I

ndonesians put on their batik shirts and dresses on Friday, taking note with pride that this wasn't just any other Friday when several offices and schools have already adopted the batik dress code - it was the very day that the United Nations' cultural body, UNESCO, has recognized it as a world heritage from Indonesia.

The recent tiff with Malaysia over reports that the neighboring country "claimed" several "Indonesian products" probably helped boost the sense of contributing to the national and international campaign that "batik belongs to Indonesia." Never mind that the actual statement from UNESCO dated Sept. 30 does not touch on the controversy of origin.

On its list of 76 elements of "intangible cultural heritage" batik is described as "the techniques, symbolism and culture surrounding hand-dyed cotton and silk garments known as Indonesian batik *which* permeate the lives of Indonesians from beginning to end ..."

Some experts argue that since the batik method and prints were seen long ago in other parts of Southeast Asia, Indonesia and particularly Java can at best lay claim to perfecting the batik method, if not originating both the method and the prints.

Regardless of the debate, thanks to recent, new designs and materials, the young are embracing batik; it's no longer just a "must" because of school or office rules.

While in previous years batik was either the clothing of the traditional Javanese or formal attire for receptions, it is now among the choices for casual and fashionable wear.

The young at heart have thus adopted batik as part of their lifestyle, even as die-hards fret over the much cheaper choices, saying these are not "real" batik as they employ cheaper methods of simply stamping predesigned prints instead of the classical techniques involving waxing by hand.

Designers still face the challenge of "nationalizing" batik; if it's essentially the technique, we have yet to see more designs representing other Indonesian cultures beyond "Javanese" prints.

These images represent a glimpse of batik on the historic day that the UN recognized part of our legacy.