Guruh mourns the death of his guru Laksminto Rukmi

By Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): Amidst confusion surrounding the rumors of his defection from the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) to Kosgoro, an organization under Golkar, on Tuesday Guruh Soekarnoputra mourned the death of his mentor and the guru of Javanese court culture, R.A. Laksminto Rukmi.

Eyang (Grandma) Laks, as she was affectionately called by her students, was born around the turn of the century. She entered the Surakarta court at the tender age of 10. There, she became a court dancer, performing the sacred Bedaya Ketawang. Around the 1920s, she became the youngest Garwa Dalem (Court Consort) of Sultan Pakubowono X, at the age of 17.

As a court dancer, she once performed in front of the Thai King, who visited the court of Surakarta. At that time, she remembered that she danced the Bedoyo Pistol, where the dancers shot their handguns at the sound of the gong. Apparently the King was impressed by the Dance and awarded the dancers a medal of the Thai Kingdom.

R.A. Laksminto Rukmi became the main propagator of not only the Bedaya, but of Javanese dance in general. The most famous Javanese dancers, Sulistyo Tirtokusumo and Retno Maruti, are among her students.

In 1979, while preparing for the second major performance of his dances, Guruh Soekarnoputra, brother of Megawati Soekarnoputri, the ousted chief of PDI, invited Eyang Laks to teach traditional Javanese dances to his Swara Maharddhika dance troupe. Eyang Laks passed her skill in Bedaya on to Guruh's main dancers, and helped refine Swara Maharddhika's Bedaya Sriwijaya, performed in Guruh's grand show in 1980.

In addition to teaching Javanese dance to the group, Eyang Laks brought to the group's headquarters at Jl. Sriwijaya No. 26, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, Guruh's residence, the court traditions of the Kraton. The Swara Maharddhika members learned the art of batik tulis (hand-painted batik), taking care of batik textiles, the importance of providing offerings, and many other Javanese customs and traditions.

"Eyang Laks taught us that Javanese dance is not merely about physical movement. She made us understand the Javanese customs, traditions and culture around it. She made us aware of the spiritual aspect of Javanese dance," said Restu Imansari, a dancer and former member of the group.

R.A. Laksminto Rukmi passed away on Monday night, Oct. 28, at the age of around 95. Apparently, a decade before her death, she had prepared a will which meticulously listed the entire committee overseeing the funeral ceremony, and specified details.

"She asked to be dressed in a particular set of clothes, which were all already prepared in one suitcase," said Triana Leimena, an affiliate of Guruh's current Gencar Semarak Perkasa (GSP) Production company.

After the deceased had been changed into the clothes she had personally selected, Guruh fastened a pin with a childhood photograph from her days in the Surakarta court onto them. Her body was then placed in a wooden coffin. After the afternoon prayers, Guruh handed over her remains to her relatives.

"Today we release of Eyang Laks, we hope that she be given a vast space in her afterlife," Guruh said, representing the Sriwijaya 26 family, the Sukarno family, the Swara Maharddhika and GSP Productions.

Then, the coffin was taken down to the driveway of the house, where Guruh led a nerobos jenazah (walking under the coffin) ceremony. This rite is meant to lighten the weight of the deceased's body and to smooth the "journey". He was followed by family members and nine of the former members of the Swara Maharddhika Bedaya dance troupe.

The coffin was placed in a hearse, which was to transport the body of the deceased to the family graveyard in Pengging, Boyolali, Central Java.

Apparently this was all elaborated in Eyang Laks's will.

"Upon reading the will last night, we concluded that this is her show and she is the director," said Triana Leimena at the funeral.

Guruh and his former Swara Maharddhika performed the final dance their Javanese dance guru had choreographed.

Truly we have lost yet another monument of Javanese culture. We can only hope that her students will help preserve the cultural heritage that Eyang Laks so loved.