Gesang - Bengawan Solo strains in Sibu

Born in the throes of the world depression years of early 1900's Gesang's life had spanned a century. Subsequent financial crashes saw political changes in Indonesia and citizens now show muted strains of vibrance.

He passed away on Thursday 20 May, 2010.

May he rest in peace in Allah's keeping.

It was in the 1940's when as a young man, like many others in Java, their lives wrought in destituton after the depression, Gesang took out his hand carved bamboo flute. He pulled together sounds that brought comfort and hope, about a river in his life - Bengawan Solo. He saw hope in traders plying their goods on the river (Kaum pedagang selalu naik itu perahu). In times of drought he saw farms dried up (Musim kemarau tak berapa airmu). So too, in times of floods he must have seen miseries as water wrought havoc on padi fields and farms on Solo's banks and in the valleys(Di musim hujan air meluap sampai jauh).

Yet he sensed its part in his lives and those of many others, always has been (Sedari dulu jadi perhatian insani).

Indonesia was caught in world geopolitics when Japanese soldiers invaded Indonesia. In the midst of military occupation, the soldiers found time and heard Gesang, liked it, and the war over, they brought it home to be sung in Japanese. It went further. Bengawan Solo was also sung by Chinese, Australians, Dutch and all. Of course, all over Malaysia, we sang it, too. We still do, though in exasperation.

The Japanese came back, erected a statue in his honor and memory. Human cooperation saw technical co-coperation and the Solo River was dammed up, its natural course rerouted: from southward to northward. Floods recurr and you'll read about people affected there, still. That's life playing out then and now.

Sibu people, too, are still affected by floods. They did not put their feelings like anything Gesang did. They articulated their hopes and sent Wong Ho Leng to Parliament.

Well, they could still throw Ho Leng into the river, if he doesn't brush up on his singing prowess in belting out Bengawan Solo! ;)