Spinning gasing into a top hobby

JOHOR BARU: A local craftsman is on a mission to make gasing (top spinning) – once a staple childhood pasttime – popular again in the era of social media and video games.

Gasing maker Mohd Rizam Abd Wahab, 34, is trying to create awareness about the game among the younger generation.

“Many of them have never seen a gasing before, let alone play with one. But after teaching them about it, they started to show interest.

“It is scary initially for people like me, who base their livelihood on making gasing, believing that we may fade away.

Mohd Rizam now uses exhibitions such as the Johor Craft Festival to promote awareness of the game.

“Once I show children how to throw the gasing to make it spin on the ground, they soon get the hang of it and would usually spend hours at it,” he said.

There are many types of gasing, which used to be a popular traditional game for men, especially in Kelantan.

Mohd Rizam first started making gasing some eight years ago at his kampung in Felda Tenang near Labis, using wood from the core of the ciku tree as well as the roots of the kuran fruit tree.

“It takes at least two days to make a gasing weighing between 600g and 800g. The price for a small gasing starts from RM5 while the bigger ones are priced between RM50 and RM150,” he said.

Business for Mohd Rizam has been good with invitations from Kraftangan Johor, which wants to market his gasing.

“I am very proud to say that for the past few years, some of my Malaysian-made gasing have been exported to Italy where they have a similar game like ours.

“Public feedback and support are also positive. So, I would say that gasing will still be around for quite some time,” he said.

Source: TheStar