Mbah Ranto's makes life meaningful

Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta

If he could turn the clock back, comedian Ranto Edi Gudel would like to return to the year 1997 and scrap a song he had written that became a prophecy.

Now 67, the comedian under the stage name "Mbah Ranto", regrets writing the song, Anoman Obong, popularized by Mamiek Melani in an album that became a hit.

The song retells the story from the Ramayana epic about the monkey-king Hanoman setting himself ablaze. Instead of getting killed, he went on a burning spree with the fire enveloping his body. He turns his Rahwana's Alengka Kingdom into ashes.

The hit song was somewhat a prophecy of the May 1998 riots, in which rioters went on a burning and looting orgy in major cities, after the album was released.

Part of the song's refrain screams Obong ... obong ... obong ... (Burn... burn... burn...).

"Well, it is always possible to relate the rioting and burning with my song. But when I was writing the song, I did not even imagine a riot," Mbah Ranto told The Jakarta Post at his residence in Surakarta.

"If only I had known the riots were going to occur, I would never have written the song. I remember people running amok everywhere, much like the monkeys -- Hanoman's troops -- setting fire to Alengka."

Some of his fans believe that the lyrics of Anoman Obong were a prophecy that came true.

Marshall Clark, an Indonesianist, in his article titled Shadow Boxing: Indonesian Writers and the Ramayana in the New Order, published in the October 2001 issue of Indonesia bulletin, Cornell University, discussed this song in the context of the Indonesian reform movement.

For this article, Clark interviewed Bang To Es, a psychic from Surakarta. In To Es' opinion, when the song became a hit, he predicted that it told of an impending tragedy.

That's why every time he heard the song To Es became restless and worried.

Mbah Ranto is the father of singer Didi Kempot and Mamiek, a famous comedian from Srimulat group.

Married four times, Mbah Ranto, is best-known as a comedian and an artist in stage shows usually with wayang (shadow puppet) stories and in kethoprak, Javanese opera.

Few know that he also writes Javanese songs and that some of his songs have become hits. His songs usually contain social criticism he conveys through humorous lyrics.

Joko Lelur, for example, tells about a jobless man. Every day he gets drunk and makes trouble. When challenged, he will run aimlessly, though.

"That's the mentality of today's young people. They like to have fun but not work hard," said Mbah Ranto.

Another song, Tuyul Amburadul, tells about corruption and how easy it is for people to be enslaved by worldly desires like money and women.

Mbah Ranto also criticizes the political elite and the country's leaders in his song titled Sengkuni Ledha-Ledhe. Sengkuni is a treacherous character in the Javanese wayang.

However, not all his songs contain social criticism. In Umbul Pengging, he asks people to reflect on the meaning of life.

Umbul Pengging, or Pengging spring is a popular resting place that has pristine water located on the slopes of Mount Merapi to the north-east of Surakarta.

"I often come to Umbul Pengging. Here we can look at ourselves in the clear water of the lake and refresh our mind. Unfortunately, the place is now dirty and is not well looked after. It's the result of human carelessness. When I saw it, I got angry and was inspired to write this song," said Mbah Ranto.

The song reminds people of the need for conservation. It is a very touching song, especially when the singer really understands what it is about.

Explaining the reason why he writes songs with strong moral messages, he said it is a way to repent for the sins of his youth.

"When I was young and famous, I did everything possible. I committed adultery with other people's wives. I got drunk and fought. Now for the rest of my life, I want to repent," said Mbah Ranto.

He has a lot to reflect on about life in the 1960s when he was a teenager. He was already a primadona then in every performance.

He became famous when he took the role of the clown Petruk in Sriwedari stage show group, or when he became Marmoyo in the roving Kethoprak troupe.

Most of his fans were women, married or otherwise. In those days, he would ask some of his fans to sleep with him. The pictures decorating his house are testimony to his youthful fame. Some famous actresses had their pictures taken with him.

He said that even the spirits from ancient graves by Bengawan (River) Solo were infatuated with him.

"Once when I performed in a Sriwedari group production, there was a young woman who came to watch me every night. One night she took me to her home for a date. When we arrived, I was surprised to learn that she was the only occupant of a large house. When she asked me to sit down, I found the chair very cold. I later realized it was a grave stone and everything immediately turned into a graveyard.

"Finally I was helped by a driver of a horse-drawn cart who heard me shouting wildly. I was told that the spirit by the grave often teased men. This was no joke. It was real," he said.

Today he is no longer as physically handsome and strong. He feels compelled to correct himself and dedicates himself to his fellow beings. On the evenings he does not perform, he will sit on a plaited mat in front of a round table, awaiting his neighbors' children.

For many years, these children have been studying together at Mbah Ranto's residence. To attract them to come, he always prepares some snacks.

"This is just a small thing, but I want to repent for the rest of my life. God does not demand that we do big things. If we do small things sincerely, He will know and forgive us," he added.