Uthaya Sankar SB - Kavya, Ogos 2002

Kavyan (Persatuan Penulis Kaum India Malaysia) launched the website version of the Kavya newsletter earlier this month. Kavya highlights issues regarding Indian Malaysians in various fields: literature, culture, arts etc. Articles are in Bahasa Malaysia and English.

Kavya keluaran 6 (Julai 2002) ternyata mendapat sambutan daripada orang ramai. Kavya keluaran Ogos 2002 pula memuatkan beberapa lagi bahan baru serta maklumat berguna untuk dimanfaatkan oleh orang ramai. Segala bahan disusun secara ringkas-padat supaya mudah dilayari oleh pengunjung dari laman utama.

Kiriman bahan daripada kalangan pelajar juga nampaknya membanggakan. Kavya pasti boleh dijadikan medan untuk mengetengahkan serta mengasah bakat kreatif di kalangan generasi muda.

Kavya turut berbangga atas komitmen beberapa penulis muda yang menawarkan diri untuk menjadi penyumbang/penulis tetap.

Turut diperkenalkan "Rakan Kavya" yang diharap dapat digunakan oleh orang ramai untuk saling berkenalan.

Tenglish, anyone?

Teaching Mathematics and Science in English is one thing. Uthaya Sankar SB and S. G. Prabhawathy take a look at Indians speaking wrong English — in temples!

God forgive us for being cheeky in a temple. But we just couldn't avoid laughing when we hear Indians speaking wrong English in temples.

Though trying our best to stay concentrated with our prayers, we just couldn't resist from taking a look at what was happening. Reason one: the lady's voice was loud and clear. Reason two: what does the lady want her daughter to catch?

We could imagine the lady throwing something - perhaps a bunch of keys, a coconut, a handbag or a flower - and expects her daughter to catch.

This is Vigneswaran Kannan's column where he is given the right to speak his mind. To start with, he urges Tamil people in Malaysia to be proud to speak their mother tongue. This piece is adopted from his article which appeared in New Straits Times, 18 July 2002.

Malaysia consists of approximately 10% Indians. Out of this 10%, about 7% are Tamils; Tamil in the sense of their mother tongue.

Unfortunately these Tamils are “shy” to speak Tamil. They feel very guilty to speak out in their own mother tongue and almost everyone knows about this matter. Indians in Malaysia are very proud to speak in English and it is a very common scene where we could see Indians (Tamils) speaking English language throughout their entire conversation. It is a very normal thing for Indians to speak English as a key or start up language when we first meet someone.

Sunview Publication which is located in Klang is planning to publish a bilingual (Bahasa Malaysia-English) magazine targeted for kids between the age of 10 and 12. This magazine, which is yet to be named, is not exam oriented, says Mr Ratha Krishnan. Instead, it is knowledge based; in creating, among others, creative and critical thinking among young readers. Sunview Publication needs people with knowledge and creativity to handle the magazine on a freelance basis. For details, contact Mr Ratha at sunview@tm.net.my or 012-3220554.

Inginkan tulisan saudara dimuatkan dalam surat berita ini? Sila kirim melalui e-mel sebelum 25 Ogos 2002. Baca maklumat lanjut, syarat dan panduan pada hujung surat berita ini.

Dibacakan di Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) pada 19 Julai 2002 sempena "Malam Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa"

I would say it is better to be tall but not too tall. My height is 163 cm. So, I'm quite comfortable in whatever I do. A short person has a number of problem when it comes to certain things.

The first thing I notice about a short person is that s/he has difficulty in riding a bicycle. Her/his legs are not long enough; especially when s/he tries to stop the bicycle. S/he often falls off!

On the other hand, a person who is too tall might find that her/his knees are always getting in the way when s/he rides a bicycle. So, s/he has to adjust the seat as high as possible.

Similarly, these problems occur again among short and very tall people when they sit on a chair. A short person would find her/his knees getting in the way; while a very tall person would find her/his legs very inconvenient - especially if there is a desk in front of her/him.

One of my classmate is more than five feet tall. Her legs are so long that she has to sit sideways at her desk! I am sure she finds it very uncomfortable.

When it comes to sports and games, a tall person definitely has the advantage over a short person. Physically, a tall person is usually stronger. S/he can run faster, jump further and higher, throw further, hit harder and generally perform better in most sports. Meanwhile, a short person has to try harder to perform better in certain sports; volleyball and basketball for example.

I am fortunate to be person of average height. I can play most games very well and I don't have to sit sideways in class. Also, I have no problem in buying shoes and clothes.

Everything said, who are we to decide which is better? Not to mention that we can actually do nothing to change our physical height - high heels excluded.

What is more important is that we feel happy the way we are and make the best out of it.

