TEMERLOH: His fancy-looking tanjak (headgear) used to captivate other silat exponents during training sessions and competitions, but for Muhammad Syahrulnizam Kamar Bahsar, he was merely putting them on for fun.
The 21-year-old used to wear the peaked cloth, made from kain pelikat and batik, around his head and many admired his skills in preparing the traditional accessory.
Syahrulnizam, however, initially did not take it seriously or considered producing tanjak as a business, until his silat instructor told him to prepare a tanjak for a member of the royal family. The rest was history.
The youngest of nine siblings, Syahrulnizam said he now produces tanjak made from various types of materials and has gone on to make the mini-sized tanjak as souvenirs.
Being in the business for more than a year, he said it all began as a trial-and-error on his late grandmother's sewing machine.
He has since mastered all the steps including folding, ironing, and sewing the tanjak, which he sells for between RM50 and RM250 each.
Syahrulnizam, from Kampung Simpang Sanggang here, said he never expected the traditional Malay headgear, which he usually wore during silat training sessions, to become a hit with customers here and from neighbouring countries.
“There was once a royal family member who attended an event in my village and asked my silat instructor if there was anyone who could fold the traditional headgear.
“The instructor, who knew about my passion for tanjak, introduced the royal family member to me and I was told to produce one.
“When the royal family member collected the tanjak, he praised my work and later made several orders and even promoted my tanjak to some people in Riau, Indonesia.
“That was when I started to slowly produce and promote the tanjak on social media, and the response was encouraging,” he said, adding that he picked up basic sewing knowledge when he decided to venture into the tanjak business.
He said people started to place orders for bridegrooms to wear them, while the mini-sized versions, sold at RM30 each, were handed out as souvenirs or door gifts during weddings and other events.
“Nowadays, I use the ‘songket’ cloth or materials provided by my customers to produce the tanjak. Although it may look easy, but the process is quite complicated as one needs to be very focused when folding to ensure the end product is neat.
“I do a lot of research on the types of folds and consult elderly villagers because there are differences when royalties, officials and commoners wear it.
“Each tanjak has different styles and shapes, and the folds have certain meanings,” he said, adding that it would take him around three days to complete a tanjak.
Syahrulnizam said several customers from Singapore have shown interest in tanjak and he expects the traditional accessory to soon enter the Singaporean market.
The tanjak or tengkolok are popularly used as traditional Malay headwear for men and helps to add elegance to the person who wears it.