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EXHIBITION BASED ON AWARD-WINNING BOOK BRINGS YOU THE ‘CHULIA’ PEOPLE March 9, 2016 – Posted in: In The News

by MAIRA ZAMRI FEBRUARY 1, 2016 HAILING from the Coromandel Coast of South India, the Chulia are a race of people who migrated to Penang in order to trade goods such as kain pelikat and pepper in the 19th century. These Tamil-speaking Muslims settled down in Penang and built mosques, cemeteries, water tanks and conducted celebratory processions. Kapitan Keling Cauder Mohudden, a descendant of the Merican family, ordered the construction of Masjid Kapitan Keling in 1801. This mosque soon became…

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Regal landmark – Posted in: In The News

BY ANEETA SUNDARARAJ Penang’s Kapitan Keling Mosque evokes a sense of pride and belonging, writes Aneeta Sundararaj IN the early 1990s, a little girl and her parents lived in Air Itam, Penang. Although the State Mosque was just down the road, 6-year-old Siti Marina Mohd Maidin and her father preferred to go to George Town to visit the Kapitan Keling Mosque situated off Chulia Street. Sheltered from the hustle and bustle of George Town, she…

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06 Mar 2016: The Blue Mansion & The Penang Colouring Book March 7, 2016 – Posted in: Newsletters

With a lively interaction between text and illustration, Drawing the Blue Mansion and The Penang Colouring Book artfully captures the heritage of Penang and stimulates the reader’s dimensional imaginations. Picture books are no longer seen as the stuff of young readers. Their contents can range from simple ideas to complex and sophisticated scenarios. Though not exactly a recent phenomenon, picture books, because of their versatility, are now regarded as one of the most important literary formats in…

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21 Feb 2016: The Valley of Hope February 25, 2016 – Posted in: Newsletters

The history of the Sungai Buloh leprosy settlement has been vividly captured in a series of books and videos produced by a team of researchers. Featuring many old photographs, brief histories, family reunions and stories of former patients who were forcefully isolated due to their affliction. These journeys from hopelessness and despair to healing and happiness are nothing short of moving. There is little doubt that stories of human interest generate much attention, whatever the…

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31 Jan 2016: Stories and landmarks of Penang and George Town February 15, 2016 – Posted in: Newsletters

Our featured books this week are remarkable examples of historical and cultural narratives brought to life through articulate research and sumptuous photographs of famous landmarks and peoples. Their stories are presented in a readable manner that will appeal to a broad audience. The books can be enjoyed from the comfort of your chair or be taken along as guides during an active walking tour. George Town – World Heritage Site (Mark Thompson, Karl Steinberg &…

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23 Jan 2016: The Chulia in Penang – historical talk & exhibition (Jan 2016) – Posted in: Newsletters

Please join us for a historical talk on Saturday, 30 January, 2016 and an exhibition from 28th January to 28th March, 2016 in Kuala Lumpur. The events are organised by the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia. Entrance is free for both events. Seats for the talk are limited; please RSVP via email to education@iamm.org.my or call 03-2270 5111/5101/5103. The Chulia Diaspora, Mosque and Endowments Lecture The Chulia in Penang Photography Exhibition The Chulia Diaspora, Mosque and Endowments Date: Saturday, 30 January, 2016 Time:…

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19 Dec 2015: Singapore & The Silk Road of The Sea December 21, 2015 – Posted in: Newsletters

Replace the camel with the ship, change the dusty dry deserts to an immensity of water; instead of the caravanserai,  imagine a chain of seaports on the edge of the great Asian landmass; instead of nomadic bandits, think of pirates and you will begin to understand why the Silk Road of the Sea deserves more attention than it has received. The famed ‘Silk Road’ is a network of trade routes that traversed across Asia to the Mediterranean Sea. Celebrated in…

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Old Trees, the Living Heritage in Penang December 9, 2015 – Posted in: In The News

    会呼吸的古迹 老树世纪遮荫 Old Trees, the Living Heritage in Penang 一座美丽的城市, 通常种满绿树。 槟城树多, 泰半过百岁。 英殖民政府1802年开始种树, 将多种热带树木引进移植, 成就今日绿叶成荫。 两百年过去, 老树继续茁壮参天。 它们比一些战前老房子还老, 它们是会呼吸的古迹。 只不过,尽管天天见面, 人们不知树有树名, 忽略了槟城老树是东南亚区域里 长得特多特好的。 Penang is a beautiful city full of trees.  Since British colonial government started to plant trees in 1802, and introduced a variety of tropical trees in Penang, today these century-old trees that are older than some prewar old buildings turn out to be a living heritage. Despite living in…

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Heritage Trees of Penang—Kew Bulletin review November 26, 2015 – Posted in: Reviews

As Head of the Arboretum at Kew where I curate the outdoor temperate tree collections in the UK, this work is not the normal subject of a book that you will find in my library at home, but is a valuable new addition to my shelves that I have since used as reference. On my summer vacation to Florida in 2011, I visited the Fairchild Botanic Garden in Miami where I was introduced to a…

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‘Living Landscapes’ review by Creighton Connolly November 23, 2015 – Posted in: Reviews

Living Landscapes Connected Communities: Culture, Environment and Change across Asia Justine Vaz and Narumol Aphinives (eds). Areca Books, George Town, 2014, pp. xxviii + 344 (ISBN 967-571-911-7). This ambitious book is derived from a multiyear project titled ‘Community-based Initiatives toward Human–Ecological Balance’, which was initiated by the Asia Pacific Intellectuals (API) Foundation and centred upon five diverse sites across Asia. This captivating volume examines the lives and environments of each community visited and asks how the residents in each place have…

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