Everyone
in my family was born in Johore. By that I mean everyone - grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings - apart from my sister,
me and our younger cousin who were born in KL. I do not consider myself a
Johorean although there is obviously a strong Johorean influence at home from
the dishes we eat to the terms we use to describe things. If my parents referred
to going back to Batu Pahat, I referred to it as visiting Batu Pahat.
As
I said, I don’t consider myself a Johorean although come to think of it, I probably
am by virtue of having Johorean blood coursing through me. Anyway, this post isn’t about me or our
family. It is about the late Tunku Laksamana Johor, Almarhum Tunku Abdul Jalil
Ibrahim.
I
don’t know much about the late Tunku Jalil and to be honest, I only know what I
do after we heard that he had the dreaded C-disease. I had prayed that he would
get the best medical attention possible as befit a royal prince and that he would be recovering well
soon but alas, God has other plans for him.
It
turned out that the late Tunku Jalil was a very simple, humble, down-to-earth
jovial person. He was an animal lover and had even volunteered at the Singapore
Zoo, had a stint at the Zoological Society of London and volunteered at the
Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. He was also a caring prince who helped
those affected during the Johore floods and he also made regular visits to hospitals to cheer up the patients. In short, he tried hard to be a normal guy.
It’s no wonder that he was so loved. Blessed are those who are lucky enough to
have passed paths with him including Chef Wan.
I
don’t know why but I’ve been weepy ever since I found about the passing of
Tunku Jalil. Maybe because he was not a typical arrogant, snobbish, rude prince
but exactly the opposite. The good indeed die young. Farewell now, young
prince. You have run your race and fought it to the best of your ability. May
Allah place you among the pious. Al-Fatihah.
‘I
would like to be remembered as someone who touched people’s lives and made an
impact on them while staying humble and grounded.’ ~Tunku Jalil. You know what,
TJ? So do I. So do I. and I wish you knew it but you had indeed touched lives
and made an impact while staying true to your humble self.
Allahummagh
firlahu warhamhu wa’aafihi wa’fu anhu. O
Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him, keep him safe and sound and forgive
him. Ya Allah, ampunilah dia, berilah rahmat,
sejahtera dan maafkanlah dia.
|