Exhibition of old radios reveals history

By Ahmad Solikhan

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The declaration of independence read by President Sukarno is heard faintly in a room of the Bentara Budaya building in Yogyakarta, where an exhibition of old radios is currently being held. Sukarno's voice takes the audience back into the past for a journey to that historical moment 53 years ago.

The exhibition has been organized in celebration of National Radio Day, which falls on Sept. 11.

Old radios in various forms, mostly produced some 50 years ago, are displayed neatly. They are still in good condition and sound like new equipment. The paint-work on the boxes, however, has seen better days.

The one-week display, which runs until Sept. 30, invites visitors to reminisce about the old times.

Several elderly people among the visitors were seen scrutinizing the radio sets, lost in their memories. "They remind me of President Sukarno's period of glory," said Tedja Koesuma, 70.

"This exhibition reminds us of the difficult times the Indonesian people faced when they were fighting for independence against the colonialists on Aug. 17, 1945. It was through the radio that the Indonesian nation was introduced to the international community," he added.

Younger visitors, switching them on in search of AM and SW radio stations, voiced admiration for the various radios in numerous forms.

"This exhibition gives us a direct understanding of the history of the radio," said Emmy Kuswandari, a broadcaster at a private radio station.

In one corner of the exhibition hall stands a wooden radio in the form of a reversed half ellipse resembling a gravestone and measuring 125 cms high. This 110 volt Philips radio was made in the Netherlands in 1931.

Another piece on display, a German radio bearing the trademark Siegfried, manufactured in 1950, is a rectangular shape measuring 30 by 50 cms. It has dual voltage (110 and 220 volts).

"The older the radios are - generally if they were produced prior to 1950 - a transformer is needed, otherwise the radio may get burnt out," said Redjo Mulyono, the owner.

Mulyono, 59, has collected 24 radios since 1985. Six of them, which are exhibited, were made between 1950 and 1960.

He acquired them at the Beringharjo flea market, Yogyakarta. "I am not going to put these radios up for auction. But interested people can come to my house and have a look at them," he said.

Zaelani, 62, expressed similar sentiments. He has a German- made Siegfried and a Dutch-manufactured Ralin on display. He has a collection of 20 radios, all in working order. Zaelani acquired the radios from Purworejo, Cilacap, Kebumen, Wonosobo, Banjarnegara and other towns in Central Java. "I bought the radios in non-working condition. I repaired them myself," he said.

To maintain the radios, especially the boxes made of white wood, Zaelani applies varnish and puts moth balls inside them. The radios are switched on at least once a day in order to preserve the mechanical parts.

"I will sell the radios for between Rp 175,000 and Rp 500,000 to interested parties," he said.

The old radio exhibition is a great attraction. The old radios on display are enhanced by contemporary interior decorations. For example, a Siegfried radio is displayed on a teak sideboard from the 1950s. The wall is decorated with paintings of wayang and Chinese women, and a number of old radio advertisement posters.

Not all the radios are in good condition, physically. Three radios owned by Gunarto, 40, do not have boxes, but they function well. The transistor cylinders, the basic components, are clearly visible to the visitors.

Visitors to the exhibition have not only come from the Yogyakarta area. Radio collector Alex Kecil Kosasih, 43, came from Jakarta to see the display.

Kosasih has a radio collection of 400 sets of various sizes and brands. He obtained them from close friends living abroad. Most of his radios are still in good order and functioning. He also has some 1,000 radios that are not in working order. "I just heard about this exhibition. If I had known about it earlier, I would have participated in it."

Hermanu, an executive of Bentara Budaya, said that the idea for the exhibition came about quite spontaneously. "The idea was followed up by us contacting collectors of old radios in the Yogyakarta area, and so the exhibition took place," said Hermanu.

The exhibition, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, is especially meant for Yogyakarta inhabitants so they can better understand the golden history of the often oversized one-band radios with cylinder transistors. It was on the threshold of independence that the radio contributed most to sending news directly to all corners of the world.

It is regrettable that this exhibition was not well conceived. Only the brand name and the product are supplied for the public. The year of assembly is not mentioned. The collectors are the best source of information about anything on display, unfortunately, not all of them are present at the exhibition.