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