Petronas fuels ‘balik kampung’ message …

Keeping up to its thought provoking messages, the Petronas television commercial for the coming Hari Raya drives home the poignant meaning of ‘balik kampung’.
It relates the story of a ‘busy’ young man going back to his ‘kampung’ where his mother lives alone. She had not been answering his phone calls as the line had been down. So when he couldn’t get connected to the internet, the young man decided to spend the night in town as he needed to use the facility to complete his project.
At the small hotel in town, he met an elderly man whose son had just undergone an operation. He was staying at the hotel as there was no place for him to sleep at the hospital.
"I can’t bear to leave him alone.
"It’s heart-breaking not being able to see him or hear his voice," said the man, looking dejected.
His remarks threw the young man into a deep-thought.
Seeing the young man buried in paperwork with a note-book computer at hand, the man said: "You look busy. Aren’t you going home for Raya?"
That further evoked a hard look on the young man who had left his mother alone at home.
When she did not answer his phone call, the young man decided to return home that night itself. On seeing him, the mother was of course surprise as she thought he would be spending the night in town.
Although it was a straight-forward message, the commercial still leaves behind a deep impact. We often take for granted persons whom we are supposed to love. We always think they will forever be there for us. We seldom appreciate their love and sacrifices.
In the commercial, the mother told the young man that she had sewn a pair of ‘baju Melayu’ for him but he seemed uninterested. He was more concern about his work.
When the mother asked him to take along some food which she had cooked for him, he declined it, saying he was running late.
Do value the moments to be with our parents while they are still alive. You’ll never know when it will be too late.
To view the 2008 Petronas Raya commercial, go here .