Reading together: Participants posing for a group photo while proudly waving the Jalur Gemilang during their meet-up.
ISKANDAR PUTERI: Flipping through old newspapers may be a lot of work, but for Nur Syarafina Shahudin, it is a reminder of what it means to be Malaysian.
The 32-year-old said going through the old clippings with a group of readers reminded her of the privilege of being Malaysian.
“Even though we come from diverse backgrounds and cultures, friendships bloom naturally.
“Being united through hobbies despite our differences is one of the things that makes me proud to be Malaysian,” she said.
Nur Syarafina, who works as an accountant, was among 50 people who gathered at Hutan Bandar in Mutiara Rini recently to spend an hour reading in silence before poring over newspapers to find stories and photos that made them proud to be Malaysian.
Echoing this sentiment was freight executive Termit Singh, 32, who said the ease with which he made friends during the gathering was another reminder of why he is proud to be Malaysian.
“I’ve joined some of the club’s reading sessions before and I really enjoyed them as they also gave me the chance to meet fellow book lovers.
“The fact that we can form groups and complete the activity with strangers is another reason why we should be proud.
“(It is good) to live in a country where we can communicate with ease despite our different backgrounds and also share our love for various types of food,” he said.
Logistics officer Gan Ye Hern, 32, who attended for the first time, said he was glad to have found a community of book lovers.
“I’m already getting to know other readers while celebrating the National Month with them.
“I have not read physical newspapers for a long time and going through them made me feel nostalgic,” he added.
Silent Book Club JB co-founder Lee Wern Yiing said this was the second time the club had a Malaysia-related initiative included in its monthly meet-ups.
“Last year, we encouraged those taking part in our silent reading session to bring books written by Malaysian authors as a way to support local writers.
“This year, we decided to distribute the Jalur Gemilang and have a simple activity where we gave them about an hour to browse through newspapers and find articles or stories that reminded them why they should be proud to be Malaysian.
“Apart from igniting their love for the country, we hope that it will encourage them to read more newspapers,” she added.
