Continue reading...

12 May 2017: I, KKK ― The Autobiography of a Historian June 15, 2017 – Posted in: Newsletters

I have never strayed from the belief that the foundations of history lie in empirical evidence. I have spent a lifetime gathering facts, making sense of them, piecing them together, so that I may portray a true representation of the times I am writing about in all its complexity. ― Khoo Kay Kim Our featured book this week dispels the adage that historians have an aversion to penning their autobiographies. Indeed, the country’s most well-known…

Continue reading...

07 May 2017: Penang Hill – A Journey Through Time – Posted in: Newsletters

Mike Gibby has captured – for the first time – not only the fascinating ‘journey through time‘ of Penang Hill but also what it means to visitors, residents, Penang and the world, including a discussion of its possible futures and a helpful walker’s guide for discovering many of its hidden gems. History credits Francis Light as the first European to open up Penang Hill for settlement when he plotted a horse track from the Penang…

Dedication and Personal Choices ‘are the key’ to a Healthy Environment June 1, 2017 – Posted in: In The News, Reviews

If there’s a key lesson in conservation, it’s this: you need to keep at it. So says Gurmit Singh, a veteran Malaysian environmentalist who has just published his Memoirs of a Malaysian Eco-Activist. “Everyone thinks planting trees is great. But they forget that trees have to be maintained,” Singh stressed at the launch of his memoirs. “I now tell people that ‘I will support your effort if you check every six months to see if your trees are alive.’…

True Blue Activist – Posted in: In The News, Reviews

ENVIRONMENTALIST Gurmit Singh has spent his life educating Malaysians on the real cost of preserving nature. Although he is not always successful in creating deep change, the man described as a ‘true blue activist’ continues to be passionate and patient. The 75-year-old recently unveiled his biographical work titled Memoirs of a Malaysian Eco-Activist, chronicling his non-conformist ways, environmental activism and his perspective of the world. Born in Japanese-occupied Malaya in the 1940s, Gurmit was a…

Maintenance key to addressing environmental issues, says activist – Posted in: In The News, Reviews

by Terence Toh, The Star “Maintenance key to addressing environmental issues”, says veteran activist Gurmit Singh. “Most of the problems pertaining to the environment in the country today stem from issues of poor maintenance.” Speaking at the launch of his book Memoirs of a Malaysian Eco-Activist, the Penang-born activist said Malaysians were very good at constructing new things, but terrible at keeping them maintained. “Everyone thinks planting trees is great. But they forget that trees…

The unwavering eco-activist – Posted in: In The News, Reviews

The unwavering eco-activist by Elena Koshy, NST Pressing the doorbell to the headquarters of the Centre for Environment, Technology and Development Malaysia (Cetdem), I’m mentally going over my notes and questions. The gate opens and the first thing I do is trip over it, narrowly escaping an undignified tumble on the floor. Nervousness brings out the clumsy in me. After being given perfunctory directions to his room (“Go up the stairs and turn to your…

This man has been fighting to save Malaysia’s environment for half a century – Posted in: In The News, Reviews

This man has been fighting to save Malaysia’s environment for half a century by Terence Toh, The Star For most of his adult life, Gurmit Singh K.S. has campaigned tirelessly for the nation’s green soul. He’s written books and papers about pressing issues. He’s formed two prominent local environmental organisations – the Environmental Protection Society, Malaysia (EPSM) and the Centre for Environment, Technology and Development, Malaysia – and been involved in many of the country’s major…

22 April 2017: Memoirs of a Malaysian Eco-Activist April 25, 2017 – Posted in: Newsletters

Gurmit Singh needs little introduction to most Malaysians. His passion and concerns for the environment have won him several monikers, all well-deserved, but that of being an Eco-Activist fits him well. His unpretentious, yet colourful, story matches the nation’s peaceful struggle to be part of the emergent developing world and the march towards independence. – Mano Maniam, actor, director and writer How did environmental activism begin in Malaysia? Who were the key players back in…

Continue reading...

A Journey Through Thaipusam March 21, 2017 – Posted in: In The News

A BFM 89.9 podcast interview with writer and Indologist Carl Belle by Ahmad Fuad Rahmat, University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus, 16 March 2017, 21:00 In A Journey Through Thaipusam, Dr Carl Belle, a noted scholar of the Malaysian Indian diaspora, talks about his journey of spiritual transformation and social scientific enlightenment. He recounts his earliest days in Malaysia in the 1970s, and his profound encounter with Hinduism, which began his life-long love affair with the country. Dr…

28 Feb 2017: Thaipusam in Malaysia – A Hindu Festival in the Tamil Diaspora March 16, 2017 – Posted in: Newsletters

This is an important book which argues that Hinduism and its manifestations in the diaspora have important significance in binding not only the Hindus but also encourages others to revisit Hinduism, especially in a multicultural society like Malaysia which is dominated by communally infused discourses structured upon race and religion. – Ajaya K. Sahoo, Editor, Journal of South Asian Diaspora Dr Carl Vadivella Belle may not be a familiar name (yet) among Malaysian readers, but…

« First
Previous
1
...
16
17
18
19
20
...
32
Next
Last »