Awaken the spirit of the nation
In 1945, Pandji’s father was still 7 years old. He had asked his mother (Pandji’s grandmother): “What is independence?” Initially, the grandmother responded to Pandji’s father with confusion. However, he said: “If all these (pointing to the surrounding environment) are ours.”
The boy asked again, “Are they all ours? Do you mean that while traveling by train, we don’t have to pay?” The grandmother replied, “Yes!” (p. 103). In fact, there is still no free lunch in this country today. Through this dialogue, the author politically criticizes the dependence on the nation.
However, the rapper and songwriter of the song “Raise Your Hands for Indonesia” also appreciated the contributions of many heroes. Our founding fathers fought for the independence of the Homeland. During (1945-1948), his father’s house was in Yogyakarta. The fence was made of bamboo. It has a height similar to the waist of an adult. Roughly the same as the front door in the Unyil and Pak Raden movie series.
One day when Pandji’s grandmother pushed the fence, it felt too hard. Later, he found a boy who was killed by a stray bullet. His body was stiff and lifeless. The boy’s age was similar to that of Pandji’s father at the time. He still had the arem-arem (traditional food made from rice) hand in his palm (p. 104).
In the past, this book was in the form of an electronic book. Its online version has been downloaded more than 14,955 times. The Nasional.Is.Me print book launch took place at the Jakarta Book Festival (2011). Recently, it has been reprinted 4 times. Surprisingly, Nasional.Is.Me also carried out an altruistic mission. The Hard Rock Cafe (HRC) broadcaster is applying the concept of sharing. When you buy a book, your copy is automatically and free of charge to Indonesian youth living in rural areas. This charity program was supported by Bentang Pustaka and the Sampoerna Foundation.
In a systematic way, this book consisted of 3 parts: Know your Indonesia, Find your passion and Work for the future of your people. In total, there are 10 chapters. From “A Request for Contemplation” to “From the Beginning to the Final Sentence Line”. This 330-page book is a kind of manifesto. The summary of some answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) for Pandji fans about their love for Indonesia.
A sharp analysis of the former Proactive Provocative host was when he differentiated between nationalism in the United States and Indonesia. According to this coffee lover, the American country is made up of many immigrants who come together through sports. Although the world has football (soccer), they created their own: American football. Why? Because modern football came from England. Native Americans also loved basketball very much. Through these 2 sports, all immigrants were participating through the “joint product”. Thus, the unity of the nation is created.
So the most important question is: “In Indonesia, what kind of nationalism do we have?” According to Pandji, it is Pancasila, the 5 basic principles. That was in accordance with Anand Krishna’s opinion. Pancasila is the code of happiness in life (The Jakarta Post, July 13, 2012).
Furthermore, as Bung Karno said, Pancasila was Philosophie Grondslag, the basic philosophy on which all races, religions and diversities rested in the embrace of the Fatherland. It is the basis on which the difference between “me” and “you” in “our” area is attached.
In this book, Pandji also investigated the history of human civilization. Former high school student Jakarta Gonzaga believed that Pancasila has made Indonesia not end up like India. The country that separated from Pakistan after being liberated from England. Islamic society (minority in India) thought that the government would not please them. Also, they feared civil war between Islam and Hinduism due to some political interests.
Anyone knew then that it was Mahatma Gandhi who went on a hunger strike. The Mahatma would fast until the violence in India stopped. Finally, the civil war in all of India ended and Gandhi began to eat a bite of rice. However, the disintegration of India was inevitable.
Later, Pakistan founded its own Muslim community. After that, the Muslim and Hindu population migrated to the region of India and Pakistan. It was recorded as the greatest human tragedy of the 20th century. Many housemates were forced to separate from their own families due to religious and belief differences.
In this context, Pancasila made Indonesia relatively democratic. The 5 basic principles still bind us from Sabang to Merauke. Pandji has written the book based on his experience crossing the archipelago.
Pandji’s work allowed him to do that. He traveled from Padang, Belitung, Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Manado, Makassar, Bali, to Jayapura. The beauty of those regions made a deep impression on his heart.
He wrote an unforgettable experience in Kupang: “Seeing the children there and hearing them sing the Kuan Kefa song, a local tradition on how to cure homesickness … then hearing the mothers singing together about the unit called Lais Manekat while sitting under the shadow of a tree … I almost don’t think so, it’s like in the movies, the sound of the wind is not blowing, but whistling … ”(p.155).
In fact, this book lit the flame of optimism amid thick clouds due to corrupt politics. The young man, Pandji, made an altruistic call to transform this beloved republic. Expressing ourselves in each circumference of the self based on each own profession. Perhaps, we will not see that bright future. However, the next generation, our grandchildren, will experience a better Indonesia. Happy reading!
Title: Nasional.Is.Me
Author: Pandji
Publisher: Bentang Pustaka Yogyakarta
The fourth published in March 2012
Number of pages: xiv + 330
Price: Rp54.000
ISBN: 978-602-8811-53-8