Tanah Air a malay word (or make it two words) meaning homeland/fatherland/motherland, was a month long event by Petronas to celebrate the National Day and Malaysia Day…….. it is the title of the poem by Usman Awang in which the event was based on
These shots were taken on the eve of Malaysia Day which falls on 16 September 2013……. you can catch the flash mob video of the event here or the music video here. And by the way you can catch a glimpse of my camera for a few seconds among the flash mob…… 0:48….
The poem in Malay is as below, can’t find a suitable English translation yet (don’t try google translate, it just mess up the meaning)
Engkau, Tanah Air, pemilik perut yang berbudi,
Penampung hujan, penyedut sinar matari,
Lahirlah anak-anakmu dari semaian-semaian petani.
Engkau, ibu murni, dengan jasa abadi,
Berdetik di denyut nafas kami,
Kerana kita adalah satu dan sama dipunyai.
Telah kau rasa segala seperti kamu,
Dalam kengerian perang dadamu dibongkar besi,
Di mana-mana wajahmu tidak pernah mati.
Tapi begitu sejarah hidup zaman-berzaman,
Yang pernah merangkul pahlawan kemerdekaan,
Mereka sujud dalam kaku memohon perlindungan.
Bukankah dengan kasih dan harapan,
Kau tenggelamkan mereka dalam dakapan,
Di mana bunga ganti nisan bertaburan?
Negara baru di atas rongga jantungmu,
Akan tegak bertapak dalam kebebasan,
Cinta antara kita wahyu dari Tuhan……..