Umar Kayam in hospital

JAKARTA: Prominent scholar Umar Kayam is in stable condition after undergoing an operation to fix his broken thigh bone at the Metropolitan Medical Center in South Jakarta.

Kayam, 69, who is also a noted writer, broke the upper femur as he collapsed in his residence in Cipinang, East Jakarta, on March 1.

The operation was successful, but there was a lot of internal bleeding due a ruptured blood vessel, which was exacerbated by the fact that he suffers from diabetes.

"The bleeding has stopped, but he is still weak and his speech is incomprehensible," daughter Sita Aripurnami told The Jakarta Post, adding that he was still hooked up to an IV.

Kayam was a rector of the Jakarta Institute of the Arts, head of the Jakarta Arts Council and a professor at Gadjah Mada University.

His noted books include Seribu Kunang-kunang di Manhattan (Thousands of Fireflies in Manhattan), Jalan Menikung (Curving Road), Para Priyayi (The Nobility) and Mangan ora Mangan Ngumpul (Strong Sense of Togetherness). -- JP