The collaboration works of poetry and black and white photos between Cecil Rajendra and the late Ismail Hashim entitled, "Scent of an Island," brought me back to the yester-years of Georgetown, the City the I grew up in during my childhood and younger days. This little jewel of a book depicting the works of two of Penang's great men of the arts is a memento given to me by the Author Cecil Rajendra through my daughter who was at a book reading event held at the E&O Hotel recently.
I have made the acquaintance of both these gentlemen over the years and have a great admiration and respect for both in their lifestyle and accomplishments as creative individuals who had contributed in more than one way towards the artistic growth of the Georgetown community. Their works captures and reflects the City's bygone days of our childhood days as we are of about the same age. If the sense of smell could be added to the pictures and narratives, one could almost feel being lost in space and time. As we take a street by street tour with the poet we are transported into a era where a part of history has been etched in time that today is all but lost. Yes lost to what is deemed as development and progress that is haunting the Island's socio and economic landscaped. Through the eyes of the poet we are being shaken to wake up to the reality that is looming in our horizon of the decadence of our society as politics and money takes the front seat of our legislators and lawmakers.
" We move forward in time
backwards in sensitivity.
these are days of condominiums and calculators.
Days when Brokers play
poker with our destiny.
In our rush to progress
we bulldoze our history...
we consign our best
to the rubbish heap
of nostalgia and memory." - Cecil Rajendra, "Scent of an Island."
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