Jalan Pudu - begining with Pudu Jail

According to Lam Seng Fatt (Insider's Kuala Lumpur) the Cantonese name for Pudu is 'Poon San Pa' which means 'half-jungle' which describes the conditions back then.

Let's start with the Pudu Jail or what's left of it.

While the cells have been emptied some years back, it is now being slowly demolished.

 

  

The painting on Pudu Jail's wall is possibly Kuala Lumpur's most prominent work of art; yet the artist is uncelebrated.

 .....

In 1985, when the prison authorities wanted to brighten up the drab wall of the prison, they decided to give Pha Tee (a drug addict and at that time serving time for possessing stolen goods) the opportunity to prove himself.

.....

His work was a naive view of lush jungle scenery, beach scenes, blue skies, cotton-woolly clouds and flowers, It seemed so innocent that it was hard to believe it was the work of a career criminal.

- Insider's Kuala Lumpur by Lam Seng Fatt

I came across this interesting piece in the 'Selangor Journal':

...in 1895, on the completion of the Pudoh Central Gaol, all prisoners sentenced to detention for any longer period than seven days will undergo their sentences at that gaol; extra-mural labour will be forbidden and strict discipline will be enforced, with the object, among others, of reducing the number of second convictions by rendering a sojourn in the institution as undesirable as possible...

- Selections from the Selangor Journal 

edited and introduced by John Gullick 

(MBRAS Reprint No. 26)

I wonder if the 'reducing the number of second convictions' was successful.

 

Next door to the Pudu Jail, through a side road, is a Surau or Prayer room.  Not many people outside of the area are aware of its existence or that Friday Congregational Prayers are open to the public.

 

  

I have attended Friday Prayers at this Surau on a few occasions (I was introduced to this place by a friend who used to work in the area) before the Masjid along Jalan Hang Tuah was built.  It used to be packed, with worshipers actually having to use the tarmac beside the surau.

 

This quaint little building is along Jalan Pudu, after the Pudu Jail.

 

I didn't know that the Eurasians had an association of their own here in KL.

 

 

 The rear view of the Berjaya Times Square seen from Jalan Pudu.