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17 April 2016: Earth Day 2016 special August 13, 2019 – Posted in: Uncategorized

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. – Rumi Each year, April 22 marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. It acknowledges the responsibility we bear to promote harmony with nature and the Earth to achieve a balance between economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations. Today, Earth Day is recognised as the largest…

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Who really founded KL: Yap Ah Loy … or Sutan Puasa? June 27, 2019 – Posted in: Uncategorized

Rouwen Lin Some authors have a long list of things they would like their readers to take away from their books. Not this author. Independent scholar Abdur-Razzaq Lubis is quick with his answer when asked what he wants to get across in his book: that Sutan Puasa is the founder of Kuala Lumpur. Period. “With this project, I wanted to set the record straight that Sutan Puasa was the real founder of KL. “I am…

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‘Sutan Puasa: The Founder of Kuala Lumpur’, is the sole Malaysian contender for the ICAS Book Prize 2019 May 13, 2019 – Posted in: Uncategorized

Sutan Puasa: The Founder of Kuala Lumpur has been nominated for the 2019 International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) Colleagues’ Choice Award in the Humanties section. Sutan Puasa, Founder of Kuala Lumpur was launched in April 2018 amidst much fanfare and press coverage. Even as the book was hailed by many, including authorities on Malaysian history, for its boldness to reexamine the beginnings of Kuala Lumpur, it was also unsurprisingly greeted with hostility and skepticism…

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30 March 2019: Mak Yong – World Heritage Theatre April 15, 2019 – Posted in: Newsletters

Featuring detailed research with rare and vintage photographs from the author’s personal collection, this enormously readable book is intended to alert the public and authorities to the importance of Mak Yong and its current state of endangerment, and to spur efforts towards its safeguarding. In 2005, Mak Yong was designated a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, and included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. The ancient dance-theatre…

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19 Jan 2019: Penang Thaipusam – a journey of faith – Posted in: Newsletters

On Monday January 21, Hindus will celebrate Thaipusam. Every year, thousands of devotees make their way to Penang to participate and witness this “Journey of Faith” that is centred at the Nattukotai Chettiars Thandayuthapani Temple and the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Hilltop Temple. The Thaipusam tradition was brought to Penang through the South Indian diaspora during the late 18th century and has since evolved and grown to such an extent that it has assimilated unique local characteristics…

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29 Dec 2018: Recognition for the founder of Kuala Lumpur – Posted in: Newsletters

Hello reader, Popular history credited two people with the founding of Kuala Lumpur. One was the third kapitan Yap Ah Loy and the other was the Bugis aristocrat Raja Abdullah. Both these claims are erroneous, says Abdur-Razzaq Lubis, author of the book Sutan Puasa, Founder of Kuala Lumpur, because their versions of history ignored the presence of Sutan Puasa on the spot at the time. Closer examination reveals that the founding myths of Kuala Lumpur have omitted the…

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14 Dec 2018: New release – P. Singaram’s ‘Beyond the Sea’ – Posted in: Newsletters

This English translation of a classic Tamil novel, set in the diverse, polyglot world of Penang in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, is a delight to read. Beyond the Sea tells the story of Chellaia, a young man working in a money-lending business, who fancies his boss’s daughter. When his life as a moneylender is disrupted by the Japanese Occupation of Malaya, he, like many of his peers, joins the Indian National Army. After…

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24 Nov 2018: Check out our Silverfish selections! April 8, 2019 – Posted in: Newsletters

This month Areca Books celebrates the world of fiction and non-fiction titles, featuring our tasty selections from Silverfish Books.Lovers of well crafted stories from here and there, don’t forget to check these out and more at our new shop or online at www.arecabooks.com !  25 Malaysian Short Stories: Best of Silverfish New Writing 2001-2005  Bunga Emas (Second Edition) Faultlines 21 Immortals Inspector Mislan and the DUKExpressway Murders Inspector Mislan and the UTube Serial Rapes News From Home…

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