Having born inti Javanese society and its culture, batik has always been a familiar part of my life. Every day my mother wore batik dresses and Mbok Wongso carried me using a batik shawl. She even carried groceries from the market using the same piece of cloth. My bed sheet and blanket were also made from batik and they were already very thin and soft because they had been washed too many times, and yet remained very comfortable. And ad a teenager I danced in batik cloth and shawl.
I was so used to batik that I had never paid enough attention to it until my weeding day in 1969, when I received lots of batik as wedding presents. I held my breath and laid them all together, mesmerised by the sight of the beautiful batik in front of me. That moment was the time when I opened my eyes, mind, and awareness to the beauty and the diversity of batik cloths. Ever since then, I began to pay close attention and collect batik from everywhere.
My passion for batik went deeper when I found out that every batik patterns and styles hold its own different meanings and stories. When i started to learn how to make batik, I realised that in creating a piece of batik, one needs not only skill but also patience, diligence, emotional ties, understanding, and creativity.
Being a member of Indonesian Batik Foundation (YBI) and interacting with batik experts and makers of The Batik Lovers Community Sekar Jagad, increase my knowledge and awareness of batik as our nation cultural heritage.