RI-India cultural ties in Devare's eyes

By Nuraini Razak

JAKARTA (JP): Hema Devare, wife of S.T. Devare -- a former Indian Ambassador to Jakarta, who held the post from 1994 to 1998 -- came to Jakarta last week on a cultural mission.

Devare, born in Puna, India on Oct. 30, 1946, was in town to launch a documentary titled Threads that Bind, in which she attempts to "capture the historical ties" between Indonesia and India.

The documentary, which last about 40 minutes, is essentially presented as a story of a young Indian couple who come to Indonesia for their honeymoon and visit the magnificent architectural sites of Borobudur, Prambanan, Bali, Jakarta and other places of interest.

The following is an excerpt of The Jakarta Post's interview with Hema.

Question: What is the movie Threads That Bind about and why did you make it?

Answer: In this film we are trying to trace the cultural links between India and Indonesia. These countries have been close to each other for a long time. We have had cultural ties starting from between the second and third century... This link spread to influence architecture, language, textiles, the Ramayana and Mahabharata up to the present.

Indian films are very popular in Indonesia. It means that the links keep changing but the two countries are still very close to each other.

Even now when an Indian and an Indian Indonesian meet each other, they feel they are friends.

When I was in Indonesia for three years, I had the chance to travel to many places in Indonesia. And everywhere I traveled, whether it was Yogyakarta, Sulawesi, Bali, Kalimantan, Padang and Bukittinggi, Palembang, Pekan Baru, I felt the presence of Indian culture almost everywhere.

I felt that "this is Indian" or there are some connections between them. And I strongly felt the need to document it in some form and many Indians visiting Indonesia also feel the same way.

Visiting Indians are so impressed. Often, they mention that they would never have thought that they would see something like this in a Muslim country. There are so many names, "Atma Jaya", Jalasena, Dharma Wanita, all names Indians would feel at home with. And they often say "Oh my god, we are leaving this behind in India, we don't see so much there, but here it is still preserved."

Every time I go to a Muslim wedding, a Javanese wedding, I found that there are many Hindu traditions, so I feel that the link is strong, I feel it everywhere, so that's why I felt like producing this film. This film is about the cultural links between the two countries.

Actually, I wanted to make a documentary, but I didn't want to make it in the ordinary form, because I wanted it to be appealing to Indonesians as well as Indians.

Basically, I made this film as a tribute to the friendly ties between the two countries, so this film is dedicated to the common man of Indonesia as well as India.

The film features a reporter of a magazine who comes to Indonesia on a writing assignment. She's from a magazine called World Culture. When she comes to Indonesia she tries to portray the links between India and Indonesia because she sees so much in common. She meets different people and every one tells her about this common link and she discovers it herself. How are you planning to distribute this film to Indonesian and Indian audiences?

I'm trying to see if this can be shown on Indonesian television and we will give it to the Indonesian ministry of tourism and culture. I wish it could be shown in a variety of different places. I would like various organizations in Indonesia to show it to their own audience. I would like to reach more and more Indonesians about the links between the two countries.

Are you planning to distribute it commercially?

My idea is not to make it commercially; this is basically an attribute to the two countries, so basically I want as many people as possible from the two countries to see it.

I do not want to use it for commercial purposes. I would like this film to be used for promotional or educational purposes only.

Is there any unique experience that drew you to make this film?

I had a number of experiences in Indonesia when I felt India was so close to me, like when we went to Maninjau in Sumatra, my husband and I were received with gifts of beetlenut leaves and beetlenuts, the traditional way of receiving guests there. It really moved me because it's the same as in India. I felt "my God, in Indonesia I would find something that's similar to India. It made me feel that we are so far yet so close."

Were you involved in any kind of charity work during your previous stay in Indonesia?

I was involved with the Indian women's association, and the WIC -- the Women's International Club -- and both organizations were greatly involved in charity work.

We gave funds to local charities through various events that we organized.

How did you get into filmmaking?

(Giggling...) I'm not technically oriented. For this film, I used the services of a very well known director in India. His name is Mr. Arun Khopkar, he helped me with my ideas and all the things that I wanted to show in the film.

How do you think the film can contribute to strengthening the ties between Indonesia and India?

We have tried to show how similar the two cultures are. You can see that through the medium of this film. I felt that by watching this film the viewer will feel that, "this must be what's happening in actual life".

So when Indonesians see Indian people and when they see a scene in India they feel close to each other. They will feel drawn toward India.

And the same when Indian people see a scene in Indonesia, they will feel "my God this is so close to our own culture, maybe we should go and see what it is like."

What fascinates you most about Indonesia?

I'm so fascinated about Indonesia, I like everything about Indonesia. Indonesian textiles fascinate me. In fact, during my three years here, I had the help of Ghea Panggabean to organize a silk show, which showed Indian textiles, she made costumes for Indonesian people with Indian silk.

And we also tried to compare the two textiles. They are really similar, ikat of Bali and Indian ikat and I show that in the film also. Wayang and Indonesian handicrafts have always fascinated me. I would say they are unique.

What are your interests?

Basically I am a writer. I used to be a freelance journalist. I wrote short stories and helped script writing. I gave Mr. Khopkar my ideas and personal experiences that I feel I have also carried in this film.

Are you going to promote the film in India?

Since I'm not living in Indonesia anymore, I will try to promote this film in India. Because I'm taking Indonesian culture back to India.

What are your favorite Indonesian dishes?

Mie goreng, cap cai and gado-gado. I'm a strict vegetarian, though I am lucky that whenever we travel in Indonesia it is easy to find these dishes almost everywhere.

Can you tell me a little about yourself?

I was always interested in cultural things when I was a child. I was trained in classical music later on, but I used to dance as a child, take part in plays on Indian radio. I was very active in my school. Basically, I enjoyed my childhood.

How will you introduce this film to the Indonesian public?

I think this film would be of interest to Indonesians because it is about common people in Indonesia and common people in India. It deals with how members of both cultures meet each other and what happens when they meet each other, what they say to each other etc. It could happen to any of us. This situation takes place at any time and all the time in Indonesia.

The most attractive part of the film is that they are "real people".

What's your favorite place to visit?

I would say Bali and Yogyakarta, which I consider the cultural capital of Indonesia. Every time I have visited Yogyakarta, I discovered new cultural characteristics of the place. And also Bandung, I like to visit it because it's not too far and I like the feel of the city.

What are your interests, other then writing?

I am very fond of arranging flowers; I've learned ikebana. I am very interested in gardening.

Will you visit Indonesia again in the future?

Yes, I love Indonesia, there is something about Indonesia that brings people back to it again and again. It's probably the Ganesha who's sitting in front of my house.

Do you still follow developments in Indonesia?

Yes, since we have spent some time living in this country, we keep an interest in Indonesia. We still read about Indonesian developments in the newspaper.

What do you think about the situation at the moment?

We have already been through this situation before, where it's shaky. Somehow I don't feel afraid. I think there is something about the spirit of this place. Every time I visit Indonesia, I feel very peaceful and very much at home. I don't feel disturbed by the happenings here.

What are your favorite places to visit, here in Jakarta?

I like Pasar Seni in Ancol, and Jl. Surabaya. I enjoy pasar (traditional marketplaces). I like Pasar Seni in Ancol, Pasar Sukawati in Bali. I don't like shopping malls.

During your 3-year stay, what did you miss most about India?

Nothing really, maybe just some particular Indian cultural programs and specialized Indian dishes, but I didn't really miss India, I felt very much at home in Indonesia.

I remembered when we were in Germany and I used to say to my husband, "I wish we could go to Indonesia someday," and I just kept on saying that and one day it just happened.