Amid the changing times and influx of products of pop culture into villages, Saiman, 65 and Saidin, 52, are perseveringly asking young people to enjoy and perform this Javanese traditional art.
By
WILIBRORDUS MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO
·4 minutes read
Brothers Saiman, 65 and Saidin, 52, have been loyally preserving Banyumas art since 1979. Amid the changing times and influx of products of pop culture into villages, they both are perseveringly asking young people to enjoy and perform this Javanese traditional art.
Saiman was adeptly playing saron, a Javanese traditional bamboo xylophone. Beside him was his younger brother, Saidin, who was energetically beating his drum. Tembang Ricik- ricik (poetic song of flowing water) was sung together, enlivening the morning in Grumbul Wrakas, Karangrau, Banyumas. Children as well as adults were gathering to take delight in the dynamic music, shaking their bodies and singing along.
“This art helps us entertain ourselves. It can also entertain other people and if seriously engaged in it will be a source of living,” said Saidin on the sidelines of training and equipment checking for a virtual show with the support of Panggung Kahanan (online performance program) along with Pena Purwokerto writers’ community, in Karangrau village, Banyumas regency, Central Java, on Sunday (5/7/2020).
The older brother, Saiman, said their flair for art was inherited from their late parents, Madlasam and Sanis, who were capable of rendering Javanese tembang, kidung (ballads) and macapat (sung recitation of verses) during wedding ceremonies. “Our parents also prepared wedding accoutrements,” said Saiman.
They belonged to a needy family at the time. When his father died, Saiman was a primary school fifth grader. Saiman then dropped out of school. So he tapped rubber and collected firewood to be sold. However, amid his busy activities, Saiman’s love for art kept growing. Saiman and Saidin then performed the ebeg bamboo horse dance and wayang orang (classical dance drama) in their village.
When they noticed a neglected set of village gamelan instruments kept in a chicken house, they decided to maintain and restore it. Along with nearby residents, they formed a gamelan music group called Margo Rukun (Path to Harmony) around 1979.
As time went by, the brothers later developed their group. Apart from gamelan, the group also included players of ebeg, wayang (shadow puppets), calung (xylophone with curved bamboo blades) and lengger Banyumasan (folk dance). From 1997, they trained youngsters in the village on Saturday evenings. With the many youths joining, this group was renamed Taruna Budaya, which implies young people who preserve local culture. So far about 200 youths have trained in this group.
“Through art, young people can be engaged in positive activities. It would be too bad not to promote their culture,” said Saiman, a father of three with six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
With Taruna Budaya, Saiman and Saidin have frequently been invited to perform at wedding parties not only in Banyumas, but also in Cilacap, Purbalingga, Purworejo, Ciamis, Jakarta, as far as Jambi. “From 1980 to the 1990s, we were on stage every full month. Today there are at most 2-3 shows per month, let alone the Covid-19 pandemic that further reduces the frequency of invitations,” added Saiman.
He acknowledged the fact that traditional art is being shifted by solo organ performances that are more practical and economical for using only one instrument with one player. It’s unlike the gamelan group that has to bring along at least 7-11 people plus cumbersome equipment. “We keep performing. Without playing (musical instruments), it seems something is missing,” he said.
Through art, messages and guides as well as noble values living in society can be further handed down to the younger generation.
Not only cheering up weddings, this gamelan group also brightens a number of religious programs. Saiman, a Catholic, and Saidin, a Muslim, are collaborating. Sometimes they perform at church services and on other occasions at mosque rituals.
“I’ve played at church masses several times. This is my profession. I execute my worship through art. Art provides entertainment for everybody, without discrimination, regardless of ethnicity or religion,” said Saidin. Through art, they have become envoys of religious harmony. For Saiman and Saidin, art performances also hone one’s feeling and train cohesion. The combination of musical instruments sounding together without dominating each other produces beautiful tunes. Such cohesion is manifested in attractive stage shows.
Through art, messages and guides as well as noble values living in society can be further handed down to the younger generation. Saidin mentioned the poetic song Gugur Gunung (voluntary labor) as an example, in which the verses invite people to work together by mutual assistance as the social capital of Indonesian society.
Saiman
Born: Banyumas, 1 July 1955
Wife: Kasiyem, 61
Children: Sania, Kawan, Ristiana
Education: Fifth grade, State Primary School 1, Karangrau, Banyumas
Saidin
Born: Banyumas, 8 July 1968
Wife: Narsiti, 46
Children: Mimin Kriswati, Mami Winarsih, Julian Tri P