Sebuah madrasah di Teluk Intan (a religious school in Teluk Intan)

Ini adalah sebuah madrasah di Teluk Intan, Perak yang terletak bersebelahan masjid lama bandar. Saya tidak tahu berapa umurnya tetapi senibinanya kelihatan begitu menarik terutama ukiran kayu seperti lidah yang menjulur ke bawah daripada setiap sudut atap.
Sebaik sahaja gambar ini diambil, seorang pengunjung muda masjid menegur. "Buat apa ambil gambar ini? Abang ni mata-mata kah?" dia bertanya curiga.

Saya ketawa gelihati. Kemudian dia menerangkan, sebelum ini seorang lelaki misteri pernah muncul di masjid ini dan gelagatnya agak serupa dengan saya. Apabila polis menahan lelaki ini dan bertanyakan asal-usulnya, dia terus meminta dirinya di bawa ke balai polis berdekatan tanpa sedikit pun rasa takut ditangkap. Dan kebetulan lelaki itu juga membawa sebuah komputer laptop walaupun dia sedang berpakaian buruk... Lebih kurang seperti gaya sayalah juga. Mungkin sebab itu pemuda yang menegur itu terfikir mungkin saya ini seorang mata-mata, mungkin juga pengintip tentera? Gaya itu ada, he! he!

Apapun, saya menerangkan tentang minat terhadap senibina Melayu lama terutama rumah dan masjid lama dengan ukiran "lidah" di hujung atap, ukiran lama yang saya rasa ada kena-mengena dengan Aceh... Lalu terkeluarlah sedikit cerita tentang kajian saya mengenai kaitan Tanah Melayu dengan Aceh, sempat pula mempromosi buku "Berpetualang ke Aceh: Mencari Diri dan Erti." Dapatlah jual senaskah, lepas juga sedikit belanja makan dan pengangkutan...


This is a madrasah (religious school) in Teluk Intan, Perak which is situated next to the old town mosque. I didn't know how old it is but the architecture is very attractive especially the wood-carving design which looks like tounges pointing down at every corner of the roof.
Right after the picture was snapped, a young visitor to the mosque curiously asked: "Why did you take the picture? Are you a detective?"

I found it funny and laughed. Then he explained, before this a mysterious man appeared at the mosque and his character was similar to mine. When the police stopped him and asked his origins, the man requested to be brought to the nearest police station without showing the slightest hint of fear of being arrested. And it happens that he had a laptop computer with him although he was poorly dressed... Something like me, I guess. Maybe that's why the young man who interrupted me thought I might be a detective, maybe military intelligence? The style is there, ha! ha!

Whatever, I explained my interest with old Malay architecture especially on houses and old mosque with "tounge" carvings at the corners of the roof, old carvings which I feel have a certain relation with the land of Aceh. So some stories regarding my personal research on the relations of Aceh and the Malay lands came out, and there was time to promote the book "Berpetualang ke Aceh: Mencari Diri dan Erti,", loosely translated - "The trip to Aceh: On search of self and meaning". Managed to sell a copy, enough to cover some food and transportation.