Kannan Pasamanickam

I finished reading 912 Batu Road at 630 am on Sunday whilst sipping my morning coffee in the patio of my home. It was a feast for all my senses. This a beautiful Malaysian story that has been brilliantly told. It will make you laugh and cry. The author has intertwined the history of our country from the time of the Japanese occupation of Malaya to present day Malaysia. Real historical heroes like Sybil Kartigesu and Gurchan Singh feature together with fictitious characters to remind us how the common man in the street rose up bravely to oppose the enemy to save his/her country and how Malayans crossed boundaries of race and religion to help one another in times of adversity – we all know that this sense of camaraderie has been handed down the generations and is very much alive in present day Malaysia – only the politicians are ignorant of this! We are reminded of the cruelties of the invaders and there are heart stopping moments as skirmishes between our heroes and the Japanese are described by the author. The reader will be entertained by the emotions brought forth by an interracial love story. You will, just as I was, be dragged together with the heroine, through the roller coaster of emotions experienced by her as she has to battle the prejudices of her elders. Though I felt anger at the bigotry of an older generation, the narrative in the book helped me understand their point of view. The final outcome of the lovers tale is very cleverly kept away from the reader until the very end. I have read nail biting finishes in stories of espionage but this is a first for a love story. If you understand Tamil you will love some of the words used in the story “Pasum Paal” – cow’s milk, “Sandala Pavi” – a curse in Tamil for which I could not find a translation, “Chi Chi ni onnum Kekadhai”- Chi Chi do not ask anything – these words brought back memories of conversations between my parents half a century ago ! The writers use of the English language is beautiful. I will quote some phrases : ‘Day was surreptitiously turning into night, discarding her bright colours and donning a dark blue cloak’ ‘two good friends to a brotherhood that transcended blood and marrow’ ‘he replenished his soul, washed it out, plumped it out with good thoughts and positive energy’ The book will also inform the reader about some of the traditions and culture of the Brahmins in Malaysia. Last but not least you will enjoy the nostalgia of the journey you take through the novel when places like Farquhar Street, St. Francis Institution in Penang and places in Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur are mentioned. The author took 15 years to come up with this wonderful story book. Every book loving Malaysian must read it. I promise you will not be disappointed. Kannan Pasamanickam