On the last day of Ramadan 2026, my wife, Zarina & I accompanied our son, Farouq and his best half, Nadja with their son, Daniel for a countryside drive down south Putrajaya to Gamuda Cove in Dengkil. It is a significant 1,530 acre, RM20 billion GDV township recognized as Malaysia's first five-diamond low-carbon city. Developed by Gamuda Land, it blends nature - adjacent to Paya Indah Discovery Wetlands - with smart city infrastructure, featuring the the SplashMania waterpark and a focus on sustainable, high-tech residential living. The development features a 90 acre Wetlands and 60 acre Central Park, incorporating the Miyawaki method for dense, native forest growth to enhance biodiversity incorporating smart city. (https://gamudacove.com.my)
I understand with ongoing expansions and partnerships with Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), it is developing into a self-contained high-value mixed-use development. It offers a “15-minute city” concept, with homes designed with eco-friendly features like rainwater harvesting and solar panels.
We are amazed for a Retro Raya theme at Gamuda Cove which blend the township's eco-modern architecture with 1960s and 70s “Pop Yeh Yeh” vibes. This theme typically focuses on vibrant pastel colors, vintage Malay film aesthetics (in remembrance of P. Ramli & Saloma) and “old Malaya” heritage. I like the classic transport featuring vintage bicycles or a Vespa as photo props focusing on green transit, blending with a retro-decorated E-Tram for tours.
For this Eid al-Fitr celebrations, we talked about a Retro Raya photoshoot among our family members at Gamuda Cove. We can aim for a “Classic Malaya” or “Pop Yeh Yeh” aesthetic. It could be a real challenge in a short notice to get hold of suitable costume with iconic accessories, especially the young ones.
I am confident that the future of Retro Raya at Gamuda Cove is evolving into “Retro-Futuristic” experience that merges nostalgic Malay heritage with the township's high-tech, sustainable infrastructure. As Gamuda Cove matures, Eid festive celebrations are shifting toward a larger-scale for cultural events.
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Zulkifly Baharom (hajizul50@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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