KG Tepoh in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, is one of the few kampung that still makes, plays and even organises a gasing pangkah competition every year.
This month, Kg Tepoh held a league competition with other kampung around Kuala Nerus, which ends in April.
Pok Mokhtar, 67 is a gasing pangkah maker and highly respected member in the community. He has been involved in this field for about 25 years.
Each gasing costs about RM200 to RM300 and takes three days to finish. Pok Mokhtar is often mentioned as the finest. He is the master – from the making of the gasing to the rituals before and during the competition which also include the pawang (shaman).
Each kampung has its own pawang during the competition. As Pak Mokhtar grows older, he hasn’t found an apprentice – even among the family. It seems like the gasing pangkah is being forgotten by the younger generation.
The good news is, the competition is being supported by the tourism authority in Terengganu and the prize has gone up to RM5,000. To preserve culture and tradition in the onslaught of modernity is tough and challenging.
Pok Mokhtar said “We have the tradition and the culture. But we have lost the next generation to preserve and defend this thing”. – March 23, 2018.
A pawang (shaman) gently bathes the gasing with 'limau nipis' a night before the game as a symbol of luck and bring positive vibes to the team. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.A pawang (shaman) using a sarong to ‘bless’ the body of the gasing pangkah team to get rid of negative vibes. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.A gasing player from Kg Bukit Raja coiling the rope on a gasing before the competition begins at the balai gasing in Kuala Nerus in Terengganu. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.Acrobatics and more can be seen in the gasing ring during the league competition between the kampung in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.A player trying to balance a gasing on a plate during the competition. His team members hold the kain sarong to shield the top from the wind. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.A gasing spinning on a plate during the competition. Some tops can spin for more than an hour. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.Villagers and players watching the battle between the two gasing spinning in the box during the competition in Kuala Nerus. The function of the box is to shield the gasing from the wind that can interrupt the spinning. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.Pok Mokhtar using a traditional machine to make gasing pangkah in Kg Tepoh, Kuala Nerus. He is the r gasing pangkah maste and the finest among them. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.Pok Mokhtar looking at a gasing at home in Kuala Tepoh, Terengganu. He is a master gasing-maker. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.Pok Mokhtar overseeing a protege make a gasing pangkah at his house in Kuala Nerus. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.Pok Mokhtar’s grandchildren watching him make a gasing pangkah at his house in Kuala Tepoh. No one from his family is interested to learn the skill. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.Villagers watching their team train for the next competition. Training usually takes place their maghrib prayers. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.In the evenings, the villagers play and train for the next competition in Kuala Nerus. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.A boy trying to coil a rope around the gasing during a training session in Kg Bukit Manir, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu. Not many from the younger generation are willing to learn and play gasing. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.Children playing with traditional wau and gasing at Kg Bukit Manir in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.Villagers watching their team train and playing gasing pangkah in Kg Bukit Manir, Kuala Nerus. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 23, 2018.
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