"Golden threads of friendship that existed between India and
Indonesia..." -- Tagore
Monday, July 11, 2011
Indian noted writer Tagore makes return to Java at JIS | The Jakarta
Post
Economic Association of Indonesia and India (2010)
http://www.ecaii.org/
Gracing the southwestern corner of the Monas(Freedom Square), at the
downtown central business district in Jakarta, the capital city of
Indonesia, this statue depicts Arjuna Wijaya, the charismatic archer
from the Indian legend Mahabharata, with a bow and arrow, riding a
chariot of six galloping horses - a scene supposedly taken from
Bharata Yuda War when Arjuna defeated Karna. The monument holds great
significance for the Indonesians, with some believing that the very
figure opens a door to the spiritual world...
"Ramayana and Mahabharata are most popular in Indonesia. They were
probably translated in the 11th century during the reign of King
Airlangga in the ancient Kawi language. King Airlangga was himself a
great scholar and ascetic who spent many years in the jungle in
meditation. Ramayana and Mahabharata are the basis of innumerable
dances, plays, sculptures, paintings and music themes."
"In August 1927 when Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel prize winner
arrived at Tanjung Priok harbor, he burst into a verse in the memory
of the golden threads of kinship that have existed between India and
Indonesia."
"In 1947, Biju Patnaik flew a private plane full of medicines to
Indonesia and also rescued Mohammad Hatta and P.M. Sutan Sjahrir from
the Dutch and brought them to India. In 1951 when Nehru visited Bali
he said, "this is the morning of the world."
"The earliest historical record is in Ujung Kulon National Park, West
Java. An early Hindu archeological relic of a Ganesha statue from the
1st Century AD has been found on the summit of Mount Raksa in
Panaitan Island. The next historical record is in the area of Kutai
on the Mahakam River in east Kalimantan. Three rough plinths dating
from the beginning of the fourth century are recorded in the Pallavi
script of India. The inscription reads: "A gift to the Brahmin
priests."
"The famous Batu Tulis (stone writing) near Bogor in Western Java is
on a huge black boulder in, around 450 A.D king Purnawarna inscribed
his name and made an imprint of his footprints, as well as his
elephant's footprints. The accompanying inscription reads, 'Here are
the footprints of King Purnawarna, the heroic conqueror of the
world'. This inscription is in Sanskrit and is still clear after 1500
years. This is the oldest archeological monument in Java. (Candi)
Badut near Malang in East Java was built in A.D 760. Candi is the
name of the Hindu Goddess of Time and Death. This area is literally
strewn with ancient Hindu temples and even today temples are being
dug out from the ground".
"The famous Batu Tulis (stone writing) near Bogor in Western Java is
on a huge black boulder in, around 450 A.D king Purnawarna inscribed
his name and made an imprint of his footprints, as well as his
elephant's footprints. The accompanying inscription reads, 'Here are
the footprints of King Purnawarna, the heroic conqueror of the
world'. This inscription is in Sanskrit and is still clear after 1500
years. This is the oldest archeological monument in Java. (Candi)
Badut near Malang in East Java was built in A.D 760. Candi is the
name of the Hindu Goddess of Time and Death. This area is literally
strewn with ancient Hindu temples and even today temples are being
dug out from the ground".
"During the 8th and 9th century, the world's largest Buddhist complex
Borobudur and Prambanan the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia
were built near Yogyakarta in Central Java. In the 10th Century,
students were sent to Nalanda Buddhist University in N.E.India".
"The national emblem of the Republic of Indonesia"Garuda Pancasila"
is adorned with the Garuda in the Indonesian history holds a place of
honor. It is a symbol of national emblem with Wishnu riding it.
Garuda sculpture is shown in countless temples. Garuda stands for
complete devotion to Lord Vishnu and subsequent freedom from evil.
Garuda also stands for the freedom of the people of Indonesia from
foreign rule".
