TIGA SENIMAN BESAR DALAM SATU PAMERAN KHAT

reviu pameran

Dalam sebuah pameran khas yang berakhir baru-baru ini, karya dari tiga seniman besar Singapura telah dipamerkan dalam satu ruang. Karya-karya dari seniman Allahyarham Hj Sulaiman Suhaimi, Allahyarham Mohammad Din Mohammad dan juga dari S Mohdir telah menjadi tatapan ramai di Galeri Taman Warisan Melayu sejak bulan ramadhan yang lalu. Julung-julung kali, karya-karya khat atau kaligrafi Islam mereka disatukan dalam sebuah pameran. Pameran ini telah berlangsung selama sebulan sejak bulan ramadah yang lalu.
Gabungan hebat sebegini pun jarang-jarang berlaku semasa hayat dua pelukis yang sudahpun menjadi almarhum. Tiga seniman ini berkarya dengan teknik pengolahan yang berbeza-beza dalam kaligrafi Islam. Mereka mempunyai pendekatan yang berlainan dan cara mereka mengilhamkan lukisan juga berlainan.
S Mohdir, salah seorang pengasas APAD (Angkatan Pelukis Aneka Daya) yang masih berkarya menampakkan teknik yang berlapis-lapis dan warna bertindih-menindih. Karya khat S Mohdir berdimensi dan tetap utuh ditelan waktu. S Mohdir yang sudahpun menjangkau 70’han tahun merasakan melukis ialah caranya untuk merehatkan fikiran. Sejauh ini, pelukis veteran ini masih belum mahu bersara dalam dunia seni halus ini.
Sebagai seorang guru pesara, S Mohdir masih secara konsisten mengilhamkan karya-karya yang mantap dan berseni. Sememangnya beliau merupakan seniman yang penuh pengalaman dan sering menghasilkan karya-karya yang segar. Dalam pemeran ini, S Mohdir menggabungkan seni khat dengan seni halus.
Seorang lagi pelukis, Hj Sulaiman Suhaimi, yang baru meninggalkan kita beberapa bulan lalu, merupakan seorang seniman dari generasi pertama. Teknik dan caranya menghasilkan karya-karya khat berbeza dengan S Mohdir dan Mohammad Din Mohammad. Hj Sulaiman mendalami seni khat ketika beliau pulang dari mengerjakan umrah satu ketika dahulu. Setelah mendalami seni khat, Hj Sulaiman juga telah mengadakan bengkel seni khat di rumahnya.
Hj Sulaiman pernah menjadi guru dan inspektor sekolah. Gaya dan tekniknya agak teliti dan tenang. Karya-karya khatnya telah banyak dijadikan hiasan untuk kalendar beberapa buah masjid untuk pengumpulan dana. Warna-warna khat Hj Sulaiman agak suram, namun teks ataupun surah keIslaman adalah keutamannya. Cara beliau menyampaikan maksud dalam karya juga ketara perbezaannya. Kehilangan beliau dipersada seni amat dirasakan.
Karya-karya Mohammad Din Mohammad juga telah mengisi ruang galeri Taman Warisan Melayu. Beliau telah meninggalkan kita pada Mei tahun lalu, dan kebelakangan ini, karya-karya beliau semakin sering diperkatakan dan pemikiran seninya juga akan dijadikan bahan penyelidikkan. Allahyarham telah meninggalkan kita dalam lingkungan 50’han. Beliau telah meninggalkan khazanah lukisan khat yang agak banyak dan ada yang dipamerkan di galeri kelolaan keluarga armarhum di Durian Tunggal, Melaka.
Karya-karya Mohammad Din juga amat berbeza tekniknya dan persembahannya. Dengan menggunakan tapak tangan, jari-jemari serta warna yang langsung dari tiub, lukisan khatnya kelihatan lebih agresif dan spontan. Warna-warna dalam khatnya berbagai-bagai. Karya monokrom juga berwarna-warni menjadi pilihan utama pengkarya.
Ada karya yang hanya digunakan Alif, Ba, Ta dan ada karya yang gunakan ayat-ayat ringkas dari Al-Quran. Sewaktu hayatnya, Armarhum pernah mengadakan pameran solonya selain di Perancis dan Turki, ada banyak lagi pameran pernah disertainya.
Namun, ketiga-tiga seniman mempunyai matlamat dan arah yang satu. Mereka bersatu dalam kaligrafi Islam. Mereka inginkan kalimah-kalimah keIslaman disebarkan melalui seni. Melalui seni khat, kita seolah-olah berzikir mengucapkan kata-kata untuk mengingati Allah. Semestinya, mengEsakan Allah dan menyatakan kesyukuran dalam bentuk Alhamdulillah menjadikan pemikiran mereka menjadi satu.
Syabas kepada Taman Warisan Melayu kerana inisiatif mereka mengadakan pameran dan juga demonstrasi seni khat sepanjang Ramadan dan Syawal ini.

