Ghaffur - the Living Cendol Legend

Meet my long time friend, Abdul Ghaffur, the cendol man. He had been hawking cendol since God knows when. Now he is more than 70 years old. He stays in a sort of hostel in a community together with other cendol sellers. As a young man, the handsome and charming Ghaffur pushed his cendol cart everyday along Banda Kaba and Riverside. When he passed our shop, he would stop for a while to chat with the elders or to prepare 'ice-balls' for us kids. He must have been in his teens then. The 'ice-ball coated with red and brown sugar cost only about 10 sen but most of the time, he would give Alang and me F.O.C. (free of charge). We liked his cendol too. Back then we used to tease him, "Boleh bungkus cendol satu?" Plastic bags were unknown at that time using only used newspapers and banana leaves for packaging. So we got into such a giggle when we asked him to 'bungkus' the cendol! Years passed - from kindergarten to Primary School to Secondary School to K.L. and later overseas to Australia. You know what ... Abdul Ghaffur is still there with his cendol! He doesn't push his cart anymore but has a permanent stall near the once Lido Cinema at Kee Ann Road, until today.

From time to time he would travel back to South India to see his family, bringing along the bounties of his hard work. After two years at home, then he would return to Melaka to 'slave' again for a couple of years and fill up his 'tabung'. That's the cycle of his life. While he is away, his son, the look-alike of Salman Khan, would take care of his stall. Ghaffur is leaving again come January as one of his grandchildren is geting married. He'll be away again for two years.

Each time I pass by Ghaffur's stall now, he would greet me and offer me free cendol remembering the little girl who asked for 'cendol bungkus'. Long live Abdul Ghaffur!
Ghaffur's stall is one of those under the canvas awnings in front of the once Lido cinema.