"The (Candi) Badut near Malang in East Java built in A.D 760. Candi
is the name of the Hindu Goddess of Time and Death. This area is
literally strewn with ancient Hindu temples and even today temples
are being dug out from the ground."
"In Sumatra in the 12/13th Century arose the great Kingdom of
Sriwijaya. However, it was during the reign of King Hayam Wuruk of
the Majapahit Kingdom that the Prime Minister Gajah Mada united the
entire Indonesia into a single state. It was the golden era of
Indonesia."
"The national emblem of the Republic of Indonesia -- "Garuda
Pancasila" is adorned with the with the words Bhineka Tunggal Ika-
which means Unity in Diversity. The concept of Bhineka Tunggal Ika
was started during the 8th-9th centuries in Central Java to create an
understanding between Hinduism and Buddhism. Classic example is Candi
Shiwa-Buddha. Afterwards King Airlangga made use of it in the 11th
century. However it was Mpu Tantular the court poet of the Majapahit
kingdom who during the reign of King Hayam Wuruk propagated this idea
of a Unity in Diversity, in his poem".
Mention must be made here of Panca Sila, the 5 basic principles of
the Republic of Indonesia. They are: Faith in one God, Nationalism,
Democracy, Humanity and Just Society. All over Indonesia, at Govt.
places you see Garuda, the vehicle of the Hindu God Vishnu alongside
with a Panca Sila plaque. Indonesians are extremely proud of their
historical cultural past. Indonesia like India is secular and even
one of their currency notes carries a picture of Lord Ganesha".
"Although there are hundreds of dialects throughout Indonesia, yet
Bahasa Indonesia in roman script is understood everywhere and this is
what unites them all in their outlook. Indeed "Bhineka Tunggal Ika"
'Unity in Diversity' stands proved through Bahasa Indonesia, which
shares many common words with Sanskrit like Guru, istri, suami,
putri, putra, warna, Akasha and niscaya. Bahasa Indonesia is a very
artistic language. Matahari means eye of the day which means Sun."
http://www.melali-indonesia-tours.in/tourism.php
Indonesia in India's Look-East Policy: Prof. Baladas Ghoshal
January, 2011
http://www.idsa.in/system/files/IB_IndoLookEastPolicy.pdf
Indian noted writer Tagore makes return to Java at JIS
The Jakarta Post
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2001/05/19/indian-noted-writer-tag...
Life
Indian noted writer Tagore makes return to Java at JIS
By Mehru Jaffer
The Jakarta Post
Saturday, May 19, 2001 - 2:22 p.m.
Jakarta (JP): As he stepped down at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok harbor in
August 1927, India's poet philosopher Rabindranath Tagore burst into
verse in praise of the ""golden threads of kinship that existed
between Indonesia and India"".
The Little Theater at the Jakarta International School in Cilandak
will resonate on Saturday night as an ode is once again paid to the
legendary Tagore, not just a poet but also a social reformer,
educationist, composer, painter and humanist.
Tagore's visit to Java and Bali were part of a series of lecture
tours he organized for himself to share with the rest of Asia his
romantic and idealized concept of a single eastern civilization. Most
of Asia at that time was a slave of colonial masters and Tagore felt
that Asia must find her voice if humanity was to be saved. The greed
of western countries caused him great concern.
And wherever the Calcutta-born Tagore went he attracted large crowds,
for he was already world famous. W.B. Yeats wrote the introduction
for the English translation of Gitanjali (Song of Offerings), which
won for Tagore the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.
Over the years, the Indian poet's initial concept of a spiritual East
standing aloof from a materialistic West flowered into a world ideal
that he hoped would one day unify all humankind. His religion, he
explained to Albert Einstein during their 1930 conversation at
Einstein's home near Berlin, was in the reconciliation of the super
personal man, the universal human spirit in his own individual being.
Tagore advocated a worldwide commerce of heart and mind so that the
individual's sense of purpose in life is enhanced. He took the
initiative to contact leading thinkers in other parts of Asia. In
Java one of his closest allies was Ki Hajar Dewantoro, founder of the
Taman Siswa schools, and the country's first minister of education.
