The Tetuka Adiwira

Hikayat Negarakrtgama Ihwal Twelve

Apparently, Edo and Hermansyah had deliberately invited me and Erika to hold this small but serious chat. The two journalists who work at the same television station as Erika and are quite familiar with her, said they felt the need to convey everything to both of us.

So Erika took us back to Le Petit Cafe. Beyond my last behavior to Edo and Hermansyah the other day, where I snapped to her not to interview me, it turned out that Edo had completely forgotten about the incident. The real me feels bad, but Edo and Hermansyah seem to be justifying her and have forgotten about it. Especially now that they become the idol of the press and their place of work in television stations.

Edo and Hermansyah sat in front of me and Erika who were now sitting next to each other. As the name implies, Le Petit Cafe is a small but cozy cafe. The four of us felt warm clinging to a small rectangular table with four benches on the sides. The warmth was more pronounced because I was right by Erika's side.

The smell of his body was burning in my nose. Many times his arm touched my arm. Often when the conversation gets more intense, his face is very close to my face. The comfort of this cafe made me more immersed in the intimacy of myself and Erika.

Edo told me with a burning spirit with occasionally chimed in by Hermansyah who indeed seemed to be a quieter and quieter when compared to Edo. But Hermansyah also often laughed amusedly when Edo discussed the detailed parts of the incident they experienced. He laughed as if he could not believe what they had been through. Erika, who is Edo and Hermansyah's best friend, is also their best friend, although Erika is a presenter at the studio while Edo and Hermansyah are field reporters. Especially Edo who has even known Erika since their time sitting on the same lecture bench at the Faculty of Communication. From our conversation, I learned a little bit that they are both known as a pair of thick friends.

The longer I chatted, without thinking about it, I realized that these three people both believed in me. They see me as trustworthy and qualified, both as a source and guest on their television station, as a scientist and educator, and of course as a person. Therefore, they deliberately invited Erika and me in their conversation. Moreover, I myself have become a figure who – borrowed the term Edo – significant in this extraordinary phenomenon.

Both of these fellow journalists have different physical and behavioral traits. Edo has a smaller body than Hermansyah, although it cannot be said to be short. Edo's face is quite attractive and photogenic, that's why he was asked to be an event reporter to cover the news. Another case with Hermansyah is tall but contains. The shape of the body allows Hermansyah to carry the camera easily and make it without much effort to highlight the camera on various events that are difficult to shoot. Nimblely he will direct his camera in various positions.

Suddenly Edo fell silent, his eyes glazed over, then looked at me sharply as he said, “Pak Negara, it looks like we have to change the term superhero to Gatotkaca.”

My eyebrows wrinkled, and I laughed before long.

“Why is that Edo? Because he flew like a figure Gatotkaca figure and came from Indonesia? Why not just Superman? Superman for example. After all, we don't really know who he is yet. Does he speak Indonesian? Or maybe Java? Or is he Indonesian, or is he an alien?” I laughed again.

Edo changed the word ‘gue’ with ‘saya’ when he spoke addressed it directly to me. This was different when he excitedly told stories referring to all of us. Maybe he was showing me his respect and seriousness. After all, as a reporter, it is not difficult for him to have good language skills, switching from one accent to another accent, including changing to another language mastered when necessary.

As a Sociologist, cultural observer and educator, especially if I am of Javanese blood, my knowledge of various legends, myths and cultures is very good. Regarding puppets, in addition to connoisseurs, I also wrote several times in books as a comparison or basic mindset of Javanese people in their daily lives.

“Good, good. What do you want to know, Do? You see, if we talk about Gatotkaca especially wayang in detail, a day will not be enough.”

“Pak Negara, please tell me about his flying ability. And what I am most curious about is that in the wayang kulit Java, Bali and wayang golek, there is a part on his back that sticks up. What is it exactly, Sir?” Edo was more and more intensely preparing himself to hear my explanation. It turned serious.

“Begini Edo's. Actually the wayang kulit and golek that we often see has a symbolic form. Carvings or motifs on the face and body describe the behavior, nature and habits of the figure. So are the clothes they wear. I'll tell you in more detail about this sometime. But certainly, in the figure of Gatotkaca, he has extraordinary strength because it was born by a mother of a giant group named Goddess Arimbi. His own father was a great sakti like a giant anyway, the second son of the Pandawa family known as Bima or in Javanese, Werkudara or Wrekudara. Once the devotion of both parents Gatotkaca made him an idol of the gods who when he was born, all donated their devotion. One of them is a set of heirloom clothes given by Batara Guru himself, the king of the gods in heaven. The clothes are Caping Basunanda, Kotang Antrakusuma, and Terompah Padakacarma. Caping Basunanda is a kind of head covering or crown that he uses so that even though it is hot it will not overheat and if it rains it will not get wet. That's Caping Basunanda.

I sipped a coffee, then continued.

“Kotang Antrakusuma is a robe-like garment, or cloth tied on his left and right shoulders. While Terompah Padakacarma is a slipper or sandal that he uses to fly. The most interesting part is how Kotang Antrakusuma and Terompah Padakacarma work to make it fly into space. When he flies, he will pat his own shoulder and push his leg down. His cloth or robe will flutter in the sky,” I am reluctant to take a breath to continue this story.

“Well, that cloth or robe was wrapped around the back of Raden Gatotkaca's body. When he flew, in the way the skin symbolized the cloth sticking up, symbolizing he was flying and floating in space. So basically, what we see as the back that sticks out is Raden Gatotkaca's robe that flutters in the air, maybe like a red cloak in Superman.”