The early years after Merdeka in 1957 are replete with national slogans and campaigns through radio and television to galvanise the people. With the multi-ethnic population stuck in their respective ghettoes, Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Kebangsaan is used not just as a strategic means of communication, but also a symbol of national identity, culture and unity. Kata Purba shows the intricate details of his strokes and his impeccable skill. The slogan, Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa, written in the Jawi script, meaning Language is the Soul of a Nation, is a catalyst of change. This was around the time when the Tamadun Melayu Conference was held. A Retrospective in 1975 by the National Art Gallery (NAG) and another on a grand scale in 2009 dubbed Syed Ahmad Jamal: Pelukis, plus the 1994-1995 Historical Overview organised by the Nanyang Gallery of Art - these are exhibition landmarks of the career of Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal. The only visual artist recipient of the National Artist Award, he was conferred a Datukship in 1996, and he also won the Asean Cultural Award in 1987. His education: Chelsea School of Art, London University, the School of the Art Institute Chicago, and the University of Hawaii, Honolulu. He headed the Asian Cultural Museum,  the National Art Gallery KL, and the Specialist Teachers Training Institute. Apart from being a painter-sculptor and academician-administrator, he was also theatre set designer, costume designer, logo designer and authored several art books. He also received country awards from India, the United States, France and Australia.