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97-year-old house a symbol of racial unity

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Family hopes to have the house recognised as a heritage building instead of the authorities demolishing it.

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KUALA LUMPUR: For Maljindar Singh Sidhu Brar, 42, the family house in Rawang, Selangor, is not just a special place he calls home but a symbol of the unity of the local community decades ago.

He remembers the time on Aug 31, 1983, when his father invited all the villagers to a birthday party for five family members who were born in August and September.

“Almost 200 neighbours came to our party, bringing traditional food as ‘potluck’ as well as gifts for us,” he said.

“That night, my father bought fireworks which at that time, could only be purchased by the rich, just to liven the mood and to celebrate Independence Day with the guests. It was really a happy occasion,” he said.

For Maljindar and his elder brother Ranjit Singh, 53, the double-storey bungalow house in Jalan Kuala Garing was truly a symbol of unity of the local community at that time.

Recalling memories of the 97-year-old house owned by his late grandfather, Nika Singh, Ranjit said every afternoon, he, his two brothers and the neighbouring children would play outside the house and race to climb the coconut trees.

“We would try to out-run each other to climb the trees around the house, to see who could put up the Malaysia flag first,” Ranjit said.

“Our friends then were from different races but we were very close like family,” Ranjit, the eldest of six siblings, said.

Maljindar said the house, which is part wooden and part concrete, still stands strong today on 2,787-square metres of land, untouched by termites.

Featuring a Sino-Malay-Palladian design, the house was built in 1920 by the British-owned tin mining company, Rawang Tin Fields (now known as Berjuntai Tin Dredging) and used as its office.

“Later, a British accountant who worked with the company lived in it and then sold it to our grandfather in 1959 for RM3,500,” Maljindar said.

However, the house may soon be a memory for Ranjit, Maljindar and their families, as it is scheduled to be demolished on Sept 20 after the Selangor government gave ownership of the land to Associated Pan Malaysia Cement Sdn Bhd (APMC) and Lafarge Malayan Cement Bhd.

“We hope that the Selangor government will stop the demolition or ask the National Heritage Department or Tenaga Nasional Berhad to retain this house as a heritage home,” he said.

Family wants 97-year-old home preserved as heritage site

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