Gatotkaca song on 'ANteve'

Gatotkaca song on 'ANteve'

From Media Indonesia

I am a retired person and love the stories of wayang kulit
(shadow play with leather puppets). On Dec. 31, 1994 I watched an
ANteve program featuring a song entitled Gatotkaca (an important
character in the Pandawa dynasty). The program, as a whole, was
interesting because it was adapted from Indonesian traditional
culture.

But there was something that irritated me, i.e. in the song
which praises the elegance of this particular character Gatotkaca
I heard Gatotkaca's laughter sounding like that of Dursasana or a
rough and frightening giant.

According the experts in wayang, each character in the shadow
play reflects a certain way of life in society. So in the case of
Gatotkaca, as an invincible warrior, he must proves himself as
such. He was supposed to laugh without showing his teeth to avoid
the impression that he is overly arrogant and lacks vigilance.
This very lack of vigilance led Gatotkaca to his tragic death in
his encounter with Adipati Karna in the Bharata Yudha war.

MASDJUD HADIWIRATNO

Bekasi, West Java