SIDANG BURUNG EKAMATRA

Karya agung ilham Farrarudin Attar yang berjudul Mantiq At-tair atau dalam bahasa Inggeris Conference of the Birds sudah dipermudahkan teks nya oleh Seniman kita Isa Kamari untuk dijadikan pementasan teater. Teks asal ini amat berat dibaca dan difahami, dan apabila ia dijadikan sebuah pementasan teater, ia membuka satu ruang untuk kita lebih memahami dan mendalami karya-karya agung seperti ini.
Saya sempat menghadiri salah satu sesi latihan Sidang Burung dan mendapati satu pengalaman yang sungguh 'indah'. Tema perjalanan burung-burung mencari Raja burung Simurgh, dan rintangan yang akan ditempuhi, keresahan, menemui laluan kebenaran, serta keupayaan membangkit dari kegagalan adalah mesej yang dapat saya resapi.
Teater fizikal ini diarah oleh seniman setempat kita yang berbakat dan berpengalaman, Sdra Sani Hussin.
Dengan gerakkan sang burung dgn berbagai telatah dan gerak lagu, dan watak Datuk dan cucu yang menyelongkar keutamaan kemuliaan dan status secara tidak sedar telah menakluki falsafah kehidupan dan kewujudan kita dalam alam jagat ini.
Sidang Burung dipentaskan di Espalanade dari 24 - 25 October 2008.

