JP/4/hamid

JP/4/hamid

Poet Hamid Jabar dies on stage

Noted poet Hamid Jabar was buried at the Pondok Rangon cemetery
in East Jakarta on Sunday after his body was laid out at his home
on Jl. Kelapa Dua Wetan in Ciracas.

Other prominent poets Taufik Ismail, Sutardji Kalsum Bachrie
and Amak Baljun attended the burial ceremony. They said the
mourned the death of Hamid who is popularly known for his
religious poems.

Hamid collapsed on Saturday night while reading out his poem
on the stage as part of events to mark the anniversary of the
Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) in southern
Jakarta.

As he suddenly fell from the stage, spectators thought Hamid
was performing an action, so they gave him an applause, private
television station SCTV reported.

Minutes later students, event committee members and others
approached Hamid as he did not stand up quickly. They then gave
him emergency help, while calling for an ambulance from the
nearby UIN's clinic.

Because no ambulance arrived quickly there, students later
brought Hamid immediately to the clinic, a UIN security guard
told Antara.

He said the poet, however, died on his way to the clinic.

The poetry reading event continued with a committee member
announcing the death of Hamid, while noted pop singer Franky
Sahilatua sang a song to mourn it along with the spectators. --JP