Journalist and pastor Balan Moses, who grew up in Brickfields, feels that there is very little being done to conserve the nostalgic and historical past of this part of Kuala Lumpur.
Unfortunately, the historical 100 Government Quarters in the area will be demolished to make way for modern buildings, Moses notes in his book Brickfields and Beyond: Stories from the Past to be launched tomorrow.
“The iconic Hundred Quarters along Jalan Rozario and Jalan Chan Ah Tong, which is to be demolished next year (2013) as part of a redevelopment project, should be preserved for posterity.
“I feel that the authorities should consider modifying the re-development proposal to maintain some semblance of history by retaining some of the facades of the quarters. I agree that one cannot stop development but some thought should be placed on preserving heritage buildings like these,” said Moses, who is now an editorial trainer at New Straits Times.
Moses is inviting all those who have lived in Brickfields in the 1950s and 60s to attend the launch at the Lutheran Church in Brickfields at 10am. “We can discuss ways of conserving whatever remains of the old Brickfields’ heritage can be conserved.”
Moses said that conservation had been managed very well in some parts of the city where the facades of late 19th century and early 20th century shophouses had been retained with some measure of architectural ingenuity.
There are plans to build a multi-storey car park and hawker stalls in place of the historic Hundred Quarters. “Imagine having stalls and restaurants in buildings that are a throwback to a time long gone. Tourists and locals may very well appreciate the history that comes with the food.
“The Hundred Quarters where I lived for 15 years epitomises the neighbourhood that has grown on me over the years. I, like many others, feel the imminent loss of the place that shaped many a world view,” he told Malaysiakini in an interview.
Moses has used the uniqueness of the time they lived in as the backdrop for the stories. “All of them are stories culled from half-remembered tales from my childhood and youth, a melange of fact and fiction,” he said.
He has also attempted to include social commentary on the traditions, customs, conventions and practices among Malayans, and later Malaysians, on issues like class differences, romance and nation-building within a multi-racial populace.
The book will be launched by former Malaysian Bar Council president Dr Cyrus Das. It is an anthology of 15 short stories set in Kuala Lumpur’s historic suburb of Brickfields in the 1950s and 1960s.
This is Moses’ second effort at putting down for posterity the lifestyle, ethos and character of a community in a bygone era. He has moved genre to fiction by bringing to life some of the characters featured in his first book, Brickfields: A Place, A Time, A Memory published in 2007.
Brickfields and Beyond: Stories From The Past may be reminiscent of the past for most Malaysians who grew up in such small enclaves around the country in the 1950s and 1960s. It may also prove to be of benefit to younger readers wanting to experience a way of life redolent of the past when things were far less complicated than they are now.
“As development changes the face of Brickfields, this book may help readers conjure pictures in their mind’s eye of a time gone past that will surely never return.”
Moses, who has also been pastor of the Zion Lutheran Church Brickfields for the past five years, is contributing all proceeds from the sale of the books to the Hands Across Brickfields project which he initiated three years ago.
Under the project, nearly 200 packets of food are distributed to the poor of Brickfields, including destitute single-parent families, drug addicts and the homeless, every Sunday afternoon at the compound of the church.
Unfortunately, the historical 100 Government Quarters in the area will be demolished to make way for modern buildings, Moses notes in his book Brickfields and Beyond: Stories from the Past to be launched tomorrow.
“The iconic Hundred Quarters along Jalan Rozario and Jalan Chan Ah Tong, which is to be demolished next year (2013) as part of a redevelopment project, should be preserved for posterity.
“I feel that the authorities should consider modifying the re-development proposal to maintain some semblance of history by retaining some of the facades of the quarters. I agree that one cannot stop development but some thought should be placed on preserving heritage buildings like these,” said Moses, who is now an editorial trainer at New Straits Times.Moses is inviting all those who have lived in Brickfields in the 1950s and 60s to attend the launch at the Lutheran Church in Brickfields at 10am. “We can discuss ways of conserving whatever remains of the old Brickfields’ heritage can be conserved.”
Moses said that conservation had been managed very well in some parts of the city where the facades of late 19th century and early 20th century shophouses had been retained with some measure of architectural ingenuity.
There are plans to build a multi-storey car park and hawker stalls in place of the historic Hundred Quarters. “Imagine having stalls and restaurants in buildings that are a throwback to a time long gone. Tourists and locals may very well appreciate the history that comes with the food.
“The Hundred Quarters where I lived for 15 years epitomises the neighbourhood that has grown on me over the years. I, like many others, feel the imminent loss of the place that shaped many a world view,” he told Malaysiakini in an interview.
Moses has used the uniqueness of the time they lived in as the backdrop for the stories. “All of them are stories culled from half-remembered tales from my childhood and youth, a melange of fact and fiction,” he said.He has also attempted to include social commentary on the traditions, customs, conventions and practices among Malayans, and later Malaysians, on issues like class differences, romance and nation-building within a multi-racial populace.
The book will be launched by former Malaysian Bar Council president Dr Cyrus Das. It is an anthology of 15 short stories set in Kuala Lumpur’s historic suburb of Brickfields in the 1950s and 1960s.
This is Moses’ second effort at putting down for posterity the lifestyle, ethos and character of a community in a bygone era. He has moved genre to fiction by bringing to life some of the characters featured in his first book, Brickfields: A Place, A Time, A Memory published in 2007.
Brickfields and Beyond: Stories From The Past may be reminiscent of the past for most Malaysians who grew up in such small enclaves around the country in the 1950s and 1960s. It may also prove to be of benefit to younger readers wanting to experience a way of life redolent of the past when things were far less complicated than they are now.“As development changes the face of Brickfields, this book may help readers conjure pictures in their mind’s eye of a time gone past that will surely never return.”
Moses, who has also been pastor of the Zion Lutheran Church Brickfields for the past five years, is contributing all proceeds from the sale of the books to the Hands Across Brickfields project which he initiated three years ago.
Under the project, nearly 200 packets of food are distributed to the poor of Brickfields, including destitute single-parent families, drug addicts and the homeless, every Sunday afternoon at the compound of the church.
M KRISHNAMOORTHY is a freelance journalist and local coordinator for CNN, BBC and several other foreign television networks. He was formerly a journalist with The Star and New Straits Times and has authored four books.
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