Money is not the only object of 'arisan' gatherings

By Tuti Gintini

JAKARTA (JP): It's that time of the month when the wallet is alarmingly thin, but payday is still a long way away.

More than a few families short on finances have been helped out by their turn at the arisan. A familiar word to nearly every Indonesian woman, particularly in Java, it is a regular social gathering, usually held monthly, with participants contributing money each time -- and each eventually winning the pot.

One schoolteachers' arisan has a group of 24 teachers. The fixed contribution is Rp 20,000, the date of gathering is the last Sunday of each month and two of the participants take home the winnings each time.

Some of them say money is not the be-all and end-all of the gatherings. They argue the important thing is that they can get together every month at the home of one of the two winning members. This may account for the enduring popularity of the gatherings; the women love the opportunity to chat, exchanging experiences and pieces of their mind.

Of course, gossip is a major part of many gatherings, although some members declare they frown on this aspect of the meetings. Many men dismiss it as gossip central, with stories about Mrs. so-and-so and how she bought a new car after her husband won a big project, or about wife of an official who is looking for a shaman who can ensure that her husband does not lose his position.

The gatherings were once the domain of housewives, but today women secretaries and other office workers enjoy them, too. There is a difference, however, in how the gatherings are conducted. It's a raucous anything-goes atmosphere among housewives, but office employees usually keep affairs much quieter.

Model gatherings

Agustina, 28, who works at a computer company located on Jl. Sudirman in the capital, has set up an arisan with four colleagues. They each contribute Rp 400,000 every month for a total purse of Rp 2 million.

"It all began with a friend of mine who wanted to buy a VCD player, but she didn't have the money," Agustina said. A friend suggested the arisan idea, and the woman eventually bought her VCD player.

Onetime famous models have set up their own gathering, which they call "Model Arisan". Member Indrawaty said the women established it five years to maintain communication after their days striding down the country's catwalks ended. For practicality, they do not meet at members' homes, but at designated cafes.

Members include such leading models of the 1970s and 1980s as Citra, Eka, Nana Krit, Soraya Haque, Sandy Harun and Debby Sahertian, most of whom are now married and with children to take care of.

Indrawaty said each member put in Rp 110,000 monthly, with Rp 100,000 covering the food and drinks consumed at the gatherings, and the balance of Rp 10,000 kept as funds of the organization.

"The cash can be used for whatever cause we see fit. This month's cash was donated to victims of the Bengkulu earthquake," said Sandy Harun.

Sandy Harun, a wife of entrepreneur Setiawan Djody, is also a member of the arisan of the family Harun and a women's Koranic recital group. Many women are members of more than one gathering, such as in their family, neighborhood and among friends. The Batak people of North Sumatra are often involved in gatherings which are closely related to maternal kinship, clan ties and their home village.

Indrawaty acknowledged there were many gatherings providing money in the millions of rupiah, but she said she was not interested in taking part in them.

For her, the gathering is merely an important means to gather with old friends and maintain ties.

"So, it's not the money collected that is important, but the significance of the meetings where we can exchange our thoughts, and organize our activities together."

Buying and selling

Different gatherings have different styles, and the prize is not always measured in monetary terms.

In a modest housing complex like the BTN real estate in Jatibening, Bekasi, for instance, sometimes the neighborhood chief's wife organizes gatherings with the understanding that all locals must participate. Generally the contribution is small, consisting of Rp 5,000 to Rp 10,000 monthly.

Resident Carmelia Nainggolan said there was a neighborhood where each member must contribute half a kilogram of rice for each gathering, totaling 10 kilograms from the 20 members.

"For low-income families, this kind of arisan is very significant. When they are running out of sugar, they get 10 kg of sugar. Not bad, is it?"

When someone is in need of cash to pay school fees or to buy medicine for an ailing member of the family, the arrival of the gathering can be like winning the lottery.

There is another type of gathering, known as Call Arisan, which usually has traders as participants. The taker is the one who buckles first and takes the pot, even though it may be smaller than the usual amount because he opted to use it before time.

Marketplaces are sometimes the venue of gatherings, with participation women arriving at the venue laden down with their commodities -- bed sheets, batik, shoes, watches, bags, even diamonds. They have found the gatherings are an ideal place to show their wares; one diamond merchant is a member of no less than 10 gatherings.

Diamond seller Mrs. Purba said she was always able to sell her diamonds at the venue, either through cash payments or in installments.

"The key is knowing how to mix with people, to be warm-hearted and diligent in going to the venues," she said.

So, what is the right arisan for you?