Batik auction to help out bright but needy students

Batik auction to help out bright but needy students

By Pavan Kapoor

JAKARTA (JP): Many a woman has lovingly caressed the soft
fabric of her stole and proudly claimed it to be inherited from
her mother or grandmother. After all, an heirloom means more than
any price tag can.

All mothers have that one special item carefully wrapped in
the upper corner of the attic which awaits presentation to their
children on a special occasion.

But Nunny Asmuni Said is a different kind of mother. She plans
to have her legacy reach further than her own children and touch
the lives of hundreds of students.

Nunny is auctioning 150 of her antique batik outfits at the
International Cultural Activity Center (ICAC) on May 26. The
auction will be opened by Minister of Settlement and Regional
Development Erna Witoelar. The auction will be open to public on
May 27.

All the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the ICAC
Leadership Development and Scholarship Program to assist final
year university students who have been forced to drop out or are
struggling to survive due to the economic crisis.

Perhaps the auction can be called the vision of one woman for
helping the country deal with the crisis.

Nunny has four daughters. At the auction she will be
represented by her youngest daughter Shinta, who sought the
assistance of a textile curator from a museum to value the pieces
that are to be auctioned.

"We could easily have kept some of her exquisite pieces for
ourselves but we respect mother's wishes," said Shinta. "She
believes that if we kept the collection, it would only go as far
as the family. But if we auction the collection and use the money
to help educate needy university students it is an investment
that will go much further. By letting go of her batik collection,
mother hopes to contribute to the recovery from the economic
crisis in her own humble way."

Shinta explained the history and the value of some of
the exhibits to be auctioned. Some of the pieces were passed down
from Nunny's grandmother; there is even one designed by Iwan
Tirta specially for her grandmother.

Of the 150 up for auction, about 25 are very special antique
batiks. There are a couple of pieces from East Kalimantan that
have a unique shocking pink color and an exclusive pattern, which
may well have been designed under the influence of artisans from
China or Tibet.

Individual philosophy

Batik designs are something which bear significance to the
occasion they are worn for and so every design has its own
individual philosophy. Batiks worn for weddings, funerals,
childbirth and other occasions are each different. A batik
collector or curator who has studied the art of batik understands
the significance of antique batik textiles and garments. And
perhaps that is why invitees to the auction include guests such
as Iwan Tirta, Mrs. Ginandjar Kartasasmita from Yayasan Batik
Indonesia and established batik designers and retailers such as
Danar Hadi.

Some of the pieces are traditional Pekalongan batiks, which
are about 75 years to 80 years old. An eye-opening exhibit, which
Shinta hopes will fetch a good price, is a piece from Pekalongan,
painted in 25 karat gold.

Another rare piece from Jambi in Sumatra features calligraphic
Arabic letters. It shows a similarity to the traditional Indian
Patolla print and dates back more than half a century.

Nunny's traditional and antique batik sarongs and selendang
stoles are worthy of an institution such as the ICAC, which
carries out charity work in a unique manner.

The executive director of the ICAC, Velvy Holden, said that
the scholarship program is one with a difference. It not only
provides financial assistance to needy students, but also works
with them to help them become more productive members of society.

The ICAC Leadership Development Scholarship Program, which is
headed by Sri Lienau, has assisted about 47 university students
up till now.

"Each student is selected by the social service committee of
the center based on family income, good academic standing,
leadership potential and willingness to work part-time in the
community," Sri said.

The students are those who are excelling academically but due
to poverty are finding it difficult sustain themselves through
the final year. They are often the children of pedicab drivers,
warung food stall owners or noodle vendors.

"They are the students who want to forge ahead and make
something of their lives and yet due to financial circumstances
are unable to. You cannot learn on an empty stomach," says Sri.

Every student who is selected gets about Rp 3 million
annually, which only covers about 75 percent of their needs. The
center hopes to attract donations from people who see the honest
efforts made by each scholarship recipient.