I remember more than 30 years ago when an annual festival used to take place in the Kroh and its Lake Garden. From people wrestling on a greasy pole over the lake to many other activities like football game at the local field where the players will dress up in female getups like sarees, nurses uniform, cheongsam and kebaya, off all the kebaya will get reaped up the most.... funny memories, cherished, unforgettable.
That spirit of togetherness and fun was there.
Later , I remember having dangdut artistes firing up the night with their sexy pelvic gyrations until the religious authorities put an end to it thankfully.
Then for many years things lay quiet.... little events here and there, the lake became quite untouchable because of all the drain water running into it....children stopped swimming in it...
and some days the lake was bare. It was a disheartening sight.
And finally after many many years, someone saw light and decided it was time to
SAVE TASIK TAKONG.
This recent event is a movement towards that I believe. To maintain the beauty of the lake and promote the awareness.
It was a sight to behold. Those floats that night.
Except for that few seconds when the VIP platform nearly collapsed... but everything was good that night.
For once all races, Siamese, Malays, Indians, Chinese, Orang Aslis, Sabahans...
all mingled without prejudices and that negative vibe. Because it was all new and exciting.
People just forgot to be biased and instead enjoyed the night.
One minor flaw though, the food stalls- stale food, bad food, uncooked food, expensive food-some people ended up with food poisoning.
The burger stall though was first class, the two malay boys who served a mean salad, well cooked meats and buns spread with PLANTA margerine (unlike the inferior margerine you get at local stalls) and yet selling it @RM2.50. They did good.
And it was a great night.
Hope it is a beginning of a wonderful journey.
WELL DONE to the organisers and local authorities!