Write Your Say! for September 2002 issue. Topic: "Ways to encourage Malaysian Indians to speak Tamil" @ "Cara menggalakkan kaum India di Malaysia bercakap Bahasa Tamil". Maximum 100 words. Send by e-mail before 25 August 2002. Include name and e-mail address. Write in Bahasa Malaysia or English.

Kavya terus berusaha mendapatkan maklumat terkini mengenai aktiviti dan kehidupan beberapa individu yang sempat dihubungi.

Shalini Nayar, a Science undergraduate majoring in Biology, in Universiti Malaya, does not let studies stop her from writing.

“Writing has always been an integral part of my life. Once an avid reader of fiction and non-fiction, now I've morphed into a full-fledged writer after being inspired by my father's short stories and writings,” she told in an e-mail to Kavya.

Shalini’s “Under The Stars” short story has been shortlisted for the Silverfish New Writings 2 anthology. Kavya is also proud to publish her poems.

Vigneswaran Kannan who started writing articles for newspapers last year can really be proud of himself since at least 22 of his pieces have appeared in New Straits Times and The Sun. This 22-year-old Sitiawan guy is studying Information Technology in HELP Institute, Damansara and stays in Bangsar.

“I have written on various issues such as technology, meditation and social issues. I have also written a few love stories but I don’t know where to publish them,” Vignes wrote in an e-mail to Kavya. “Now, I am happy to be a regular contributor to this newsletter.”

Apakah istilah yang lebih sesuai digunakan apabila merujuk pada Bahasa Kebangsaan dan Bahasa Rasmi negara ini: "Bahasa Melayu" atau "Bahasa Malaysia"? Mengapa?

Ong Kian Ming: "Bahasa Malaysia" is reflective of the roots of our country, our multi-ethnic composition and our unity in diversity. ... The formalisation of Bahasa Malaysia as the national language of Malaysia and as the main medium of instruction in national schools [since 1970] signified the intention to build a national identity and foster national unity based on a common language. ... Indeed calling Bahasa Malaysia by any other name would seem to imply that it is a language used by and is the preserve of a particular community. This seems like an unhelpful step towards the already difficult and sensitive task of ensuring the widespread use and sense of loyalty towards our national language. >>>READ COMPLETE TEXT

Ganapathy: Istilah “Bahasa Melayu” lebih tepat merujuk pada bahasa yang digunakan oleh kaum Melayu di Malaysia untuk berinteraksi sesama sendiri. Manakala istilah “Bahasa Malaysia” pula lebih tepat menggambarkan bahasa rasmi dan bahasa komunikasi yang digunakan oleh semua rakyat Malaysia untuk berinteraksi tanpa mengira kaum dan keturunan.

Kemukakan pendapat saudara - sepanjang beberapa baris sahaja - untuk dimuatkan dalam surat berita Kavya keluaran akan datang. Sila hantar melalui e-mel sebelum 25 Ogos 2002. Baca lebih banyak PENDAPAT orang ramai. Lihat juga di sini.

Saudara pernah membaca buku yang menarik dan ingin saudara ceritakan kepada orang lain? Mengapa tidak kirim sahaja ulasan saudara untuk disiarkan dalam Ruangan Ulasan Buku Kavya? Ulasan mestilah asli dan maksimum 200 patah perkataan sahaja. Sertakan maklumat buku seperti judul, nama pengarang, penerbit dan tahun terbit. Jika buku yang diulas adalah buku Bahasa Inggeris, tulis ulasan dalam Bahasa Malaysia atau Bahasa Inggeris. Bagi buku Bahasa Malaysia atau Bahasa Tamil, sila tulis ulasan dalam Bahasa Malaysia. Sertakan nama dan alamat e-mel saudara. Rujuk maklumat pada hujung surat berita ini berhubung cara mengirim bahan melalui e-mel.

Surat berita Kavya diterbitkan oleh Kavyan (Persatuan Penulis Kaum India Malaysia) mulai September 1999 untuk diedarkan kepada para ahli secara percuma. Mulai Julai 2002, surat berita ini mula dimuatkan di laman web. Kavya bertujuan menyebarluaskan maklumat mengenai karyawan, sasterawan dan seniman di kalangan kaum India di Malaysia; tanpa bernaung di bawah mana-mana parti politik atau pertubuhan lain. Orang ramai digalakkan mengirim bahan yang sesuai untuk dimuatkan dalam surat berita ini. Bahan yang dikirim perlulah dalam tulisan rumi. Panjang maksimum setiap bahan adalah satu halaman, langkau satu menggunakan program Microsoft Word. Kirimkan bahan melalui e-mel. Jika mahu mengirim bahan secara attachment, hubungi Uthaya Sankar SB untuk mendapatkan alamat e-mel alternatif. Pengesahan penerimaan akan dibuat bagi setiap bahan yang diterima melalui e-mel. Pihak editorial berhak menyunting bahan yang terpilih untuk disiarkan. Editor: Uthaya Sankar SB ISSN: 1675-4042