Our Last Journey- Part 3

We were then tested again wether to bring home Arwah or not. Some people in Melbourne advised us not to bring back since everywhere is the land of Allah. The documentation of the process took few days.

Berderai air mata kami lagi memikirkan jika jenazah arwah ditinggalkan dibumi yang asing ini. Tak sampai hati kami berbuat demikian. We want his generations to ziarah him and Melbourne is not near. Arwah still have mother, brothers and sisters whose waiting to see him for the last time. Arwah definitely have mama, me , pojee and e-am.

So, we decide to bring him home. It was a very tough decision but we have to go through all the process. Its our responsibility to bring him home.

Ya Allah, ampunilah dosa kami , kasihanilah kami dan janganlah kau seksa jenazah ini.

During the process of bringing Arwah back, he was placed in the Preston Mosque. Amazingly the mosque was occupied with a cold room. Even the High Commissioner in Canberra surprised by this since normally they would place the body in any parlor house, which means the body were mixed with any religions. So I thought it was a help from Allah. Allah menemukan kami dengan Ummi@Kak Aida and it leads us to meet Hj Saleem who is the President Khairat Kebajikan Victoria. Hj Saleem is the person who introduced us to Abu Mustaffa who is the person in charge for Islamic Burial Services in Victoria. We also received a very big help from Dr Ali who is the MSD in Melbourne. He guided us through all the process. The documentation process took few days to settle. Few certificate need be done to bring back the body. Kami tawakal dan berserah kepada Allah.

Niat kami pergi berlima pulang berlima. Tapi apakan daya, Allah Maha Berkuasa.

We received a call from Dr Ali who advised us to go back first since the tickets were fully booked over the week due to the F1.
Alahai, nak tinggal Abah ke?. Its ok Abah is in the mosque, sudah siap mandi dan dikafankan, kami memujuk hati. So then we took the flight on 15 Mac and with tears we left Melbourne with so many memories. Arwah will come back home on 19 March.

I later received a sms from Fadhli, "Kak Yan, dalam 70 orang datang sembahyang jenazah kat Preston Mosque". Sejuk hati kami. I again thought this is the help from Allah. 70 stranger in a foreign land came and pray for him. Alhamdullilah.

Pada kebiasaannya, kami pulang dari percutian, penuh dengan kegembiraan. Tetapi kali ini, kami pulang disambut dengan air mata tangisan. When we reached home, I saw so many familiar faces with tears. Tahlil diadakan setiap hari di rumah sejak Arwah meninggal. Tahlil juga diadakan di Balai Seni Lukis.We also did tahlil in Melbourne with Kak Aida's family and friends. Not to forget Fairuz's family who came as well. Hundreds of people prayed for Arwah. I hope all the prayers would heal Arwah and brought him home as soon as possible.

Allah Maha Pengasih dan Penyayang.

"Arwah Pakteh akan sampai pada 18 Mac di KLIA". Fadhli sms me.

Alhamdullilah, Allah percepatkan. So on 550am on 18 March, Arwah Abah reached KLIA. Proses pengebumian berjalan dengan lancar sekali. However, I was so touched looking at so many people came on that day. People from different walk of life, were there. From artist, poet, singer, actor, actress , friends in ITM, friends from Haji trip, near or far relatives were all there to give him the penghormatan terakhir.


I thanked all for being there. But most of all to be part of Rahime's life story that only you and him knows and to be remembered our whole life. A man who give so much without asking anything in return. A man who have big heart and passion in what he loves. A man who will always be missed by me.

Datang dan pergi memanglah sesuatu yang pasti. Tapi,bagi Allahyarham Rahime datangnya bertugas dan perginya berbekas.Seni dan ilmu, simpati dan dharma menjadi inti kehidupannya. Takziah, dan kepada keluarganya.Bersabarlah.-- A. SAMAD SAID.

Our last journey-Part 2

10 March 08

We were panicked , stunned and it was all chaos. I knew abah had stroke by looking his physical reaction and I was standing in front of him. I saw his eyes slowly shut. I wonder if I was the last image he saw. Ayu checked Abah's pulse and she said there were none. Mama suddenly said, CPR! CPR!. None of us actually knew how to do CPR and thank god there was Ayu who is a medic student. In the meantime, Fadhli called the ambulance. As what we always watched the 911 TV programme, it happened exactly like that. The operator gave us advice on what to do and just within 10 minutes we could heard the sirens. Then only we put off the phone and the paramedic take charge. As I remembered, there were 2 ambulans, 1 paramedic car and 1 fireman were in front of the house. The paramedic manager, Craig explain us of what s the procedure and starts asking us few questions. After few procedures, abah pulse were back and we were relieved but the feeling of looking him lying motionless is unbearable. After the paramedic stabilized his pulse and heart rate, they brought him in the ambulans. Me, Pojee, E-am, Ayu and Fadhli jumped into the car and rush to the hospital leaving mama with the ambulans. We just want to reach there fast. While we were on the way there, I received a sms from Mama "Patah balik, Abah kena heart attack lagi". Masyallah.

