ASLI- Resonance in Our Root: ACT 1- ‘Gua Janggut – Sacred Cave of the Menriqs’.

‘Gua Janggut – Sacred Cave of the Menriqs’.

This story is not well-known, and the scriptwriter (Nadiah) got to know about this cave when she carried out an assessment with the Temiar communities in Gua Musang in 2020. She was informed by the resource person involved and his mother about the most sacred cave for the Orang Asli (native people of Peninsular Malaysia) in Kelantan called ‘Gua Janggut’.
TNB will construct a Nenggiri hydroelectric dam (scheduled commercial operation date in 2027) at a site in Gua Musang. This dam would flood this cave, wildlife and other Orang Asli communities living along the river. ‘Tok Janggut’ recounts a story about ‘Sang Kelembai’, which is a Malay folktale about a Giantess who lived along the river and would have the strange power of petrification.

Asli - Resonance in Our Roots, presented and created in 2021, is a digital performance of live music to puppetry and folklore with Indigenous and ethnic musicians. The music and folktales bring audiences through a journey across Malaysia’s diverse ecosystems with stories that highlight universal values and wisdom such as respect, courage and hope. These stories also form a culture’s collective memory which has time and time again called upon us to appreciate the resilience of local communities, environment and flora and fauna. The retelling of these local and regional stories aspires to find a common ground with audiences in a country as diverse as Malaysia and informs us of possibilities for a sustainable future.

‘Asli - Resonance in Our Roots’ hopes to instil awareness of the very habitats and wildlife that can be found in our own backyard and the importance of protecting them. We also want audiences to honour the Indigenous peoples (Orang Asal) we have in this country who are often in the frontlines of environmental crises such as climate change and deforestation. Their fight to preserve their lands and way of life is a fight that is far-reaching and necessary for us to recognise, as we all stand to lose the same heritage.

Artistic Direction and Music Composer - Kalpana Paranjothy
Script and story research - Nadiah Rosli
Visuals and Puppetry - Deepa Rajendra

Narrator- Mathan Rajasingham
Percussions - Mohd Hisharudy
Violin- Hariraam Lam Tingyuan
Sitar - Shweta Bhaskaran
Erhu - Sim Er Wen
Piano - Swathi Sivadas
Orang Asli Semai Musicians (Malaysian Indigenous) -
Tok Sali, Era Idayu Sali, Nora Sali, Nor Aisyah Ami

Videography and Editing - Reel and Real Visual Production House
Sound Engineer - Kartik Purushothama and Ashwin Ravindran
Lighting- Wai Ming Leong and Yaan
Venue - Shantanand Auditorium, The Temple of Fine Arts
Costumes - Mrinalini Shrither
Dharmishta Ramachandran

Supported by Cendana (Cultural Economy Development Agency) and The Temple of Fine Arts Kuala Lumpur.