THE WORLD OF MOHAMMAD DIN MOHAMMAD'S CALLIGRAPHY

THE WORLD OF MOHAMMAD DIN MOHAMMAD’s CALLIGRAPHY
Mohammad Din has left us in May 2007 and we were utterly shock of the news. An artist, who at its peak of his career suddenly left us. What always keep him in our mind and heart, is purely because of the friendship we has built, his intriguing art and also his brilliant colours of calligraphic series. But no doubt, some art pieces with monochrome treatment, equally impart the same power.
During my friendship with the late artist, I learned a great deal about Islamic art. That triggers me to carry out a research on that subject. I become more knowledgeable and also managed to write few articles on Islamic art and history. The most important motive writing these articles, is not only to educate the masses, but to re-establish the powerful and influential words from the Quran. Through this friendship, I became more appreciative about Islamic Art.
When he first started, he paints about nature, portraits of tourist and foreigners, spectrum of mystical colors and energy. During the mid 90’s he transforms his mystical energy theme into more challenging Islamic calligraphy works. With this new found exploration, the artist went in depth in searching for his own style of calligraphy.
The late Mohammad Din Mohammad vision encompasses the universal aspects of existence. The creative works that Mohammad Din Mohammad generates lives within his soul, mind and beliefs. Many do not realize that the development of creating his art lives within a concept of humanity and religion. The growth of modern technology does not dampen his productive and dynamic disposition that made him among the most progressive in this region.
Many of his resources were gathered through his artistic journey, and collecting reusable stuff with addition to his personal vision, Mohammad Din recreates a new dimension of art. The grotesque looking sculpture spawns inescapable intrigue questions and comments. His intimacy with his art pieces and the epitome of his aggressive approach, indeed moving towards an optimistic future.
With elements of exotic nature, the beauty of cultural richness and the focus on Islamic scripture, Mohammad Din works will be effortlessly adopt to a unanimous ground. A passionate artist with international acclaim, was in love everything mystical and spiritual. It was this divine passion for mysticism that inspired his bold, vibrant and glorifying the words of Allah.
The artist deep passion on Islam and Sufism not only inspired him to explore a new dimension in Islamic calligraphy and develop the splendour of nature and secrets beyond existence. His philosophy of Islamic art has always been about praising The Almighty Allah. His world of calligraphy is indeed distinctive. He once said, he is nothing and Allah is everything, and that motivates his ideas, creativity, desires, and passion into scripts that glorify Allah in a form of calligraphic odyssey that empowers the viewers. But yet, praises he said are only for Allah, to whom all worthy praises belong.
Mohammad Din often practices his formal calligraphy writing with a qalam (bamboo pen). The artist seeks the knowledge from a great calligraphy teacher, Hussein Sirazi from Iran for formal calligraphy writing. But, when he paints into a canvas, he breaks the barrier of formal calligraphy writing into explorations of mystical and meaningful word of the Quran. He basically do not want to be rigid in experiencing his art, therefore he breaks the barricade and experimenting with different approach and effects. It is the manifestation of the beauty of the scripture and his desire to enrich his through potential.
He’s the only artist passionately paints with his bare hands and fingers. He believes his uncharacteristic skills and approach facilitate to propel Islamic art into a new level. Through his bare fingers and palms, Mohammad Din transfers his God given energy and spiritually on the canvas with colours fluid and vibrant, direct from the tube, and he believes the viewer able to feel the power of God, the Ultimate Creator.
Before his passing’s, he introduced the technique of ‘ebru’, an old Turkish art of paper marbling which results in fluidity that mesmerise the beholder.
Verses from the Quran for eg, Salam Min Qawlam Mir rabirahim, signifies his understanding of the meaning. Many of his works truthfully praise the Greatness of Allah. We can see many of his works in different color schemes, for eg Allahu Akbar. The unrevealed of Yasin and Ha Mim Shod, further exploring, the existence of the Creator. Monochromes or gratifying colors, Mohammad Din Mohammad’s works sincerely about being unique. He wants his style to be different than other Calligraphic artist, and hence his voyage looking for the right path can be seen in most of his calligraphic works. This is presence in Alhamdulillah series.
A rippling strength contained through discipline, mental discipline of calligraphy, dominates the works of Mohammed Din Mohammad. He was worried when starting his own style of calligraphy during the mid-90’s, concerned that the unorthodox treatment of words from the Quran would not gain acceptance; that it might be considered sacrilegious to directly use his hands to write out the text. But eventually he found the courage to use his Western-style training in this medium.
Traditionally, Islamic calligraphy is carried out with a bamboo pen; a stylised art. Din prefers to innovate, bringing an almost abstract quality to his works; phrases lost in layers of paint. It does not look like orthodox calligraphy. A channeled energy, explosions of colour, abound; unusual (purists may say out of place) in this discipline. "To begin with, I didn´t have the guts to work in this format," reflects Din. "But the works developed, probably from my nature. I´m not scared of confrontation, so I decided that I would face those who wouldn´t like my style let them come to me. But no one has complained, and I seem to have gained respectability."
There is a three-dimensional quality to Din´s work; a result of his unique technique.
Squeezing paint directly onto the canvas, Din then blends colours using his hands. His mastery of silat is apparent in his graceful application of the paint. Holding his hands, as though in supplication, between bouts of activity, he works from the heart. "I use symbols that are part of my life, verses that are part of my everyday existence. I then nurture these in my heart, until it is time to transfer it to my hands, when it becomes like a blasting of emotion. I plan out what I am going to do, the colours I use, but it becomes an explosion."
“Above all, it should remind us of the almighty Creator. I am a small creator reminding himself of the big one. Not that I can do the same, but showing that we have been created.
There is a great mystical message about who is in charge.
During the early stage of his calligraphic series, he feels that it is the Muslim community in Malaysia and Singapore found great difficulty accepting his work. Internationally, he feels part of a wider renaissance of Islamic art, with artists from Iran, Indonesia and the West all innovating and injecting new techniques and ideas into established genre. But here he finds it more difficult to find acceptance as an indigenous artist, particularly in dealing with Islamic themes.
His works is as close as Zikir (remembrance of Allah). We as human must always be reminded of our creator, as by nature, we are persistently a forgetful being. There are various ways in remembering the creator. We give something to the needy is also one way of remembrance the Almighty. And when we recite his verses, is also another approach in remembrance of Allah.
With elements of exotic nature, the beauty of cultural richness and the focus on Islamic scripture, the mysticism suffusing Din´s work is at home in this Peninsula; this archipelago.
Though, the mystical journey of his life has ended, but sincerely we pray for Allah’s blessing on his second route of Journey. As he always told me before, Life is always a voyage. This reflects on his Journey and Voyages Series.
Mohammad Din left this world on 31 May 2007, just one week after his 52nd birthday, to continue his journey to meet his maker. Although his body has departed, his passion, and his energy, his art and his legacy, his spirit and his soul linger on.
Now with a gallery in Malacca, his spirits of calligraphy are getting more queries In talks, seminars and also exhibition. These are unquestionably the right path to follow.

