Like any sweet tooth, Tengku Mohamad Hadif remembers vividly of his cheeky younger years when he used to secretly steal raw cookie dough and cake batter every time his mother baked in the kitchen for Hari Raya.
“She would always scold me but... I didn’t care. I still liked it! Sometimes, I would even save some in a plastic container so that I can eat the cookie dough later!” shares the 21-year-old, bursting into his charming boyish laughter in a recent Zoom interview.
That’s no longer an issue for Hadif, a pianist for the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO), ever since he picked up baking some years ago.
He jokingly says that raw cookie dough and cake batter have not been short in supply ever since.
The KL-based Hadif gleefully shares that his vanilla muffins are especially a hit when he brings them over to his family’s Hari Raya gathering at his hometown in Kota Baru, Kelantan.
The young pianist, who joined the MPYO when was just 14, shares that he is looking forward to finally visiting his grandmother back in Kelantan for this year’s Hari Raya celebrations.
He’s thankful that pandemic restrictions have been relaxed and gatherings are allowed once more after the quiet and low-key Hari Raya festivities seen in the past two years.
One thing Hadif, who’s completing his bachelor’s degree in music at Universiti Malaya, particularly misses is the noon time “duit raya session”.
“My grandma’s house is quite spacious. So all the adults will form a line with their duit raya and all of us who are young would go around and collect them one by one. It’s quite the scene,” says Hadif, whose favourite Hari Raya dish is kerutuk daging, a Kelantanese specialty and ketupat.
Obviously, family is very important to Hadif, the youngest among five siblings. They have been his biggest fans and supporters in his music career.
Hadif’s love affair with the piano started when he was just six years old, picking it up from his eldest sister.
But what got him hooked to classical music was watching child prodigy Tengku Irfan, who made his debut with the MPO in 2009 at the early age of 11, on the TV.
“I decided at a young age that I wanted to be just like him. It was so inspiring watching someone so young be so good at it,” says Hadif.
His childhood dream turned to reality when he made it into the MPYO in 215.
He even got to perform for former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad and his wife Tun Siti Hasmah in 2016 for Persatuan Chopin’s Fundraising Gala Concert at the Gardens Theatre in KL.
While Hadif wishes to progress as a classical pianist, he also has his eyes on venturing into jazz piano. His main source of inspiration is 26-year-old Japanese pianist Hayato Sumino.
“My dream is to one day play in a jazz trio or busking as a street pianist, being closer to the people. I want to be like Sumino and play at big jazz clubs around the world,” he shares.
His Hari Raya wish is for everyone to reconnect and reconcile.
“Appreciate the people around you. Try not to ‘hate’ on each other. And let us all remember our loved ones, our family. For those of us whose parents and grandparents are still alive, go and visit them. Balik kampung if you can.”
Hadif has performed in several concerts such as An Evening With MPYO: Rhapsody Of Emotions (2018) and the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Hong Kong Tour (2018). He also snagged several prizes over the years, including the Most Promising Pianist prize at the 6th Asean International Chopin Piano Competition 2015.
Hadif’s dream is to one day compete in the prestigious International Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia and the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland.
Sharing the festive spirit
Heading home for Hari Raya is something the husband and wife duo behind Johor folk band Kicau Bilau miss a lot. Prior to the pandemic, Ahmad Irfan, 28, and Nur Jihan, 27, used to visit Kuala Sala, Kedah and Singkep Island in Riau, Indonesia, where their grandparents live.
“The atmosphere in Kedah is livelier with the view of padi fields everywhere you go. But Singkep is where you can feel the festive spirit in the air.
“Prior to Hari Raya, communities from every village in the island will compete with one another with decorative lights and ornaments.Everyone would then go from village to village to feast their eyes on said decorations,” shares Irfan.
Kedah’s ketupat palas and Singkep’s rendang pelanduk are delicacies they normally look forward to when visiting.