My world turns dark.

It took us 15 minutes to go back home and once we were there the ambulans are about to move. Mama said the pulse is stabilized again. I know Abah is fighting. He is a strong man. He is my hero.



When we reached Royal Melbourne Hospital, we were put on waiting in the waiting room near the ER. An ER doctor came to us and explain what happen. I could never forget the word he said " He had a massive heart attack and most of the patients who experience this wont survive". Allahu Akbar. We tried to console our heart saying that Abah is a strong man, he will fight and he will not gave up.

After few hours waiting there, the ER doctor told us that he will be placed Abah in ICU. A doctor from the ICU greet and explain us again of what had happened. We were very well informed of whats going on.

Abah was transfered to ICU on the same night. Once he was all prepared, we were allowed to see him. Abah was placed in a special room in the ICU. Isolated from the rest and he was attached with a huge machine behind him. I saw few rack of drugs and tube attached to his veins. Apalah yang terdaya lagi untuk kami lakukan hanya berdoa kepada Allah.



11 March 08

We slept at the waiting room near the ICU. It was a long night. Sleepless night. Mama tak henti-henti berzikir. Al Fatihah was on my lips all the time. Doctors were walking in and out from the ICU. It looks like my fav series "House", where few doctors will work as a team and brainstorm of what to do next. We then were called in a private room and were introduced to few people. One of them is Mark. He is the person who will be helping us and act as a middle person. I would say he is the PR of this situation. Then there's another doctor who explain us the situation again and what were their expectations. It was more on waiting game. They would like to see if Abah is responding today. And again the word of "not survived bang on our head".
The doctor advised us to expect the worst since Abah brain did not received enough oxygen and therefor the are high possibility of a brain damage. How bad it is, they can only tell by his responds later.



So we wait for miracles to happen. Nobody knows how hard was the feeling at time. We were crying high and low. Dont know what to do. We are a strangers in a foreign land. No familiar faces, no friends to talk to and no family to lend a shoulder.
It was tough. Ya Allah ya tuhanku, kuatnya dugaanmu ini.

On Allah will, we received a visitor named Kak Aida or most people call her Ummi. She's a johorian who lived in Melbourne for more that 35 years. Her presence is like an angel to us. She brought few Malaysian and Singaporean to visit us and Abah in ICU. Totally strangers came and pray for Abah. The news spread and we received lots of Malaysian students and even sms praying for him.

As only two person allowed to be inside the room, we took turns to be with Abah. I still can remember the time I touch his hand, kiss his forehead and pray Ashadu allah ilahhai allah on his ears. Sayangnya abah...
I asked the nurse if he could listened me, she said they wouldnt know...but it helps if you could talk to him.

While reciting Yassin, I hold his hand gently and prayed that he could just moved his finger. But there s still no responds.

At times when I'm alone with him, I would talk to him how much I love him. How he is so special in my heart. I told him that he has been a great father and I could never asked for more. He gave me so much joy and happiness being the daughter of Rahime. I'm proud to have him as my father. and I love him so dearly... Deep inside my heart, I know I will loose him.

His life support is helping him well breathing. But he is in a coma state. And waiting is what we do. Sabar itu separuh daripada iman...

12 March 08

The doctor and nurses advice us to have a proper sleep at home and take a good rest. So we did. It was still a sleepless night but i did my zikir until i fall asleep. Suddenly, I heard a phone rang. My heart stopped when the caller told me "Ms Nazura, we would advise you to come over to the ICU. Your father's situation is not good". Me and my mom rushed over to the hospital. When we reached there, the doctor explained to us the situation. It seems that abah had another heart attack whereby without any sign the heart just stopped. The doctor said that its unfair to the body if they keep on doing the CPR and all other rescue procedures since he had gone through so much. So what they did was, they would let him go gradually without doing anything. If he recover, he would recover naturally without anymore drugs support and if he would go, then he would go naturally when the time comes.

I shook my head and tried to digest all the words that came from the doctor. It was hard. All of us cried. "Ya Allah, kuatkanlah semangat kami untuk mengharungi dugaanmu ini".

So we started calling family and friends updating the situation. It was the hardest phone call I ever make to all my aunties, uncles and Abah's friends. A lot of people broke down hoping to see him for the last time.

Kepadanya kita datang dan kepadanya kita dikembalikan.

Around 7:45pm (Melbourne time), Allah datang menjemput Abah dan dia menyambutnya dengan penuh ketenangan. Kami dengan redha menerima ketentuan Allah ini. Muka Arwah Abah bersih dan berseri-seri...takkan kami lupa wajah itu sehingga akhir hayat kami.

Damailah Abah disana...Satu hari nanti, jika diizikan Allah, kita pasti akan bersua jua.

