KAMARUL Baisah bin Hussin is from Kampung Banggol, Gelang Mas, Pasir Mas in Kelantan.
At the age of seven, he began to immerse himself in the traditional art of Wayang Kulit Kelantan. His father, Pak Hussin, was also a traditional performer, a Tok Dalang and a musician.
Pak Hussin dedicatedly trained Kamarul and passed down his knowledge of traditional arts to his son. Kamarul Baisah finished his early education in Pasir Mas, Kelantan. Kamrul then enrolled in the National Academy of Arts (Aswara), and he is currently a lecturer at Aswara.
He performs Wayang Kulit Kelantan as the Tok Dalang (master puppeteer). Wayang Kulit Kelantan is distinct from the other types of Wayang Kulit performance as it is performed using the Kelantanese dialect, and has unique puppet designs. It's storyline is based on the Indian epic tales of Ramayana.
There are 4 different types of Wayang Kulit practised in Malaysia – though Wayang Kulit Melayu is unfortunately no longer practised because it was not passed down to the younger generation. Wayang Kulit Kelantan (Kelantan-Patani style), Wayang Kulit Purwo in Johor, and Wayang Kulit Gedek in Kedah are still practised today.
Wayang Kulit puppets are usually made up of cow skin or buffalo skin. It requires months to complete a puppet which includes tedious drying of the material, cutting and shaping, and painting.
A Wayang Kulit performance is accompanied by musical instruments like the Malay oboe (serunai), a pair of drums gendang (ibu and anak), geduk, gong, canang and kesi. – The Vibes, January 28, 2023
Adiguru Cendana is a community arts programme that aims to sustain the development and ensure continuity of Malaysian traditional art forms, implemented by Cendana (Cultural Economy Development Agency) in collaboration with cultural organisation Pusaka.
A total of 34 masters of traditional arts throughout the country have received Adiguru Cendana grants.
