Adieu, Krishen Jit

Krishen Jit passed away yesterday afternoon.

It has affected me quite profoundly. I only met him a few times over a decade ago so I won't claim that I have lost a friend. I feel the loss of Krishen the way I felt when Nik Rashiddin passed away two years ago. It's a sense of the void that remains when a unique person is gone from this world. Krishen devoted his life to theatre, just the way that Nik Din dedicated his to rescuing and rehabiliting Malay woodcarving. They lightly touched my life. How much worse is it for those who were closest to their larger than life presence?

Years ago, I interviewed Krishen for a magazine article. Quite unexpectedly, he said that his greatest wish was to stage an original Malaysian musical. He envisioned a Broadway-style production with big song and dance numbers, lavish costumes and fantastic sets. He admitted that most of his colleagues disagreed with him because they felt it would take Malaysian theatre in the wrong direction but he argued that what Malaysian theatre needed the most was an audience. A "low brow" musical would attract audiences, perhaps kickstarting a broader-based theatre culture than we have at present.

Krishen passed away without making his musical. But I read that he passed away with Marion by his side and surrounded by his friends.

Even legends couldn't ask for more than that.

P.S. Kathy Rowland of Kakiseni. wrote a beautiful obituary on Krishen.