Guess What? Riswandha Imawan<\/p>\n
Political observer Riswandha Imawan of Gadjah Mada University,
\nYogyakarta, is doing everything he can to escape the rat race and
\nreside in a quiet place on the slope of the rumbling volcano, Mt.
\nMerapi.<\/p>\n
Is Riswanda giving up his profession and learning to become an
\nascetic? Or does he simply want to get away from his nagging wife
\nand children?<\/p>\n
\"I purposely seek seclusion in order to gain the time and
\nspace to read,\" he said. \"I find it difficult to make time to
\nread at home because of disturbance from my wife and children.\"<\/p>\n
The serene place that Riswanda stays at on Mt. Merapi is the
\nhouse of Mbah Marijan, the gatekeeper of the 2,968 meter high
\nvolcano, in Kinahrejo hamlet, Sleman regency. There, he will
\nspend the night reading in the cool house 900 meters above sea
\nlevel.<\/p>\n
\"It's very quiet there. I only spend one night there on each
\ntrip so you can still see me on campus during the day,\" said
\nRiswandha.<\/p>\n
This new hobby has prompted him to change the wording of his
\ncellular phone voice-mail. Formerly, his voice-mail said, \"Hello,
\nthis is Riswanda. I'm not available at the moment. Please, leave
\na message.\" while now you hear: \"Hello, this is Maheng ...\"<\/p>\n
Who is Maheng? \"Maheng is my nickname as a mountain climber.
\nIt's a Madurese word meaning 'thief',\" Riswandha, who hails from
\nMadura of East Java, said laughing.<\/p>\n
Riswanda is serious about finding time to read without being
\ndisturbed. So he has brought two suitcases of books and he does
\nnot set a deadline by which to finish reading them.<\/p>\n
\"There are more than 50 titles. All are about achieving
\ndemocracy,\" he said.<\/p>\n
On top of that, he needs extra time to read a 1,189-page
\ndissertation written by one of his students from East Timor.<\/p>\n
\"This is the bulkiest dissertation I've ever read,\" he said.
\n(swa)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/guess-what-riswandha-imawan-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}