end

NUS MUSEUM SEMINAR - 11 Oct 2008

Islamic Art
An Introduction to Islamic Art
Art is the mirror of a culture and its world view. There is no case to which this statement more directly applies than to the art of the Islamic world. Not only does its art reflect its cultural values, but even more importantly, the way in which its advocates, the Muslims, view the spiritual realm, the universe, life, and the relationship of the parts to the whole.
For the Muslim, reality begins with and centers around God ("Allah"), the One, the Unique, the Sovereign, the Holy, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the Loving, the Most Merciful. All existence is subject to His will and His laws. He is the center of conscious Muslims' worship and aspirations, the focus of their lives.
With such a belief system, the Muslim is convinced of the balance and harmony of all things in existence, even when there appear to be confusing contradictions and imbalances, regarding these as the reflection of man's limited understanding and knowledge. Because of the strict injunctions against such depictions of humans or animals which might result in idol-worship, Islamic art developed a unique character, utilizing a number of primary forms: geometric, arabesque, floral, and calligraphic, which are often interwoven. From early times, Muslim art has reflected this balanced, harmonious world-view.
These traditions persist today, and Islamic architecture and decorative arts are still very much alive and valued in many parts of the Muslim world. While Western-style art forms and machine work have to an extent eroded the traditional forms, nonetheless, its an important aspect of the decoration of mosques and Muslim homes. In particular, decoration featuring Quranic calligraphy is an important aspect of Islamic art.
Due to its peculiar character, the Arabic script lends itself wonderfully to decorative use. Over the centuries, many different scripts have evolved in various regions of the Muslim world.
Arabic is read from right to left, with an alphabet of twenty-six letters, of which three are long vowels. Short vowels are indicated by small symbols above or under the letters themselves.
The Ageless Legacy of Arabic Calligraphy
Arabic is the language of Islam. It is the language of its prophet, Muhammad; the language in which the Holy Qur'an, Islam's sacred scripture, was revealed to him by God; the language of Muslims' worship; and the language which binds Muslims of all times and places together in a single cohesive brotherhood.
Because of Muslims' profound respect and love for the Qur'an, the art of calligraphy was developed among them from early times to a very high degree. Throughout the Muslim world, Qur'anic verses beautify mosques, palaces and homes, businesses, and, in some places, public areas. Often the calligraphy is done in conjunction with decorative motifs, lovingly decorated what is most sacred and precious.
"God is Beautiful and Loves Beauty"
So said the Prophet of Islam some 1400 years ago. He also said, "God likes that when you do anything, you do it excellently." Such prophetic sayings (hadiths) have provided the impetus for Muslims' embellishment and beautification of their places of worship, homes, and even of articles in common use in everyday life. The emphasis in Islamic art is on ornamentation rather than on art for art's sake; while the names of the producers of the finest works of Islamic art may not have survived, their works have become prototypes and models on which other artists and craftsmen patterned their works, or from which they derived the impetus for related work.
THE DIVINE WORD
The Holy Quran says that when Allah swt wishes something, He has only to say, “BE!” and it is (Kun Fa Ya Kun). This formula precisely reveals the tremendous creative power of divine language, of the Word, in the Islamic tradition. The miracle of the Prophet Muhammad saw was the holy book called the Quran, or the recitation, the first revealed word of which , “Iqra!” commands, “Read!” or “Recite”.
Recite in the name of you Lord who created
Created the Human for a clot
Recite and your Lord is most generous
It is He who taught by the pen
Taught the human what he knew not (Surah Al-Alaq 96: 1-5)
From this verse we understand the importance from the earliest Islamic Period of both the reciter and the scribe. It manifest the glory of revelation.
Islamic calligraphy, equally known as Arabic calligraphy, is the art of writing, and by extension, of bookmaking. This art has most often employed the Arabic script, throughout many languages. Calligraphy is especially revered among Islamic arts since it was the primary means for the preservation of the Qur'an.
Throughout Islamic history, the work of calligraphers was collected and appreciated. Consideration of figurative art as idolatrous led to calligraphy and abstract figures becoming the main forms of artistic expression in Islamic cultures.
Arabic, Persian and Ottoman Turkish calligraphy is associated with geometric Islamic art (the Arabesque) on the walls and ceilings of mosques as well as on the page of Quran. Contemporary artists in the Islamic world draw on the heritage of calligraphy to use calligraphic inscriptions or abstractions in their work.
Types Calligraphic scripts
1. Kufic Script : The first Arabic script to gain popularity was the Kufic script, which was created in year 537. Kufic is angular, made of square and short horizontal strokes, long verticals, and bold, compact circles. It was the main script used to copy the Qur'an for three centuries. It developed many serifs (small decorations added to each character). This script was named after the city of Kufa in Iraq, where it is said to have been invented and it is claimed that the fourth Caliph of Islam (the Prophet's cousin), was the first to write in Kufic script.

