The Story of Sultan Idris II's Elephant Keeper
It all began in the remote forests of Gerik when, by divine fate, an elephant fell into a deep, muddy pit. The elephant became trapped and unable to free itself, crying out for help and sympathy to be rescued.
The tragedy of the elephant trapped in the muddy pit spread quickly, and many villagers came to the scene to try and help, hoping to change the elephant's fate. Because the mud was so deep, the villagers were stumped and at a loss on how to save the elephant, as all their attempts ended in failure. That was until a servant of God appeared and stepped forward to assist in the rescue operation for the elephant, which was nearly half-submerged and stuck. Somehow, the elephant was easily freed thanks to the individual's wisdom. For the information of all loyal readers of orangperak.com, that individual was named Mat Hasan, or by his original name, Rambahadur.
Mat Hasan
News of Mat Hasan's brilliance in solving the problem of the elephant trapped in the deep pit spread rapidly, eventually reaching the ears of the Sultan of Perak. At that time, the Sultan ruling the state of Perak was Sultan Idris II in the mid-20th century. Because Sultan Idris II owned many elephants, Mat Hasan was immediately appointed by the Sultan to be the keeper of his elephants. Would you like to get to know Mat Hasan? Continue reading, and we at orangperak.com will introduce him to you in the next paragraph. Mat Hasan was originally a Gurkha soldier and was not a Muslim, with the birth name Rambahadur. For the general knowledge of you loyal readers of orangperak.com, there are two tribes in Nepal well-known to the world: the Sherpas, who are famous as climbers or guides in the Himalayas, and the Gurkhas, who are experts in warfare. During the British colonial era, a war occurred in Nepal, which left the British deeply impressed by the tenacity of the Gurkha tribe on the battlefield. These Gurkhas were then recruited to work as soldiers for the East India Company in India, and some were stationed in Malaya. Mat Hasan was one of the individuals who came to work as a soldier in Malaya. To cut a long story short, after the British colonial era ended, they were given three choices. They were as follows:
- Return to their country of origin
- Settle in Malaya and obtain citizenship
- Settle in any British colony and become a citizen there
Thus, Mat Hasan made the decision to become a citizen of Malaya and live there. His life as a civilian began, initially living in a rubber estate and mingling frequently with the Indian community. At that time, Japan invaded Malaya, and the situation forced Mat Hasan to flee for his life, eventually reaching Kampung Kerunai, located in Gerik. Mat Hasan embraced Islam at a mosque in Kampung Kerunai and eventually became the mosque's caretaker (Tok Siak). As fate would have it, it was also in Kampung Kerunai, Gerik, that Mat Hasan met his soulmate, and this is where the episode of the story we told at the beginning began. Mat Hasan started his family life in Kampung Kerunai, Gerik. Throughout his time working for Sultan Idris II, the Sultan frequently provided milk, rice flour, and sugar as elephant feed in quantities far exceeding what was needed. Any surplus food that was more than enough for Sultan Idris II's elephants, Mat Hasan would distribute for free to villagers in need. Mat Hasan was deeply loved and cherished by the residents of Kampung Kerunai at that time.
Sultan Idris II
One day, Sultan Idris II commanded Mat Hasan to move his elephants to Taiping. Mat Hasan obeyed the Sultan's order, and so, Mat Hasan set off on foot with the elephants he herded toward Taiping. Mat Hasan also brought his family to move to Taiping because they would be staying there for a long period. Upon arriving in Taiping, Mat Hasan and his family were housed in a government building. Today, that government building is known as Plaza Taiping. From that day on, Mat Hasan worked day and night, caring for and training the elephants full-time, to the point where the elephants he tended would obey any command he gave. Mat Hasan loved taking his elephants to bathe in the stream that can now be seen in front of Zoo Taiping. During the events of May 13, 1969—a dark chapter in our nation's history—Mat Hasan was once slapped by an Iban soldier in front of and witnessed by his own young daughter because he violated the curfew order in effect at the time. After slapping Mat Hasan's face, the soldier questioned Mat Hasan's actions regarding why he violated the curfew. Mat Hasan then explained that Sultan Idris II's elephants had not eaten since the previous day. Mat Hasan feared that the elephants would go berserk and attack the surrounding settlements due to hunger and starvation. Clear with that reason, the soldier accompanied Mat Hasan to feed Sultan Idris's elephants, and that became their daily routine until the state of emergency ended.
Mat Hasan with Mek Cik (the elephant)
Mat Hasan often brought his 5-year-old daughter along to feed the elephants under his care. One of the elephants in the group was named Awang Majlis. Mat Hasan's daughter loved playing with the elephant, such as playing ball, feeding Awang Majlis bananas, and telling Awang Majlis to salute like a soldier, which would cause the elephant to raise its trunk while making a sound, indulging the whims of Mat Hasan's daughter. This story is a shared account from Selamah Binti Mat Hasan, who was the 5-year-old girl in this story, for all loyal readers of orangperak.com. The lesson from this story can be seen when Mat Hasan was willing to break the curfew to feed the elephants under his care. Out of love for the elephants he tended, he continued to carry out his duties with full responsibility, honoring the trust placed in him by the Sultan of Perak.
