3 May 2023. Inner Wheel Club of Kuala Lumpur. Royal Hari Raya Open House. Writeup.

Hari Raya Open House and Projects

Inner Wheel Club of Kuala Lumpur

3 May 2023

Selamat Hari Raya!

Royal Patron, DYMM Tuanku Ampuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Aishah Rohani very graciously hosted a Hari Raya Open House for members of the Inner Wheel Club of Kuala Lumpur (IWCKL) at Istana Hinggap, Seremban on 3rd May,2023 (Wednesday) between 11am and 2pm. More than 50 members travelled to the Istana in a 44-seater Coach and Chauffeur driven cars.

There was much fun & merriment. A band was in attendance. They entertained the ladies with a few popular and some festive songs. The audience sang “You are my sunshine.” Florence Cho sang 2 songs viz. Bengawan Solo & Wonderful World. Sure “Innerwheel’s Got Talent!” Some members performed a skit to the accompaniment of music from ‘Selamat Hari Raya’ and ‘Sway.’ The Skit artistes were so natural and entertaining, drawing much laughter from the audience. The ever-creative Juanita Lee choreographed the skit with her talented cast and beautiful props.

President Jinny presented a gift to DYMM Tuanku from the Club, as well as a personal gift. YBhg Toh Puan Aishah presented a very exclusive gift on behalf of the Muslim members. This framed piece is Tuanku’s full name stylised in khatt. It is handwritten on canvas. The background is soft batik design. Yellow denoting royalty and the “splashes” indicating life’s ups and downs.

Khatt or Arabic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting and based on the Arabic alphabet. Calligraphic fonts have a classic, fancy appeal. Designers use these fonts to alter the shapes and sizes of the letters, make them sketchy, add different dimensions to them and alter the designs associated with each letter, making the font have great look when viewed as a whole.

Tuanku posed with members for group photos. There were 3 group photo sessions with the Muslim organising committee, the IWCKL Committee and all the members present respectively. Members were busy and enthusiastically taking photos. It is a rare opportunity to take as many photos while at the Istana. Tuanku was so relaxed mingling with members. Tuanku even joined in the Line dancing eg. Poco-poco, Madu dan Racun and other dances.

In conjunction with this year’s Hari Raya celebration, 2 projects were carried out:

“Dari Hati ke Hati” project
On Wednesday 17th May morning, 13 members visited the Pusat Jagaan Titian OKU NUR. It’s located at 78 Jalan Sentosa, Kampong Melayu, Batu 16, 48000 Rawang. This centre caters for 80 inmates (ie. 50 ladies and 30 men.) Most were abandoned at various hospitals. The Club sent pre-loved foldable beds, 6 wheelchairs, 3 walkers, food provisions, wet wipes and other essentials. Honorary member Toh Puan Aishah Ong sponsored a commercial washing machine.
Another project entailed assisting a cancer-stricken single mother with 3 OKU children. The Club gave her an oven. This will enable her daughter who is in the Cheshire Home, to bake and sell cookies to help her mother financially.

It was a truly a wonderful & memorable event at Istana Hinggap from the gracious & lovely hostess DYMM Tuanku Aishah Rohani. There was certainly a meticulous spread of delicious and yummy food, good entertainment with singing, dancing and a skit. Each member had a bag containing cookies to take home. The day ended with resounding praises from members for a laudable and successful Open House at the Istana. The smiles and happiness on each and every member’s face brought memories of joy to a great fellowship. Everyone enjoyed themselves tremendously, with sincere and grateful thanks to the gracious hostess – their own Royal Patron Tuanku Rohani.

~ LEE Lan Mee