Sunday, November 30, 2014

Jalan Ipoh Ain't Going Away

Hey, my home street made it to the headlines recently. DBKL decided to change its' name to Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah on the 26th of November 2014, along with other 7 roads in KL. Very familiar names like Jalan Duta, Mahameru Highway and Jalan Semarak are all going to be changed to other names. Don't get me wrong by saying that I don't like those new names. Being a Malaysian, it is an honour to know that your home street was about to be named after a royalty. I understand the reason to uphold the names of our rulers. I also understand the reasons for the rakyat to express their disagreement regarding the change of names of the common roads in KL. It really will bring about change in our addresses, name cards and signboards.

Being someone who was brought up in Jalan Ipoh all her life, I feel sad that it would no longer be called Jalan Ipoh. It's just a name of a road but unknowingly, my feelings for Jalan Ipoh meant so much more than I thought. The people used to call it by its' Batu's or miles. Batu Satu till Batu Lima, that was how long the road was. Many places were also named after Jalan Ipoh. The girl school by the name of SMP Jalan Ipoh, the restaurant called Ipoh Road Yong Tau Foo and Jalan Ipoh Club are all going to cause confusion in people.

Maybe the road was too long to have the same name so now at this moment, only part of it remains as Jalan Ipoh. I think it's until somewhere along Batu Tiga. Batu Empat and beyond remains Jalan Ipoh. Still it is a sad thing isn't it? I still feel as if the name carved some sentiments in me. It's like taking away your childhood memory of the really long road you've known.

My family called it Ipoh Road. It used to be a small road with shophouses along the long road. Then, came the Mutiara Shopping Complex and not long ago, River City was established right outside of my home. The HSBC and KFC never fail to be the landmark of Jalan Ipoh since I was born. The ever famous Uma Rani chain of shops will remain as prosperous as usual. The Batu Tiga market will still be as busy as ever.

Despite the change in the name, the people and the food will stay the same. The delicious Hokkien mee, Bah Kut Teh and porridge will still stick around as long as the business is still running. The busy food street in front of red/orange building will keep lighting up the street in the dark. Pak Halim's nasi lemak is not something to be forgotten as well! Some people say the Dim Sum but I say otherwise. Lol.

And whenever anyone ask me where I live, I'll still say it's Jalan Ipoh. :)