Last year, I captured portraits of mix culture couples for Malaysia day (here's the link if you missed it). So to continue the series this year, I thought I'd look for a family that could portray the cultural mixed pot that Malaysia is.
And so, I started scouring around for an interesting family to capture, funnily enough, it's true when they say start looking under your nose first. How could I miss the Rend(h)ava family?! My family in law!
And so Kim and I crashed their breakfast session one Sunday. Tai Yi Yi, made her infamous Cha (Masala Tea), and we enjoyed it with our favourite nasi lemak bungkus! Over tea and homemade bread, I asked Tai Yi Yi, what was it like to date back then?
She burst out laughing saying, "you see this Mini here? Well, this was our escape pod. Back in the day, since mixed marriages were rare and not openly accepted, the family rejection was strong. So Uncle Ranjit and I used to go on our secret dates in our beloved Mini. Hence why it's still here, haha."
Even with the rejection from family, they persevered and finally received the blessings of their parents. Forty two years on, they're now proud parents and grandparents who have Malaysia in their family. Why so?
Cuz they're a true blend of all things Malaysia - Masala Tea, Nasi Lemak, Yee Sang, Punjabi, Chinese, Malay, Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak . Keep scrolling on to see the beauty of MALAYSIA in their family, my family!
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