KOTA KINABALU: Deepavali may not be celebrated as merrily in Sabah as it is in Peninsular Malaysia, but for the small Indian community here, sharing the occasion with family and friends is something they have come to treasure.
Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, businessman R Balachandran, 57, moved to Sabah almost 30 years ago for work.
Life was lonely at first as Balachandran, or Bala as he prefers to be known, tried to adapt to his new surroundings and make new friends. It was even worse during festive celebrations like Deepavali.
But things changed after he married a local Kadazan woman. With five children and a granddaughter, Bala now revels in the celebration of Deepavali.
The family’s single-storey yellow brick house in a village in Penampang, about 7km from here, is decked out with colourful decorations and a canvas tent awaits the arrival of guests.
“I have never gone back to my hometown for Deepavali since I got married. The first few years celebrating Deepavali here were quite terrible. I was lonely because at the time, Deepavali was not a public holiday and I felt left out.
“However, when Yong Teck Lee became chief minister, he declared it a public holiday in Sabah and celebrating the occasion became a lot merrier, not just for me but for all Indians here. That’s a good thing he did for our community,” Bala said.
Bala said he now looks forward to spending time with friends and family on Deepavali day.
“My wife is a great cook. She can cook Indian dishes very well, much better than I can. So she will be the one cooking for our guests.
“We are expecting about 50 guests, mostly her family and also some close friends. Mainly Kadazans and Chinese,” he said, adding that last year, they hosted about 300 guests.
His wife, Lena Damon, 49, said she learned to cook her husband’s favourite dishes from her mother-in-law and some of his relatives.
“We went to India some years ago and stayed there for 10 days. That’s where I learned how to cook most of the dishes like mutton curry, chicken… luckily, my husband is not a vegetarian,” she said with a chuckle.
Bala’s wife is a Catholic and so are four of their children. Only his eldest son is a Hindu like he is.
Despite the different religions, the family gets along just fine as both sides respect each other’s beliefs.
In fact, Bala’s altar and Lena’s Catholic home altar are set up next to each other, separated only by a thin wall.
“We don’t discuss religion. This is Sabah, so that is not a problem. Even those who have converted to other religions still go to the temple. I think because the temple is where you meet others in the community,” he said.
Like Bala, Dr Priya Bharishini, who is from Perak, no longer misses celebrating Deepavali in her hometown.
In fact, she and her husband enjoy welcoming their Sabahan friends to their open house.
“When I was transferred here about six years ago, there were not many Indians around but we have adjusted to this. Mostly, we will meet them when we go to the temple in Lok Kawi (near Kota Kinabalu).
“But Sabah is very nice because of the people. The way they mingle and everything, the friendly atmosphere… I don’t feel any racism at all. We don’t really miss celebrating Deepavali in the peninsula,” the 32-year-old told FMT.
Priya, a mother of one, said the only thing lacking in Sabah was clothing and decorations for Deepavali.
“In terms of things to buy, clothes are a bit difficult because there is limited choice. We can only get it at a few places and usually they are not so new and are more expensive compared to in the peninsula.
“Ingredients for food is okay, but we can’t find ornaments to decorate our homes here, sad to say. There are for other festivities but not Deepavali,” she said.
She and her husband, who is from Selangor, have to ask relatives in the peninsula to buy the decorations and new clothes a month in advance.
However, she said these are minor inconveniences and her family especially enjoy the warmth of the festive celebrations in Sabah.
“Basically, our house will be a multiracial place. We have Indians, Chinese, Malay and Kadazandusun friends.
“When we celebrate back in the peninsula, normally we will host our family members and relatives first and then friends. But over here it’s different… it will be full with our friends on the first day,” she said with a laugh.
Sabah’s Indian community is much smaller compared to the peninsula, with the majority coming from Peninsular Malaysia and some from Sarawak.
According to a census, there are about 15,000 Indians scattered throughout Sabah, about 10,000 of whom are Hindus. - FMT
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