'Keretapi Sarong' Movement Makes its Way to U.S. Cities

WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- They may be living on the other side of the world, but the spirit of Malaysia is still true to their heart. 'Keretapi Sarong 2013' is now into its second year in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur but for the very first time, 3 major U.S. cities - Washington D.C, Boston and Philadelphia - get to see people taking the train in sarongs. Sarong is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist and worn by men and women throughout much of South Asia. Keretapi Sarong (Sarong train) 2013 managed to capture the interest of those living in the United States to join the one-of-a-kind movement and even the bitter cold winter weather did not stop these folks! InsightPR, LLC, a public relations company established in Virginia by Malaysians, spread the word through the social media to launch Keretapi Sarong in Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia and New York City. Its creative director, Lara Zaaba, 28, said rain did not put a dampen the spirit of participants who turned up on Saturday and they had a great time trudging in their sarongs and getting curious looks. “We had fun because we made new friends," said Lara. The main event organiser, Random Alphabets (RA), is a Malaysian non-profit organisation that puts together event-based projects in and around Kuala Lumpur. "Our objective is simply to bring people together and have fun," said Zain HD, 28, of RA. In Boston, true to its objective, Yasmin Saulnier who helped organise the Boston chaper said: “We all had so much fun and would love to do it again next year!” Reggi Pagan, an American living in the Boston metro area, has never heard of sarong but the uniqueness of sarong triggered her interest to join Keretapi Sarong 2013. -- BERNAMA