SIBLINGS 5 - THE KAFTAN LADY

KAFTAN LADY

Che Gu Hasinah Mohd. Nor was the eldest of the Haji Yaacob,s 28 grand children. The second eldest is my brother in law, Dato' Shamsul Bahari Salleh Khir. My wife, Zamzam Khirani Salleh Khir is the third eldest. Che Gu Hasinah was the eldest daughter of Mohd. Nor, the eldest son Haji Yaacob of Lorong Kelompang, Bakar Bata. She was born on 25^th April 1946, the same year as my brother in law, Dato' Shamsul Bahari. Both Che Gu Hasinah and my brother in law shares the same breast feeding or saudara menyusu and as such, she was very close to my brother in law.

Che Gu Hasinah was a teacher specializing in domestic home science. It was not surprising that she was a very good cook and we always used to enjoy her cooking artisty. She was also a very jovial person but at the same time, she inherited her father's sickness that was diabetic. Although she was on dialysis treatment for the last four years or so, yet it did not prevent her from enjoying her life to the fullest until her very last day. It also did not prevent her from taking care of her husband, children and her siblings' welfare diligently.

Although she was more often on the road, yet with Allah's blessing, she passed away in front of her house at Ulu Langat, Selangor on 14^th December 2008 after visiting her youngest sister, Alaina Hassani in Kelana Jaya. Her demise was the first among Haji Yaacob's grand children and as such it left a very deep impact on her cousins especially my brother in law. Che Gu Hasinah's favourite attire was the kaftan and on behalf of all her cousins, I would like to dedicate this Kaftan Lady to her.

In Memory of the Kaftan Lady

She did not look for any glamour,

She did not seek any honour,

She did not fancy Chanel or Christin Dior,

She did not care whether it was silk or Cashmere,

She would always prefer her kaftan more,

Kaftan made her feel mightier,

As if she owned the whole hemisphere.

With her kaftan , she would not care,

What others might think of her,

She would be at ease anywhere

Without feeling any err.

With her kaftan attire,

She has assumed the role of a protector,

For she was always very protective of her care,

Her children, her siblings and what more,

She would always place her care above the altar,

Whereas she would place herself on the second tier,

She would be with her siblings wherever they were,

She would be there whenever they needed her.

Although she was fragile

and her sight began to blur,

But her determination made her stronger,

She would always make herself healthier,

For distance was not an obstacle to her,

She would drive her car,

As if playing a game of solitaire.

Today, the great kaftan
lady has gone forever,

She was called by the Almightier,

For Allah loves her more,

At the end of her final life chapter,

We would not know how much she suffer,

We would not know about her despair,

But we knew she was thrilled when Bang Ali showered her with care,

We knew she has spend her life more in her car,

She even ended her final journey in her beloved car.

We really miss all the good deeds she would offer,

Her delicious cooking for our supper,

Her sharp bashes she would deliver,

The ever ending of her famous banter,

Which even depicted her as the CNN slayer,

But she did not make us suffer,

For she would always make our gatherings merrier.

Deep in our hearts with the feelings of tender,

We would always keep her memories alive more fonder,

We do really, really miss her,

For she was our gem, our sapphire,

The kaftan lady we all fondly admire,

Our beloved Kak Nah in her kaftan attire.

May Allah bless her

and Alfatihah to her.