Dewantoro was inspired by Tagore's talk of nationalism without
closing the door to modernism.
A literal translation of kindergarten or the garden of children, the
Taman Siswa schools remain the oldest national education institutions
here, started in 1932. Dewantoro was impressed with Tagore's school
at Santiniketan and Viswa Bharati, the world university founded by
Tagore in 1918 with all the money he received as Nobel laureate.
Dewantoro, painter Affandi and Dr. Ida Bagus Mantra of Bali visited
the university of universal learning which Tagore saw as a center of
Indian culture and also the thread linking India to the world.
The idea was to revive the traditional Indian way of teaching, in the
open, under a tree, in close contact with nature. Both Tagore and
Dewantoro believed that all the elements in one's own culture have to
be strengthened, not to resist western culture but to accept and
assimilate it, to get mastery over it and not to live at its
outskirts.
Tagore died in 1941 but his ideas continue to live through the works
of all those who look upon all civilizations in different continents
as being complementary to each other. It is in the same spirit that
Abhyudaya, an Indonesia-India cultural assembly came into being half
a decade ago. Since then every May is dedicated to the memory of
Tagore whose birth anniversary falls this month.
Chitrangada, an episode about a warrior princess from the Mahabharata
which Tagore wrote as a dance-drama, was performed in the past by
Indian dancer Nilanjana Ghosh along with Balinese dancers, and also
Tridhara, yet another offering of Indian dance, music and song to
Indonesian audiences.
""As we live, work and bring up children in foreign countries it
becomes our personal responsibility to keep them connected with our
culture and values,"" says Aparesh Mukerjee, production manager and
one of the founders of Abhyudaya.
The highlight of the evening will be an excerpt from a film on Tagore
made by Satyajit Ray, perhaps the greatest film maker of India and an
alumnus of Santiniketan.
The Performance will take place at Little Theater, the Jakarta
International School, Cilandak Campus, on May 19, at 6.15 p.m.
Further Inquiries at 021-7500340
Indonesia..." -- Tagore
Monday, July 11, 2011
Indian noted writer Tagore makes return to Java at JIS | The Jakarta
Post
Economic Association of Indonesia and India (2010)
http://www.ecaii.org/
Gracing the southwestern corner of the Monas(Freedom Square), at the
downtown central business district in Jakarta, the capital city of
Indonesia, this statue depicts Arjuna Wijaya, the charismatic archer
from the Indian legend Mahabharata, with a bow and arrow, riding a
chariot of six galloping horses - a scene supposedly taken from
Bharata Yuda War when Arjuna defeated Karna. The monument holds great
significance for the Indonesians, with some believing that the very
figure opens a door to the spiritual world...
"Ramayana and Mahabharata are most popular in Indonesia. They were
probably translated in the 11th century during the reign of King
Airlangga in the ancient Kawi language. King Airlangga was himself a
great scholar and ascetic who spent many years in the jungle in
meditation. Ramayana and Mahabharata are the basis of innumerable
dances, plays, sculptures, paintings and music themes."
"In August 1927 when Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel prize winner
arrived at Tanjung Priok harbor, he burst into a verse in the memory
of the golden threads of kinship that have existed between India and
Indonesia."
"In 1947, Biju Patnaik flew a private plane full of medicines to
Indonesia and also rescued Mohammad Hatta and P.M. Sutan Sjahrir from
the Dutch and brought them to India. In 1951 when Nehru visited Bali
he said, "this is the morning of the world."
"The earliest historical record is in Ujung Kulon National Park, West
Java. An early Hindu archeological relic of a Ganesha statue from the
1st Century AD has been found on the summit of Mount Raksa in
Panaitan Island. The next historical record is in the area of Kutai
on the Mahakam River in east Kalimantan. Three rough plinths dating
from the beginning of the fourth century are recorded in the Pallavi
script of India. The inscription reads: "A gift to the Brahmin
priests."
