The Unforgettable Khar-Kiak Man

Just as I came out of the Overseas United Bank at Orchard Road, I noticed a young man holding on to a metal walking bar. With saliva drooling due to his somewhat twisted and contorted face, he was coercing passersby to buy some lottery tickets from him. I decided to give him a $2 note. Just as I was about to cross the street, I spotted a $2 note on the floor. I picked it up.

When I was about to take the escalator at Sommerset MRT I saw a man in a white T-shirt. He was juggling three tennis balls, and at the same time playing his harmonica to the rhytmn made by a pair of wooden clogs or what is called khar-kiak in Hokkien dialect. The almost balding busker was playing Jambalaya. I smiled and decided to put the $2 I picked up into the busker's stainless steel kettle for donation.

When the elderly man took a break, he realised I was smiling and encouraged, he said in Mandarin, "Just now I performed and I enjoy performing.!" I told him he was very good and entertaining and asked him for his name. "Gn Kok Lin", he said and pointed to his paraphernalia of two framed up photos taken of him and some write up in Chinese. He had a mini totem pole which had a sticker of the Goddess of Mercy. Mr. Gn also told me proudly that he had been asked to perform in Tan Pin Pin's short film, Singapore GaGa, a documentary featuring the various sounds of our little island nation. "Ok. I better continue performing now", and he took his harmonica and started throwing the tennis balls into the air.

Soon, more people gathered round to watch his performance and some put in donations into his kettle. During his break again, I asked him about his family. "I live alone in a small flat in Chinatown, as my wife and daughter had left me. I miss them but what to do? Life goes on and I hope to marry again. Hope to find a young and pretty lady... you know", he smiled. "When I'm not performing, I'm at home listening to music from the radio or watching TV. Hope to find my ideal woman to keep me company and I'm confident of finding her", said the gutsy busker with an air of confidence.

I left the place and suddenly felt very happy. Just as I reached the end of the escalator, I found another $2 note! When I reached my apartment, I took my harmonica and borrowed my flatmate's tennis balls and with my wooden clogs I tried to imitate Gn Kok Lin. It was not easy doing three things at one time. My tennis balls kept dropping as I could not co-ordinate my movements. After a while, I decided to play on the piano instead. I felt so much richer for the experience of having watched a humble, elderly man bringing joy to pedestrians with his creative performance. Music has power to soothe many a stressed and overworked Singaporean, and I am definitely one of them.

Thanks, Mr. Gn for reminding me what life is all about. It is about being resilient, truthful, simple and giving for it is in giving that one receives even more abundantly.

Gan Chau :-)