2011, anak kelahiran Singapura itu menghidupkan semula kenangannya dalam semangat Melayu Singapura melalui naskhah Across The Causeway: A Singapore Childhood.

“Buku ini merupakan memoir tentang pengalaman hidup dari sudut pandang seorang kanak-kanak yang hanya menurut arus saat konflik dua negara tercetus.

“Ia juga membawa unsur sejarah yang mencerminkan nilai kemelayuan dan kisah di sebalik setiap perhentian sepanjang perjalanan menaiki tren Senandung Malam,” katanya ketika ditemui Kosmo! di Perpustakaan Awam Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur baru-baru ini.

Lagu tema

Across The Causeway: A Singapore Childhood adalah kisah yang berkisar tentang kronologi perjalanan seorang kanak-kanak untuk menuju masa depan yang belum pasti di Kuala Lumpur.

Ia bukan sahaja berlatarbelakangkan reaksi masyarakat tentang pemisahan dua negara itu, tetapi turut merangkumkan kisah silam keluarganya.

Menurut ibu kepada dua orang cahaya mata itu, idea penulisan naskhah tersebut bermula dengan penglibatannya dalam penulisan blog Rabiah Hijrah pada tahun 2011.

Rentetan kepada perkongsian pada setiap entri dan impiannya untuk berkongsi cerita silam yang terpalit dengan kisah sejarah telah membawa kepada penerbitan buku di bawah syarikat Syurga Media milik anaknya, Izuan Shah.

Membesar sebagai anak Melayu Singapura di tanah Malaysia tidak menghalang insan seni itu untuk berjaya dalam kariernya sebagai pendidik dan penulis.

Pernah berkhidmat sebagai wartawan di sebuah syarikat akhbar tempatan, Nor Baiti melanjutkan pelajaran dalam bidang penulisan kreatif dan deskriptif (kini Jabatan Pengajian Media) di Universiti Malaya melalui biasiswa yang ditawarkan oleh Berita Publishing pada tahun 1977 sehingga 1980.

Pada 1982 hingga 1983, beliau telah melanjutkan pelajaran peringkat sarjana di Boston, Amerika Syarikat di bawah Skim Latihan Akademik Bumiputera sebelum berkhidmat sebagai pensyarah di Universiti Malaya.

Sebelum penerbitan buku Across The Causeway: A Singapore Childhood, Nor Baiti juga bergiat aktif dalam penulisan buku-buku pendidikan dan rujukan dalam bidang media.

Uniknya buku terbaharu yang dihasilkannya mempunyai lagu tema yang memberikan wadah kepada perjalanan cerita Across The Causeway: A Singapore Childhood.

Dua bahasa

Lagu itu dicipta sendiri oleh Izuan dan turut dihasilkan dalam dua bahasa dengan judul Farewell To Foothills dan Senandung Malam.

Tidak lokek untuk berkongsi cerita dan pengalaman, Nor Baiti turut menyuarakan pendapatnya berkenaan trend karya baharu yang semakin kurang nilai sastera.

“Kebanyakan buku hari ini tidak serupa dengan buku yang saya peroleh pada masa dulu. Penerbit buku sekarang juga kurang menekankan perihal struktur bahasa, malah judulnya juga telah dirojakkan supaya dapat menarik minat pembaca,” ujarnya.

Buku Across The Causeway: A Singapore Childhood boleh didapati pada harga RM49.90 di semua kedai buku utama seluruh Malaysia atau membuat pesanan secara dalam talian di laman web www.senisyurga.com.

Untuk maklumat lanjut, orang ramai boleh melayari laman blog Nur Baiti, https://www.rabiahhijrah.blogspot.com

Artikel Penuh: http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2015&dt=1223&pub=Kosmo&sec=Varia&pg=va_01.htm#ixzz3v84YLBkA 
Hakcipta terpelihara 

Kosmo! Online - Varia

Kosmo! and Xmas

With photographer, Fariz Rusadio, and columnist, Ghazali Alias, of Kosmo! 
the Malay daily with the highest circulation

 

Made it to the top shelf of Asian Studies, MPH Subang Parade

Fredrico from Roma who volunteers for a humanitarian organisation, SOLS 24/7, 
would love to read the book aloud to the Orang Asli kids in Temerloh
(Location: MPH NuSentral) 

Look what Anne Schoenebonn gets Hope for Christmas!
Anne, a University of Columbia graduate and humanitarian worker in New York City,
and Hope, her mother who perseveres with her doctoral dissertation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison after 25 years, have been the author's close friends since 1988  

A new friend, Jody Waldron of Jungle Jaunts Tour Agency, NYC,
 couldn't wait to board the Senandong Malam and takes a trip to Sixties Malaysia

Bloggers et al Endorsements - Rocky & Nuraina Samad - and more

Rocky and Nuraina playing the part of Sporting ex-Singaporeans

Author with Rosnani Ripin,
literary writer and her Mini-Mes

Ezani Idris, Author and Najibah, a literacy activist in Kelantan

Boston and New York-based Singaporean Zai J Ali
gives her smile of approval

The Ambassador Segment, MaTic.fm

Update:

Interview on the Ambassador Segment, MaTiC.fm, December 8 2015, 2:00 - 3:00 PM.

