Nike Ardilla fans flock to grave site

Nike Ardilla fans flock to grave site

CIAMIS, West Java (JP): Thousands of young people flocked to the grave of Nike Ardilla yesterday to mark the first anniversary of the pop singer death.

Twelve months after the tragic car accident that caused the death of the young singer, many of her fans from far flung places in Indonesia trekked to the tiny village of Imbanagara, just outside Bandung, where she is buried. Some were still in their school uniforms.

Only a few of her colleagues from the recording industry were present. They included singers Lucy Dahlia and Mel Shandy, and record producer Deddy Dores.

Most of those at the grave were members of the Nike Ardilla Fan Club. A few had been in the neighborhood for a week waiting for the memorial day. They were all accommodated at her house, now inhabited by her parents.

In the cemetery, a huge banner read: "Nike, Wait for Us in Heaven", while outside, there were traders selling souvenirs, from necklaces and photos to engravings inscribed with her name or picture.

Imbanagara village chief R. Edi Suryadi admitted that the devotion to the singer has been a boon for villagers, because fans keep coming every day to pay homage.

Yesterday prayers said in the ceremony were attended by both Nike's parents. A brief religious lecture followed, given by Ella Muhammad, a woman preacher from Nahdlatul Ulama.

Edi Kusnedi, Nike's father, said he was touched by the spontaneous expressions of sympathy from his daughter's friends and fans. "This is beyond our every expectation. It has made our family very happy," he said, adding that a French family had even arranged to send a bouquet to Nike's grave. (17)