Thursday, January 15, 2004

Ikan Puyu, that's it... I am talking about this famous or infamous fish the we Malay call the Ikan Puyu, 'Ikan' mean fish and Puyu is the name of this particular species of fish...I kept a few of this fish...This fish like the cat fish are a very resilience species, tough and could survived in places where very little water is need, like the cat fish it love to live in muddy water...In fact it does not seem to like crystal clear water...Even if you put it in a clear water...the water would turn cloudy in just mere days or so...Unlike other fish it just need water and no other tools, like air pump to provide oxygen or a filter pump...It survived very well without all those tools that aquarium fish need to survived.....In the Malay culture...this Ikan Puyu is a sort of a part of it traditions...It has to do with the belief of the Malay...So most Malay kept a few in their house...in jar...in bowl..in any container.... it does not matter...it need little care and maintenance, what little service it needed is that it is fed regularly and the water is some time change...Actually one need not change the water at all..It is alright as far as this Ikan Puyu is concern...but then it might turn so cloudy and smelly, that it would be best to change the water from time to time for our own sake...The main reason that the Malay kept this fish is well known...Let leave it at that...If one want to know just ask any Malay and he would gladly tell you of the Why he keep this fish...As for me other then the traditional reason I happen to like this fish, to have it around...I believe that we the Malay had the liking toward this fish pass down from generation to generation...So I guess that the liking is in my blood...so what I am doing now is just continuing the tradition of keeping it ...and hope that the generation to come would continue to do so....Do we really need a reason to keep this fish...I do not think so...Must we have reasons for everything... No...Tradition dies hard.... But tradition is what makes us a great race...I am sure that there are wisdoms in this traditions of keeping this fish call Ikan Puyu.... Now not only the Malay keep this tradition alive...the non Malay which includes the Chinese and the Indian also has taken to keeping this fish in their home...I guess they are beginning to believe in what the Malay believe in this Ikan Puyu..or may be they also have the same belief like most Asian do...And with that it has now became a sort of a national tradition for the Malaysian of all races...Why all this is happening in this modern world of ours is anybody guess...Perhaps tradition really die hard, even with the challenges of Science and Technology.... This tradition of keeping Ikan Puyu has reach the twenty first century. I believe this tradition is still alive because the people love traditions and belief in its wisdom.....So let not ask any more question.....Just accept it as a way of the Malaysian cultural life..... Let leave it at that....Keep some Ikan Puyu......

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