Chime of antique clocks make devoted collector Soejono tick
Chime of antique clocks make devoted collector Soejono tick
Text and photo by Ridlo Aryanto
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Antique clock collector Soejono
Prawirohadikusumo lives his life by the old Dutch saying that the
chime of a clock never sounds quite the same in a place other
than home.
The professor emeritus at the School of Medicine at Gadjah
Mada University has made his roomy house on Jl. Notowinatan, next
door to Puro Pakualaman Palace, a haven for clocks of all shapes
and sizes.
He has 60 clocks in his home; the oldest a brown wall clock 45
centimeters in diameter, which is elaborately carved in wood.
"This clock was made in 1816, meaning nine years before the
Diponegoro war broke out ... ," Soejono said proudly.
Other items in his collection include a Dutch clock from 1935
and models from Germany, Japan and England. They average between
1.5 meters and 1.9 meters in height.
All are antiques or relatively old -- the most recent was made
in 1967 -- but most of them are in good working order.
When they all chime at the same time it is music to the ears
of the professor, who is also the director of Puri Nirmala
Hospital for the mentally ill.
"They sound like a classical music symphony to me," Soejono
said.
And it is the raucous chiming that always makes him long for
his home, especially while he is traveling abroad.
"At night, the chiming of the clocks brings peace to my heart
and soul," said the father of four, with a smile on his face.
"Although I myself have not yet conducted the medical
research, I have proven that there is indeed a significant
correlation between the chiming of clocks and the peacefulness of
the soul. At least, it's true for me!"
He began his collection by accident about 29 years ago, when
he befriended a clock repairman, Damardjati.
One day Damardjati offered to sell Soejono his collection of
old clocks, saying he needed the money.
Soejono agreed to buy all of the clocks, but on one condition.
"I said to him, 'I will buy your clocks but you have to promise
me to look after them every day in my house.'"
Damardjati accepted, and was able to enjoy the sound of his
clocks for the next 25 years, until his death in 1996.
Today, with many of his clocks in disrepair, Soejono rues the
fact that he never thought to learn from Damardjati the skills
necessary to repair the clocks.
"It was already too late when I thought about it. As a result,
although I have someone who has replaced Damardjati, I'm always
at a loss every time there is something wrong with my
collection."
He is trying to teach himself clock repair by studying some of
the old books left behind by Damardjati, but it is a frustrating
task. Today's clock repairmen, he complained, are of little help.
"I once tried to have a clock repairman take care of my clock,
but he threw up his hands in surrender. Most of them have only
learned to master the repair of modern battery-operated clocks."
The loss of Damardjati has also made it difficult for Soejono
to add new members to his collection. During their 25-year
friendship, he often sent Damardjati out to hunt for old clocks
in the nearby Central Java towns of Purworejo, Magelang and
Salatiga, and his collection grew from the initial few items.
"Whenever he found a good clock but that was out of order, no
matter what the trademark was, he surely could make it work
again."
Soejono said his collection of old clocks not only gave him a
valuable spiritual experience -- it also provided an interesting
mystical one as well.
Although he said he never personally experienced the mystical
aspect of his collection, his nephew from Jakarta did. While
spending a night in the home, his nephew said he heard the sounds
of clocks chiming.
However, he swore they were a different sound from the usual
chimes.
"Unfortunately, my nephew was not afraid of the sounds. He
even enjoyed them very much. That's why he often comes by just to
spend a night here, hoping he can repeat his mystical experience
with the clocks," Soejono said.
"He wants to know who disturbed him."