KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — Malaysia, with its many festivals, is a country that is constantly celebrating its diverse cultures.
And whether it is Chinese New Year, Hari Raya or Deepavali, there is one tradition we all look forward to: festive ads.
These used to be just generic festive greetings but since the late 1990s when the late Yasmin Ahmad made festive ads more “human” with the telling of stories both personal and universal, these ads have come to embody who we are as a nation.
Over the years, we have laughed, cried and been inspired by the many festive ads screened on TV or over social media channels.
This year, Maybank's Deepavali ad goes one step further. On top of that eternal Deepavali message of light conquering darkness, good overcoming evil... this year's ad shines a light on someone who is likened to a lighthouse. A beacon.
An athletic coach.
Jega The Lighthouse is about Coach R. Jeganathan who was with Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) for 40 years, 24 of which were with the Paralympics squad.
He is probably Malaysia's most successful coach for athletes with disabilities that very few of us outside of the athletic circle have heard of.
Coach Jega guided Mohamad Ridzuan Puzi to a gold medal in the 100-metre sprint in 2016 and was awarded the National Men's Coach at the National Sports Awards the same year.
In the ad, you will see why he is likened to a lighthouse as he guides his athletes with disabilities not just on the tracks but in life.
One of the most heart wrenching moments in the ad is when Coach Jega said he sacrificed his relationship with his own family while working relentlessly on coaching his athletes.
“I’ve lost the love from my own kids... sometimes I cry to myself, ‘What the hell am I doing?’”
You could say, he has given and is still giving his entire life to coaching. One of his athletes even said that if he could, Coach would live on the track!
The way the ad is set up, we see Coach Jega being interviewed on a soundstage. He talks about his belief in teaching people to excel, calling it his “path.”
There is also a scene where he shares about being in an accident and a coma for three months. When he woke up, it was like a miracle.
“That man up there... your time is not over, go there and keep on doing coaching,” he said with a laugh, referring to God.
Coach Jega’s interview is intercut with the views of his proteges. The award-winning athletes like Ridzuan Puzi, Siti Noor Iasah and Afiq Ali Hanafiah speak about their feelings for and experiences with the man they call Coach.
They don’t sugarcoat anything... calling him fierce, relentless but they also say he would do anything for them, how he gets to know them and encourages them.
More than one of them says he treats them like his own children, recognising that he put aside his own family for them.
They owe their success to him and there is a lovely scene where they thank him... and his reaction is priceless.
They have triumphed over the darkness (their disabilities) with the help of this lighthouse. A Deepavali story for all time surely.
Jega The Lighthouse is the latest in Maybank's portfolio of festive ads that seek to blend tradition with social relevance and humanity.
Who can forget this year’s Chinese New Year “Unspoken” about the isolation a deaf person feels in the community... and how a small gesture can make them feel seen?
Then there is this year’s Merdeka ad called “Redefining Independence” which gave us a different definition of independence... for the 60,000 visually impaired people in Malaysia, independence is being able to live a normal life.
