Outdooritis: Sharing The Gem At Lanai Seni MATIC

Rehersal on the night
before the big day.

Many martial arts constantly evolve to better their effectiveness by absorbing techniques from other martial arts. But what if a martial art is proven time and time again to be so effective, that it does not need to use such tact, and hence is left preserved, untainted in it's original pristine form for hundreds of years? A martial art which is easy enough to be practiced even by those who are literally blind; effortless enough that it could be applied even by the handicapped; effective enough that it could counter multiple armed assailants at once; and above all that, simple enough to be learnt and mastered without prior knowledge in self defense, all within 6 months, 2-4 hours of training a week. Such is the martial art from the Malay ethnic called silat, specifically Silat Cekak currently headed by the rightful heir, grandmaster Tuan Guru Syeikh Md Radzi Haji Hanafi, under the society named PSSCPUHM (Persekutuan Seni Silat Cekak Pusaka Ustaz Hanafi Malaysia).

Originally practiced exclusively by some of the supreme commanders of the old Malay empire (the supreme commanders are called panglima and are themselves the best masters in Malay martial arts in order to attain such rank), this gem tradition was only relatively recently been exposed to the modern masses. Within just under 50 years of its exposure, it has garnered about 250,000 practitioners from various walks of life and has also shattered multiple local Malaysian records to back such claim such as The Largest Martial Arts Performance in 2010, attended by 7,356 active practitioners. On 19 November 2014, in a move to promote the martial art to both the local and international tourism arena, PSSCPUHM had shared it’s traditions to the public at Lanai Seni MATIC (Malaysian Tourism Centre, also known in Malay as Pusat Pelancongan Malaysia). And I was lucky to be part of the organising committee for such a grand occasion.

Do enjoy some of the photos of the event :)

Participants for the silat demonstrations line up. In the background looms
the Petronas Twin Towers, one of the tallest buildings in the world.

A bunting of the grand event.

The event, surrounded by tall buildings.

View from another angle.

The VIPs in the huge Malay traditional-like shelter.

The live band for Malay traditional music.

Some of the traditional Malay clothings on display.

A display for the Parang Lading, one of the two
official weapons of Silat Cekak.

An unfinished Parang Lading. The handle, made from
a female buffalo horn, will be shaped later for show.

A display of traditional Malay dance. Silat Cekak which
is purely for self defense, does not have dances.

Silat Cekak practitioners with the modern city skyline.

The Silat Cekak demonstration.

The Silat Cekak demonstration from another angle.

A Silat Cekak practitioner fending off
multiple assailants at the same time.

The VIPs signing the occasion's guest book.

The lively ambience at the event.

Another view of the festive atmosphere at the occasion.

The grandmaster called Guru Utama, Tuan Guru Syeikh Md Radzi in a mock initiation
ceremony called Majlis Ijazah. Only the grandmaster alone could run the ceremony.
Within the true practice of Silat Cekak, there can only be one grandmaster at one time.

The grandmaster explaining the Majlis Ijazah initiation ceremony.

The grandmaster giving some tips on certain
exercises within Silat Cekak.

Practitioners of silat usually bathe in hot boiling oil as a sign of bravery
(actually, the oil's boiling temperature has been drastically lowered by
adding vinegar to the oil). It is different in Silat Cekak where the
practitioner has to bathe in normal water scented with kaffir lime (also
known as makrut lime, with the scientific name Citrus Hystrix, in
Malay it is called limau purut) as a sign of self purification. It can
distantly be compared to wuduk (ablution) within the practice of Islam.

The grandmaster Tuan Guru Syeikh Md Radzi Haji Hanafi explaining
the specifics of Parang Lading. Mainly for self defense, it is the only
known non-firearms weapon capable of countering the so-called "king
of weapons", the tekpi (also known as sai in the martial arts world).
However, it is extremely rare for a Silat Cekak practitioner to be
endowed with a Parang Lading.

The grandmaster showing the technique to unsheathe the Wali Jantan,
another official weapon of Silat Cekak. Different from Parang Lading
which is used for defense, the Wali Jantan is used primarily for
offense. Parang Lading is rare amongst Silat Cekak practitioners, and
the Wali Jantan is even rarer still.