Compiled by FATIMAH ZAINAL, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN

       SINGER Datuk Zainal Abidin (pic) is disappointed that the message in his hit song Hijau has not been taken seriously despite it being an anthem of sorts about the environment, reported Berita Harian.

       “I have been carrying the message in Hijau for over 30 years. It is played at schools, universities and government departments, but people still view the song as mere entertainment and not as a serious message.

       “If they had taken lessons from the environmental message that I conveyed through the song, maybe the natural disaster that occurred recently would not have happened.

       “This is what we get when we pollute, carry out improperly planned development projects and build skyscrapers without taking into account drainage systems and rampant logging activities,” Zainal said.

       Hijau, written by Mukhlis Mohamed Nor, highlighted issues such as pollution, rapid development and the destruction of natural ecosystems.

       The devastation brought about by the floods on Dec 18 had affected Zainal, as his house near flood-hit Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam, was not spared.

       His cars were submerged and could not be salvaged while the ground floor of his three-storey home was inundated with water.

       Still traumatised by the situation, Zainal said he could not forget the sounds of nearby residents crying out for help on the day of the floods.

       “They live in single-storey houses and their homes were completely submerged; they had to climb onto the roof.

       “I feel sad that I couldn’t help. The water level was very high and the currents were strong, we couldn’t do anything,” he said.

       > A Malaysian Chinese family in Ketereh, Kelantan, is very much into the art of wayang kulit (shadow puppet play), which is traditionally associated with the Malay community, reported Sinar Harian.

       In fact, Kang Boon Ann, 53, is the president of the Sri Cindayu Wayang Kulit Association, which has 35 members from both Malay and Chinese ethnic backgrounds.

       According to him, the main purpose of the association is to be a backbone for the continuity of the art form.

       Kang began to enjoy the art of wayang kulit at age nine when his late grandmother brought him to watch a puppet show after the harvest season.

       “When I first became interested in the world of wayang kulit, I used school notebooks to draw the characters in the show. I drew, cut and followed what the characters did and it made my teacher angry because only the covers were left on my notebooks.

       “From there, my interest to learn to play wayang kulit and the music used in its performances grew,” he said.

       After getting married, the interest was also shared with his wife Eh Tian Eh Awang, 47, his father-in-law Eh Awang Eh Wit, 70, as well as his two children, Kang Siew Lie, 27, and Kang Xiau Ren, 24.

       “Now our family is playing wayang kulit. My two children study at the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (Aswara). They also play wayang kulit at Aswara,” he said.

       The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.