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NST Online: StreetsJohor

Life-long journey of learning and caring

Posted: 21 Jun 2011 10:08 AM PDT

2011/06/22
by Gavri Devi Arasu

LEARNING is a journey that never ends. This motto aptly describes my journey as a doctor, wife and mother to my two beautiful daughters and my friends.

My medical journey began when I qualified from Lady Harding Medical College in New Delhi in 1974.
Since then, this road has taken me through various departments in the Health Ministry for the State of Johor, with public health being a special area of interest for me.
I have been fortunate that my journey has allowed me to live my passion to help those less fortunate and, intertwined with my professional journey, there have been many opportunities for me to contribute my heart, time and skills for worthy causes.

Over the years, I have been actively involved in various organisations such as Johor Baru Mawar, the Johor Area Rehabilitation Organisation and the Malaysian Medical Association.
I have enjoyed working with and getting to know residents of aged-care facilities, special-needs children and single parents.
I believe that learning is a life-long journey and am always keen on developing and challenging myself.

Despite my hectic schedule, I still completed post-graduate studies in a variety of areas including Masters in Public Health, Reproductive Medicine and Occupational Health and Safety.
To date, my journey has been primarily involved in helping people enter this world and improving the quality of their lives as they enjoy their journey through life.
As I move into the new phase of my career as a doctor, I am now providing holistic care and walking with people and their families as their journey on this earth comes to an end and they begin a new one.

I joined the Palliative Care Association of JB as a resident doctor in October 2009 and, since then, my days have been filled with visiting and examining cancer patients that need palliative care in their own home and making sure this leg of their journey is as comfortable as possible, both for themselves and for their families.
I work with a team of people who give of themselves tirelessly to assist these patients in their time of need.
Our home visits are based on referrals from various hospitals, family or friends and are primarily for the purposes of ensuring the patients are as comfortable as they can be, teaching their families how to best care for them and manage their symptoms, and also counselling and preparing their families for what is to come.
So as to ensure I am providing the best level of care to my patients, their families and my team, I embarked on a new course of study: completing a general Certificate in Palliative Care, which required frequent travel to Singapore throughout the course.
Some may think it crazy to undertake a new course of study at my age, but I am blessed to have the full support and encouragement of my family, who share my philosophy that learning never ends.
Notwithstanding the nature of the work, it is always hard to lose a patient, especially when we have spent time with them and have gotten to know them and their families; we often feel we've lost a friend.

Lavishing love on my family, friends and pets, nurturing a variety of plants in my garden and challenging myself to complete different types of handwork help calm me and restore my peace after a hard day at work.
There is a strong and urgent need for the public to be aware of our services and I am actively involved in promoting our services through various avenues.
I am presently conducting a course for volunteers who wish to help with this initiative. At the same time, I am working on a survey on client satisfaction among my patients during my home visits.
This is to enable my team to be able to improve our services according to the clients' needs.
My future plan is to embark on a survey on public awareness of palliative care in Johor Baru.
Dr Gavri Devi Arasu is the former Deputy Director of Johor Department of Health.

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ARAB CULTURE

Posted: 21 Jun 2011 10:02 AM PDT

ARAB CULTURE

2011/06/21
By Syed Abdullah Syed Mohamed

Popularised by Yemeni Arabs in the '60s, the 'samrah' enjoys a steady following

THE samrah, a Middle Eastern cultural performance comprising music, songs and dance, was introduced to the Malay Archipelago by Arab traders during the eighth century.

Samrah literally means night entertainment. It was performed by traders in the evenings as a form of entertainment after a hard day's work.

The music ensemble of the samrah comprised stringed instruments such as gambus (lute) and violin, and percussion instruments such as the tambourine, darabuka, bongo and marwas (a two-sided cylindrical drum).

Later the synthesiser and accordion were included in the ensemble.

Spiritual songs sung by a soloist were the main repertoire of the samrah.

According to Ahmad Roslan, an ethnic music enthusiast who carried out research on the history of samrah, the ensemble was popularised by Yemeni Arabs who settled down in Singapore and Malaysia in the 1960s.

"It was started by two Yemeni brothers Omar and Hussein Bakshir, who settled in Indonesia during the early 50s," he said.

Omar played the violin and Hussein the gambus. They were initially invited to perform in Singapore at a function organised by a group of Arab businessman.

Accompanied by colleagues playing the percussion instruments, they wowed the guests, some of whom started dancing the zapin and syarah.

From then on, the members of the ensemble were sought-after at Arab weddings in Singapore, Johor Baru and major towns in Malaysia, especially Kuala Lumpur.

As the group became increasingly popular, the Bakshir brothers settled in Malaysia to popularise their music here.

And so it was that in the late 60s right up to the early 80s, samrah became the favourite entertainment of Arabs in Johor Baru, Batu Pahat and Muar.

In Johor Baru, the neighbourhood of Wadi Hana became the enclave of samrah, notably in the early '70s.

However, samrah performances came to an end with the death of the brothers at the end of the '70s.

In 1995, a group of boys from Wadi Hana revived the samrah, backed by the state Culture and Arts department and the Johor Baru district office.

Calling themselves the Samrah Wadi Hana, the group comprised well known 60s pop singer Syed Abdul Kadir Syed Agil a.k.a S. Agil, accordion player Omar Osman (a one-time organist with the '60s pop group Les Coasters) and veteran violinist Syed Mustapha Aljufri.

"Our repertoire is no longer confined to spiritual songs. At times, we perform Arabic pop numbers and Malay hits to gain more fans," said the group's gambus player Syed Abdullah Syed Abu Bakar.

S. Agil, whose husky voice makes him popular with the women, frequently sings hits popularised by Amr Diab such as Nurul Ain (The Mind's Eye), Amarin (Two Moons) and Kalby Ekhtarak (My Heart Chose You).

He also sings songs of P. Ramlee and those of other popular Malay artistes.

Another up-and-rising gambus player-cum-vocalist Radzie Ali, 45, said samrah should be promoted by the government via workshops, competitions and annual festivals to prevent it from dying out.

Currently, he leads the Wadi Al Samrah group.

A samrah performance will usually begin with a taksim (a one-minute ad-lib instrumental tune led by the gambus) while the dancers sit on the floor.

The dancers will then rise and perform at the sound of all the instruments.

The zapin is performed by two pairs of male dancers. They move forward and backwards to the tune of a four-beat piece.

The dancers extend their feet to the side on the fourth beat of the music p layed at a moderate pace. In between the music, the thunderous beat of the marwas accompany the movements of the dancers.

The syarah dance is livelier and more energetic, with the darbuka beating in the background.

It is normally performed by a pair of dancers who twirl and swing to the fast pace of the music.

The dancers normally take turns to dance because of the lengthy music of each performance.

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Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Rabu, 22 Jun 2011