Kufic Script
2. Nasakh Script : More often used for casual writing was the cursive Naskh script, with rounder letters and thin lines. As techniques for writing in this style were refined, it came to be preferred to Kufic for copying the Qur'an. Naskh is the first script taught to most children. Almost all printed material in Arabic is in Naskh so, to avoid confusion, children are taught to write in the same script. It is also clearer and easier to decipher. In Seljuk Iran, naskh was used for ordinary correspondence and the production of literary works. It has a regular and balanced appearance. Ibn Muqla (died 939), a native of Shiraz and a minister of the Abbasid caliph of Baghdad was the key calligrapher responsible for its development.

Nasakh Script

3. Thuluth script : In the 13th century, the Thuluth script took on the ornamental role formerly associated with the Kufic script. Thuluth means "one third"; the form of Thuluth is based on the principle that one third of each letter slides downward. Thus it has a strong cursive aspect and is usually written in ample curves. Thuluth made its first appearance in the fourth century of the Hijrah (11th century CE). The straight angular forms of Kufic were replaced in the new script by curved and oblique lines. Various calligraphic styles evolved from Thuluth through slight changes of form. The greatest contributions to the evolution of the Thuluth script, occurred during Ottoman Empire in three successive steps that Ottoman Art Historians call "Calligraphical Revolutions":

Thuluth Script
4. Nastaliq Script : After Persia was conquered by Arabs in the 7th century, it became common to write Persian in Arabic script. The Persians contributed the Ta'liq and Nasta'liq styles to Arabic calligraphy. Nasta'liq is extremely cursive, with exaggeratedly long horizontal strokes. One of its peculiarities is that vertical strokes lean to the right rather than (as more commonly) to the left, making Nasta'liq writing flow particularly well. It was developed in Iran in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Nastaliq Script
4. Diwani Script : Diwani script is a cursive style of Arabic calligraphy developed during the reign of the early Ottoman Turks (16th and early 17th centuries). It was invented by Housam Roumi and reached its height of popularity under Süleyman I the Magnificent (1520–66). As decorative as it was communicative, Diwani was distinguished by the complexity of the line within the letter and the close juxtaposition of the letters within the word.

