Bali Lives On

TONITE BALI LIVES ON!

TAKE A STROLL UNDER THE DIMMING SKIES AND SEE FOR YOURSELF THAT WHILE WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING - WE DO KNOW WHERE ALL BEGINS AND ENDS . . .

HAPPY NYEPI 1928

MARLOWE & JUN

(respect to Electronposts for the text)

The Clear Message

Balinese has always find a way to express their aspirations through their arts. Their passionate rejection toward the controversial Anti Pornography Bill has became an integral element of numerous Ogoh-ogoh (papier-mache giant dolls) during Wednesday night's Ngerupuk parade. Some Ogoh-ogoh carried placards "Reject Anti Pornography Bill"(left) while the other voiced the rejection in a more sublime way, like the one on the top of this page. It depicts Suratma, the chief guardian of the gate into the after-life realms of Heaven and Hell. It is said that Suratma carries a palmyra book which contains the names and the times of death of each and every human beings. The palmyra book on the Ogoh-ogoh reveals the names of two ardent supporters of the bill, former "hot" movie star Inneke Koesherawati and dangdut singer cum moslem preacher Rhoma Irama, and the names of two well-known terrorists, the late Azahari and Nordin Moh Top. Azahari name had been ticked with red ink to signify that he had entered the after-life while the rest apaparently are still waiting for their turns.

Night of the Dancing Demons

Entranced masses......

Primal Screams...Frenzy Races...
Night of the dancing demons...
A vibrant exorcism

Mari Bersunyi Untuk Temukan Nurani!

resounding silence as time stands still
I surrender mind, body, and soul;
all these I give into the hands of peace.

glory Bali's Lunar New Year Caka Year 1928:
self solitude for a day - self awareness for a lifetime

(respect to electronposts for the design)

Marlowe and Jun

Himbauan Ida Pedanda Sebali Tianyar

Dharmadhyaksa (Ketua Sabha Pandita) PHDI Pusat Ida Pedanda Gede Ketut Sebali Tianyar Arimbawa menghimbau umat Hindu untuk mendoakan keutuhan Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia (NKRI) pada saat melakukan persembahyangan menjelang Hari Raya Nyepi.

“Ini momen yang tepat bagi kita untuk secara bersama-sama memohon kepada Ida Sanghyang Widhi Wasa agar negara kita diberikan perlindungan dan karunia sehingga NKRI bisa tetap utuh dan jaya,” ujarnya.

Himbauan tersebut disampaikan Ida Pedanda pada Selasa (28/3) seusai menjadi pembicara dalam semiloka RUU APP yang diselenggarakan oleh Komnas HAM. Dalam semiloka yang berlangsung selama dua hari itu, seluruh peserta bersepakat untuk menolak total RUU APP, termasuk segala revisinya.

“Doa itu bisa dilaksanakan dalam persembahyangan bersama pada hari Ngerupuk, saat melakukan Tawur atau caru di setiap desa dan rumah,” ujarnya.

Himbauan Ida Pedanda tampaknya tidak terlepas dari munculnya berbagai tuduhan tidak berdasar yang menuding bahwa perjuangan masyarakat Bali dalam menolak RUU APP telah ditunggangi kepentingan separatisme maupun dipengaruhi oleh para pemodal asing.

“Padahal penolakan terhadap RUU APP adalah ekspresi kecintaan masyarakat Bali terhadap NKRI. Masyarakat Bali tidak ingin ada sekelompok masyarakat mencoba-coba untuk mengubah prinsip-prinsip dasar NKRI, seperti Pancasila dan Bhineka Tunggal Ika,” katanya.

“Namun, kita tidak perlu menanggapi tudingan itu dengan emosional. Mari, dengan doa, kita tunjukkan sikap masyarakat Bali yang selalu menjunjung kebenaran dan spiritualitas dalam menghadapi berbagai tantangan hidup,” tambahnya.

Ida Pedanda juga mengingatkan agar umat Hindu benar-benar merayakan Nyepi dengan semangat pengendalian diri dan kesucian.

“Jangan sampai ada lagi kejadian-kejadian buruk saat Nyepi, seperti mabuk-mabukan atau perkelahian antar banjar,” ujarnya.

The Spirit of Nyepi

Well, Nyepi---Hindu’s Day of Silence--- is just around the corner. These days will be the perfect time for all of us to start the enlightening journey of soul-searching and self-reflection.

