Wedono Cermo Gupito: Playing with shadows

Yuliantoro , Contributor , Yogyakarta | Tue, 04/06/2010 8:17 AM | People


There is much more to shadow puppetry than the eye can see. It entertains, educates in matters of manners and etiquette, and establishes morality and ethics in the life of society, says Wedono Cermo Gupito who has devoted his whole life to this art form.
“To be a puppeteer is to have a noble profession… The entertainment and performances provided can make people live true, good, happy and peaceful lives,” says Wedono Cermo Gupito, an abdi dalem (high-ranking court servant) at the Yogyakarta Palace.
As a maestro in the world of puppetry, Gupito’s (aka Basiroen Hadisumarta) fame has spread locally and overseas. Known as a puppetry art adviser and performer of the art of puppetry, Gupito’s passion for puppetry lives on through hundreds of his former students — whether they are workers, pedicab drivers, civil servants and even professors — in the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and as far as Hawaii.
Among them is Professor Roger Long, a cultural researcher at the University of Hawaii.
You can’t bargain with Gupito’s high-quality wayang performances, known as pakeliran.
His mission is to always be firm, and he emphasizes this to all his students when they are performing wayang. Taking pakeliran seriously gives the performances high artistic value.
As a puppeteer, Gupito stages not only performances for marriage ceremonies, Proclamation Day events, radio and TV, but also for ruwatan ceremonies. These ceremonies are believed to get rid of bad luck, suffering and disasters from villages and communities.
As a puppeteer, Gupito has also entertained tourists at the Yogyakarta Palace. He encourages an appreciation of puppetry art among elementary school students, and has held puppet exhibitions in Yogyakarta and Jakarta.
This man is nothing short of extraordinary. At the age of 85, Gupito now drags his feet when he walks, his voice is rather faint and his hearing is also fading, along with his memory. But he also remains a loyal teacher at the school of shadow puppetry, known as Pamulangan Dalang Habirandha, at the Pracimasana Palace in Yogyakarta — even though he is elderly and does not go to the school to teach.
“The students now come to my house because I’m no longer physically strong enough to go there,” said Gupito.
Gupito was born in Yogyakarta on Feb. 23, 1925, with the name Basiroen Hadisumarta. Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX, later named him Wedono Cermo Gupito, as one of the original Yogyakarta Palace pupeteers.
Gupito took courses in leather puppetry, dance and karawitan (gamelan music and singing accompanied by gamelan), between 1949 and 1950. He loved performing wayang as a child, taking cues from his grandfather who was also a puppeteer.
He gained further knowledge about the art of puppetry by taking classes at Habirandha between 1952 and 1954.
Gupito’s career as a puppeteer began when he was just 13. At the time, he was at the Sampoerna Rakyat School. A farewell event was being held to close the school year, and this was where he first demonstrated his abilities in a public puppet performance.
“I became a master puppeteer because I proved I was able to do it.”
Among puppeteers, Gupito is renowned for his special ability in sabet (dramatic action), and skills in moving puppets. Apart from his ability to perform with puppets, Gupito also likes dancing and painting carved puppets.
As a puppeteer, Gupito has not only performed Wayang in his hometown of Yogyakarta, but also other cities including Ponorogo, Nganjuk, Kediri, Rembang, Magelang and Kroya.
He has also staged puppet shows in several countries including the Netherlands, Hawaii and the Philippines. Apart from teaching at the school of puppetry, Gupito has also been diligently writing books related to the art.
So far he has published a stenciled edition of the Jawi Jarwa Dictionary for students (1970); the Theory of Cepengan Sabetan Wayang Kulit (1980) and the Pakem Pedalangan Yogyakarta Volume 1 (1977).
The books he wrote with RM Mudjanatistomo and RL Radyomardowo, which were published by the Habirandha Foundation in 1977, have become handbooks used by all students of puppetry at Habirandha.
Apart from holding lessons at his alma mater, Habirandha, Gupito trained several American students between 1966 and 1969, and was active as a member of Indonesian Puppet Master’s Association (PEPADI).
Dozens of awards on display in his living room include awards from former presidents Soeharto and B.J. Habibie, the Culture and Tourism Ministry and various foreign cultural institutions.
Gupito now lives modestly in a five-by-six square meter house in Kampung Cokrodiningratan, Yogyakarta, and has 28 grandchildren.
Gupito’s skills as a puppeteer have been passed down to two of his children — Bambang Riyanto (Senowangi Foundation Jakarta) and Budi Cahyono (Habirandha teacher).
“I hope Habirandha students are able to pass on puppet art culture, which is full of morals,
manners and learning. At least this could help the government cope with societal problems in the field of moral education,” Gupito said, closing the interview. www.thejakartapost.com

