It’s the journey that matters
Yes, the title tells it all. Tony Saldin is on a journey and he carries us along in his wake. But it is not an everyday journey, but a ‘voyage of discovery’- a voyage into his past to discover his identity and to revel in it. But there is even something more. He sees not only where and when his search began – in present day Indonesia – but also where it has brought him – a member of an established community of Sri Lanka today. It is his understanding, and wholehearted acceptance of both his original and present identities that make this a book a “must read”.
Saldin’s inquisitive mind leads him to research his past. He is not satisfied knowing he is a Sri Lankan Malay, and he wonders “Who are we?” Everyone in his community traces their roots to one or another of the islands in the Indonesian Archipelago or the Malay peninsula, but it is in Sri Lanka that these individuals from those many islands merge into the single community of “Sri Lankan Malays” (“British military officials …. came across a Malay speaking race in Ceylon and with one stroke of the pen, named them “Malays” for logistical purposes and for convenience”). So, he is a proud descendent of a soldier of fortune in the service of two colonial powers, and equally proud of the way his community became sons of Sri Lankan soil (bhoomi putra) and rendered great service to her.
This volume, the Log Book of his Voyage, is divided into three: Roots, Branching Out, and Flowering.
Roots is about his search and what he found. He speaks of his own family, descendants of “Enche Pantasih, accompanied by his wife, Sitti Sumba Warnil, from the ancient Kingdom of Sumenep, Madura, East Java,” 240 years ago; of the island of Madura about
which we know so little; of the exiled Princes and soldiers of fortune recruited by the V.O.C known as the Dutch East India Company; of the difference between the policies of the Dutch and British East India Companies regarding the use of “native” troops.
It is full of his appreciation of his community and of the way it developed in a foreign land. He deals with its martial tradition and achievements, its preoccupation with weapons and firearms, its own Regiment the Ceylon Rifles, its barrack life, and how, both within and beyond the cantonment, this community developed its own culinary culture (Watalappan, Dodol, Bibikkan, Nasi goreng, Achcharu, Sambal) that is famed beyond community boundaries; its own folk culture (Rabana, Sarong, Sarungal, Ja kotuwa, Kirichchiya, Batik) – an amalgam of Javanese, Malay, Sumnapers, Madurese, Bugis, Malaccans, Amboinese, Sundanese, Tidorese, Balinese, Betawi, Minakangbau, Banjarese, Macassarese and others from the Dutch East Indies and the Straits Settlements.
Although having served the Dutch, the Kandyan and the British since the 17th century it is in the 19th century that the community became entrenched in the Sri Lankan social fabric and developed as full members of society.
During that period the figures of professional soldier Captain Baba Halaluddin Saldin of the Ceylon Rifle Regiment, Saldin’s great-grand-father; and Baba Ounus Saldin his great-grand-uncle: soldier, bridge-builder, founder of Malay language newspapers and chronicler of event loom large. His records form a commentary on Sri Lankan history. The author, like an impresario, showcases his community and its deeds and awaits our applause.
Then – only then – does he bring himself to the forefront. His own ancestors who came from the island of Madura east of the main island of Java, his father and his three wives, his service record in WW2, Saldin’s family, his extended family, family dynamics – they are all there, making a very human account from a distant past into very much the present. My personal favourite is his account of “Growing up as a Malay in Sri Lanka”. It is a beautiful reincarnation of this country in the mid-20th century and makes us understand how a multi-cultural society really works. I will say no more about it: it must be read.
‘Flowering’ is about how the Indonesian-Sri Lankan author’s curiosity led him into aspects of Sri Lankan history. Most of the pieces here have been published previously but, collected here, they illustrate the author’s last step in becoming a truly Sri Lankan bhoomi putra.
He starts with stories about Malays in Sri Lanka (Saradiel & Police Constable Tuan Saban, “Indonesian Burghers”, Capt. Noordeen and King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, Sinhalese Lascorins), and ventures out of his comfort zone (Sri Lankan Kaffirs, Warriors of Japan, Keppetipola Disawa) into the study of local place names in Wattala, his home town, and finally to “Ananda – the one-legged tree cutter”. Truly, a quantum leap.
‘Branching Out’, sandwiched between the others, is a totally different piece of writing. It is about Saldin himself; Saldin the working man. What makes this part special is that he takes us with him into a commercial world run on the Japanese work ethic. Saldin is aware that these workplaces are different from those we are all familiar with and he feels that we need to see another side of the commercial world. It is an account of another journey, a journey into his career. His informal narrative style opens our eyes to the currents and undercurrents that moved within his professional world. Most readers would recognize bits and pieces of the narrative through common experience but the total story is really worth reading.
Perhaps there was something that bound the ‘Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (V.O.C.)’ to the Japanese businessmen? Consider these comments about the Japanese. He says, “Unlike trading companies in other countries, which are generally specialized in certain types of products, sago shosha have extremely diversified business lines, in which respect the business model is unique to Japan.” And this about the V.O.C. “It was originally a Netherlands government-backed military-commercial enterprise and traded in spices, silk, porcelain, metals, livestock, tea, grain, rice, soybeans, sugarcane, wine and coffee. “Perhaps Saldin felt the visceral pull of the V.O.C., and that sent him to the arms of the Japanese?!
Written in simple prose, narrated in bitesized portions, served with generous notes and references, this book is an easy and enjoyable read. Read it and follow the “yellow brick” heritage trail in the company of a genial host: Tony Saldin.
The book is available at Expographics, Barefoot and Sarasavi Bookshops at Rs.1,800.