The Trishaw

A picture but it evokes such memories.

How many passengers do you think this vehicle can carry from one point to another? 

I suppose it depends on the physical size of the passengers.

When we were little, my siblings and I went to school on this type of trishaw. Three of us would sit on the main seat and the creative trishaw puller would put another bench on the foot area to allow another 2 passengers to be ferried on it. That would mean having 5 school going children on it.

It also meant that at one point the puller could gather all of us to school in the morning.

 We considered ourselves fortunate to be given the pleasure of being ferried to school; many had to walk with heavy bags on their backs.

I used to remember that my parents had to pay 5 Ringgit each month to the trishaw man. 

Don't laugh; 5 Ringgit was a huge sum then. 

But the Pak Cik who carried us played us out at times. There were many occasions when he did not turn up to take us home; so we would also creatively look for a long branch and my older sisters would carry it on their shoulders with all our school bags hanging on them. It was not a joke to walk for a couple of miles home.

My mother would give us 10 cents each for break; 5 cents for a plate of noodles and 5 cents for a piece of mee siput. We were trained to spend within our means.

The mee siput is unforgettable till this day.

Life was so simple then. We, the children were happy ones as we need not go for tuition classes. My parents could not afford the fees. The older ones would teach the younger ones.My parents knew no English nor Malay but we turned out to be good speakers learning on our own. I admire my parents for their guts; they did not have to worry about straight As. Somehow they trusted we would turn out well; we did to a certain extent.

Today some parents in school voiced their qualms on the introduction of the school-based assessments system with no formal exams. "How can the children survive without exams? Do they play all the time?"

After decades of an exam-orientated education system, parents fear their children may not have sufficient knowledge to see them through in life.  A pertinent question : "Do we have to send our children for tuition classes now ?"

Maybe we should also remain simple like the days of old; have no tuition and allow water to find its own level; trust that the children will turn out fine whatever system they may have to go through.

 Perhaps more important is to teach the children right values with survival skills. We can prepare our children for exams; send them to good tertiary institutions; pay through our noses for that degree and yet we cannot vouch for their future plans.

Indeed man can plan but only those who have the right attitudes and values would find meaningful existence.

Do you agree?

More to see in life.