Why I Prefer Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk than Saman

A new friend from Shelfari asked me about the book “Saman” from Ayu Utami. What do I think about that book? Wow, I read that book long time ago…1998. As I need to peek back to my diary I thought I do need time to answer that. But temporarily I did answer that I prefer A. Tohari’s book “Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk”. Why?

Actually when I read Saman nine years ago, I compared it to the book of Father Mangunwijaya “Burung-burung Manyar”. I like Ida Ayu Utami’s popular daily language. I wrote in my diary that her way of writing it is just the way I write my diary. That’s perhaps why I like Saman. I read it in less than six hours (meaning six hours with other activities) so perhaps I do need more time to chew it up before making any comment. Yet, I won’t have much time to reread the book. I even forgot if I have read the sequel “Larung” or not (I think I do have the book somewhere in my bookshelves).

There were some notes in my old diary about Saman. First, I was impressed by her research. I was a bit confused by her way of narrating that sometimes travel in the time space, and I thought that the case Marsinah was not in 1993. I checked this one out and was surprised to get that the case was already five years away (that time). Now we are still facing new problem like Munir…how we never grew up!

Then, I underline Saman’s words “Money has its power”. Yes, without the power of money, Saman will get stuck (or even death). Only with the network and money from Yasmin and Cok that Saman reached New York.

Being only a fragment of a novel, the content touched a lot of problems that were hot during that time. It covered subjects from the NGO’s activity and rebellion, the anti Chinese sentiment, to the corruption, collusion, and nepotism.
Reading Saman also opened my eyes (who was very Catholic that I kept myself virgin to my wedding day) about the possibility of the general condition of free sex or other misbehavior in youngsters' lives. Ayu was one or two years after me in the senior high school. I remembered this eccentric girl from the language class. Now, we are facing the existence of porn video produced by and for the high school students here. This is a new reality in Indonesia. We need to stop this kind of globalization coming into this country. Yet, I’m not the supporter of the ratification of anti-pornographic law. I think we do have good law on censorship, the problem is in the implementation. Should we censor all the traditional clothes or the mini skirts? I think man should first educate their mind than trying to change girl’s way of clothing! (But, I am a conservative type in clothing…he..he…he…)

A blogger has also commented on Saman (I thought she is a Moslem Malaysian), and talked a bit about Ayu’s religious back ground. I do not think that Catholic is more permissive to this kind of conduct. I think what Ayu meant is that sex should never be a taboo as the example from the Bible. Human became aware of their sexuality after they conduct their first sin, their act that disobeyed the Lord’s command.

May be this is how Saman is different with Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk. The way Ayu wrote her story (perhaps) made people think that it is normal to have that kind of life. While Srintil tried hard to evade her fate as a Ronggeng. Yet bad luck can sometimes be an eternal friend especially for those poor and marginal people.

Actually I was waiting for a serial like Saman from Leila S. Chudori. She was my favorite writer and I missed her fiction after her study in Canada. She came back and became a brilliant journalist, but I missed her fiction stories. She was always good in describing psychological problem and human character. She recently produced a TV serial “Dunia Tanpa Koma” (“The World Without a Comma”). I like the story (I’ve got to admit I did not see the whole series…TV serial is not my kind of leisure activity) but it seemed to be running very slow. As a bookworm I prefer to read the book (if any) than seeing that film. I can imagine Raya or her boyfriends as I wished, and I can imagine their gestures and body languages better than being given in an obvious but slow screening.

I am glad that Tony gave me this question because I can write some notes here. And I am also getting more information in preparing this post. I never know that there is an uncensored novel of Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk (published since 2003). So I’ll search for the new version or the English version published by the Lontar Foundation.

More references:
http://www.ruangbaca.com/ruangbaca/?doky=MjAwNg==&dokm=MDU=&dokd=Mjg=&dig=YXJjaGl2ZXM=&on=Q1JT&uniq=Mjcy
http://endonesa.net/articles.php?id=5&page=4
http://www.figurpublik.com/cetak/apresiasi/showapre.php?id=2
http://anggarulianto.multiply.com/journal/item/2/DUNIA_TANPA_KOMA_DTK_MISI_ATAU_MIMPI
http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?478
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1302806.The_Dancer