Tajuddin Mohd Sharif, 70, (right) enjoying tea with his good friend S. Mohana Kumar, 67. - Photo: Bernama
IPOH: Septuagenarian Tajuddin Mohd Sharif is always thrilled to meet his Indian friends as he can effortlessly engage in Tamil conversations with them.
Fondly known as Cik Din, the 70-year-old former postman residing in Tanjung Rambutan has no difficulty communicating with them as he has been accustomed to mingling with his Indian friends since he was young.
"As early as nine years old, I started learning the language. I have many Indian friends, which sparked my interest in conversing and reading Tamil. But initially, I only knew some basic words and numbers,” he said.
Speaking to Bernama recently, Tajuddin said he never attended Tamil language classes and only acquired proficiency through interactions with his friends.
Growing up, he made the most of his language skills and even used Tamil while working and playing sports. In fact, some of his friends even asked him to teach them the language.
"Even to this day, I still communicate in Tamil with Indians. I used to speak the language in the office, and at one point, the director (of the department) asked me to teach him.
"For me, when there is a desire to learn, that is where it begins. But sometimes, people do it halfway. So it depends on each individual’s level of interest because some really want to learn,” he said.
The father of four children aged between 32 and 38 years old said he also tried to teach them Tamil when they were in school.
Tajuddin added that the initiative by individuals from non-Indian communities to learn Tamil is a commendable effort as it promotes harmony in Malaysia’s multi-racial society.
"In my opinion, young people should learn languages other than their mother tongue to easily communicate with anyone in the future. If we don’t learn a second or third language, we’ll lose out because we’ll only know one language,” he said.
Meanwhile, his friend S. Mohana Kumar, 67, said he was pretty surprised by Tajuddin’s Tamil language proficiency when they first got to know each other about 20 years ago.
"He (Tajuddin) knows my family because he used to work in Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor (Mohana Kumar’s hometown). We initially conversed in Malay, but later, I was surprised because he could speak Tamil fluently,” he said.
Mohana Kumar also shared the same view as Tajuddin regarding the importance of learning new languages to enhance communication with other ethnic groups, as it promotes unity.
"It is great if someone can speak languages other than their mother tongue because we have a diverse population and share a strong sense of unity. I also notice on social media that even Malay youngsters can now sing Tamil songs, which is excellent,” said the government pensioner and father of three. - Bernama
