RI-India cultural ties in Devare's eyes

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.