Nurul Hana Binte Mohamad Azeli (24A04)

As the stage lights glow softly, draped in ornate costume, Nurul Hana Binte Mohamed Azeli steps forward, her movements deliberate, her voice measured and expressive. In that moment, she is no longer herself, but Wan Seri Bini — a figure from history, a bearer of tradition, a living expression of Malay cultural heritage. Through gesture, rhythm, and speech, she brings to life the grandeur of Bangsawan, a traditional Malay operatic theatre form whose stories have echoed across generations.

For Nurul Hana, a student from Jurong Pioneer Junior College this is more than performance. It is where language breathes, where culture endures, and where her deepest passion finds its voice. Nurul Hana’s love for the Malay Language was never a passing interest. It was something she carried steadily and with conviction — a passion that, like the proverb ‘tak lapuk dek hujan, tak lekang dek panas’ — unfaded by rain, unweathered by sun — endured and grew stronger with time.

From a young age, Malay Language had always been her strongest subject, but her connection to it extended far beyond academic success. She found joy in crafting stories, uncovering layers of meaning within texts, and discovering how traditional Malay narratives continued to reflect contemporary life. Yet what captivated her most was the power of language when performed — spoken aloud, embodied through movement, and transformed into living storytelling.

By the time she completed secondary school, Nurul Hana was certain of one thing: she wanted to continue studying Malay Language and Literature in junior college.

“I knew that after secondary school, I wanted to take Malay Literature,” she shares. “I wanted to go deeper and understand it more.”

The Malay Language Elective Programme (MLEP) at Jurong Pioneer Junior College became the natural choice — a space where her passion would not only be sustained but fully realised. Entering junior college, Nurul Hana was not searching for a new interest; she was seeking immersion, depth, and a deeper connection to the language she loved.

In JPJC’s MLEP, she found exactly that. Weekly workshops became the heartbeat of her learning, exposing her to short story writing, Jawi calligraphy, and most significantly, theatre — experiences that allowed literature to move beyond the page and into lived expression. Through performance, texts once confined to books became voice, emotion, and movement.

“One of the things I really enjoyed was how hands-on everything was,” Hana recalls. “It made literature feel real.”

It was through these experiences that Hana encountered Bangsawan — an art form rich in history, symbolism, and dramatic expression, yet unfamiliar to many young people today. While she had been curious about Bangsawan before entering junior college, it was through MLEP that she was given the rare opportunity to experience it fully — not as a spectator, but as a performer entrusted with preserving its legacy.

The journey was both demanding and transformative. Over several weeks, Hana underwent intensive training, memorising scripts, mastering stylised gestures, and learning the distinctive rhythm and delivery that define Bangsawan performances. Under the guidance of professionals from the Opera Academy, she learnt that every movement, every line, and every expression carried cultural meaning.

“We had to take ownership of the performance,” she says. “It wasn’t something you could just rely on teachers for.”

Stepping into the role of Wan Seri Bini, the wife of Sang Nila Utama, Hana did more than portray a character — she embodied a living tradition. Through elaborate costumes, expressive dialogue, and stylised movement, she experienced how Bangsawan preserves history, values, and identity through performance. The stage became a space where past and present converged, where she felt deeply connected to her cultural roots.

Her performance culminated during the MLEP Immersion Programme in Kuching, Sarawak, where she and her peers encountered Bangsawan within its cultural context and engaged directly with local communities. Witnessing the art form in its living environment profoundly shaped her understanding of its significance.

“That experience made me realise how important it is to preserve this art form,” Hana reflects. “So many young people don’t even know it exists!”

From that moment, Bangsawan became more than a performance — it became a personal mission. Through theatre, Hana discovered that language is not merely studied, but lived, shared, and safeguarded.

Her journey at JPJC also allowed her to grow beyond the stage. As Vice-President of MLEP, she played a key role in organising programmes such as Gotong Royong and Road2Ramadan, working closely with teachers and community partners. Through these experiences, she learnt that cultural preservation extends beyond performance into service and community engagement.

“For me, it’s important to give back,” she says. “We should know what others are going through. If not us, who else will?”

Despite the demands of junior college life, Hana found strength in the supportive environment at JPJC. Whether balancing academics with co-curricular commitments or managing major cultural events such as Hari Raya during the academic term, she was guided by dedicated mentors who encouraged her growth. Teachers like Cikgu Atiqah and Cikgu Siti Khadijah were constant sources of support — not only academically, but personally.

“They were always there for us. Not just as teachers, but as people who really cared. I remember Cikgu Atiqah attending one of my theatre performances to support me although it wasn’t a school production and she didn’t have to,” Nurul Hana reflects.

Cikgu Atiqah, one of her MLEP teachers, was highly impressed with Nurul Hana and her passion for theatre and Bangsawan, “Theatre and Bangsawan provided her with a platform to refine her talents, build confidence, and explore artistic expression more meaningfully. Most impressively, she balanced her academic pursuits with her artistic commitments, demonstrating that passion, when nurtured with dedication, could flourish alongside academic and leadership responsibilities. Hana’s journey reflected how early exposure through MLEP not only nurtured a love for language and literature but also ignited a lasting passion—one that continues to shape her identity and fuels her contributions to the arts and cultural landscape.”

Looking ahead, Nurul Hana now carries a clear sense of purpose shaped by her experiences in JPJC. She hopes to pursue Malay Studies at university and aspires to write Malay children’s books — stories that will nurture imagination and cultural identity in the next generation.

“There aren’t many Malay children’s book authors. I want to contribute in my own way to local Malay literature,” she notes. “I also would like to share the love for Bangsawan with other young people who many not know a lot about it.”

Nurul Hana is currently interning at Opera Academy, one of the few Malay theatre companies specialising in Bangsawan in Singapore. She has also been selected as one of two recipients of the Bangsawan Scholarship given out by the academy to deepen her knowledge and passion in the art.

Her guiding mantra remains ‘genggam bara api biar sampai jadi arang’ — to hold onto the burning ember until it turns to ash — a reflection of her unwavering determination and commitment not just her studies but to the language, culture, and artistic traditions she holds dear.

For Nurul Hana, when the stage lights dim and the final curtain falls, her journey continues. For her, Bangsawan is not merely an art form to be performed, but a legacy to be carried forward — a flame of heritage to be protected, a voice of tradition to be sustained. Through theatre, she has discovered not only a passion, but a calling: to ensure that the stories, rhythms, and spirit of her culture continue to live on in the hearts of future generations.