Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email PORT KLANG: Going carolling has been in 18-year-old J. Satishwaran's Christmas must-do list for the past five years.
“Carolling is something I look forward to.
“I love it because I love music and it is a happy occasion,” said the Form Six student of SMK Dato Hamzah in Pandamaran.
Satishwaran is a Hindu but says that has not stopped him from joining in the celebrations of other religions.
“To me, Christmas is a festival. Malaysians should not let different cultural background or race divide us,” he said, adding that his parents were very supportive of his passion for carolling.
Satishwaran said he practised with his five younger siblings and friends at home for five days before the carolling sessions.
He explained that life had been tough for him until his mother’s friend brought him to a tuition centre run by a Catholic charity group when he was in Year Six.
“Most of my friends at the centre were non-Christians from underprivileged homes.
“Besides receiving free tuition, I learnt respect, discipline, gratitude and honesty.
“All these good values have made me a better Hindu,” he said.
