THE MEMOIRS OF MUSTAPHA HUSSAIN - Malaysia Today

Bound Feet and Rubber Tappers 33
It upset me to hear Indian and Sri Lankan political leaders in Malaysia
make unfair comments that the Malays had an easy life. In fact, these
Indian and Sri Lankan leaders were the ones living in luxury, while their
followers, the Indian masses, lived in squalor. Such disparity!
With such a large number of Indian immigrants flocking into Matang,
the British set up a toddy shop for them. It was a thatched-roof shed,
without walls, but with rows of benches and long tables. Each afternoon,
drinkers assembled at the shop, like thirsty bees around a honey pot. Some
came with firewood on their heads, but as soon as they had made their
sales, the money went to mugs of toddy instead of food for their poor
families. From our house, we could hear the toddy shop’s goings-on, like
a distant humming of bees in a hive.
After drinking and getting tipsy, they dragged their feet to their
respective estates. Those going back to Jebong Estate had to walk past
us, playing near the mosque. These drinkers reacted differently to the
toddy. Some became unexpectedly bold, almost violent and ready to pick
fights, by saying, for example, “I am very drunk. Who dares fight me?
One punch from me and you will die twice!” The bigger boys among us
responded, “Don’t talk big. Just one push, and you will be down and out!”
Others became timid and would appeal, “I am not looking for a fight. I
am a little drunk.” He would then add “Naleki va” or “Let’s wait till
tomorrow,” as if fights could be postponed.
Indian men then had long wavy hair tied in buns at the back of their
heads. Some wore ruby earrings. On their foreheads were potu (Hindu
ritualistic dot placed at the centre of the forehead), and sometimes, white
lime-paste stripes. Other times, they drew white lines on their chests. I
noticed that the lower caste Hindus were the first to cut their hair short.
Indian women also had long wavy hair, which they tied up in tight buns
decorated with flowers, especially the fragrant bunga melor (jasmine).
They had pierced ears, like Malay women, and because of their heavy
ornamental earrings, their ear lobes drooped, and some looked as if they
were about to tear.
With the coming of Indian immigrants, British estate owners began
to replace Malay estate workers with them because these newcomers were
willing to work for only thirty or forty cents a day. Their needs were very
modest. They could fall asleep on a mere gunny sack, and they were also
hardy, able to work in the scorching sun for long hours because the heat
here was milder than in South India. Their food was also very simple,
mostly rice with dried fish, brinjals (eggplants or aubergines) and fried
dried chillies. Thus, even with such meagre incomes, they could remit
money to their families in India.