Our last journey-Part 1

Sometimes when I'm all alone, I always had this flashback memories on how our last journey with arwah. Thinking of how excited he was when I said I bought a ticket to Sydney during last MAS Travel Fair. I didnt asked him much like when you want to go etc etc, cause all that I know he wants to go travelling. He always said that when he travels, he feels much alive and he will feel better. When I was small and before I got married, I used to travel with my parents all the time. They would tag me along for their backpack trip to anywhere in the world. After few years of not travelling with my parents, I thought hey why not we go all together for a vacation. So Australia is the country or I must said Allah choose for us. The trip was from KLIA-Sydney-Melbourne-KLIA.This trip was Arwah Abah's second trip while it was our first.


I remember almost everyday, Arwah would asked me "Yan, bila kita nak pegi ni yan?Abah tak sabar nak jalan ngan e-am.." He would browse the internet all day long searching for place to stay, where to go etc etc. So everything set and on 4 March 08, we off to Sydney. And I guess on that day, was the last day he leaves our house in Taman Melawati with his last solat Mussafir. My mother recall on his doa, he pray that Allah take care of his house, harta and family. The final word of the doa was "Aku bermussafir untuk melihat kebesaranmu, Ya Allah".


We spend 4 days in Sydney and stayed in Oaks Apartment, Darling Habour. It was a good location, nice 2 rooms apartment attached with a kitchen and with a good view of Sydney city centre. It was the fanciest place I ever stayed with my parents since all this while we would go backpack and find the cheapest hotel to stay or safe cost by sleeping in a train.(owh, those are my best memories)


Me and Pojee were quite occupied entertaining E-am. We brought him to Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife. Arwah didnt want to followed us but he took his sweet time with my mom to the market. All we knew was, the food was ready when we were back. From kari ikan, sambal ikan, nasi goreng,meehoon goreng to semua yang boleh, arwah masakkan. It was more to rest and relax holiday. This seldom happened as I remembered Arwah Abah would drag me to all sorts of museum and art galleries.



From Sydney, we planned to visit my cousin in Melbourne. My cousin, Fadhli just got married last December with Ayu whom is a medic student there. I gave few options on how would we travelled there. Either by plane which is faster, or by train or by car, slower but you can enjoy the scenery. Abah obviously choose by land. We normally travelled by train but since Pojee enjoy driving so we decided to rent a car. There are two ways of driving to Melbourne. One is by Hume highway, which is faster or the princess highway(pacific ocean) which is slower but you can enjoy the pacific ocean view along the way. Me and my mom was keen on hume highway so we could reach Melbourne faster and spend more time there but on the other hand Arwah Abah and Pojee decide to use princess highway to view the scenery. Without much argument, we followed suit.


It was a longg way. We travelled for 1100km.It took us 2 days to reach Melbourne with a lot of stops and we slept in a Motel in Canns River. The view was Masyallah, so beautifull. Arwah Abah keep on praising Allahu Akbar when he saw how blue was the sky and how beautiful the scenery was.


Once we arrived Melbourne, we straight away went to the Art and Craft Market in St Kilda. Arwah Abah bought a ceramic plate for the house. I had a tough time controlling E-am excitement at that time. We then had our dinner in my cousins house in Brunswick.

On 10 March 08(Monday), we saw on the TV there was a parade in the city. We packed and straight away went there. It was extremely hot on that day. It was 42 celcius.
Arwah didnt complained much except for the hot weather. E-am was all excited to watch the parade. Not knowing this would be our last photo, we took a photo in Melbourne Bridge.



After few hours there, we went back and drop by at Coles to buy some groceries. Arwah Abah bought fish and chicken. I on the other hand got all excited when I saw so many good stuff in K mart. Arwah Abah, Fadhli and Ayu went back home first to prepare the meal. Arwah Abah last sms to me was "U all kat mana?". After had my last minute shopping(since we re leaving tomorrow), we all rushed back home to eat. When we reached home, we saw him relaxing near the couch with Fadhli while watching TV. On the table was Chicken Curry. Yummy! Abah's chicken curry never fails me. Apparently, it was the last meal he cooked for us.


We were all starving and start eating his curry . The last word that I heard from his was "Abah nak pegi semayang jap". A minute after that we all heard the loud sound. It was Arwah Abah lying down.

Allahu Akbar, selamatkanlah hambamu ini...kasihanilah dia...

to be continued...

**Please excuse my improper grammar/spelling. This story was written without any editing before its been published.

Segalanya aku adalah dirimu

Jika kau matahari
Akulah cahayanya
Jika kau bulan
Akulah sinar samarnya
Jika kau air
Akulah ombaknya
Jika aku awan
Kaulah angin yang menolaknya

Melihatmu adalah melihatku
Senyumanmu adalah senyumanku
Rupa dan jiwamu adalah aku
Segalanya aku adalah dirimu

Abah, doakanlah
agar aku jadi pohon yang berguna
Kalau berbuah yang enak, maka makanlah
Jika aku jadi pohon bunga yang indah dan harum bunga itu
Hiaslah dihatimu,
dan ciumlah bunga itu,
Jika aku jadi pohon yang rendang,
berteduhlah disitu.

nukilan,
Nazura Rahime
April 2000

***this poem was transferred to a digital poetry and was presented in E-Poetry Festival, Buffalo, New York in year 2001. During at that time, I was presenting my final year project in front of huge crowd and received a thunderous applause by the audience. My father was the main person who believes me with this new idea at that time. We spend a lot of time talking and having crits along the making of this project. I remember when the project was completed, he was so proud that he would watch over and over again in front of his pc. He even called his close friends to view it. Eventhough I got a C for this work, the feeling of making him proud was all worth it.

will keep on posting the digital artwork.