Diwani Script
5. Riq’a Script : Is the most common script for everyday use is Ruq’ah also known as Riq'a). Simple and easy to write, its movements are small, without much width. It is the one most commonly seen. It is considered a step up from Naskh script, which children are taught first. In later grades they are introduced to Ruq'ah.

Riq’a Script

BILA KURA-KURA BER 'PURA-PURA'

REVIU PAMERAN
HAMIR SOIB DALAM PAMERAN TUKAR GANTI
Sekumpulan pelukis dari Malaysia telah berada di sini kelmarin dalam pameran yang dinamakan Tukar Ganti di Valentine Willie Fine Arts. Tajuk pameran agak lucu, namun ia memberi satu makna yang tepat, luas dan mendalam. Pameran ini menampilkan pelukis-pelukis muda yang mempunyai makna tersendiri dari perpeltif mereka terhadap politik, sosio sejarahnya dan juga pemikiran mereka dalam dunia seni halus. Mungkin mereka antara pelukis yang akan menjadi ‘nadi’ dan ‘nafas’ baru dalam dunia seni Asean.
Generasi baru ini membuka satu lagi ruang baru ataupun pemikiran dalam segi ‘pertukaran’ nilai estetika, budaya dan sejarah sosial negara Malaysia. Subjek yang diterokai, dan idea masing-masing menampilkan ‘suasana’ baru dalam dunia seni halus. Antara para peserta pameran ini ialah Hamir Soib, Saiful Razman, Khairul Azmir, Choy Chun Wei, gan Siong King, Liew Kwai Fei, Phuan Thai Meng dan Yau Bee Ling.
Di antara karya yang begitu terserlah dengan makna, mesej dan komentar ialah dari pelukis yang sedang menjulang namanya, Hamir Soib. Hamir dilahirkan di Muar, Johor pada tahun 1969, dan kini menetap di Kuala Lumpur. Beliau merupakan antara pengasas kumpulan seni Matahati dan juga studio.
Banyak karya-karya yang diilhamkan Hamir menguji minda manusia. Hamir merupakan lulusan Seni Halus dari Universiti ITM. Beliau aktif sebagai penggerak kumpulan seni Matahati dan juga pernah mendapat tempat dalam peringkat akhir Soverign Art Prize Hongkong pada 2007.
Pameran solonya pada tahun 2007 berjudul ‘Imbasan’ telah semakin mengukuhkan prestasi beliau serta menjadikan beliau pelukis yang semakin disebut-sebut di areana Nusantara ini. Dan karya yang berjudul Rapuh menjadi tumpuan utama kerana mesej terhadap dunia politik Malaysia harus diberi perhatian.
Karya yang berjudul Pura-pura di pameran Tukar Ganti, berukuran 3 x 3 meter telah mendapat perhatian dan tumpuan pengunjung. Bukan setakat figuratif kura-kura yang begitu fotografik imejannya, tetapi berbagai aspek seni dalam lukisan tersebut dicetuskan. Hamir menggunakan cat minyak dan juga minyak tar untuk bahan warna ke atas kanvas untuk mendapatkan kesan monokrom. Subjek utama yang diilhamkan Hamir mungkin hanya seekor kura-kura raksasa, namun tersimpan berbagai maksud yang tersurat dan tersirat yang menjadikan karya ini berlainan perspektifnya.
Bila saja melihat karya kura-kura raksasa ini buat pertama kalinya, anda pasti akan menafsirkan bahawa Hamir ini seorang yang penggemar binatang dan juga menyokong pemeliharaan binatang-binatang yang semakin pupus. Dengan spesies yang berasal dari Pulau Gallipoli ini, carapace atau tempurung kura-kura ini umpama otak manusia mencetuskan kepelbagaian maksud. Pastinya kura-kura yang begitu perkasa wataknya mempunyai sikap yang sangat disangsikan.
Anda pasti terkesan dengan karya besar ini yang terkandung komentar sosial yang menggigit. Dari perpekstif lain, Pura-pura dalam kura-kura Hamir tersimpan satu misteri. Kilauan mata kura-kura itu, tersimpan maksud yang lebih dari apa yang ingin disampaikan. Kiasnya dalam karyanya amat halus dan ia juga berkaitan dengan kehidupan kita, dalam masyarakat, dalam politik, juga dalam keluarga atau individu.
Jika dikaji sifat kura-kura dengan manusia, ada beberapa persamaannya. Karya-karya mempunyai sentuhan satira yang menyindir mengenai keadaan politik di negaranya.
Berkarya dengan kanvas yang luas bukanlah janggal untuk Hamir kerana beliau juga berpengalaman menyiapkan set untuk latar filem dan teater. Dalam jangka waktu ini, nama Hamir Soib pasti akan mendapat tumpuan oleh masyarakat seni kerana beliau pasti akan mengilhamkan karya-karya yang menyegarkan dan lebih menakjubkan.

