Nostalgic drums ("rebana"),

It was nostalgic to find two big drums at the entrance of a tourist attraction of Kraftangan in Kota Bharu during our recent trip. Daughter Jasmine was asked if she could pose for a picture in front of them which she duly complied.

The drum, a size bigger than the average human being was instrumental during my childhood days. It was a mean of communicating that it was time for prayer but of more nostalgic was how it was used to announced the demise of one of the villagers. Those were the days in the 1960s and early 1970s in the Malay heartland of Peninsular Malaysia. I was curious and once wanted to take it up to beat the drum learning several subtleties in communicating various messages but I wasn't patient enough to stay with it much to the chagrin of my paternal grandma. I was more focused on running around the white sandy beaches under coconut palms and dashed the sweaty body into the warm blue ocean of South China Sea.

I truly wonder how we evolved at a faster rate relative to generations that were before us. Communicating through the beating of drums is too primitive when compared to today's electronic and virtual means such as texting, instagram and such. That was my experience only some 40 years or so ago. Today's generation would not know the literal meaning of P. Ramlee's "bila biduk berbunyi" (when the drum beats) in one of his famous evergreen hari raya songs. Both the drum and iphone are indeed instruments developed by us to communicate. When I mentioned the "geduk", my uncles and brother would quickly reminisce our childhood days. But, here in the tornado valley of the United States, we too rely on such way of communicating especially when severe weather condition warrants except of using drums we use siren. Utilities companies is very efficient in sending us text messages warning their customers of impending disruptions of services.