Dauzan, books and a mobile library

Dauzan, books and a mobile library

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Eighty-year-old Dauzan Farook, whose face is heavily lined and
whose speech is often difficult to understand because of the many
gaps in his teeth, still maintains great enthusiasm to broaden
his knowledge and spread it through his mobile library.

After waking up, bespectacled Dauzan always reads a book,
making sure that the thousands of them in his house are neatly
arranged, and repairing the covers of those that are damaged.

Then, after performing his midday prayers, he travels, either
by bike or bus, from one village to another, going from one
narrow lane to another, to lend out the books or magazines.

Affectionately known as Mbah Dauzan -- "Mbah" being a term of
address for an elderly person -- he visits people from every
social stratum that are keen to learn: children, local youths,
young mosque activists, vendors -- even pedicab drivers.

He visits the local prison every Saturday to provide inmates
with reading materials. Dauzan lends the books for free and takes
them himself to whoever requests them.

Born in 1925 in Kampung Kauman, Yogyakarta, Dauzan, who now
has 24 grandchildren, has been a bookworm all his life. He
developed his love for reading when, as a small boy, he assisted
his father, H. Muhammad Bajuri, who was in charge of the
Muhammadiyah library. He said he was an avid reader and always
set aside money to buy books.

"I have thousands of them. For me, a book is useful when more
people read it. That's why I lend my books to friends whom I can
trust," Dauzan, the former chairman of Muhammadiyah's Wirobrajan
chapter, told The Jakarta Post.

As he often lent books to friends, he realized in 1993 that it
might be a good idea to set up his own library. He decided to
turn his modest house in a narrow lane into a library.

Later he called it the Mabulir Library. Mabulir is an
Indonesian acronym for magazines and books. Dauzan funds the
library out of his own pocket.

With the establishment of Mabulir, Dauzan, formerly a
successful batik businessman in Yogyakarta, focused his
activities on the library. He patiently visits anyone whom he
thinks might benefit from the library and gives them access to
the books, free of charge.

"For me, a book is a bullet that can be employed as a weapon
to fight life's difficulties, especially in the present era of
globalization. The main weapon with which to go to war now is
science. You can acquire scientific knowledge only through
reading," said Dauzan, who studied Eastern literature at Gadjah
Mada University but did not complete his degree.

For him, books can also be a moral panacea. "If you read a
lot, you will be knowledgeable and your knowledge will protect
you against external attacks. That way, your morality will be
well guarded.

"If our people are said to be lacking in morality, it is quite
understandable because the level of interest among them to read
is rather low. There is a direct relationship between morality
and reading habits," he said.

Dauzan said he fought against the Dutch colonialists. He left
military service in 1950 as a second lieutenant and then worked
in his parents' batik business. In 1989, he retired and receives
a military veteran's pension of Rp 500,000 per month. He spends
his pension money on electricity bills and on maintaining his
books, as well as purchasing new titles.

"Well, my pension is not enough. But this library business is
only a way to get God's blessing. I'm old and do not think much
about worldly matters anymore. What matters to me most is that
more and more people read books," he said.

Dauzan has over 10,000 titles in his collection. His lending
is based on a multilevel reading system, based on trust. To
ensure that no borrower steals a book, he works on a group
system.

You must form your own group before you may borrow any of his
books. The coordinator of the group becomes a partner of the
library. Today there are 100 groups, with a total 420 members
using his library.

"Still, some people have borrowed books and then simply
disappeared. I'm not discouraged, though. Look -- I risked my
life when I took part in the struggle for our independence. So
why should I be afraid of losing a few books?" he said.

Some fellow villagers believe Dauzan to be quite eccentric. In
their opinion what he does is pointless and crazy. "Let the dogs
bark. I will go on increasing the value of books by recruiting
more readers," he stressed.

Mabulir now has its representatives in five cities outside
Yogyakarta: Jakarta, Solo, Brebes, Purworejo and Magelang. The
representatives were previously users of his library. Once a
month or so, they exchange books at Mabulir. "I hope that some
day they will be independent," he said.

Dauzan paused for a moment when asked who would later manage
the library.

" All I can do is just encourage more people to read via the
library. Anybody may succeed me," said Dauzan, who now lives
alone as his wife passed away five years ago.