Understanding the simple success of Supardi

By Bernardus Djonoputro

JAKARTA (JP): In the post "Asian miracle" era we live in, there is a rather simple man whom the people around the tennis court where he works affectionately call "Unyil", from the popular puppet show that appeared on TVRI on Sundays for almost 20 years, give or take a few.

His real name is Supardi. He is no more than 150 cm tall (hence the nickname Unyil) and has very simple features. This man, who looks about 40, works as a gardener at the tennis club. He is married and has a pretty 10-year-old daughter named Melisa. Regular players at the tennis court suspect this name was taken from the little girl in the Little House on the Prairie TV series, but he swears that his village received its first television broadcasts after Melisa was born and said he did not know where this "foreign" name came from.

Unyil - sorry Supardi - has very plain physical features and would not usually attract a second glance. He dresses rather shabbily, which adds to the nondescript nature of his physical presence, and has a tiny, high pitched voice to complete his resemblance to the puppet character. By now you probably have a fair picture of him painted in your mind.

The interesting thing about Supardi is that despite his very ordinary appearance, he is a renowned and popular character in the neighborhood.

He tends to the tennis court for about four hours a day, acts as a ball boy for however long he is needed, then spends the rest of the day helping other people with their gardening. When he moves or cuts grass he does so at a light and brisk pace that sets him apart from the slower and somewhat lazier movement of his peers.

When he starts an assignment -- typically cutting grass, manicuring a lawn or simply cleaning somebody's yard - he does so with a zeal that is pleasing to the eye, and he only stops when the job is either done or he needs a drink (who doesn't need one after two hours of continuous motion?). When he is finished he doesn't hang around much, waiting only to inform you that he's done. If you pay him straight away he'll take the money and go on to his next job, and if you don't happen to be around when he finishes, he'll just go anyway and come back for his pay some other day. Simple, no hassle, no moaning or groaning, no wasting of time.

The other interesting thing about Supardi is something that is not visible and which must be fished out of him because he doesn't go in for idle chit-chat. But once you do ask him something, he talks freely and quickly - just like the way he moves.

Well Supardi, it turns out, is a very well-organized man who lives thriftily, saves his money in the rural bank in his village, owns a piece of land that provides food for his family, and has his little Melisa, who achieved an average of seven in her third grade class. What more can you ask of life?

He typically wakes up around five in the morning, does some household chores and washes the cars belonging to his landlord (in lieu of rent), shows up at the tennis court at seven, becomes a ball boy for one hour then starts his official job as the official tennis court gardener, knocks off at 10, does his odd jobs until three in the afternoon, then becomes the official gardener/ball boy again.

He only goes home when it's dark and he's no longer needed. Every three months he goes home to his village in Central Java carrying his savings in a shoe box, works on his land -- either planting, seeding, or harvesting -- then returns to Jakarta. He now has Rp 10 million rupiah in his savings account, owns his own land and is the proud owner of a small but cozy house.

So what makes him tick? You ask him and he says: "I just live, save some money, then move on." In a lot of ways Supardi is reminiscent of Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks' Oscar winning character who was told that "life is like a box of chocolate - you never know what you're gonna get!".

They're both simple people, with ordinary physiques and modest skills and desires, who wish to live a simple life. But not just an ordinary life. They are probably not even aware of it, but they are what we should call Simple Success Stories. For what is success except enjoying your life with what you have?

In times like these, where life in Indonesia has become so much harder and tougher, Supardi is evidence that our "economic miracle" can still exist for those that can adjust and focus on what they can do best. And there are quite a few of them. Look around you. Or better still look at yourself.