"The famous Batu Tulis (stone writing) near Bogor in Western Java is
on a huge black boulder in, around 450 A.D king Purnawarna inscribed
his name and made an imprint of his footprints, as well as his
elephant's footprints. The accompanying inscription reads, 'Here are
the footprints of King Purnawarna, the heroic conqueror of the
world'. This inscription is in Sanskrit and is still clear after 1500
years. This is the oldest archeological monument in Java. (Candi)
Badut near Malang in East Java was built in A.D 760. Candi is the
name of the Hindu Goddess of Time and Death. This area is literally
strewn with ancient Hindu temples and even today temples are being
dug out from the ground".
"The famous Batu Tulis (stone writing) near Bogor in Western Java is
on a huge black boulder in, around 450 A.D king Purnawarna inscribed
his name and made an imprint of his footprints, as well as his
elephant's footprints. The accompanying inscription reads, 'Here are
the footprints of King Purnawarna, the heroic conqueror of the
world'. This inscription is in Sanskrit and is still clear after 1500
years. This is the oldest archeological monument in Java. (Candi)
Badut near Malang in East Java was built in A.D 760. Candi is the
name of the Hindu Goddess of Time and Death. This area is literally
strewn with ancient Hindu temples and even today temples are being
dug out from the ground".
"During the 8th and 9th century, the world's largest Buddhist complex
Borobudur and Prambanan the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia
were built near Yogyakarta in Central Java. In the 10th Century,
students were sent to Nalanda Buddhist University in N.E.India".
"The national emblem of the Republic of Indonesia"Garuda Pancasila"
is adorned with the Garuda in the Indonesian history holds a place of
honor. It is a symbol of national emblem with Wishnu riding it.
Garuda sculpture is shown in countless temples. Garuda stands for
complete devotion to Lord Vishnu and subsequent freedom from evil.
Garuda also stands for the freedom of the people of Indonesia from
foreign rule".
"The (Candi) Badut near Malang in East Java built in A.D 760. Candi
is the name of the Hindu Goddess of Time and Death. This area is
literally strewn with ancient Hindu temples and even today temples
are being dug out from the ground."
"In Sumatra in the 12/13th Century arose the great Kingdom of
Sriwijaya. However, it was during the reign of King Hayam Wuruk of
the Majapahit Kingdom that the Prime Minister Gajah Mada united the
entire Indonesia into a single state. It was the golden era of
Indonesia."
"The national emblem of the Republic of Indonesia -- "Garuda
Pancasila" is adorned with the with the words Bhineka Tunggal Ika-
which means Unity in Diversity. The concept of Bhineka Tunggal Ika
was started during the 8th-9th centuries in Central Java to create an
understanding between Hinduism and Buddhism. Classic example is Candi
Shiwa-Buddha. Afterwards King Airlangga made use of it in the 11th
century. However it was Mpu Tantular the court poet of the Majapahit
kingdom who during the reign of King Hayam Wuruk propagated this idea
of a Unity in Diversity, in his poem".
Mention must be made here of Panca Sila, the 5 basic principles of
the Republic of Indonesia. They are: Faith in one God, Nationalism,
Democracy, Humanity and Just Society. All over Indonesia, at Govt.
places you see Garuda, the vehicle of the Hindu God Vishnu alongside
with a Panca Sila plaque. Indonesians are extremely proud of their
historical cultural past. Indonesia like India is secular and even
one of their currency notes carries a picture of Lord Ganesha".
"Although there are hundreds of dialects throughout Indonesia, yet
Bahasa Indonesia in roman script is understood everywhere and this is
what unites them all in their outlook. Indeed "Bhineka Tunggal Ika"
'Unity in Diversity' stands proved through Bahasa Indonesia, which
shares many common words with Sanskrit like Guru, istri, suami,
putri, putra, warna, Akasha and niscaya. Bahasa Indonesia is a very
artistic language. Matahari means eye of the day which means Sun."
http://www.melali-indonesia-tours.in/tourism.php
Indonesia in India's Look-East Policy: Prof. Baladas Ghoshal
January, 2011
http://www.idsa.in/system/files/IB_IndoLookEastPolicy.pdf
Indian noted writer Tagore makes return to Java at JIS
The Jakarta Post
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2001/05/19/indian-noted-writer-tag...
