Guess What? Ratna N. Riantiarno

Choked-up with emotion and verging on tears, actress Ratna N. Riantiarno forced herself to continue her salutation of playwright and movie director Arifin C. Noer.

Representing the Indonesian Arts Council, Ratna was asked to say a word about Arifin, who died on May 28 from a liver malfunction.

"It is difficult to give a speech because I have a problem in separating my position as a member of the Arts Council and myself as an ex-student of Arifin," Ratna said.

Ratna, a leading Indonesian stage actress, is a former member of Teater Kecil which was established by Arifin in the 1980s. She is known to have been Arifin's favorite student.

Clad in a black shirt and pants, Ratna, who married theater director Riantiarno, said she wouldn't forget how Arifin directed a play or how he got angry or expressed his happiness.

The atmosphere at last week's discussion, which took place at Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts Center, was so moving that not only Ratna had trouble holding back tears, but also Poet Taufik Ismail, who read a prayer during the discussion. Playwright Putu Wijaya, former chief editor of the defunct Tempo magazine, Goenawan Mohamad, the center's executive director, Pramana PMD, and Arifin's actress wife, Jajang Pamontjak, were among the gathering.(als)