My life is put on hold

Yes, my life is put on hold. I'm just here in one static points.I can only dream of the past and imagine the future. All memories keep on flashing through my mind. Its like a flash card, full of scattered visual of my late father. It's tough to overcome the feeling of loosing HIM. At times, I'm glad that all his pain and suffer is finally ended and at times I just wish he could just live another 20 years. I miss my Abah. I miss him so dearly. I miss his smile, his laughter, his silly jokes and most of all missing a part of me. Abah, segalanya aku adalah dirimu. My life is just not complete without him.

*how can i restart again my life?

Champion of the arts-The Star, 23 March 2008

Rahime Harun 1954-2008

Champion of the arts
By OOI KOK CHUEN
starmag-feedback@thestar.com.my


Around 1993, I asked Rahime Harun in jest when he was getting his gleaming new Mercs. He laughed off the suggestion, preferring to plough his money back into Malaysian art, which he boasted was one of the finest.

At the time, he had just acquired a three-storey building for his art gallery and promotion business in Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur, and already owned the AP Gallery outlet at Central Market in KL.

Rahime, art entrepreneur extraordinaire, art administrator, printmaker-artist, and writer, died suddenly of a heart attack while in Melbourne on March 11, leaving behind wife Zarina Ariffin and daughter Nazura Zahian.

At the height of the 1985 recession which blighted several art galleries in KL, Rahime was smart enough to switch to more saleable smaller works and prints, his core money-spinner.

At that time, sculptors Raja Shahriman Raja Azzidin and Mad Annuar Ismail, printmaker Juhari Muhammad Said, and a loose group of newly graduated artists from the then Mara Institute of Technology (ITM) who called themselves Matahati had burst onto the scene, startling even stalwarts like Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal (then National Art Gallery director), who was more used to the halus (fine) Malay sensibilities.

Matahati’s Bayu Utomo Radjikin, Ahmad Shukri Mohd, Ahmad Fuad Osman, Masnoor Ramli Mahmud and Hamir Soib (and original member and photographer Soraya Talismail) are now big names, and it’s no coincidence that the Matahati group is currently having unprecedented simultaneous exhibitions at four venues, including the main one at Galeri Petronas.

Rahime was one of the main patrons of this group, and continued picking up choice works to ensure an unbroken story of their career paths.

Also, through prints of these works, and those of many other college-trained artists. he advocated a greater appreciation of Malaysian art and its display in public and private spaces of various buildings.

In an interview with him in 1995, he confided his formula for collecting art: U (Unique) + A2 (Aesthetics and Assimilation) = Value.

It is his largesse of significant cultural assets, for that is what his art collection is, that should find a proper home, especially as they are still on loan to Malacca museums.

Some of these works were displayed in the eye-opening two-parter, In Pursuit of A Dream at Galeri Petronas, then at Dayabumi, in 1995.

Penang-born Rahime (he had a twin brother who died a few years ago) started as an acting curator at the National Art Gallery before he quit in 1983 after nearly eight years to set up his business called AP (simply Art Promoters) with his first outlet at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton, then at Jalan Sultan Ismail.

A graduate in Industrial Design from ITM (1972-76), he had also worked as designer at Kraftangan Malaysia and a display executive at Metrojaya.

He was also an important figure in the Anak Alam interdisciplinary arts commune dominated by Mustapha Ibrahim and Abdul Latiff Mohidin, with live-in artists like K. Thangarajoo.

His passion is matched by a determination to improve himself in related fields to serve art better. In 1984, he got a scholarship to do a Diploma in Entrepreneurship Development (Art Business) in Turin, Italy, and in 1995, he was back at UiTM (as ITM is now called) for his Master of Art and Design Education in tandem with Britain’s Montfort University.

He also became more involved as an artist in his own right, mainly as a printmaker, and has taken part in at least two dozen group exhibitions.

As director of the Shah Alam Art Gallery from 1997 to 2001, he organised several important thematic exhibitions but despite all his accomplilshments, he had a persistent and underlying desire to return to the National Art Gallery, especially now that he was greatly fortified with greater expertise and experience.

Return he did, as the gallery’s director in 2005, but health reasons forced him to quit even before the year was out and before he could implement his five-year plan.

Many may still see Rahime as a highly competent art business entrepreneur and administrator. But it is the work he did which had no labels, such as organising arts orientation tours for ministry top brass, pushing his ideas in policy groups and other forums like the Arts Council, that characterises him best.

He was always trying to reinvent the work and thinking module, working well behind the scenes, never mind that others were not on the same wavelength or had the same dream.

