UJANG - THE REAL McCOY : PART 1
Nineteen years ago, In 1987, as usual I would do my annual pilgrimage to the Pesta Buku Malaysia in PWTC (Now, its called the KL International Book Fair).
Being in school and with very limited money, I would only have a budget to buy just one book at the festival and the rest of my time would be spent browsing and wishing for the day when I would be able to earn my own money to buy books to my heart’s content.
In that year, after browsing and making all sorts of cost benefit analysis, I finally decided to buy the Limited Edition of Ujang’s Aku Budak Minang. It had a special poster of Ujang and Atuk on a Racing Bike with the caption ‘ ingat jang, racing tu sodap, jatuh tu sakit’. That poster was later stuck on proudly in the wardrobe of my room.
Why would you ask of all the books that were available at the bookfair, did I get this particular one? Well, if you grew up in that era you would know what I mean. Any comic reader worth his salt in those days would swear by Ujang’s Aku Budak Minang series. See archives of "The Melayu in Ponchoman" and "The Melayu in Me" in this blog.
Based on his true life story, so powerful was the storyline that I have never met anyone who felt nonchalant after reading it. One kept wondering if it wasn’t made up as it was too sad to be true. His rejection by his mother, his love hate relation between his slightly retarded brother, Aca and his decision to run away to Kuala Lumpur to escape the mental and physical torture of life.
All these questions remained unanswered as Ujang later disappeared from the scene. There were all sorts of stories circulating on his disappearance, from quitting the scene to do soul searching to being in a legal copyright wrangle. But whatever it was, we sure did miss him. How I wish I could sit down and talk to him and ask him all my unanswered questions.
Until nineteen years later……..last Friday.
I was with Maine at the KL Book fair browsing through the stalls when I got a call from Maine.
Maine : Oh, my God. I’m at the Creative Enterprise Booth and guess who’s here?
Poncho : Who?
Maine : Ujang!!!
Poncho : Are you sure? Mebbe its some pseudo-neo-Ujang-wannabe trying to capitalize on his glory.
Maine : No! Its him! He’s sitting at a table alone and I saw Hardback copies of Aku Budak Minang’s beside him. After looking at the caricature of him on the cover and him, It looks too similar. So I asked him “ excuse me are you Ujang? And he replied ‘ Yes,….why….don’t you believe me?
Poncho : ……………….You stay right there! I’m coming now!
Being in school and with very limited money, I would only have a budget to buy just one book at the festival and the rest of my time would be spent browsing and wishing for the day when I would be able to earn my own money to buy books to my heart’s content.
In that year, after browsing and making all sorts of cost benefit analysis, I finally decided to buy the Limited Edition of Ujang’s Aku Budak Minang. It had a special poster of Ujang and Atuk on a Racing Bike with the caption ‘ ingat jang, racing tu sodap, jatuh tu sakit’. That poster was later stuck on proudly in the wardrobe of my room.
Why would you ask of all the books that were available at the bookfair, did I get this particular one? Well, if you grew up in that era you would know what I mean. Any comic reader worth his salt in those days would swear by Ujang’s Aku Budak Minang series. See archives of "The Melayu in Ponchoman" and "The Melayu in Me" in this blog.
Based on his true life story, so powerful was the storyline that I have never met anyone who felt nonchalant after reading it. One kept wondering if it wasn’t made up as it was too sad to be true. His rejection by his mother, his love hate relation between his slightly retarded brother, Aca and his decision to run away to Kuala Lumpur to escape the mental and physical torture of life.
All these questions remained unanswered as Ujang later disappeared from the scene. There were all sorts of stories circulating on his disappearance, from quitting the scene to do soul searching to being in a legal copyright wrangle. But whatever it was, we sure did miss him. How I wish I could sit down and talk to him and ask him all my unanswered questions.
Until nineteen years later……..last Friday.
I was with Maine at the KL Book fair browsing through the stalls when I got a call from Maine.
Maine : Oh, my God. I’m at the Creative Enterprise Booth and guess who’s here?
Poncho : Who?
Maine : Ujang!!!
Poncho : Are you sure? Mebbe its some pseudo-neo-Ujang-wannabe trying to capitalize on his glory.
Maine : No! Its him! He’s sitting at a table alone and I saw Hardback copies of Aku Budak Minang’s beside him. After looking at the caricature of him on the cover and him, It looks too similar. So I asked him “ excuse me are you Ujang? And he replied ‘ Yes,….why….don’t you believe me?
Poncho : ……………….You stay right there! I’m coming now!
- To be continued.
Words of the Ponchoman
posted by Maine at 10:10 AM
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