Pic courtesy of Reena Yadav (@reenay305)
by Ahmad Abd Hamid
Teluk Intan’s Clock Tower, also fondly known as ‘Menara Jam Tinggi’, still stands majestically in the heart of town despite being erected 139 years ago. The structure remains strong as ever and is the town’s main tourist attraction, and probably Perak’s.
Built in 1885, this leaning tower is also known as ‘The Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan’, resembling the ‘Leaning Tower of Pisa’ in Italy. Thus, the clock tower is also nicknamed as ‘Pisa of The East’.
Originally built as a reservoir to store water during the dry season, it was also used as a watch tower by Japanese soldiers during their brief occupation of Malaya from 1941.
After the country gained independence in 1957, the tower became one of its official monuments. Today, it’s the pride of Teluk Intan. And a place where tourists cannot afford to miss when in town.
A big clock sits atop of the tower and serves as the time keeper for the residents, although, of course, almost everybody has a clock in their homes or watch on their wrists these ays. At hourly intervals, one could hear loud chimes from the tower. For example, if it is three o’clock, it would blast three consecutive times, loud and clear.
While many people enjoy visiting the clock tower and its surroundings, and taking pictures, especially selfies, I personally feel that Teluk Intan, until January 1982 was known as Teluk Anson, has lost much of its shine or glamour, unlike in the sixties or early seventies.
Going down memory lane recently, I noticed that the third largest town in Perak after Ipoh and Taiping, is relatively quiet, not as lively and bustling as before.
In my younger days, this is the town I used to frequent with my friends, especially during festive seasons like Hari Raya.
In those days, if you’re staying in that part of Perak, also known as Lower Perak, and felt like hanging out in town or watching a movie, you had no choice but to come to Teluk Intan. This was the nearest big town which had cinemas like Rex, Cathay and Capitol. Even people from other towns like Bidor and Kampar flocked to Teluk Intan for “a change of scenery”.
Teluk Intan is about 40 km from my village in Bagan Datuk. To get to the town then, I would board the bus plying the Bagan Datuk-Teluk Intan route, run by the Lower Perak Motor Service (LPMS).The fare was 90 cents one way, or RM1.30 for return fare.
Alas, the bus service is now no more. With better standards of living, and the increasing purchasing power, people now could afford to buy cars or motorcycles. Thus, the bus service had to bow out.
The old Rex cinema is still there but has been transformed into a cineplex – with multiple movie halls. But I’m not so sure whether there are still many people visiting the place.
The Capitol and Cathay cinemas, on the other hand, are gone now. Only the skeletal remains of the Cathay cinema still stand. That too, I think, will be out of sight soon.
As we all know, cinemas these days besides the flippant moods of cinema-goers, also have to contend with competition like cable tv and streaming services. This is not just happening in Teluk Intan but all over the country.
It is rather sad to see my favourite places where I used to ‘jalan-jalan’ and watched movies had perished over time. I can remember vividly hordes of people thronging the cinemas to watch the latest movies in town. For many during Hari Raya, going to town and watching movies were part of the celebrations!
There was no online ticket booking at that time. You really had to be brave, jostle among the crowds and get your hands into the small hole at the ticket counter to buy the tickets! And if one wasn’t careful, you could get hurt, too, sometimes even to the extent of getting bloody bruises when the skin was accidentally scraped.
As usual, the tickets were snatched up in no time. Then another phenomenon emerges: the ticket spivs – people selling tickets at black market prices. These people were usually part of some “syndicates” that bought many tickets ahead of time and then reselling them at higher prices to prey on those who had arrived late.
These syndicate members either had enough people to line up for the tickets or had bought in big numbers earlier for I believe there was also some sort of coercion by them on the poor ticket sellers who were just earning a honest living. Your choice then was either take it or leave it!
Another fond memory that I missed is ‘nasi lambai’, or literally means ‘waving rice’. No, the rice would not wave at you but the stall owners did!
They would wave while chanting ‘mari-mari’ or ‘come come’ to everyone passing the stall hoping to persuade them to come in to dine. Situated beside the Perak River, the stalls were the favourite eating places decades ago and were always full, especially during Hari Raya.
Apart from the good taste, prices were also very affordable then. Rice with fish curry, a few slices of cucumber and a bit of ‘sambal’ cost only 50 cents. If you chose chicken or beef, it would cost only 80 cents.
Well, the ‘nasi lambai’ is still there, if you care to look for it but minus the ‘lambai’. The place is not as busy and flourishing as in the sixties or early seventies. They were a “most go” stop after watching a movie or moving about town. “Nasi lambai” was the natural choice for me to fill my hungry stomach.
Indeed, Teluk Intan is now a rather quiet town these days. Even Hari Raya or other festivals take on a subdued note. Hardly many people are flocking to town these days. Things have really changed over time.
But to me personally, I will always cherish my good old times in Teluk Intan. All the sweet memories are here to remain, deep inside my heart.
WE