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Lalu Nasip: A restless puppet master
Despite the proliferation of entertainment programs on TV and live music performances, people living in Lombok still watch wayang, or shadow puppet shows
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espite the proliferation of entertainment programs on TV and live music performances, people living in Lombok still watch wayang, or shadow puppet shows.
JP/Panca Nugraha
But with government paying so little attention to wayang, and its dalang (puppet masters) who hold the most important role in the show, the art of shadow puppetry is at risk of becoming extinct, says Lalu Nasip, a prominent dalang.
“I am happy to know that wayang still has a place in people’s heart. But if the situation does not improve, I am afraid wayang Sasak will be extinct in 10 to 20 years’ time,” said the 63-year-old Nasip.
Nasip, an icon in Mataram city and surrounding villages in West Nusa Tenggara, is the first puppet master in Lombok to translate the language spoken in wayang from ancient Javanese or Kawi to Sasak and Indonesian. He also soon won a special place in people’s hearts because of his sense of humor.
That afternoon, when The Jakarta Post visited his house in the village of South Gerung, West Lombok, Nasip was checking his schedule, consisting of 12 shows in July.
“I am not as strong as I used to be, so I only perform a maximum of three shows a week,” he said.
The main story told in the Sasak leather puppet show is Srat Menak, an adaptation of a Persian tale translated by Yosodipuro II during the Islamic Mataram Kingdom. The story revolves around Prophet Muhammad’s travels when he spread Islam.
In Java and Bali, Srat Menak rarely makes it to the stage. Puppet masters prefer telling the story of Ramayana and Mahabarata.
According to Nasip, Javanese leather puppets were created to entertain kings, while in Bali, wayang were first held as rituals and sacred ceremonies. Wayang in Lombok was first brought to stage for religious purposes.
“In the past, the northern part of Lombok was under the influence of animism, and it was hard for Islam to spread the area. People eventually accepted Islam thanks to puppet shows,” he said.
Nasip developed an interest in wayang during his childhood. He used to pretend he was a puppet master while playing with his friends.
He aspired to be a real puppet master one day, but his parents sent him to the Maritime School in Ampenan instead.
“They wanted to keep me away from the world of wayang, but at that school, I met the son of a dalang from Yogyakarta …,” he recalled.
It wasn’t until 1969 that Nasip focused all his attention on wayang. Nasip made his debut as a puppet master in his hometown, while his friends took care of the music.
He noticed the crowd was quite old.
“I wondered why only the elderly liked it… It turned out that many young people did not understand Kawi Javanese. So I changed the language used in the shows, alternating between Sasak and Indonesian,” he said.
Soon enough, many people, including youth, flocked to his wayang Kulit Sasak, titled Gema Rinjani.
Nasip used the four punakawan (comedians) present in most wayang, similar to Petruk, Gareng, Bagong and Semar, to disseminate information about government programs, pertaining to birth control or migrant workers for example.
Officials with a poor performance record also came under scrutiny in his shows.
“But their names and job titles were never mentioned. It is part of the wayang’s ethical code [not to mention names or titles].”
Nasip received many awards and praise for his work, including from former president Soeharto
in 1981.
“He gave me the choice between traveling around the world or doing the haj. I chose the latter.”
Since then, he has performed in Taman Mini, Jakarta, several times, as well as in Lampung, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, and even Papua. He had students from all parts of the world, from Java
to Germany.
But Nasip worries about the future of wayang Sasak.
“In Java and Bali, children grow up with wayang. Many roads, buses, shops are named after wayang characters. There is no such thing in Lombok. Children only know about wayang if there is a wayang show,” said Nasip, who has six children and six grandchildren.
He hopes wayang Sasak will one day be included in local school curriculums and that the local government will build an art school, which will also teach students about wayang, like in Java and Bali.
“Lombok has no art school. Children gifted in the arts can study in Bali or Java, but only learn about Balinese and Javanese art.
When they return to Lombok, they excel in Balinese or Javanese dances. But Javanese and Balinese schools do not teach wayang Sasak.”
Wayang is more than just a show for Nasip. According to the member of the National Secretariat of Indonesian Wayang, the art form carries moral messages.
There are many lessons to learn about leadership and how to reach harmonious family relations in the Srat Menak, Nasip goes on.
Wayang mirrors real life, he says. What is in the world can be found in wayang: Many political parties begged Nasip to represent them in the 2009 elections.
“But I refused because I want to belong to all people. Being a dalang, I belong to all, from government officials to poor people. What’s more, people will never be ‘former people’, while government officials will surely become former officials.”