Rahime Harun’s death is the loss of a passionate champion of Malaysian culture.

Mak Chak : Yan, banyakkan doa untuk Abah ye
Yan : Ya, Mak Chak
Mak Chak : Doa seorang anak akan sampai terus pada arwah. Kira macam ekspres laa...
Yan : ........

*Mak Chak : panggilan nama untuk Mak Long bagi keluarga kami

Beliau yang bernama Rahime-Utusan Malaysia, 20 Mac 2008

Beliau yang bernama Rahime
Bersama Azman IsmaIl (adik1102@yahoo.com)

“LAKSANA ombak yang melaju ke pantai berpasir. Minit demi minit bergerak menuju kehancuran. Semuanya bertukar tempat dengan pendahulu,” tulis dramatis agung, William Shakespeare.

Bagi Shakespeare, manusia di muka bumi adalah sebahagian daripada sebuah proses perjalanan waktu yang kesemuanya akan berakhir dengan kematian. Oleh itu, dunia hanyalah sebuah pentas opera dan makhluk-makhluknya merupakan para pelakon.

Proses perjalanan waktu meletakkan manusia dalam satu kemustahilan. Sebagaimana ungkapan Shakespeare, kita tidak mungkin membalik waktu yang tidak hanya berlaku untuk makhluk-makhluk hidup.

Bukan hanya manusia, tapi bintang-bintang dan galaksi juga dilahirkan dan mengalami kematian - sebuah titik akhir kepada sistem jagat raya.

Proses kehidupan dan kematian berlaku untuk semua aspek tapi bukan hanya dalam makna yang negatif. Berdampingan dengan kematian, hadirlah kehidupan, dan kewujudan sistem antara titik permulaan dan akhir tersebut.

Tanpa kematian, kehidupan itu sendiri tidak mungkin wujud. Kita dari alam dan akan kembali ke alam. Manusia memahami bahawa sebagai makhluk mereka akan menemui kematian di hujung waktu kehidupan yang mereka tempuh.

Para pemikir Greek kuno seperti Heraclitus (pengasas aliran dilektik) mengemukakan pandangan bahawa sesuatu tidak akan hadir tanpa kehadiran yang lain.

Kedua-dua elemen tersebut saling menentukan, saling membatasi dan saling mendefinisikan. Ini kerana ruang dan waktu adalah kesatuan daripada unsur-unsur yang paling asas, manakala manusia adalah kayu ukurnya.

“Mustahil kita menciptakan atau memusnahkan perjalanan antara dua titik awal dan akhir. Sama seperti waktu, yang tidak dapat dimulai dan tidak dapat dihentikan; kerana tidak mungkin ada ‘sebelum’ dan ‘sesudah’,” tulis Aristotles.

Pelukis dan Bekas Ketua Pengarah Balai Seni Lukis Negara (BSLN), Rahime Harun adalah sebahagian proses perubahan waktu dan perjalanan antara titik mula dan titik akhir tersebut.

Pada 12 Mac lalu Allahyarham kembali ke Rahmatullah di Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia kerana serangan jantung, sesuatu yang sememangnya tidak pernah diduga oleh kita.

Namun, perjalanan awal dan akhir adalah realiti yang tidak boleh ditolak oleh sesiapa pun dan proses itu akan terus berlangsung tanpa henti walaupun sedetik (meminjam pendapat Aristotles).

Sebagai seorang pelukis dan printmaker, Rahime memberi sumbangan besar dalam kembaranya antara dua titik tersebut. Beliau pernah mengambil bahagian dalam lebih dari 30 buah pameran di tanah air dan luar negara.

Ia bermula sejak Pameran Seni & Reka di Shah Alam pada tahun 1976 dan Anak Alam pada tahun 1983. Sejak itu Allahyarham tidak menoleh ke belakang lagi. Pengembaraan seninya melangkah hingga ke Bangkok, Seoul, Hanoi, Jogjakarta, Mexico dan London.

Sementara

Namun, seperti ungkapan Micheal Foucault dalam tulisannya pada 1966, manusia hanyalah penemuan sementara dan akan musnah seperti wajah yang dilukiskan pada permukaan pasir.

Sama seperti makhluk-makhluk lain, Rahime juga merupakan sebahagian daripada kesementaraan tersebut atau oleh Aristotles disebut sebagai mencapai titik akhir daripada perubahan waktu.

Kesementaraan itu ditafsirkan oleh Immanuel Kant sebagai hakikat fenomena hakikat waktu dan ruang yang saling melengkapi atau turut dikenali sebagai gejala realiti.

Dalam bukunya The Critique of Pure Reason, Kant melontarkan pendapat bahawa ruang dan waktu adalah sebuah sistem yang melengkapi titik permulaan dan titik akhir kepada kehidupan makhluk di muka bumi.

Bagi Kant, proses perjalanan antara dua titik tersebut (berasaskan kepada pemikiran logik dan kebenaran empiris) penuh dengan unsur-unsur kontradiksi - sesuatu yang dikupas dengan lengkap oleh Frederich Hegel dalam bukunya The Science of Logic.

