TV program introduces 'wayang' to children

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 06/22/2006 1:13 PM  |  Life

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Bona

Everybody was supposed to be silent when the cameraman started taping the scene. Unfortunately, silence was precisely the one thing he could not get on that lazy Sunday afternoon.

On the stage, four little girls were standing before a medium size kelir (white screen for Wayang Kulit shadow puppet performance), ready to demonstrate their puppetry skills. They could not start because some of their friends were noisily chasing each other around on and off on stage.

""How can you get a calm moment when there are more than 20 energetic children running around you,"" the cameraman said.

It took crowd control from the director, Mas Ruscitadewi, before all the boys and the girls reluctantly agreed to sit next to the stage. With a soft voice and calming gestures, Mas, the chief editor of the island's sole children's tabloid Lintang, convinced them that each of them would have their chance to perform before the camera.

""They are such lovely kids. They are just too enthusiastic about this shooting,"" she said.

Even then, three-year-old Kadek Sugi still found a chance to innocently step onto the stage. With a huge wayang of a boar in his hands, he lingered before the Kelir, oblivious to his surroundings.

""He is fascinated by the wayang and kelir. I think he will be a dalang (puppeteer) in the future,"" his father, I Made Sidia, said as he took Sugi off the stage.

Both Sugi's father and grandfather are accomplished dalang. When he finally managed to escape his father's embrace, the little boy ran into the lap of his grandfather, the legendary Bapa Sidja, who was sitting in the shaded corner of the stage.

By that time, the filming had began. The girls took turns in animating wayang characters, which ranged from a proud deer, a noisy bird to a weird looking ant. They mimicked their characters' movements, sung their story and made a series of animal-like sounds.

It was not an exceptional performance, but their friends gave them a thunderous applause. Soon, the boys took the stage, performing menacing characters, such as an elephant or a tiger.

The filming was part of an educational television program designed by Mas Ruscitadewi and Sidia. The weekly program Learning Wayang aims at popularizing Wayang Kulit among the new generation of Balinese children.

""These children are nurtured and educated by television. Instead of viewing the television as a hostile force, we will use television as a medium to educate our children on our cultural heritage, spiritual values and social norms,"" Mas Ruscitadewi said.

Through the program, the children would be introduced to various characters from the Hindu epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

""For instance, they will learn who Bhima is as well as his character, moral standing and heroic exploits,"" Sidia said.

Moreover, the program would also teach the viewers how to craft a wayang.

""It will be a fun as well as a meaningful television program,"" Mas Ruscitadewi said.

Learning Wayang will be aired in September on Bali TV, the island's most influential private station.

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