But Irfan says they also like to keep things simple during their Hari Raya celebrations.
The couple’s holiday tradition is to go out to places that are “quiet” once the crowds leave town.
“It’s a rare sight to see roads, malls, restaurants and many more places being practically empty. We wouldn’t want to miss out on that.”
It doesn’t take a lot to make Hari Raya a memorable and special occasion for these two bohemian artists.
In fact, Irfan claims that there were meaningful and poignant moments from the last two Hari Raya celebrations.
“It had its own charm, where everyone found such creative ways to stay connected. Those were definitely beautiful moments to be remembered,” says Irfan.
Irfan and Jihan have been busy with the acoustic-based Kicau Bilau, formed in 2017, even through the pandemic.
The duo, who play the angklung, guitar and woodwind instruments, have been staying active with virtual events in the last two years.
Irfan says they have been “exploring the endless possibilities of the digital world”. They even released a Hari Raya song titled Cahaya Raya in 2020, while touring across the country has given them the opportunity to play to an audience again.
This year, Kicau Bilau has plans to release more new material, and its live shows will feature more “soundscapes” with audio-visual content and collaborations.
The couple is also considering returning to their pre-pandemic nomadic lifestyle and touring abroad with the easing of restrictions and lifting of travel bans.
“We took up artist residencies and were always on the move, going wherever and whenever we liked. That’s also how we ended up touring in Europe for more than three months right before the pandemic.
“We’ve now stayed in Johor for almost two years and yet to decide whether or not to continue staying,” says Irfan.
Irfan and Jihan hope everyone will keep safe while enjoying the festivities.
“That’s literally the ‘selamat’ in ‘Selamat Hari Raya’. Covid-19 is still among us,” concludes Irfan.
The joy of family
Hari Raya festivities can be low-key but they must always include family.
Munirah Hamzah, a digital artist and activist, who has a presence in the NFT (non-fungible token) scene in Malaysia and internationally, thinks the celebration can be a source of strength and renewal for families in these difficult and uncertain times.
Munirah, 33, says she’s happy to finally visit her extended family in KL this Hari Raya.
And there will be a lot more Hari Raya activity this year for this artist, who is also known as Mumu The Stan in the digital art circles.
She described the previous Hari Raya celebrations at home in KL with her husband and son as a simple and relaxing one.
Munirah organised an online gathering with her extended family via video calls. Home visitations are a staple in Munirah’s family, even if it meant virtual ones.
What made it particularly special and memorable was playing the computer game Minecraft with her husband and son.
“My son made Raya decorations in his Minecraft world, complete with pelita and a huge Selamat Hari Raya sign,” recalls Munirah fondly.
“It was different, but we made the best out of the situation,” she adds.
This year, Munirah is glad to have some important Ramadan family traditions back again, including performing the terawih prayers at the local mosque.
One thing that’s definitely a smash at this year’s family gatherings is her husband’s ruz al-labn, a rice pudding dish he learned to make from his Albanian friend.
“It’s a huge hit with my family, and my uncles, aunts and cousins look forward to having it every year. During the movement control order phases, he even took orders and sold them to our neighbours,” says Munirah.
Munirah, a full-time artist, gained prominence as an NFT artist last February after Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park endorsed one of her NFT works.
She was first noticed by Shinoda when she displayed her work on Instagram. She was overjoyed when Shinoda, her idol, mentioned her during one of his live Twitch streams.
“It was a chance encounter on the Internet when one of my favourite musicians saw my artworks and encouraged me to make them into NFTs,” says Munirah.
In an AFP report earlier this year, Munirah also spoke about choosing a niche career path. She has opted not to sell on the main exchanges because of their use of the energy-hungry ethereum blockchain.
“You can’t treat the whole NFT community as one. The mainstream audience thinks NFTs are about selling a Jpeg for millions or making a monkey picture. That’s not all it is,” she was quoted as saying.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
