Putrajaya – I awoke to a city that could only be described as "vibrant". Looking out of the van‘s window, I saw architecture that was predominantly modern Arabic in style, spread out over a vast area intended to be new federal administrative centre of Malaysia.
It was five in the afternoon when we arrived in Putrajaya ahead of the annual "Colours of Malaysia" celebration that drew more than 50,000 spectators and 1,600 performers.
This year marked the 10th year of the celebrations also known as "Citrawarna" that showcased Malaysia‘s multi-ethnic, -cultural and -traditional society under the theme "Celebrating 50 Years of Nationhood - One Golden Celebration".
There was no traffic at all as we drew closer to the celebration grounds, before quickly being ushered into the special parking spots allocated for the media.
Everything was so exceptionally well planned down to the smallest detail, some of us marvelled at how different things were here.
The city was named after the first Malaysian Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra. In Bahasa Melayu, the Sanskrit-derived words "Putra" means prince, while "Jaya" means excellent or success.
Construction of the city commenced some 10 years ago in 1997, our tour guide told us. "(It) was scheduled to be completed by 2010," he added.
I remember thinking how impressed I was with the speed at which they had designed, built and constructed the city. The architecture also fascinated me. It was a huge change from the mundane designs one would find everywhere in Brunei Darussalam.
The city is built on a scale completely disproportionate to its current population, with a number of bridges spanning a huge man-made lake, the Putrajaya Lake. "Very well planned," I said to myself whilst taking in the scenery.
Located two minutes away from where we parked was the Media Centre that was set up specially for the 600 foreign journalists and cameramen who were invited to cover this auspicious event.
As we walked inside, we were delighted to find that it was not only air-conditioned, but it also had Internet facilities.
We were presented with our press kits almost immediately upon entering the facility.
To add to the hospitality, a free flow of food and drinks were also provided both inside the centre, and outside, where two buffet tables were set up for those who wanted to dine outside.
The atmosphere was lively. With such a mix of different people from all over the world, it felt like we were in Australia more than anything. The open-air dining complemented by the pleasant weather provided us with enough energy to complete the night‘s mission.
The sun started to set as more people arrived. Soon the city was alive with colours and sounds that could only signal a big occasion.
The celebrations were scheduled to be held right in front of the Palace of Justice (Dataran Perdana) where we were promised an unforgettable night of high-tech visual displays and choreographed performances, highlighting Malaysia‘s multi-faceted attractions.
We took our spots an hour before the arrival of the VIPs. We were flanked by scores of journalists and cameramen all eager to claim a spot of their own.
While last year‘s approach featured theatrical performances, this year‘s performance has been expanded to include both the theatrical and street performance aspects, which officials say were in line with its diamond anniversary.
Dancers from Malaysia‘s three main ethnic groups jumped on-stage and started their cultural dances. They were flanked accordingly by media personnel up to the point where an announcement was made requesting for us to step back. Lights and stimulating visuals of green, blue and red filled the area.
A "Wayang Kulit" performance - an art form of shadow puppetry that is one of Malaysia‘s oldest and most dearest cultural treasures - was also held.
Just before the officials departed, a spectacular pyrotechnics show that involved a good 15 minutes of fireworks took place. It was the most amazing display of fireworks that I had seen in a long time.
For 15 minutes I held my camera in the air, recording every single explosion that lit up the night-sky behind the spectacular Palace of Justice that added to the ambience. (By Ben Ng)
Source: www.brunei-online.com (4 Juni 2008)
