Tan Twan Eng

I had an opportunity to meet the famous Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng ..The meeting was arranged by Pauline Saw in K L ..She had invited a few admirers of the author to her house for lunch and we got to meet him in person..

It was absolutely wonderful for me to meet the , author in person because I had read his beautifully written book, Garden Of The evening mist for my book club and must admit that it stayed with me for a long time..I FELT an instant connection to the author’s narrative as I LIVE in Cameron Highlands and that too in a tea plantation ..Infact it is impossible to resist the opening sentence of this Booker long listed novel…On a mountain above the clouds lived a man who had been the gardener of the emperor of Japan.From the beginning to the end the novel had me captivated, as the story unfolded very slowly amid the stillness of the mountains and the depth of silence..

Tan Twan Engs fictional garden moves between different time frames ..From early fifties to the late eighties when Yun Ling writes her memoirs..The stories of the Japanese occupation and later the communist insurgency in Malaysia especially Camerons brought back memories of the lives of the early pioneers of Cameron Highlands.These were the stories narrated to me by my father in law Datuk Seri Brijkishore who often spoke to us of life in the 50s and the struggles of the local people.These were very turbulent times and frequent ambushes would take place by the communist guerillas who were then controlling some of the inhospitable hilly terrain of the Highlands..Some of these raids were bloody as the local businessmen and tea estate owners were harassed for food supplies and money.

Over the lovely lunch and the animated discussion that followed, the women asked Mr. Eng a host of questions about his books..Since Tan Twan Eng had spent a fair bit of time in Camerons, researching Garden Of The Evening Mist, as we spoke about the book the topic of the environmental degradation and considerably warm weather in Cameron Highlands was brought up by the concerned ladies…Even the author felt that a sincere commitment was needed from the residents and businessmen of Camerons in order to save this beautiful place from destruction and bring more awareness to the environmental cause..

I HOPE THAT TAN TWAN ENGS GARDEN WHERE THE CLOUDS AND THE MIST KISS THE MOUNTAINS AND THE TEA GARDEN THAT SURROUNDS ME SHALL ALWAYS REMAIN A PART OF THE ENCHANTING SCENERY OF CAMERON HIGHLANDS..