Habirandha: Last bastion of Yogya’s wayang

Yuliantoro , Contributor , Yogyakarta | Tue, 04/06/2010 8:59 AM | Features

“Hoooong Ilaheng. Hong Ilaheng awigna mastu purnama sidhem. Awigna mastu silat mring Hyang Jagatkarana siran tandha kawisesaning bisana…”
A student of Yogyakarta’s Habirandha School started his janturan, or opening recitation in ancient Javanese, as he was taking a test in the art of puppetry.
This compulsory introduction is a plea for God’s protection when performing the wayang kulit (leather or shadow puppet show) from dusk till dawn.
Although unknown to most of the younger generation of Yogyakarta, the existence of Habirandha is recognized by people concerned with the preservation of Javanese art and culture.
Every year, a number students enroll in the school to learn the art of puppetry. However, while dozens sign up, only a few complete the course in this traditional art.
At present, 41 students are enrolled in the Pamulangan Dalang Habirandha Pracimasana (dalang or puppet master training school) on Jl. Rotowijayan 1, Yogyakarta. They comprise 20 students in elementary class A, 11 in elementary class B and 10 intermediate class students. Their backgrounds vary from pedicab drivers, laborers, soldiers and civil servants, to lecturers, physicians, professors and foreign tourists.
“Of the total, only 10 to 12 will remain,” said KRT Cermo Widyokusumo, the head of Habirandha at the Yogyakarta Court, recently.
Why the significant drop out rate? Because one has to be both intelligent and highly skilled to become
a dalang.
A dalang must have excellent elocution for story narration and relevant character dialogue, and outstanding dexterity to manipulate puppets, beat the dhodogan (wooden hammer) with the left hand and the keprakan (strung metal pieces) with the right foot in synchronously with the prevailing scene and atmosphere.
“Puppet performances combine vocal, theatrical and dramatic skills as well as hand and foot movements. The dalang also need mental faculties to produce the right conversations and narration.
That’s why a dalang never gets sleepy on stage,” added Romo Widyo, as the Habirandha chief is fondly called.
Habirandha, short for hanindhake biwara rancangan dalang (conveying the dalang’s message), was founded in 1925 by Kanjeng Raden Tumenggung (KRT) Djajadipura, under the sponsorship of Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono VIII. Originally named Pawiyatan Pedhalangan Karaton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Habirandha, this training center was aimed at safeguarding the art of puppet performance from possible extinction.
“A wayang comprises moral and ethical teachings. Especially when such performances were the popular entertainment of the time, a dalang was virtually a teacher and a model in society.”
The first puppetry course started on July 27, 1925 with senior instructors: KRT Djajadipura (director and puppetry teacher), Raden Wedana Prawirodipuro (teacher of the history of puppetry), Raden Tumenggung Madubranta (sulukan teacher, teaching the chanted recitations to create mood), and RB Cermawicara (pakeliran teacher, for the art of stage performance). The training initially comprised elementary-class lessons on puppetry.
Since its founding, Habirandha has been a nonprofit institution. Even today, the principal of Habirandha only receives a monthly “salary” of Rp 15,000 (US$1.60) and the teachers Rp 12,000 each, as a symbol of royal appreciation. In fact, they are responsible for forming the agents of preservation for this elegant Javanese art.
“The pay is not commensurate with the importance of the job, but owing to our dedication and
sincerity, we lead a peaceful and happy life,” claimed Romo Widyo, born R. Soebarno.
Habirandha charges Rp 20,000 per month for school fees, to cover the costs of purchasing banana
tree stems as a means to practice puppetry and for the repair of damaged puppets.
The school cannot afford to make available all the facilities needed like the stage, instruments and other equipment as well as gamelan players and sinden (female singers for gamelan music).
Therefore, students wishing to take their tests to become puppet masters have to bear all the costs.
There is no selection of any particular kind for those wishing to join Habirandha, nor are there age limits, educational requirements and social status restrictions, as long as students are literate and have no mental and physical handicaps.
Romo Widyo said the lack of selection criteria for students sometimes made life more difficult for Habirandha teachers because of their students’ varying levels of capability. Some students already have a basic knowledge of the art, while others have to start from scratch.
Teaching smart students alongside their slower peers is another challenge. “Under such circumstances, teachers should not be worried or they will get stressed. They should instead be relaxed and patient,” he pointed out.

“Puppet performances combine vocal, theatrical and dramatic skills as well as hand and foot movements...”

Today, Habirandha teaches only the basic techniques, with graded curriculum subjects for the relevant classes.
The subjects include cepengan (the holding method), sabetan (the manipulating technique), janturan, kandha carita (the narration to accompany the gamelan), pocapan (the dialogue), suluk sekar (the chanted recitations or poetry), dhodogan, keprakan, gendhing/karawitan (gamela melodies/overtures) and pakeliran (stage performance). Lessons last from dusk until 10 p.m., which may be followed
by discussions until midnight. “Three years’ training provides simple stage performance basics.
Habirandha doesn’t create professionals,” stressed Romo Widyo.
With a command of all the skills and techniques, a dalang should be capable of captivating his or her audience with a beautiful voice as well as a unique way of storytelling and message conveyance. “A dalang should have a sense of humor so that a message is communicated in an entertaining manner.”
In the beginning, Habirandha was created for puppeteer’s children and Yogyakarta court servants. The school later grew to accommodate public interest.
Now 85 years old, Habirandha has produced a number of Yogyakarta puppeteers although the exact number is still unknown.
They include Prof. Roger Long, a culture researcher from the University of Hawaii, USA, Prof. Soeripto, an oncologist from Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Suyono, a UGM lecturer, dalang Ki Timbul Hadiprayitno and Ki Anom Suroto, who performed last Friday at former minister and Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie’s youngest son’s wedding.
Anindra Ardiansyah Bakrie married TV star Nia Ramadhani in a lavish ceremony that spanned over
several days.
Some fear career prospects for dalang are quite gloomy and training centers like Habirandha may even close down. For senior Habirandha teacher Wedono Cermo Gupito, however, the future of puppet art remains promising and dalang schools will continue to exist as long as there are Javanese people.
“While the nation lives in an advanced and modern era, wayang and dalang performances, with their moral and ethical messages, should be used as one of the instruments to overcome social problems and be given due attention by the authorities,” said Wedono Cermo Gupito from his Yogyakarta residence. www.thejakartapost.com