PEMERGIAN SEORANG SENIMAN

SEKITAR AIDILFITRI
Haron Abdulmajid meninggal

Penyajak dan penulis seni kata mapan hembus nafas terakhir pada pagi Raya

By Kamali Hudi


CAHAYA Aidilfitri hasil gubahan Haron Abdulmajid yang berkumandang di udara sejak beberapa hari lalu menambah suasana syahdu menyambut Raya.

Namun, suasana yang dibawakan lagu dendangan Jat daripada kumpulan Black Dog Bone itu bertukar sedih dan pilu pada pagi Raya kelmarin.

Ini kerana penyajak/penulis seni kata mapan Haron Abdulmajid, 58 tahun, pergi buat selama-lamanya bersama Ramadan yang berlalu.

Bagi yang membaca Berita Harian awal pagi Raya, mereka mulanya agak lega kerana beliau dilaporkan akan keluar dari hospital pada minggu kedua Hari Raya memandangkan ada tanda-tanda pemulihan.

Seorang rakan karibnya, Haji Mustaffa Yaakub, berkata Allahyarham dilihat agak ceria apabila rakan-rakan rapat menziarahinya dan tidak ada tanda-tanda beliau akan meninggalkan kita secara mendadak.

'Beliau melihat kami dalam keadaan tenang dan kadangkala mengukir senyuman sehari sebelum ini,' jelas nya.

Menurut seorang lagi rakan karibnya, Haji Nashir Yusop, perubahan mendadak Allahyarham bermula 4 pagi kelmarin.

Haji Nashir telah dihubungi pihak hospital agar beliau dan rakan-rakan segera ke hospital kerana keadaan Allahyarham begitu tenat.

Menurut doktor, Allahyarham mengalami komplikasi dengan tiba-tiba di bahagian kepala yang masih terdapat beberapa ketul ketumbuhan yang belum sempat di keluarkan.

Haron menghembuskan nafas terakhir pada 8.48 pagi di Hospital Universiti Nasional (NUH).

Beliau banyak menulis sajak dan seni kata lagu sejak 1970-an.

Kali terakhir, beliau menyiapkan novel pertamanya berjudul Ombak Jadi Saksi dan CD Hari Raya, Lambaian Lebaran, yang kini beredar di pasaran.

Kini, seni kata lagu hasil ilhamnya dan didendangkan artis-artis terkenal tetap dikenang dan beliau dianggap sebagai seorang pejuang seni muzik Melayu.

Antara yang menziarahi Allahyarham ialah rakan seperjuangan seperti komposer veteran Kassim Masdor, penulis seni kata veteran Yusnor Ef, sasterawan Jamal Tukimin dan para artis serta dramatis.

Beliau meninggalkan balu dan dua orang anak, masingmasing berusia empat dan 10 tahun, di Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Jika menerusi lagu Cahaya Aidilfitri menambah suasana syahdu Syawal, satu lagi lagu Raya gubahan Allahyarham, Dari Jauh Ku Pohon Maaf, dendangan Sudirman Haji Arshad (Allahyarham), jelas tersirat hasratnya sebelum pulang ke rahmatullah.