Special entertainers: A band of young people with multiple disabilities from the Dwituna Rawinala Educational Foundation entertain people with a musical performance at Ciputra Mall, Cibubur, East Jakarta. They call themselves the Rawinala Band.

A foundation helps people with disabilities discover their talents.

Several young people with multiple disabilities — blind and physically or mentally impaired — were walking up to the stage, slowly, guided by their instructors, for a musical performance at a recent charity show at Ciputra Mall in Cibubur, East Jakarta.

Undaunted by their physical shortcomings, Irfan, 21, Murti, 26, Suot, 44, Iwan, 46, Kevin, 20, and Pitera, 17, entertained people at the mall with their musical skills with renditions of songs from famous Indonesian bands like Kotak, Coklat, Nidji, Peterpan and Netral.

Some spectators were tearful as the handicapped musicians rendered “Jangan Menyerah” (Don’t give up), a hit by D’Masiv. And many of them were also surprised to see the hidden talents of Irfan and his five friends.

Irfan and his friends are under the aegis of the Dwituna Rawinala Educational Foundation, which provides not only protection but also forums to empower people with multiple disabilities.

Apart from being sightless, multiple handicapped people in Indonesia may also be deaf, mentally retarded, physically disabled, autistic, or have other impairments, preventing normal schooling and limiting their social interactions.

According to data from the Central Statistics Agency, there were 2,401,592 multiple handicapped people in Indonesia as of 2012, almost a third of people with disabilities in the country.

The Rawinala foundation is one of many institutions that aim to empower these people despite their physical disabilities.

The foundation was erected in 1973 as a school and dormitory to train multiple handicapped children to enhance their quality of life by tapping their potential.

The foundation has a modest building in Batu Ampar — Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, and its motto “Berilah hati dan tanganmu untuk melayani” (Lend your heart and a helping hand to serve) is attached to the building’s wall.

The name Rawinala comes from two Sanskrit words meaning “rays of the heart”.

Under the Rawinala foundation, Irfan and his friends have discovered their untapped potential in music.

Irfan is a bassist, Kevin a vocalist and organist, Murti a drummer and Iwan a melody guitarist, with Suot and Pitera as duet singers. Together, they form the Rawinala Band.

This musical talent is an asset by which funds are raised for the foundation, where they and dozens of other multiple disabled youths have found shelter and are being brought up.

When guests visit the foundation, the Rawinala Band always appears to entertain them with songs ranging from those for birthdays and children to today’s top hits.

The group’s music teachers are Agus Supriyanto, 36, who joined Rawinala in 2004, and Dedi Suseno, 30, who followed in 2009.

“At first, I was wondering what to do. After noticing their character traits, I recognized their God-given plus points. Their remarkable zeal fascinates me,” said Agus.

Kevin, for instance, has ocular nerve trouble as well as a light mental disability. Pitera, a singer of Rawinala and also a skilled keyboard player, only has an eye condition, so that he interacts better with the others. He was also East Jakarta’s 2015 Koran reading champion.

“With Rawinala, I was a guest on the Kick Andy TV show in 2015. In 2014, in the same Kick Andy program, I read a letter to president-elect Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo, expressing the hope that Bapak Jokowi could help realize our educational aspirations,” said Pitera.

“Even though they’re sightless, they can see through the other senses, including their heart and feelings, just as what Rawinala means,” said Belle YC Mantiri, the foundation’s director.

“We have many dreams. We wish for Rawinala to release albums and sell them to donors, but that hasn’t come true yet,” added Belle.

Apart from musical lessons, the foundation also offers classes in skills like crop-planting or food-making in an effort to empower its members economically.

While healthy people have eyes to see, the multiple handicapped members of Rawinala have their hands, ears, noses and feet to serve the visual function. They may be physically different, but their capabilities are not much less than those of their fellow human beings.

Rawinala attests to the fact that people with multiple disabilities can have the same opportunities as their healthy peers. Disability is not tantamount to inability, so fellow citizens should lend their heart and a helping hand to support their maximum growth.

Ironically, the lack of concern and attention shown by the government as well as communities adjacent to them has hampered the progress of these “underprivileged” people. Actually, the more they are empowered, the bigger their potential contribution to society becomes, rather than them just becoming a burden to be borne by the state and the nation.

— Photo by P. J. Leo

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