Perjalanan Allahyarham Rahime antara kedua-dua titik tersebut adalah sebuah pertembungan kontradiksi- kontradiksi tersebut. Empirisisme dan pemikirannya berjaya melahirkan sesuatu yang sangat berharga kepada dunia seni tanah air.

Memang, kehilangan seorang pelukis di negara mana pun tidak pernah mendapat penghormatan kenegaraan. Tidak akan ada kibaran bendera separuh tiang atau tembakan meriam.

Setidak-tidaknya, Allahyarham meninggalkan legasi seni yang besar dan layak dikenang oleh seluruh rakyat negara ini. Namun, seni tidak pernah berada di kedudukan paling tinggi dalam sesebuah negara bangsa.

Mungkin metafora dalam sebaris baris puisi penyair legenda Britain, Alexander Pope, Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady (1717) cukup menarik untuk melihat perjalanan Allahyarham;

Alam dan seluruh hukumnya tersembunyi di kegelapan.

Alhamdullilah, Arwah Abah is back home

Assalamualaikum,

Pada 18 Mac 2008, jam 11 pagi, jenazah Hj Rahime Harun telah selamat disemadikan di Tanah Perkuburan Klang Gate, Ulu Klang. Alhamdullilah, dengan keizinan Allah segala proses telah berjalan dengan lancar.

Terharu, sedih, lega dapat kurasai di lubuk hati apabila melihat ramai yang datang untuk memberikan penghormatan terakhir buat Arwah. Pelbagai golongan hadir di kalangan pelukis, penyajak, art collector, pelakon, penyanyi, pengajar, pelajar, saudara mara dan teman teman rapat usah dikata, sememangnya sentiasa ada di sini selama 7 hari. Tak terucap kata terima kasih, hanya doa kami mengiringi agar Allah merahmati kehidupan kalian.

Malam semalam, terasa Abah mengucupi pipiku sewaktu aku tidur. Teringat sewaktu aku kecil, bila Abah pulang lewat dia akan masuk ke bilik ku dan membetulkan selimutku dan mengucupi pipiku. Aku sememangnya sedar tapi pura-pura tidur, malu.

credit photo by http://blog.zulkhas.com

Bekas Ketua Pengarah Balai Seni Lukis Negara meninggal - Berita Harian, 17 Mac 2008

Some write up on my late father, Haji Rahime Harun.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bekas Ketua Pengarah Balai Seni Lukis Negara (BSLN), Rahime Harun, (gambar) 54, meninggal dunia di Melbourne, Australia, Rabu lalu selepas diserang sakit jantung sewaktu sedang bercuti bersama isteri, anak, menantu dan cucunya.

Anak perempuannya, Nazura Zahian, 29, berkata bapanya diserang sakit jantung sehari sebelum mereka sepatutnya pulang dan akibat serangan itu mereka sekeluarga membawa beliau ke Royal Melbourne Hospital untuk mendapatkan rawatan.

"Bapa ditempatkan selama dua hari di Unit Rawatan Rapi sebelum menghembuskan nafas terakhirnya pada jam 7.25 petang waktu Melbourne," katanya sewaktu dihubungi di sini, semalam.

Jenazah Rahime yang sudah dimandi dan dikafankan dan kini ditempatkan di Masjid Preston, dijangka tiba di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) jam 5.30 pagi Rabu ini untuk dikebumikan di Tanah Perkuburan Islam Klang Gate, di sini sebelum zuhur

Nazura Zahian berkata, bagaimanapun pihaknya dan sepupunya, Fadhli Rahim, anak kepada kembar Rahime, Rahim Harun, yang juga meninggal dunia kerana penyakit sama dan tinggal di sana sedang berurusan dengan beberapa pihak di Melbourne supaya jenazah dapat tiba lebih awal iaitu Selasa ini.

Rahime meninggalkan seorang balu, Zarina Ariffin; Nazura Zahian; menantu Mohd Fauzi Nasir dan cucu, Ilham Fannani, 2 setengah tahun.

Nazura Zahian berkata, arwah bapanya tidak menunjukkan sebarang tanda sebelum ini walaupun sebelum berangkat ke Makkah untuk menunaikan Haji pada musim lalu beliau diserang angin ahmar ringan.

"Bapa nampak gembira sewaktu di Melbourne dan sebelum diserang sakit jantung beliau sempat memasak kari ayam untuk kami sekeluarga yang pada waktu itu berada di rumah Fadhli kerana bapa memang suka memasak.

"Pada sebelah petang ketika hendak menunaikan sembahyang Asar beliau diserang sakit jantung menyebabkan kami membawanya ke hospital dan saya bersyukur kerana pihak paramedik di sana cepat bertindak.

"Mak ada berkata, sewaktu beliau dan bapa sembahyang musafir sebelum berlepas ke Melbourne, dalam doanya bapa ada menyebut 'bahawa aku bermusafir untuk melihat kebesaranMu' dan sewaktu berjalan-jalan dan melihat pemandangan yang cantik di sana bapa banyak kali memuji keindahan alam ciptaan Tuhan," katanya yang pulang bersama keluarga kelmarin.

