IT’S a 5,000-year-old garment and has been found in the Indus Valley civilisation, one of the earliest in the world. It has been called the nine-yard wonder for the myriad ways it can be draped over a person. It’s timeless – both ancient and yet modern.

AS I write this, I am in India – or Bharat as they want to call it now – visiting the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The country is in a saree, oops, sorry state. Interracial, and even intra-racial rifts, are ever widening. With National Day just days away, our leaders need to set the right example.

A week before Penang went to the polls, the locals were abuzz about another choice they had no say in.

“WO de ming si jiao Fakhrul,” said the little lad, looking almost fearful. That means “My name is Fakhrul”. With him were a handful of Malay boys and girls, aged from about six to 12.

Corruption is the biggest scourge in the country and needs to be wiped out. And it has nothing to do with race, as some PAS leaders believe. After all, Chinese-majority Singapore has zero tolerance for corruption.

THE girl was just 15, and she was defiant. She had been caught hiding a vape pen in her bra. She felt it was her right to smoke it, as it had no smell and was just “fruit juice”.

THERE’S this Hindi movie on Netflix I would recommend to anyone who loves a good laugh. It’s called Kathal – and it’s hilarious. It’s about a couple of jackfruits – buah nangka to Malaysians – that get stolen just before ripening.

THE road from Kepala Batas to Pinang Tunggal in mainland Penang is decent, until it becomes narrow. A turn-off leads into an even narrower road, wide enough for just one car. Then the path is just a hard-packed gravel track.

LAST week, we celebrated a couple of important days. There was Nurses Day on May 12, and then there was Mothers Day on May 14. Both were significant, with the nightingales feted everywhere on Friday and children flocking to be with their mums on Sunday.

There’s a heatwave in some states. And it’s pouring in others.

More than 1,000 prisoners are being freed early for Raya in a magnanimous move. But it might be better if we could use the remainder of their terms to benefit society instead.