When Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles returned to the UK after his stint as Java's lieutenant-governor from 1811 to 1816, he took with him several souvenirs.

One of these many souvenirs is now a focal point at the British Museum in London: A magnificent gong that was among the 100 cases Raffles managed to take to London in 1817 after having to hand back his island to the Dutch.

The gong - the biggest metal instrument in Javanese gamelan orchestra - is part of a small exhibition titled "Gamelan: Music of Java", which is part of "Asahi Shimbun Display: Objects in Focus", a series that has been featuring objects from Asian cultures since 2006. The gong is on display in Room 3 at the British Museum until July 12.

As part of the exhibit, anthropologist Felicia Hughes-Freeland has complemented the artifact with text and photographs that help put in context past and present Indonesia. Its positioning, which makes it look regal with its peculiar garuda - the mythical bird that became national symbol - perched on top, is composed in a manner that suggests a European artistic influence, indicating that Raffles might have commissioned the gamelan himself. The garuda is also linked to a string that means it flutters when the gong is struck with a big thud.

Two long panels also hang on the walls of the small exhibition room, briefly introducing Raffles, the use of gamelan in modern rock music and the accompanying traditional dance. An 1817 oil painting of Raffles by George Francis Joseph shows the man sitting elegantly with his journal, The History of Java, on the table next to him and the Javanese antiquities and landscape in the background.

Java undoubtedly had a special place in Raffles' life, even if Java might have forgotten him, as Nigel Barley, an anthropologist and one of the speakers for the gallery talks, can confirm.

"I asked people around who he was, they remembered Raff-lesh - as his name was often pronounced by Indonesians that I met - as that one Dutch man," said Barley, who wrote The Duke of Puddle Dock: Travels in the Footsteps of Stamford Raffles, a travelogue-history book based on Barley's re-tracking of Raffles' journey from Penang to Yogyakarta. A quirky and at times hilarious anecdotal tale of British scholarly eccentricity, Barley's book introduces Raffles and his adventures in the regions now more than two centuries ago.

This small exhibition draws a lot of visitors, thanks to its strategic location just next to the museum's main gate. Barley's talk was only one of a series of related events that accompany the exhibition.

Others include a gamelan and dance performance by the Southbank Gamelan Players and Ni Made Pujawati, a series of gallery talks, a wayang performance for children and a double-bill film screening on Javanese dance by Felicia Hughes-Freeland.

Among the tunes played during the gamelan concert are some tunes interpreting the notation that Raffles managed to record for his book, The History of Java, which was published in 1817.

The various elements run together nicely, making the solo gong an intriguing starting point from which a tale is unraveled - not only of the colonizer, but also of life in the then colonial Dutch East Indies which would become Indonesia.

Raffles spent almost half of his life - a good 20 years - in various parts of Southeast Asia. When he landed in Java in 1811, he was convinced that it was a place of civilization. He "rediscovered" Borobudur, ahead of the Dutch who had already been there for a long time.

Like many strong characters in history, Raffles was a complex personality whose life was animated by passions, life-altering relationships and personal triumphs but also tinged with the tragedies inherent in such a paradoxical time.

As colonial administrator, he introduced land reform to replace the Dutch forced agricultural system, abolished slavery and was very keen to impose Adam Smith-style free trade on the native Javanese, but the intricate world driven by capitalist imperialism was simply at odds with his vision.

As a colonial administrator, he brought nothing but loss to the company he worked for - which was only saved by his founding Singapore.

He carved his niche instead in history as a passionate, self-taught man of the Enlightenment era, a true believer in humanity based on reason, discovery and learning.

He shared the credo of unlocking the past and mysteries of the universe through observing nature and the manmade world by collecting things, from tropical insects to a gamelan set.

For sure, Raffles was not without foibles - such as leading an attack on the Yogyakarta palace - but he had to get through ill-health, the death of his loved ones and his own at the age of 45 in bankruptcy. He didn't receive his recognition until much later, posthumously.

The exhibition shows how an object or artifact can not only tell so much history but can also link us to the past, and how presenting it through a series of well-programmed activities can make it attractive for people from all walks of life.

For more information:

www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/all_current_exhibitions/gamelan_music_of_java.aspx

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