Katanya, mereka terpaksa pulang awal atas nasihat pihak Penerbangan Malaysia kerana pada masa ini sedang berlangsung perlumbaan Formula Satu di Melbourne, dan segala urusan membawa pulang jenazah dilakukan Fadhli.

Rahime yang sebelum bertugas di BSLN bertindak sebagai Pengarah di Galeri Shah Alam adalah antara seorang pengumpul yang cukup dikenali di kalangan komuniti pelukis di negara ini.

Beliau yang dilahirkan di Pulau Pinang dan mendapat pendidikan dalam bidang rekaan industri di Institut Teknologi Mara dan Sarjana Pendidikan Seni dan Rekaan di De Monfort University adalah penggerak pemasaran lukisan di negara ini.

Rahime banyak menyumbang kepada perkembangan seni tampak negara dan idea beliau memasarkan karya pelukis Malaysia ke hotel-hotel, pejabat kedutaan dan pelancong memberi nafas baru kepada pemasaran lukisan di negara yang ini yang sebelum ini agak malap.

Most beautiful memories

Just to share our most beautiful memories in the name of Allah.We make our journey together.Here it goes:

Before we left for Melbourne,Abah had his solat sunat Mussafir and in his doa he said:

Ya Allah ya tuhanku, Aku bermusafir kerana ingin melihat kebesaranmu, Ya Allah.

And along our journey he keep on praising AllahuAkbar when he saw the skies, the mountain, the landscape and the stars.

Hj Rahime Harun , a man who live his life to the fullest.

Articles in Kakiseni.com by Dr Zulkifli Mohamad

Dear friends,

Dr Zulkifli wrote an article in kakiseni.com.

Rahime Harun: 1954 - 2008 by Dr. Zulkifli Mohamad

Rahime Harun dilahirkan kembar di Georgetown, Pulau Pinang pada 29 September 1954. Allahyarham mendapat pendidikan sekolah rendah dan menengah di Sekolah Saint Mark, Butterworth, Pulau Pinang dan Sekolah Menengah Georgetown, Pulau Pinang. Beliau menyambung pelajaran di Institut Teknologi MARA (ITM) pada tahun 1972 dan menjadi graduan Bachelor of Arts dalam bidang Industrial Design pada tahun 1976. Beliau pernah berkerja sebagai Pereka Muda di Paul Corley Kadar Associates, Pereka di Lembaga Kraftangan Malaysia, Display Executive di Metrojaya, dan Pemangku Kurator di Balai Seni Lukis Negara (BSLN) di antara tahun 1976 dan tahun 1983.

Allahyarham mengambil keputusan untuk menyambung pelajaran di dalam Diploma Entrepreneurship Development (Art Business) di ILO, Turin, Italy, dengan menerima biasiswa daripada Jabatan Perdana Menteri pada tahun 1984. Beliau kemudiannya menubuhkan galeri persendirian, A.P Gallery, bersama isterinya, Puan Zarina Ariffin, apabila Melewar Corporation membaikpulih bangunan Central Market menjadi Pasar Seni pada tahun 1985.

Sebagai seorang printmaker, Rahime pernah mengambil bahagian dalam lebih dari 30 buah pameran di Malaysia dan luar negara, bermula dari Pameran Seni & Reka di Shah Alam pada tahun 1976 dan Anak Alam pada tahun 1983 hinggalah ke Bangkok, Seoul, Hanoi, Jogjakarta, Mexico dan London pada tahun 1996. Pameran Self-Portraitnya AKU, yang dikuratorkan oleh J.Anu, pernah diadakan di Galeri Petronas, Kuala Lumpur pada tahun 1999. Sebagai seorang rakan kongsi sebuah galeri pula, Rahime sudah pernah menganjurkan hampir 70 buah pameran seni rupa di Malaysia dan di United Kingdom, yang memaparkan hasil karya seniman-seniman terkenal Malaysia termasuk O.Don Eric Peris, Ahmad Khalid Yusoff, Sharifah Fatimah Zubir, Ismail Ab.Latif, Raja Azhar, Khalil Ibrahim, Wong Kim Chin, Rudolf G.Usman serta Kumpulan Matahati.

Beliau kembali ke menara gading pada tahun 1995 untuk menyambung pengajian ke peringkat Master of Art and Design Education di bawah De Monfort University, United Kingdom dan Universiti Teknologi MARA.

Allahyarham Rahime Harun, sebagai seorang seniman sekaligus pencinta seni rupa, bukan hanya aktif mengurus, menulis dan memberikan syarahan tentang seni rupa dan pengurusannya, tetapi beliau juga merupakan seorang kolektor seni rupa yang aktif dan disegani ramai. Kredibilitinya sebagai seorang pejuang seni di Malaysia telah menempatkan dirinya sebagai juri pertandingan-pertandingan seni rupa, termasuk Bakat Muda, Balai Seni Lukis Negara dan Open Show, Galeri Shah Alam sejak tahun 1983.

