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Gusti Nurul, women's emancipation fighter, dies at 94
Final departure: Mourners carry a coffin containing the body of Gusti Nurul at the Pura Mangkunegaran Palace in Surakata, Central Java, in a ceremonial farewell before transporting the coffin to the Astana Girilayu cemetery complex in the neighboring Karanganyar regency on Wednesday
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Final departure: Mourners carry a coffin containing the body of Gusti Nurul at the Pura Mangkunegaran Palace in Surakata, Central Java, in a ceremonial farewell before transporting the coffin to the Astana Girilayu cemetery complex in the neighboring Karanganyar regency on Wednesday. Nurul, the founder of the countryâs first radio station, Solosche Radio Vereeniging, died on Tuesday, aged 94.(JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi) (JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)
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span class="caption">Final departure: Mourners carry a coffin containing the body of Gusti Nurul at the Pura Mangkunegaran Palace in Surakata, Central Java, in a ceremonial farewell before transporting the coffin to the Astana Girilayu cemetery complex in the neighboring Karanganyar regency on Wednesday. Nurul, the founder of the country's first radio station, Solosche Radio Vereeniging, died on Tuesday, aged 94.(JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)
Hundreds of relatives and mourners paid their last respects on Wednesday to Gusti Raden Ayu (GRAy) Siti Noeroel Kamaril Ngarasati Koesoemo Wardhani Soerjosoejarso, better known as Gusti Nurul, co-founder of the country's first radio station and an influential member of the Javanese royal family, who passed away the day prior at the age of 94.
The body of Gusti Nurul, the daughter of former Mangkunegaran Palace ruler Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran Adipati Arya (KGPAA) Mangkunegoro VII, was seen off on Wednesday morning from the Pura Mangkunegaran Palace in Surakarta, Central Java, by Sri Paduka Mangkunegoro IX, followed by hundreds of relatives and mourners.
Before the casket was placed in the hearse, the brobosan ritual was carried out, in which all of late Gusti Nurul's children and grandchildren walked beneath the casket.
'The entire funeral procession was carried out according to Javanese tradition, this includes the brobosan,' said Gusti Nurul's eldest son, Kanjeng Pangeran Haro (KPH) Sularso Basanah Soerjosoelarso.
Gusti Nurul's remains were later buried at the royal mausoleum in Astana Girilayu in the neighboring Karanganyar regency at around 2 p.m. local time. She was laid to rest below the tombs of her father and mother Gusti Kanjeng Ratu (GKR) Timoer and next to her husband Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo (KPH) Soerjosoejarso's grave.
During her youth, Gusti Nurul was known for her beauty and also her modern way of thinking, which surpassed many women during her era.
Although she lived amid strict royal tradition, she continued to carry out activities deemed taboo for women at that time, such as horse riding, playing tennis and swimming.
In the late 1930s, the young Gusti Nurul visited the Netherlands to perform a Javanese traditional dance for the wedding of Queen Wilhemina's daughter, Princess Juliana. The dance performance was claimed to be a wedding gift from the Mangkunegaran Palace.
Uniquely, Gusti Nurul's dance entourage was not accompanied by a live gamelan ensemble. During the performance, the gamelan music was instead aired through the Solosche Radio Vereeniging, Indonesia's first radio station, a station that Gusti Nurul had helped to establish and one that could be received clearly in the Netherlands.
Impressed with her personality and dance performance, Queen Wilhemina nicknamed Gusti Nurul 'De Bloem van Mangkunegaran', or 'The Mangkunegaran Flower'.
Gusti Nurul's beauty also mesmerized a number of the country's founding fathers. President Sukarno, Sutan Syahrir, Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX and Prince Djati Kusumo (son of Paku Buwono X) were all reported to have proposed, each hoping to claim her as their wife. She refused, however, because she opposed polygamy and disliked political life.
Her strong opposition against polygamy was considered progressive during that time, when polygamy was regarded as a usual practice within the palace.
Gusti Nurul eventually chose to marry an army colonel, Soerjosoelarso, who was her cousin. They moved to live in Bandung and lived their until her death. They were blessed with seven children, 14 grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
'To me, Eyang [grandmother]Gusti Nurul was an inspirational figure. She lived inside the palace walls but her thoughts were very moderate,' said Gusti Nurul's niece Raden Ayu Dyah Indrasari Kusumowidhayat.
According to Sularso, prior to the decline in his mother's health that saw her spend three weeks in a hospital in Bandung, West Java, prior to her death, his mother had mostly spent her time in bed due to old age.
'Actually, she was not ill. Mother died of old age, not from severe illness,' he said.