The author talked about the potential of Nostalgic Rail Tours along the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad - KTMB's North-South and Northeastern tracks.

Kelantan, for instance, can exploit the Japanese Army landing on Sabak beach near Kota Bharu, Kelantan, which marked the outbreak of the Pacific War 74 years ago, on December 7, 1941. 

This would require the operations of the railway station at Wakaf Bharu, which was ravaged by the Great Flood of 2014, to be resumed.

Other interesting exchanges were the origins of names of Tampin - little pandan pouches for packing dodol and belacan, and Kajang, mats made of screwpine fronds which inspired a well-known pantun about a well-heeled and a threadbare traveler:

Kajang Pak Malau kajang berlipat,
Kajang saya mengkuang layu,
Dagang Pak Malau dagang bertempat,
Dagang saya musafir lalu. 

Izuan Shah wraps up the interview session with haunting strains from Senandong Malam.

Celebrity Endorsements - Emmett Butterfingers & Shasha Elit

Emmett Ishak, of Butterfingers fame, flew in from Toronto
 to perform at the Rock for Cancer Concert and record
Farewell to Foothills

Shasha Saidin of Elit, a popular girl band in the Nineties,
took time out to support our title.

Across the Causeway: A Singapore Childhood - Book Trailer

https://youtu.be/DeD-9f8iJJ4

Hi, here's the latest update. 

The official launch was held at Perbadanan Kota Buku (PKB) on Saturday, October 10th 2015. It was a semi-casual affair graced by old college mates, school mates, former students, family and friends. 

F.R.A.N.C.E. - Friendship Remains and Never Can End!

(Left to right) Dato' Muhammad Alias, former Consular-General to Los Angeles, N.B. Badarudin, Dato' Sri Dr. Noorul Ainur Mohd. Noor, Puan Nor Inchun Salleh, Puan Aminah Khalid and Dato' Zulkifli Ya'acob

Dato' Sri Dr. Noorul Ainur, lovingly known as Anne to close comrades, now Secretary-General of MOSTI (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations) opened the ceremony by regaling the audience on precious moments among the 20 odd first batch of the Creative and Descriptive Writing Programme, UM, Class of '80. It was followed by a slide show by the author, and a sharing session with a young aunt - Cik Pe'ah - who came all the way from Singapore with two cousins, Asiah and Wati.

BFF - Best Friends Forever!

(Left to right) Sa'odah Ismail, celebrity gossip columnist, Sa'adah Salleh, high-profile PR practitioner, Norisah Sulaiman, another high-profile Corporate Communication person, N.B. Badarudin 

Izuan Shah of Auburn and Mel Tonawarna delivered a poignant performance of 'Senandong Malam', the signature song about the protagonist's journey on the night train in '65. The Golden Duet, Dato' Zulkifli Ya'acob aka Ajoi, former ambassador to Argentina and Puan Nor Inchun aka Norie, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, lightened up the event with renditions of Malay evergreens and contemporaries. Last, but not least, was Loque's personalised version of P. Ramlee's 'Tiada Kata Secantik Bahasa'.      

Loque at the mic.

Mel Tonawarna and Izuan Shah 

poured their hearts out for 'Senandong Malam'.

Former students who are now scholars and entrepreneurs in their own right.

(Left to right) Dr Azalan Shah, Lecturer in Media Studies, Nazri Ibrahim, Lecturer in Communications, N.B. Badarudin and Ab. Jalil Backer, proprietor of Gloria Jean's outlets at Securities Commission and a downtown mall.   

Book signing and photo sessions followed with a Javanese Singaporean lunch.  

[Unfortunately, the author was admitted into UMMC the day after the launch due to inflammation of the right eye. Hence, the delay in posting about the event and other related developments.]

Across the Causeway: A Singapore Childhood will be available in MPH bookstores after November 1, 2015. For those who prefer to purchase online, please get your copy/ies from: https://billplz.com/open/acrossthecau...