PROFILE OF "TAIRU" - BANGSAWAN ACTOR, STORYTELLER & ENTERTAINER EXTRAORDINAIRE

\

The young man from Hong Kong.

The last turn of the century, saw a young man from Hong Kong coming to Singapore at around the year 1903, in search of fortune. Instead he found fame as a Bangsawan (Malay opera) actor and director.. That young man was Khairuddean bin Amirruddin also known as K Dean , Kairo or "Tairu" - a nickname by which he was known among friends. Khairuddean was of Panjabi-Chinese parentage. He spoke fluent Cantonese and Hindustani besides English and Malay. In appearance, he was a slim-looking person who carried himself well; in looks he had this remarkable resemblance of the great philosopher - Krishnamurti. The similarity however stopped there. Khairuddean gave to the people of his time entertainment in the form of the Bangsawan - then an itinerant Malay opera now a dead artform except on those few occasions when it is showcased as cultural heritage on nostalgia night.

The pre-war years

The highlight years of Khairruddean's acting career spanned the pre-World War II years when he took his troupe of actors and actresses around the Malay States under the various names of Star Opera, Tijah-Dean Opera and the like. Among his patrons were the rich Chinese businessmen and the royalties of the various states of British Malaya. He was married to a prima donna of the Bangsawan called Tijah. Her full name was Tijah binti Daud. They had many children but only four survived to adulthood: Edah, Ratna, Patma, Rippen and Daud ( their only son.) Today only Edah, Ratna and Rippen are still around. Sponsored performances In the 1950s, Khairuddean held the rank of an inspector with the Singapore Voluntary Police Reserve Unit. Meanwhile, he carried out his Bangsawan production under the sponsorship of Chinese businessman who were themselves Bangsawan fans. Locations for the Bangsawan performances become more permanent and the shows were housed in theatres in amusement parks then known as "Happy World (later known as "Gay World") at Geylang and also at "Great World", at the Serangoon Jalan Besar area. These theatres have since been demolished. The signature tune for his Bangsawan opening was the overture of the classical Charge of the Light Brigade- played by a live band each night of the show.

Bangsawan di-udara.

Another chapter in Khairuddean's life saw him involved in the Bangsawan di-udara - a radio project. During this time he was a prolific script-writer, producing hundreds of stories purely from memory. The scripts reveal stories from various backgrounds - China, Germany, India, Indonesia Persiia and England. These stories include the tragedy of Hamlet, dramas like Ginufiffah of Brabant and adventure stories like Pengambara Montana and Bida Sari, The radio producers then included Zahara Zaaba Hayati Yusuf and Yusuf Ahmad. Bangsawan di-udara was a successful programme in the 1960s as television had not been widely introduced. Some of Khairuddean's actors including Ahmad Sabri and Ahmad Puteh and actresses like Rippen and Zainab Johan did make it to appear in some early television Bangsawan programmes but he himself was never involved in any television production. Bangsawan di-udara was later revived in the 1980s by another group of actors and actresses with Yusuf Ahmad as script-writer.

His other achievements.

Khairuddean was sent by the Government in the early 1960s to Dehli, India on a cultural mission. He also received a medal from the Government for his contribution to cultural development in Singapore. He died in his 70s, at his home at 190 Tembeling Road, (now 196 Tembeling Road) Singapore, from cerebral thrombosis and was laid to rest at the Bidadari Cemetery in Serangoon. Khairuddean did not leave behind any written record of his life. As for his work they survive him in the form of some scripts which he prepared for the Bangsawan Di-udara and which the writer managed to salvage for posterity. He remained however in the fading memories and rumination of his fans who must now be in their twilight years. Mr Rahim Ishak (once Minister for Transport)(recently passed away in January 2001) however did remind the writer that this Bangsawan great also left behind his name in a cul-de-sac in Opera Estate, known as "Jalan Khairuddean." He is fondly remembered by his children and grandchildren as a father and grandfather extraordinaire - a man of immense presence, distinct charisma and creative talent, a man who was not only a legendary actor but also a memorable storyteller and entertainer of his time.

His make-believe world is subject for another story:

Hairani Saban Hardjoe

6 May 1996

Updated Feb 2001