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Myra Sidharta: Defying old age by writing
JP/Ika Krismantari Her hair may have turned white, her back may be bent and her voice may have become weak and hoarse, but becoming an octogenarian has failed to stop Myra Sidharta from writing
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JP/Ika Krismantari
Her hair may have turned white, her back may be bent and her voice may have become weak and hoarse, but becoming an octogenarian has failed to stop Myra Sidharta from writing.
In fact, the spirit of the 88-year-old remains strong, as seen during the launch of her latest book, Seribu Senyum dan Setetes Air Mata (A thousand smiles and a teardrop), in Jakarta.
The 328-page book reflects Myra's celebration of life as it contains a collection of her essays that were published in local newspapers and magazines between 1982 and 2011.
It also stands as proof of Myra's invincible life on paper. Despite all signs of aging, she remains a productive writer.
Her writing covers so many topics but mostly focuses on Chinese-Indonesian issues. Myra is known as an expert on Chinese-Indonesian communities for her research on the ethnicity. Her research has been discussed in many international seminars, from France, Japan, Singapore and the Netherlands to the US.
Her productivity has been acknowledged by her publisher, Mulyawan Karim, who revealed that Myra was in the process of finishing some books, one of which would chronicle the life of Chinese-Indonesian figures.
'Yes, I am preparing for another book,' Myra confirmed without elaborating, only adding that she hoped she could finish the book within two years, in time to celebrate her 90th birthday.
With more than 30 years' experience, Myra has become one Indonesia's most noted writers.
Yet in her latest book, she shares that her writing career did not have a smooth start.
The first article she sent to a magazine did not receive any response. She then went to the magazine's office to ask why her writing was not published. It turned out her article could not be found. The editor asked her to send it again.
Not long after that, her article was published, soon followed by other writing. From then on, her simple and witty writing got more exposure as her pieces were published in other media like Kompas and The Jakarta Post.
One of her famous essays covered the story of her attempts to trace her family roots back to China.
Myra was born Ew Yhong Tjhoen Moy on March 6, 1927, in Belitung. Her grandfather was originally from China and emigrated in search of a better life in Indonesia. She later changed her name to Myra Sidharta due to the government's instruction under the Soeharto regime.
Myra has loved writing ever since she was little. Little Myra was also a bookworm, who preferred reading books to helping her mom cook.
She attended Dutch schools in Belitung and then went to Rijksuniversiteit Leiden in the Netherlands and earned a degree in psychology in 1958.
Back in Indonesia, she studied Indonesian literature at the University of Indonesia while teaching psychology at the same university before focusing on the issue of Chinese-Indonesian society.
Writer Seno Gumira Ajidarma admitted that Myra is a one-of-a-kind expert on Chinese-Indonesians. 'You will sense from her writing that there is no anger there, different from what we see in other experts on similar topics,' he said.
Another observer, who is also an expert on Chinese-Indonesian issues, Aji Chen Bromokusumo, lauded Myra for her diverse knowledge in different sciences, from psychology, literature and anthropology to sociology.
Myra explained that her style of writing was influenced by the fact that she had started earlier than many Chinese-Indonesian experts who began research in the late 1990s.
In some of her writing, she also touches on the issue of gender and women's rights, even though she has never claimed to be a feminist.
Not only is Myra a polymath, but she is also a polyglot who has mastered five different languages ' Chinese, Dutch, French, German and Indonesian.
But despite her language skills and knowledge, she remains humble, which is reflected in all her writing.
'Her choices of words are very simple. They flow and are not pretentious, making it enjoyable to read,' Seno said, commenting on Myra's latest book.
Myra's writing also represents her personality. Some of her essays are very funny, showing her good sense of humor.
When she is not busy writing, the mother of three and grandmother of five spends her time playing sudoku.
'I love sudoku because it is not complicated. You don't need dictionaries or references, just logic,' said Myra, whose husband was the late neurologist Priguna Sidharta.
When asked about the recipe for her remarkable creativity and longevity, she gave simple tips. 'I eat normally, drink normally, and that's all. My sport is only walking around the house and malls,' Myra said.
From the outside, Myra may look like other women in their 80s but, inside, she seems much younger, especially when it comes to technology.
In fact, she is quite up to date ' she swiftly operates her Galaxy Note 3, knows the term 'selfie' and she also tweets.
Another reason why Myra is still young at heart is perhaps because she still continues to write.
Like the prolific writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer once wrote: writing is working for immortality. And so it applies to Myra, who tries to defy old age by continuing writing.
