THE LEGACY OF 1MALAYSIA KACANG PUTIH

By Nurul Halawati Azhari

IPOH, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- There was a time when the "kacang putih" seller
peddled his fried legumes and crispy savouries on foot or by bicycle, and was a
familiar sight in towns and neighbourhoods.

This trade was carried out exclusively by the Tamils from south India that
can be traced back to the early 19th century.

Malaysians from the pre-and early post-Merdeka generation will recall how
these kacang putih sellers deftly rolled paper into a cone and filled it with
the tantalisingly fried legumes and savories for a token price.

Many will remember crunching the legumes while waiting for a bus or enjoying
a movie in the theater. Remarkably, the snack that originated from India is
enjoyed by people of all ethnicities, and is truly a 1Malaysia snack.

Whereas the kacang putih man that Malaysians were familiar with may have
vanished from the streets, the same kacang putih that is sold by a new breed of
Tamil vendors remains a favourite snack.

And today, the kacang putih man sells his wares from a fixed location with
the legumes and savouries neatly packed in plastic packets, and many of them
have turned into successful kacang putih entrepreneurs as well.

One of these successful kacang putih men is Thanggaraja Solayapan, 55, who
hails from the heartland of Malaysia’s legume cottage industry, Kacang
Putih Viilage in Buntong, about eight kilometres from Ipoh city centre.


THE FAMILIAR KACANG PUTIH MAN

Thanggaraja is a familiar face at the Ipoh bus terminal as he is a kacang
putih vendor there and the third generation in the kacang putih trade.

Kacang putih is the generic name for Indian savouries such as muruku,
pakoda, sivel, aulu, omma poddi, kadalai and legumes such as dhall, chick pea,
and groundnuts. Nowadays, one can also find tapioca chips, which is truly a
Malaysian addition to kacang putih.

Out of the 50 types of kacang putih on sale, Thanggaraja makes 19 of them
right from his home-based factory.

Knowing well that Malaysians are diverse in ethnicity and taste, this
innovative trader has further diversified his fare by offering sweetmeats such
as laddu, jelebi, athirasam supplied by a Sikh trader, who is also his old
friend.


TRULY NUMBER ONE MALAYSIAN

On a good day or during festive seasons, Thanggaraja could sell up to 200
packets of various types of kacang putih to customers who come from all races
and walks of life.

He is proud of the fact that his Malay and Chinese customers have learned to
pronounce the names of the different types of kacang putih eloquently.

"Over the last 30 years, non-Indians too have acquired a taste for kacang
putih similar to Yong Tau Fu (Tau Fu or vegetables stuffed with fish paste)and
Nasi Lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk). It is truly the number one
Malaysian snack," he said in jest, about the snack enjoyed by all Malaysians.

Nonetheless, in the bigger picture, what started as a small trade for
Thanggaraja and his neighbours in Kampung, kacang putih has now flourished into
a lucrative cottage industry.

He pointed out that between 40 and 50 families in the village were involved
in making and selling kacang putih, an industry that the people here are proud
of and the community’s success story.

Unlike their predecessors who could only afford a simple life, the kacang
putih entrepreneurs here are better off.


LOOKING BACK

However, success did not come easily for the kacang putih community in Ipoh
as pointed out by Thanggaraja. In fact, a tragedy befell them that brought them
to the present Kacang Putih Village and set their destiny as kacang putih
entrepreneurs.

They were originally from the foothills of the Cheroh Mountain here, near
the the Indian Sri Subramaniar temple, the place where their forefathers settled
down after they migrated to Malaya in the early part of the 19th century.

The community there was made up of farmers, workers, and small peddlers,
including those selling kacang putih.

In 1970, a giant boulder came crashing down on Gunung Cheroh, killing many
of the settlers who were subsequently relocated to the present place in Buntong
for their safety.

The community tried to carry on with many of their old trades but with the
passage of time the kacang putih trade became the prominent one.


MARKETED OVERSEAS

As for Thanggaraja, the community’s sheer determination and perseverance in
rebuilding their lives after the tragedy drove them to entrepreneurship. From
carrying the kacang putih tray on their heads, they then carried it on their
bicycles, later on motorcycles, and now in vans, he added, indicating their
progress.

Previously they sold their wares in neighbourhoods but now their products
go as far as Australia, Thailand, Japan, China, and Taiwan.

Thanggaraja said the families have a secret recipe for their kacang putih.

Though this is a cottage industry, it contributes to the state’s economy and
provides employment opportunities to the locals.

However, it is not easy to find people from the younger generation
continuing with the trade as the youngsters nowadays are keen to work outside in
other jobs.

Thanggaraja and most fellow entrepreneurs so far have avoided employing
workers from outside in the trade.

In wooing their younger generation to stay in the business, the people of
Kacang Putih Village have to look for alternatives, including building their
business up to small- and medium-scale industry level.

Another idea that the community is looking into concerns wooing the
tourists.

Thanggaraja had persevered for a quarter of century to build the family
business, but his well-educated children are not keen to take up his business.
Thus, he is now hoping to hand over the kacang putih business to his nephew.

The kacang putih vendors are a dynamic community who will keep evolving in
line with the country’s progress and the ever-changing preferences of their
customers. As for kacang putih itself, it will always remain the 1Malaysia
snack.