My Roots

Photo taken in the early 1960s at Bawean.
Second from left was my maternal grandmother's youngest brother.

The Boyanese or Baweanese are virtually Muslims. Hence, their customs and traditions are those influence by Islam. It was the culture of the Bawean people to get married at a very young age. This was still prevailing in the 1950s.

Photo taken in the early 1960s at Bawean.
The old woman was my paternal grandfather's older sister.

According to Islam, once a girl experienced menses, she had attained the age of puberty. Thus, regardless of her age, she is considered a young lady ready to be married off by her parents. Such custom was prevailing in Bawean during my maternal grandmother's childhood. During 1930s, at a tender age of ten, she was married off by her parents to my grandfather who was then ten years her senior.

Photo taken in 1960s at Singapore Harbour.
My maternal grandparents were on board this vessel bound to Makkah.

After marriage, my grandparents lived in their own home in Bawean. However due to misunderstanding on the distributions of my great-grandparents' estate after their death, my grandfather decided to leave his homeland for good. He was then about twenty-five years old while my grandmother was only fifteen.

Photo taken in 1960s at Sea. 
My maternal grandparents were on board a vessel heading Makkah to perform Haj.

My grandparents built a new life in the Malay Peninsula. They first settled at Ipoh in the State of Perak, joining the extended families of my grandmother. They lived there for several years. My oldest uncle was born in Ipoh. Back then, my grandfather was working as a personal driver to a British family. When his employer shifted to Johor Bahru, my grandparents moved there too. In Johore, my grandmother gave birth to four more children. Then in the early 1950s, few years after the world war two, my grandfather decided to work in Singapore. The whole family migrated to Singapore after living in Johor Bahru for about ten years. My grandparents had three more children in Singapore.