Raya '11 (Eve) - Menziarahi Pusara di Tekah

It is a departure from normal Raya entry.

I thought I should just highlight something that should be a reminder for me (and for all of us).

Cemeteries!

Typical Malay cemeteries in Malaysia are not something worth remembering, beyond the memories of our departed ones. It is typically unkempt, and just like our orchards, it is normally cleaned up once a year, just before Raya day or on Raya day itself.

So this Tekah Malay cemetery is a breath of fresh air. It is green and well-kept. Not yet perfect as at the Taiping War Memorial at the foot of Maxwell Hill, but moving towards that direction.

A view of the Tekah Muslim cemetery with the
(new) Tekah Mosque in the background.
This is facing North.

The view of the graveyard facing South

View facing East. The maintenance crew is working overtime
on the last day of Ramadhan 2011.

They only allow the the tombstone and carpet grass
on the newer section of the graveyard.

Like this one. Immaculate.

There is a directory there if you have forgotten the whereabout
of the grave of your loved one. #136 is the grave of my uncle
PC Usop.

And this is his grave

A row of tombstones at the Tekah cemetery

I seldom would visit the graveyard on Raya day itself. I prefer to do it the day before - cleaning up, read the quranic verses and perhaps just chatting with the departed one. I thought by doing it the day before, I would have more time to be there without worrying if anyone is one the way to visit us.

So as a compromise, I sometimes would visit the graveyard before the Raya prayer itself.

Bapak's grave is in the older section of Tekah
cemetery, so it is not as green as the newer ones. It is still
well maintained.

Arif in a solemn mood at his grandfather's grave.
Of course he had not met him as bapak passed away
long before I was married

My grandfather's grave

The older section of the Tekah cemetery with bapak's
grave in the foregound.

The Tekah cemetery, just a stone's throw-a-way from the Taiping Aerodrome is a major graveyard for Taipingites. For me, there are at least 5 graves that i would be visiting every year, and I am sure many of us Taiping would have friends or relatives buried here.

They are bapak's who died in 1984, Tok Adam in 1986, PC Usop in 2002, Mak Ngah in 198x and Pak Long in 198x - all from Mak's side of the family, except for bapak obviouly. But I can't seem to find the last two as the pohon Melor that demarcated the two graves (they are side by side) are no longer there.

As I have mentioned before, it is well kept and well maintained. One of the better cemeteries in the country, that's for sure.

Alfatihah untuk semua penghuni-penghuninya.