Trinil promotes Surabaya's image in literature

Trinil promotes Surabaya's image in literature

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Mulane nek kenek tak elingna,
Asem Rowo kampung rika
Surabya kutha rika
Tanah Jawa wutah getih rika.

(That's why, if I may remind you,
Asem Rawa is your village,
Surabaya is your city,
Java Island is your birthplace.)

This is a verse in a Javanese poem, Tekek Lali Gowoke (House
Lizard that Forgets its Home) by Trinil Sri Setyowati, a
Surabaya-born poet.

Trinil, born on July 27, 1965, has written the poem in
Surabaya dialect and uses a traditional, sentimental style to
describe her criticism of young people in Surabaya who have
forgotten their indigenous culture.

"I'm really angry at this. Instead, they adopt the language
and dialect of the Betawi people -- the indigenous people of
Jakarta -- or even shift to European culture in their daily
communications," she told The Jakarta Post.

In fact, she said, the dialect of Surabaya served as the
medium of communication used by young people from Surabaya,
Gresik, Sidoarjo and Mojokerto in East Java during their struggle
to defend Indonesia's freedom and sovereignty from the clutch of
the Dutch colonialists.

Thanks to the Surabaya dialect, the East Java youngsters
fought to their last drop of blood in a fierce struggle on
November 10, 1945, now observed as Heroes Day.

Unfortunately, many of Surabaya's youngsters show greater
pride when they speak in the Betawi vernacular. In their opinion,
the dialect of Surabaya is the language of less educated and
backward people, or maybe language used only by those with a
penchant for rioting and whining.

"The dialect of Surabaya can be uttered in an equally soft
manner like the Mataraman (Surakarta-Yogyakarta) Javanese
dialect. It does not belong to marginalized people but to all
Surabaya residents," she noted.

To dispel the unfavorable image associated with the Surabaya
dialect and, at the same time, the Javanese Surabaya subdialect,
Trinil has written her literary works in Surabaya dialect. Her
collection of 66 poems was published in late 2004 under the title
Donga Kembang Waru, while her novel, Sarunge Jagung, saw the
light of day in June 2005. Trinil financed the publication of
these literary works herself.

In her novel, which has 117 pages and has come out in 300
copies, Trinil writes a lot about a failed love story between two
people of different culture and status: Ratri, the daughter of an
official, and an ordinary young man.

In modern Javanese literature, Trinil is not as popular as
Suparto Brata, the writer of Trem (Tram), a novel written in
Javanese. Before publishing her collection of poems and her
novel, Trinil was better known as a choreographer.

Her most popular pieces are Musim Hujan (Rainy Season) and
Kembang Temon (Temon Flower)."I began to write seriously in 2000
when I worked as a reporter for Jayabaya magazine," she said.

Although she may be considered a newcomer in modern Javanese
literature, Trinil, who also teaches at the school of pedagogy at
Surabaya State University, is unique as a writer.

Her literature reflects her idealism, something that is
usually absent in the work of other writers, who pay more
attention to its commercial value.

If you compare Trinil's work with that of other writers that
also features Surabaya, then you will find that her works are not
only rich in Surabaya dialect but are also laden with the
cultural values of the city.

Thanks to this spirit, her works offer transparency and
straightforwardness in the absence of a calculating mind. The
main theme in these works is an effort to preserve tradition and
culture.

"Many have sarcastically told me that my literary works do not
sell because they are written in the Javanese Surabaya dialect. I
don't care, though, and continue to popularize the language of
Surabaya among youngsters and government officials," she said.

Apart from filling her works with ideas about preserving
tradition and culture, Trinil also dwells on the lives of women
in Surabaya. In a poem titled Lho, Kok Koen Min, she writes:
sangkakna sapa iku mau, kok cekak rokmu, kok kandel bengesmu,la
apa gak masuk angin koen kembenan thok, la iku anake wong endi ae
sakmono kehe kok meh uda kabeh, jaremu kate mbok golekna
penggaweyan nang bangsa liya. (Who do you think you are, how
short your skirt is, how thick your makeup; won't you catch cold
wearing your clothes that way? Who are the half-naked women that
go with you? You say you will find them a job in a foreign land.)

This particular poem is about a young girl who has abandoned
the traditional values with which she has been raised. Hermin,
the antagonist in the poem, has become wealthy as a broker of
female migrant workers. Her wealth has transformed her way of
life.

Besides lashing out at her society, Trinil writes a lot about
the old days in Surabaya in her works. Some of her poems that are
set in the Surabaya of the past are Sekolahane Nonik-nonik, Pasar
Besar, Embong Macan, Kayoon, Kampung Arab, Hotel Sarkies, Hotel
Orange and Hotel Embong Malang.

"I never expected to receive any reward. I have written my
works purely in response to my restlessness at the fading of
Surabaya culture," she said in a fiery manner.