By Hamka Rosli
This year we are celebrating our country’s 57th anniversary of our Independence. Year by year there have been various programmes to ignite the spirit of Merdeka to the country and to the people of Malaysia.
The word Merdeka had already been familiarized to us since our kindergarten days. At that time we barely knew what Merdeka meant. Of course we were young but at that age we had our own interpretation of Merdeka.
Small kids love to relate the Independence day with patriotic songs. When Merdeka day is getting near, they know that it is the time again where they have to sing the Merdeka songs like Jalur Gemilang, Tanggal 31 and other patriotic songs.
As we grew up, in teenage years, the meaning of Merdeka changed to what we call as temporary freedom. It is all about how we are free from the books and teachers after final exam. Besides learning about the history of Merdeka in school, some of us love to participate in the activities or programmes in conjunction with Merdeka day such as choir competition, essay writing, poster drawing and some other fun activities too.
Now when we become adults, we look at the meaning of Merdeka in more abstract way. We understand that Merdeka means everything to this nation. We start to appreciate the devotion of previous generation and being thankful for the freedom that we now enjoy.
Even though the way we celebrate Merdeka is not as vibrant as when we were kids, we believe that the Independence spirit should be felt inside our heart and our soul.
Happy Independence Day to all. Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!
Photo taken from Yahoo!