There will be a noisy parade on Wednesday night, with thousands of people flocking the streets with bamboo torches on their hand. There will be a colorful parade of Ogoh-ogoh (giant papier-mache effigy), including the one from the Banjar Perang (Kapal village) on the above picture ( and, yes, the placard on the giant’s belly read “Reject Anti Pornography Bill”).

However, it is the silence on the following day that really counts. The silence that will transform the island into an Alpha (or Omega, for that matter) point of origin (or destination). The silence of Sunya Sunyata, of spiritual tranquility.

Hopefully, the silence serenity of the Nyepi will provide us with a new and a better insight into life’s ultimate lesson; the transitory nature of the universe; the ephemerality of our existence.

Respect All, Love All

Marlowe and Jun

Where is The Letter?

Untuk kawan-kawan yang mempertanyakan nasib dari surat Gubernur Bali, yang berisi penolakan resmi pemprov Bali terhadap RUU APP, Jiwamerdeka hari ini telah menerima konfirmasi sahih bahwa surat itu sedang dalam perjalanan ke Jakarta.

For those who are questioning the fate of the Bali Governor’s letter, which details his administration’s official rejection letter toward the Anti Pornography Bill, Jiwamerdeka today has received a valid confirmation that the letter was on its way to Jakarta.

Plh. Karo Humas dan Protokol Pemprov Bali, I Gusti Agung Putu Mayun, menyatakan bahwa Gubernur Bali Dewa Made Beratha sendiri yang telah menyerahkan surat itu kepadanya pada Kamis sore lalu.

The acting head of Bali Governor’s public relations and protocol division, I Gusti Agung Putu Mayun said that the Bali Governor Dewa Made Beratha had personally handed him the letter on Thursday afternoon.

“Saya kemudian meminta salah satu staff saya untuk mengantarkan surat itu kepada Wakil Sekjen DPR RI,” katanya.

“I then asked one of my aides to deliver the letter to the deputy secretary general of the House of Representatives,” he said on Sunday.

Staff muda itu, I Dewa Putu Gandhita Rai Anom, memperlakukan tugas itu dengan sangat serius sampai-sampai ia tak mampu tidur pada malam itu.

The young aide, I Dewa Putu Gandhita Rai Anom took the task so seriously that he could not sleep on that night.

“Saya khawatir bahwa saya akan menghilangkan surat itu, atau suratnya terselip di mana. Jadinya saya begadang semalaman pada hari itu. Ini kan surat yang penting, sangat penting. Surat ini menegaskan aspirasi dari seluruh masyarakat Bali,” tegasnya.

“I worried that the I might loss or misplace the letter that I spent a sleepless night on that Thursday. It is an important letter, a very important letter. It conveys the aspiration of the whole Balinese people,” he said.

Pada Kamis siang, Rai Anom berangkat ke hotel Bali Intercontinental di Jimbaran dan menyerahkan surat itu kepada Wakil Sekjen DPR RI, I Gusti Ayu Darsini, yang sedang menghadiri konfrensi AIPO (Organisasi Antar Parlemen Asean) di tempat itu.

On Friday afternoon, Rai Anom went to Jimbaran’s Bali Intercontinental and presented the letter to the deputy secretary general of the House of Representatives, I Gusti Ayu Darsini, who was attending the AIPO (Asean Inter-Parliamentary Organization) conference there.

Darsini membenarkan keterangan Rai Anom dan menyatakan bahwa hingga Minggu petang surat itu masih ada di tangannya. Ia juga menyatakan bahwa ia akan berangkat ke Jakarta pada petang itu.

She confirmed Rai Anom’s account and stated on Sunday evening that the letter was still in her custody. Darsini also disclosed that she was just about to leave Bali for Jakarta.

“Ketua DPR RI, Agung Laksono, masih berada di Singapura dan baru akan kembali ke Indonesia pada 30 Maret. Jadi saya akan menyerahkan surat ini kepadanya pada awal April,” paparnya.

“The Speaker of the House, Agung Laksono, is still in Singapore and will not be back until March 30. So, I will present the letter to him early on April,” she said.

“Saya tidak memiliki kewenangan untuk membuka surat ini karena surat ini disegel dan ditandai sebagai komunikasi yang bersifat rahasia antara Gubernur Bali dengan Ketua DPR RI,” tambahnya.

“I don’t have any authority to open the letter because it is sealed and marked as a confidential correspondence between the Bali Governor and the Speaker of the House,” she added.

PS; the picture on the top of this page is of the official receipt signed by I Gusti Ayu Darsini after she received the Bali Governor’s letter from I Dewa Putu Gandhita Rai Anom.