Understanding the simple success of Supardi

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.