Kacang Putih Man

This heartwarming article was written by Sujatha Rajagopal (Class of 1992 - Form 6) for the Centenary Magazine in 1985. Suji is now a freelance copywriter who lives in San Jose (USA) with her husband and 5-year old son.


My first encounter with the kacang putih man, and his family was in the 1980s when I was in primary school. What fascinated me most were his youthful eyes. Eyes that would gleam in the friendliness as you piped in a small voice "Pakcik, nak kacang...sepuluh sen." Eyes that would watch in amusement as you ate the kacang putih or fed your friends and the pigeons that flocked in abundance over the tarmac.

The business was started by his late father, Krishnan - a short balding man, usually clad in a crisp, white shirt and white dhoti. According to him, his father started selling kacang putih at the primary school in the early 1960s until his death in the mid 1980s.

Meanwhile, he himself had been selling kacang putih in the secondary school canteen since the '70s. He also plied along Jalan Bukit Bintang and other parts of town. When I asked him how business was, he smiled a little wistfully and replied that profits were not much - just enough to cover his family's living expenses.

It is an understatement to say that the kacang putih man leads a difficult life. He wakes up daily at 4.30 am - a time when most of us would still be fast asleep. He then leaves his home to meet his supplier by 5:30 am. After that, he would make his rounds to the various parts of town to sell kacang putih.

We should recognise that the kacang putih man and the canteen-stall operators formed an important part of BBGS history.

Annual photos

Remember how we used to pose for these photos year after year?

Sitting or standing in neat rows in the baking hot sun, prim and proper in our starched uniforms, knees together, hands crossed left-over-right, squinting at the photographer while maintaining our polite smiles.

I'm so glad they made us take those photos!

Since cameras were not allowed on most days, these official photos are precious capsules of our girlhood, of firm friends (and some foes!) made in the corridors of a school that lives on in our hearts.

Kong Hei Fatt Choy

Here's wishing all BBGSians a very Happy & Prosperous New Year!

Do have a wonderful holiday with your families, eat & drink to your heart's content and listen to annoying firecrackers & "gong xi ni" songs. If you're travelling home, drive safely. And while you're at home, why don't you dig up some of your BBGS memorabilia and share them with us?

The readers of this blog will LOVE you for it!

It's really been wonderful to re-connect with old friends from 2 decades ago, and make new friends from all generations. We're so fortunate to be bound together by the cords of loyal friendship that is the hallmark of a BBGSian.

Warmest Regards,
Joanna

Caring for the less fortunate

It's always wonderful to hear from BBGSians. Here's a letter from Lily Chan (Class of 1989) who continues to live the BBGS spirit in a very special way - by raising funds for underprivileged families. Very much in line with all the values we were taught in school. She has a great idea to help us stay true to the founding principles of BBGS...read on..

Hi Joanna,

I'm not sure if you still remember me. But it was great to read your blog. I was like you too, for the past 4 years, I've been goggling the web to find BBGS, but there wasn't much about it. I'm glad you started one and have kept it alive. This is something I think, many of us would love to see - BBGS, The Spirit Lives On...

I joined Facebook when I was told that's how many BBGS girls have kept in touch. Having left teaching, I went into fundraising for NGOs. We organise charity dinners and carnivals. Don't know where I learnt those skills in organising... hehehe... Well, it is not so much about organising nor about being able to sell a RM20k table to raise funds. It is more about having the heart for the underprivileged. Helping them gain an education and giving them a second chance in life.

I have met a lot of very very hardcore poor families who have many children but can't afford to send them to school. One family's eldest daughter had to leave school at the age of 11 because her parents are too busy earning money to put food on table and no one is home to look after the siblings. My heart was moved. I thought to myself, "It's already the new millenium and we still have parents with such old-fashioned mindsets?"

I met another girl aged 16 who was abused by her mother because she thought her daughter had been exchanged at the hospital during birth. She was made to stop schooling at the age of 13. She was made to do housechores and please the whole family. My thoughts came to me again, 'Cinderella ah?'

I began to be more and more thankful that my mom didn't think of this, despite not being very educated herself. She insisted that we go to this school she knows - BBGS. She said Ms Glasgow, didn't look down on her but gave my sister a place in the school. Many people in those days, said, BBGS is very much a controlled school, they choose their students. But my mom went straight to the Principal's office - Ms Glasgow and asked if she could register my sister.

These years in fundraising have made me feel very sentimental about how BBGS began. It was the passion and heart of the missionaries, who left their homeland, came here to give education to girls. Many girls throughout the century have been given a good education.

I have a very big plan in heart, which I don't have the courage to start yet. I've thought of starting a BBGS Foundation. This foundation will help underprivileged girls to gain education and thus, to have a chance to a better future in life. The missionaries who started BBGS had this in mind at that time, I'm sure. With the BBGS Foundation, we'll be able to keep the dreams and the spirit of all BBGSians alive in the lives of the girls we would be helping.

What do you think?

Hope to hear from you.

Lily

BBGS Class of 1988 Reunion

Calling all BBGSians from the class of 1988! Please register for your class reunion at this Facebook link : http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=9564066115 or contact Belle Luer.


Event Info
Name: BBGS Class of 88 20th Reunion
Tagline: A Once in a Lifetime Event!
Host: BBGS Class of 88
Type: Party - Reunion


Time and Place
Start Time: Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 7:00pm
End Time: Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 12:00am
Location: To Be Confirmed
City/Town: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia