Tragic demise of an artist

Pak Dermawan (not his real name) is the owner of a small shop on a narrow road, too narrow for two cars from opposite directions to pass each other. In the neighborhood, lived a painter, Donny (not his real name), all by himself in a small rented room. Pak Dermawan knows Donny very well because the latter usually dropped by at his shop for a chat.

When Pak Dermawan did not see Donny for four days, he went to Donny's place to see how he was doing. As he approached Donny's room, a foul smell emanated from it. Pak Dermawan was convinced it was the smell of a decaying corpse. He immediately reported the matter to the nearest police station.

Pak Dermawan, together with two policemen, forced opened the room and found Donny's body lying in the bathroom. It was concluded that Donny had died four days earlier, apparently of a heart failure. Browsing through the artist's papers in the room, the police found a clue that showed that Donny was born in Semarang, Central Java.

Pak Dermawan then placed an advertisement in one of Semarang's newspapers, announcing the death of the painter, but there was no response. The corpse was sent to the General Hospital. After ten days, with nobody coming to claim the body, the police allowed the deceased to be buried. It was Pak Dermawan who took the responsibility and took all the necessary steps to give the painter a decent burial at the state cemetery. All the expenses were borne by Pak Dermawan, with assistance from the Catholic church of which he was a member.

On Nov. 22, about a month later, Donny's relatives in Jakarta came to know of his death. If only Donny had informed the village chief of his relatives' whereabouts, this sad state of affairs could have been avoided. Donny (69 years of age) died a pauper's death. As a matter of fact, Donny is my brother-in-law.

I'm writing this letter out of respect and gratitude for Pak Dermawan, a true Christian and a humanitarian who had done a great deed.

A. DJUANA

Jakarta