Semangat “Anak Alam”nya yang memperjuangkan seni di Malaysia, menyaksikan beliau bergiat aktif dalam banyak persatuan semasa hayatnya, termasuk Persatuan Pelukis Malaysia, International Artists Association, Angkatan Pelukis Semenanjung, Ahli Seumur Hidup Penulis Nasional(PENA) serta penasihat Angkatan Karyawan Aktif Kuala Lumpur(ANGKA) yang bergiat dalam bidang teater. Sebagai seorang yang banyak mempunyai pengalaman di dalam bidang seni, Allahyarham Rahime Harun, tidak pernah jemu untuk memberikan galakan dan dorongan kepada seniman-seniman muda untuk terus berjuang menegakkan seni.

Rahime juga pernah berkhidmat sebagai Pengarah Galeri Shah Alam dan Selangor Art Foundation antara tahun 1997-2001. Beliau terpaksa berundur dari jawatan Ketua Pengarah di BSLN pada tahun 2005 kerana sebab-sebab kesihatan yang tidak mengizinkan. Pun begitu allahyarham tidak boleh tidak untuk menghadiri pameran-pameran seni rupa serta persembahan-persembahan teater dan sempat menganggotai penubuhan awal Majlis Seni Malaysia.

Terakhir, kita sempat menyaksikan rakaman video beliau berbicara tentang kumpulan seniman Matahati yang ditayangkan di Pembukaan Pameran Matahati di Galeri Petronas pada hari Isnin 10 Mac 2008 lalu. Beliau dikatakan sebagai orang penting di dalam penubuhan awal kumpulan tersebut.

Rahime Harun, seniman dan pejuang seni Bangsa Malaysia, telah diserang sakit jantung semasa berada di Melbourne, pada 11 Mac 2008 dan beliau diberitakan kembali ke rahmatullah pada jam 4.45 petang, 12hb Mac 2008 di Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. Sesungguhnya kita telah kehilangan sebutir lagi bintang yang menyuluh dunia seni rupa kita.

Semuga rohnya dicucuri rahmat. Salam takziah dipanjatkan kepada balu allahyarham, Puan Zarina Ariffin dan anak tercinta serta seluruh ahli keluarga. Al-Fatihah.

**Updated
Jenazah Allahyarham Rahime Harun yang bakal tiba di Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Sepang pada 18 Mac 2008 akan dibawa ke kediamannya di Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur.
~
Zulkifli Mohamad lectures on dance theatre, traditional theatre, arts management, and visual arts at University Malaya.

Rahime, this is your time

rahime, this is your time

it’s been more than 40 days since i played my pretend-to-be-artist game. this is terrible. i can’t sleep properly, i can’t stand all these movies any more and there’s no background music in my life. worse, i’m broke. i've rebooted onto a desktop with no software.

words recurring on the tube since the ‘tsunami’: diterjemahkan, rakyat, wakil, dan lain-lain, post-mortem, terkejut, muhasabah, janji, harga, polarisasi, melihat, (among others)
are artists represented? words like catan, karya, pelukis, seni lukis, berus, kanvas, pengajian seni tampak, kurikulum seni lukis, buku teks kbsr seni lukis, never made it.

meanwhile, dio is performing in the background NOW

Right now it seems
You're only dreams and shadows
If wishes could be
eagles how you'd fly

This is your life
This is your time
What if the flame
won't last forever
This is your here
This is your now
Let it be magical

Rahime Harun passed away today in Melbourne.

thanks for helping me keep the spirit in more ways than all.

taken from http://subterran.blogspot.com

Dear RS,
Thank you for the beautiful poem dear RS.I'm sure my father is smiling proudly now.

Al Fatihah

Al Fatihah

Pada 12 March 2008, jam 7:25(waktu melbourne)(4:25 ptg-waktu Malaysia), bapa saya yang dikasihi, Rahime Harun telah menghembuskan nafas terakhirnya di Wad ICU, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia. Alhamdullilah,he died peacefully beside my mom.
Jenazah akan dibawa pulang ke Malaysia dan insyallah akan dikebumikan di Tanah Perkuburan Klang Gate, Tmn Melawati. Tarikh kepulangan kami masih belum dapat ditetapka n lagi kerana proses dokumen yang perlu kami lalui di Melbourne agak rumit.
Doakanlah kami cepat sampai ke Malaysia dan segala urusan dapat dipermudahkan. I really want to go home. Kami pergi ke Australia berlima dan kami akan pulang berlima, insyallah.

I will update from time to time.
If anyone wants any new update do call my house at 41077686 or 41062963(manggis ofis).

Insyallah, when I find the courage to write, I will write about The Man who lives his life to the Fullest, Rahime Harun. Banyak pengalaman2 indah yang terakhir untuk diceritakan kepada kalian.

Doakan kami cepat pulang.

Abah, segalanya aku adalah dirimu.