MATAHARI — THE SUN OF TIGANDERKET

“Masri Singarimbun: the Splendid Sun from the Karo Land” When an elephant dies, its ivory remains, when a man dies, his name remains. Behind Masri Singarimbun’s name lies an inspiring colorful history and rich legacy. Masri Singarimbun was an avant-garde intellectual legend, a prolific author, a rigorous researcher, a brilliant observer, a softhearted artist, a committed teacher, and a sympathetic mentor. Above all, he was a truly thinking man who was always concerned about his fellow human beings and their real problems. He was the splendid sun from the Karo land. As an anthropologist, he left many important books widely read by the next generations beyond anthropology. His ideas and theories, as presented among others in Kinship, Descent and Alliance among the Karo Batak (1975), Population and Poverty: The Case of Sriharjo in Rural Java (1977), Meditation from Yogya (1992) etc remain fresh and relevant until today. He left an ever-growing institutional legacy, namely the Center for Population and Policy Studies at UGM, that has become an important hub for both domestic and international scholars and practitioners. The network that he initiated in 1973 now has become among the most strategic body in demographical studies and related issues. His contributions on public policy, especially on such programs as family planning, transmigration, labor, public health, public education, women’s rights, affordable housing, food security, children, and other social problems remain important. Not only was he a modern rational thinker, Masri Singarimbun was also a faithful protector of tradition as reflected in his 1000 Perumpamaan Karo (1962) and other books on Karo folktales. He was also an innovative artist who created beautiful Karo ethnic songs, dance, and batik design. All that he has done reflects the spirit and wisdom behind the meaning of his childhood name: Matahari (the sun). In all the diverse roles he played during his lifetime, Masri Singarimbun was a remarkable man truly engaged in overcoming various social problems aimed at pushing his nation forward. Just like the sun, he kept on shining the light through classes he taught, ideas he wrote down, public policies he helped designing, through warm friendship with his colleagues and students, through his borderless brotherhood with people on the street, through his wide interactions with high-ranking government officials and NGO activists. Just like the sun, he lived his life to give relentlessly, as much as he could share with and care for others. He voluntarily took the mantle of becoming the voice for the voiceless: pedicab drivers, street vendors, construction workers, small peasants, female workers, street buskers, and scavengers. He openly criticized the middle-class members who only pursue his or her career and becoming the “new aristocrat”, while ignoring any social and moral responsibility. He criticized academics who treated the issue of poverty mainly as research object, with no real engagement to overcome it as a problem of the nation. Masri Singarimbun was always committed wholeheartedly in order to make an impact through all his works. With his bright mind and kind heart he kept pushing Indonesia to be a more democratic, just and prosperous society. He kept working on achieving higher truth and human dignity. In 1996, Masri's thoughts and achievements as an academic, researcher, and cultural observer resulted in the highest recognition from his alma mater - Australian National University - in the form of a prestigious honorary degree which ANU also awarded to several selected statesmen and world figures such as Nelson Mandela (2000), Lee Kuan Yew (2007), and Robert Menzies (1966). Resulted from serious research based on rare documents, archives, collection of photos and videos, testimonies from family, close friends, colleagues, and students who know Masri dearly, as well as based on other trusted sources, this documentary was created to present a fuller picture of Masri Singarimbun and his remarkable legacy. The movie is beautifully narrated by using brilliant cinematographic technique and excellent storyline. Amidst the complicated problems faced by the nation and the lack of exemplary figure with real personal integrity, the story, life journey, and legacy of Masri Singarimbun is a much needed “oasis” wherein the Indonesian young generation may recharge their spirit and to regain a fresh inspiration, motivation, and orientation for the future.