Life
Indian noted writer Tagore makes return to Java at JIS
By Mehru Jaffer
The Jakarta Post
Saturday, May 19, 2001 - 2:22 p.m.
Jakarta (JP): As he stepped down at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok harbor in
August 1927, India's poet philosopher Rabindranath Tagore burst into
verse in praise of the ""golden threads of kinship that existed
between Indonesia and India"".
The Little Theater at the Jakarta International School in Cilandak
will resonate on Saturday night as an ode is once again paid to the
legendary Tagore, not just a poet but also a social reformer,
educationist, composer, painter and humanist.
Tagore's visit to Java and Bali were part of a series of lecture
tours he organized for himself to share with the rest of Asia his
romantic and idealized concept of a single eastern civilization. Most
of Asia at that time was a slave of colonial masters and Tagore felt
that Asia must find her voice if humanity was to be saved. The greed
of western countries caused him great concern.
And wherever the Calcutta-born Tagore went he attracted large crowds,
for he was already world famous. W.B. Yeats wrote the introduction
for the English translation of Gitanjali (Song of Offerings), which
won for Tagore the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.
Over the years, the Indian poet's initial concept of a spiritual East
standing aloof from a materialistic West flowered into a world ideal
that he hoped would one day unify all humankind. His religion, he
explained to Albert Einstein during their 1930 conversation at
Einstein's home near Berlin, was in the reconciliation of the super
personal man, the universal human spirit in his own individual being.
Tagore advocated a worldwide commerce of heart and mind so that the
individual's sense of purpose in life is enhanced. He took the
initiative to contact leading thinkers in other parts of Asia. In
Java one of his closest allies was Ki Hajar Dewantoro, founder of the
Taman Siswa schools, and the country's first minister of education.
Dewantoro was inspired by Tagore's talk of nationalism without
closing the door to modernism.
A literal translation of kindergarten or the garden of children, the
Taman Siswa schools remain the oldest national education institutions
here, started in 1932. Dewantoro was impressed with Tagore's school
at Santiniketan and Viswa Bharati, the world university founded by
Tagore in 1918 with all the money he received as Nobel laureate.
Dewantoro, painter Affandi and Dr. Ida Bagus Mantra of Bali visited
the university of universal learning which Tagore saw as a center of
Indian culture and also the thread linking India to the world.
The idea was to revive the traditional Indian way of teaching, in the
open, under a tree, in close contact with nature. Both Tagore and
Dewantoro believed that all the elements in one's own culture have to
be strengthened, not to resist western culture but to accept and
assimilate it, to get mastery over it and not to live at its
outskirts.
Tagore died in 1941 but his ideas continue to live through the works
of all those who look upon all civilizations in different continents
as being complementary to each other. It is in the same spirit that
Abhyudaya, an Indonesia-India cultural assembly came into being half
a decade ago. Since then every May is dedicated to the memory of
Tagore whose birth anniversary falls this month.
Chitrangada, an episode about a warrior princess from the Mahabharata
which Tagore wrote as a dance-drama, was performed in the past by
Indian dancer Nilanjana Ghosh along with Balinese dancers, and also
Tridhara, yet another offering of Indian dance, music and song to
Indonesian audiences.
""As we live, work and bring up children in foreign countries it
becomes our personal responsibility to keep them connected with our
culture and values,"" says Aparesh Mukerjee, production manager and
one of the founders of Abhyudaya.
The highlight of the evening will be an excerpt from a film on Tagore
made by Satyajit Ray, perhaps the greatest film maker of India and an
alumnus of Santiniketan.
The Performance will take place at Little Theater, the Jakarta
International School, Cilandak Campus, on May 19, at 6.15 p.m.
Further Inquiries at 021-7500340
