Like family: Wong (centre), who lives in Klang, said that his close connection with everything Tamil was due to his many Tamil friends while in primary school. — KK SHAM/The Star
KLANG: When he was in primary school, Jeremy Wong Jin Wei, 20, discovered the pleasure of watching Tamil movies and listening to Tamil songs.
The first Tamil song that captivated him, said Wong, was Why This Kolaveri Di? which was a global sensation upon release in 2012.
Wong, who was just eight years old at the time, looked up the song and even learnt to sing along.
“I am also an ardent and diehard fan of actor ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay,’’ said Wong who is waiting for his STPM results.
Wong, who lives in Taman Eng Ann here, said that his close ties with everything Tamil was due to his many Tamil friends.
According to him, he metamorphosed into an ‘honorary’ Tamil boy when he was in lower primary school.
“I went to a national primary school and there were only two to three Chinese boys, including me, in the class with the rest being Malays and Indians.
“I stuck together with the Tamil boys – and because of that – 90% of my friends are still ‘Tamizhans’ (male Tamils) now,’’ said Wong in a strong Indian twang when pronouncing Tamizhan.
Currently Wong, who is an only child, understands Tamil well, is able to have simple conversations as well as sing and rap in the language.
Wong said he has fallen deeply in love with the Tamil language, culture and traditions and enjoys cultural festivities such as Ponggal (harvest festival) and Puthandu (Tamil new year).
“The Tamil language and culture are very beautiful.
“When I listen to Tamil songs, I am able to enjoy their lyrical beauty,’’ said Wong quoting the lyrics of the song Poove Sempoove from the 1988 movie Solla Thudikuthu Manasu.
Wong is so entrenched in everything Tamil that he even has a Tamil nickname: Jerogunathan Wongasamy.
“My friends told me that I must have a Tamil name because I was more Tamizhan than Chinese, and since all of them have nicknames, I coined one for myself as well,’’ said Wong.
He said he created the nickname by combining his real name with the nicknames of two of his close friends – D. Arvin, whose nick name is Jeganathan and P. Narayanan, whose nickname is Rengasamy.
He also uses the name Jerthalaiva Wongbeng in his TikTok account.
To a question about his parents reaction over his love for Tamil culture, tradition and language, Wong said his retiree father Jeffrey Wong, who is in his 60s, and his beautician mother Kelly Yeoh, 58, were both proud and in awe of his ability to speak Tamil.
“For my father, it is not that unusual as he grew-up in Klang town and has many Indian friends as well,” said Wong.
He said his mother, who grew-up in a Chinese village and had less exposure to Indians, was initially quite puzzled.
Wong added that his mother would ask him questions about Tamil culture and Hinduism and would be very interested with his answers.
“She now proudly tells friends and relatives that I am able to speak Tamil and also asks me to speak Tamil with my Indian neighbours,” said Wong.
He said his mother is also very careful with his Tamil friends’ dietary restrictions, as some of them are vegetarians, when they come over to his home to spend time with him.
Wong said he is also very welcome in his friends’ homes as their parents are all very fond of him.
“They just love the ‘Cheena payyen’ (Chinese boy) who speaks Tamil,” said Wong.
He reckoned Malaysians were a lucky lot to have the advantage of learning, enjoying and immersing themselves in multiple cultures in line with the nation’s true spirit and identity.
Heartwarming tales such as this are promoted and encouraged by the “Maaf Zahir Batin Hari Hari” campaign (#MZB365), which was launched on April 6. The campaign stands strong with support from major media organisations and civil society organisations.
