Legend has it that Taiping owes much to an elephant named Larut and that the area where the town is located – Larut – takes its name from this elephant.

According to Wan Mohd Isa Wan Mohd Razali, the organising chairman of the Taiping Community Parade, Larut the elephant belonged to Long Jaafar, the son of a local chieftain.

One fine day in 1848, Larut disappeared. After three days of frantic searching, Larut was found near a river and Long Jaafar noticed some shiny material stuck to the elephant’s body.

He recognised it as tin ore.

Realising its potential, he recruited some Chinese to help him mine the area where Larut had roamed. He soon became rich and managed to obtain ownership of the Larut area from the then sultan of Perak.

The discovery of rich tin deposits there resulted in a flood of Chinese capital and Chinese workers into Taiping – and the town became prosperous.

Long Jaafar’s son Ngah Ibrahim expanded the trade and the town when he was appointed administrator of the then Larut district by the sultan.

“I wanted to make the event more meaningful and attractive, that is why I came up with the idea of having elephants to lead the parade,” Wan Isa, a descendant of Long Jaafar, told FMT.

“The two female elephants that led the parade – named Pian and Rambai – came from the elephant sanctuary in Kuala Gandah, Pahang. They were the star attraction of the 150th anniversary community parade.”

A total of 53 contingents comprising various groups in Taiping – making a total of 1,987 participants – took to the streets of the oldest town outside the former Straits Settlements on July 13.

Wan Isa, who is also the Orang Besar Jajahan Larut, Matang and Selama, came dressed as a Malay warrior. Joining the fun were Taiping MP Wong Kah Woh and Pokok Assam assemblyman Ong Seng Guan.

The parade started at the historic esplanade and moved along Taiping’s two main, and parallel, roads that existed from the early days of the town – Jalan Taming Sari (formerly Main Road) and Jalan Kota – before returning to the esplanade.

Among those participating were members of the Taiping New Club, Old Edwardians Association of Malaysia, Gurdwara Sahib Taiping, Teng Yi Cultural Organisation, SJKC Hua Lian 2, Taiping Indian Association, Kelab Cintai Taiping, Rotary Club, Taiping Heritage Society, Spritzer, and brass bands from schools such as SK King Edward VII Taiping and SMJK Hua Lian.

Leading the contingents were 38 descendants of Ngah Ibrahim, the youngest of them being a sixth-generation descendant.

Members of the public who hogged the streets were able to watch Malay warriors, Chinese lion dancers, Indian cultural performers and martial artists in action.

The SJKC Hua Lian 2 contingent showcased – very appropriately – a group of dulang washers, harking back to the early days of the tin industry when ore was recovered from rivers using the dulang (a wooden pan).

Vintage cars were also part of the parade, as was a contingent of former athletes from Taiping who had represented Perak and Malaysia from the 1950s to the 1980s.

The community parade was but one of 150 activities held or planned for the whole year from Jan 1 by the Taiping Municipal Council (MPT) and organisations in Taiping. It includes art competitions, calligraphy, flora fest, hikes up Bukit Larut (Maxwell Hill), treasure hunt and sports activities.

Taiping, which means “everlasting peace” in Chinese, got its name in 1874. The British felt it was an appropriate name to mark the peace between warring tin mining groups – Ghee Hin and Hai San – at the end of what was known as the Larut Wars.

Taiping was the administrative capital of Perak until 1937, when power shifted to Ipoh with the decline in tin production there.

Taiping residents, such as businessman Lim Ka Huat, never tire of pointing out that it is a town of many firsts.

“Like others born in Taiping, I am proud of our heritage. We have more than 30 firsts in Taiping. For instance, we have the first railway track, railway station, telegraph office, zoo, public recreation park (Taiping Lake Garden), post office, hill station (Maxwell Hill), museum, aerodrome, and prison in the country,” he said.

However, Lim, who marched with the Old Edwardians Association in the parade, feels more could have been done to celebrate the occasion.

“I was 17 years old when Taiping celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1974. It was a grand affair and the town was literally lit up. This year, I don’t see the same commitment, enthusiasm or events that I saw then.

“For instance, government buildings and association and guild buildings were lit up at night in 1974. I know today everyone wants to save money but surely you can light up the buildings at least on weekends?”

He noted that there was not enough publicity regarding the events planned, resulting in limited participation.

Lim said it was still not too late for the organisers to be innovative and imaginative in celebrating 150 years of Taiping’s establishment.