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."