Terkenal or Famous

Where ever he went, he was terkenal. He was famous… all in good ways of course! When he went to Sandakan, to Tenom, to Tuaran, to Inanam, in Penampang, he was well known. Who did not know him personally or, at least, heard of him? An old man, visualised as a jolly-good fellow, who was a member of the then Police Field Force of the pre Malaysia era, during the British Colonial rule of North Borneo, now, Sabah, but, of course, now gone, .. peace be upon his soul, .. was naturally well remembered by those who were privileged to have known him. Memories of him, his witty and almost comical reactions to things around him or said to him, both by the young and old, remained cherished by his grandchildren, so to speak. He had no direct grandchildren as his only child, it was said, did not hold on to life for long, again, so to speak. This old man was loaded with gimat and the like, and, by natural and social Kadazandusun living standard, the off-springs of people of that so called calibre did not stay on earth long. That child did not survive to adulthood. His brothers or sisters, as narrated by Kondu Pilaku, a great grandchild of one of his sisters, did have many children whom he called grandchildren and who all called him aki, grandfather. Kampung Mangkaladon, a kampung beyond the blue mountains, so to speak, as seen north-eastwards from Donggongon town tamu ground, was Ganggal’s original kampung. Since he was a member of the PFF in those days, he must have then temporarily stayed at police barracks and stations during his employment days. He naturally only went back to his roots when his employment terms expired. It was normal for PFF personnel to sign up for only so many years of service. Their signed-up terms could have not involved any monthly financial benefits upon retirement. “I did not hear of any instance when he went to get his pension money”, said Pilaku. He had indeed experienced some of the realised developments which did come by after independence as he only passed on, it was said, in post Y2K era. The present Penampang-Tambunan sealed road and the road to Pukak in Kiulu were frequented by this active old man. Where ever he was, he was always seen with his juli, believed to contain his personal things. His trouser’s pockets might have been too small for what he used to carry with him all around. It was reputed that he used to carry around with him one or two bottles of air bingong. Earlier on he had visited his sister, Lombitoi, and family, in kampung Tintap. He had stayed on with them for quite a while so much so that all his grandchildren had come to fall in love with him. His grandchildren would all sit down around him listening to his tales of his personal life’s experiences and adventures. As he told his stories, the children sat around him with their mouths agape, their eyes unblinking. This old man must have been a natural story-teller. He could captivate his listeners. No doubt, as others might do, too, he had added other interesting details to his tales to make listening pleasant for adult minds. To his young grandchildren his tales were fantastic truths of unimaginable magnitudes! Sadam, a younger great grandson, still marvelled at his grandfather’s tales of his catch of a giant centipede of one finger span length rib-bones on either sides of its body! There was also a time when this grandfather of theirs was running passed them. Then they asked, “Oonu titangkus-tangkus nu dii oi Aki?” (Why are you running, Aki?) “Oonu kanu, au ko kokito dilo Rogon momogusa dogo?” (You ask why… can’t you see the devils chasing me ?) He was loaded with the “whatever he had in his juli”. He could indeed be living in the twilight zone … his own willed twilight zone. He could have indeed caught that giant centipede … a twilight zone centipede which he then ‘twilightedly’ kept in his juli! The harmless devils were his friends and among friends running after each other in joyful play was a common scene. That could have been the witnessed scenario! It was only long after this grand old man had passed on and the then young great grandchildren had grown older that it was realised … all what he had said, all what he had advised, could not be believed, could not be followed. Among the many dozens great grandchildren, when one became naughty and narrated something which was far from what was factual, others would be heard to give advice, “Ada pinggaaganggal!”. Long after his visit to kampung Tintap, he happened to visit kampung Mantob, a kampung further up kampung Pukak in the Kiulu district. He was visiting the Domidal family. That family, too, was very much a family to him. Joy, Domidal’s eldest, and Pilaku, from kampung Tintap, were cousins since Pilaku’s father, Garib, was Domidal’s brother. Those two brothers got separated from each other when they were still very young boys. At one of Ganggal’s visits to the Domidals, he mentioned to them, “Haro kaaka bo do tobpinai dokoyu hilood Penampang.” (Your relative, it was heard, was living in Penampang). Although he knew for sure that Domidal’s brother was in Penampang, he still chose to use the doubt denoting word, “kaaka”. That prompted Joy’s mother to get assurance as to the truth of his revelation, fully knowing that what he could be saying could not be always true. “Otopot kopio oi Gaman?” (Truly, Gaman?) “Oo, bo!” (Yes, lah). “Nga’, mugad tokou pogihum diolo’ hiloo’d Penampang do korikot ku kaagu’ dohiti’.” (We would only make the trip to Penampang during my next visit.) As a way of making conversation, Joy’s mother told Ganggal that he had better be true for she would charge him for petrol cost if the trip ended up in nought. Ganggal released his own joyful style of laughter which further confirmed Domidal’s wife’s doubts. A few weeks from that good-news-revealing visit, Ganggal came to Domidal’s residence again for the promised Penampang trip. He had with him a quarter full bottle of air bingong. He was in the process of sipping thriftily its contents. He made sure he still had some left for the next morning. The Domidals refrained from such drinking practice as they were barred by their beliefs. Ganggal did not permit the trip done the same day as he said, “Mibok katuu tokou’d kosuabon suuwab.” (We would only start tomorrow morning). Joy, the would-be driver, got the indication that the place they were heading for must be very far away. Sure enough, early the next morning Ganggal requested for breakfast served. He and Joy had their good fill. They together left, Joy at the wheel. Knowing that they were heading for a kampong where he could almost swim in air bingong, he lavishly consumed his bottle. That sent him to sleep for the most part of the journey from kampong Mantob to Penampang district. Earlier on during the journey he would tell Joy of the different kampong names on the way. When they came to Inanam town he told Joy to take the Bambangan by-pass to save journey time. Joy was well-travelled too and told Ganggal that to reach Donggongon town was to turn right and to reach Tambunan was to turn left. Ganggal said that to turn left was the right direction. Joy’s intention was to get some buah tangan since they were visiting some long-lost relatives. Ganggal, in so many words, told Joy that they were heading for a relative’s house which surely had some rice to spare. In the end they did not go to Donggongon town but turned Tambunan way. From that point, the old man went to sleep. At each road junction Joy would ask, “Osudu po aki?” (Is it still far, aki?) In his near sleeping state he was heard saying, “Osoduu po”. Such question and answer were repeated many times until they reached Gunung Emas Hilltop Resort. “Odoi! Odoi! Odoi!, tuuk ku po dia’! Osomok tokou no’d Tambunan diti!,” Ganggal almost shouted as he pointed out to his driver the jungle shortcut track he used to take when he returned to his kampong. “Nokuro iri oi Aki?”, Joy asked. “Notusan batu no o kinotolibon dito!”, he said pretending to be quite angry. He fully knew that he was the greater party to the whole folly. Joy deposited him in one of the sheds where he had kampong men and women friends selling their land produce to road travellers. That was an opportunity for him to socialise while Joy rushed further to the Resort area. He wanted to top up his diminished supply of diesel fuel! They meekly drove down the mountain to kampong Moyog, kampong Kibunut, kampong Rugading, kampong Sangai Sangai then kampong Babagon. They took the left hand turning at the Podsupuan and headed for kampong Tintap, to Garib’s house. When they arrived at the house, he told Joy to wait in the vehicle while he went down to scout around. The household were all out, save for young Sadam. He had that old man’s gut to ask Sadam to go and call them home. That was the beginning of a reunion of two brothers who had parted at childhood until both had families of their own.