KUALA LUMPUR: Popular singer-songwriter Khairil Ridzwan Anuar or Loque of independent rock band Butterfingers fame is not one to "keep up with the neighbours" when it comes to naming his children. Instead of the common practice in Malaysian Malay society where parents and grandparents choose Arabic and Islamic names for their little ones, 44-year-old Loque and his wife Dahlia Nadia Johari, 36, have given traditional Malay names to their three daughters aged 10, 7 and 5 and their 2-year-old son.
The girls are Anggerik Dang Jelita, Seroja Dewi Harapan and Melor Pelangi Merdu while their brother is Gema Lela Bimasakti. "There is nothing wrong having Arabic-sounding names, but sometimes it would be better to preserve 'Asli' Malay names as they are our rich cultural heritage.
We must look after our heritage, lest one day it will be lost forever," said Loque at the launch of Konsert Underground at The Estate On Federal Hill in Jalan Damansara here today. The three-hour concert organised by Hitman Solutions will take place at Sunway Lagoon's Surf Beach on March 2 and will feature Butterfingers, Hujan and Bunkface.
Loque said that he loved traditional Malay names because they paid tribute to nature, in the form of flowers such as orchids (anggerik) and jasmines (melur), and galaxies such as the Milky Way (Bimasakti). "My children have no problem with their unique and rather long names. In fact their friends find their names beautiful and praise them," said Loque.
"In my honest opinion, the best names you can give your children ought to combine Islamic as well as traditional Malay names. Your children will then have the best of both worlds."Tickets to the March 2 concert will be sold at www.hitmanlive.com beginning 2pm tomorrow and they are priced from RM149 to RM499.
