Photo by Dalih Sembiring

Ratih Kumala is a Jakartan, first by birth and then by marriage. Born in the city 28 years ago, the writer-cum-editor moved to Palembang, South Sumatra Province, when she was in the fifth grade. She lived there for three years before her family took her to Solo, Central Java Province, where she eventually married writer Eka Kurniawan in 2006. Just one week after the wedding, Ratih followed her husband to the Big Durian.

What was it like to return to your birthplace?

I was shocked to see how much Jakarta had changed, especially the traffic. Let’s just say I’m glad my job doesn’t start at 9 a.m.

What do you do?

Right now I’m a script editor for Bioskop Indonesia, an Indonesian-films-made-for-TV program on Trans TV. I used to be a freelance scriptwriter for Jalan Sesama, the Indonesian adaptation of Sesame Street, and then someone told me that Trans TV was looking for a full-time script editor. I’ve been doing it for three months now.

Has Jakarta changed your personality?

Not that I know of, but when I meet my friends in Solo [Central Java], they say that since I’ve lived in Jakarta, I always seem to be in a rush, that I have become impatient. There, life goes by the saying: Alon-alon waton kelakon [slowly but surely]. Here, my life revolves around deadlines.

How does Jakarta affect your writing?

I think reading materials are the things that affect the way authors write. Wherever you live, your writing style will evolve over time because of what you read. However, Jakarta favors writers that are market-oriented. There is a bigger chance here than anywhere else in the country that you will be influenced to think about what readers want and what the publishing industry is looking for — what really sells.

Jakarta forces you to be realistic. That’s also what I feel as a script editor. My team and I have to weigh up the viewers’ expectations, the producers’ money and the quality of the film altogether.

Were you thinking about the market when you wrote your last novel?

No. “Kronik Betawi” [Batavia Chronicles, published in Republika newspaper as a series] was inspired by my father’s side of the family, which is Betawi [native of Jakarta]. Moving to other regions sort of deprived me of my Betawi roots, but I feel like a Betawi whenever I gather with them here. I put parts of my childhood, my admiration for Benyamin Sueb [a late Betawi artist] and bits and pieces of Betawi culture into the novel. “Kronik” shows how the Betawi people like to get married several times, how they feel strongly about their culture and Islam and how they gradually became marginalized.

What is your Betawi family like?

Just like any other family, except louder! Betawi families also are religious. I was raised in a devout Muslim family. My grandfather was a mosque preacher, and my family used to run a Koran reading group in the village.

What is the greatest thing about Jakarta for you as a writer?

The cafes! Many cafes here offer great atmosphere for writing. There didn’t used to be any cafes in Solo, but during my last visit I saw several.

Where is the best cafe to write in Jakarta?

Bakoel Coffee in Cikini. It’s quiet, especially on the second floor. It has wireless Internet connection and it’s close to the [arts and literary] scene of Taman Ismail Marzuki, which is basically my territory.

Will you stay here for good?

Someday, when my husband and I feel that we can no longer progress, that we have grown too comfortable with life in this city, we will move somewhere else.

Ratih Kumala was talking
to Dalih Sembiring
Source: Jakarta Globe, 11 January 2009.

Tanggal 20 November ini saya merayakan satu bulan saya bekerja di sebuah televisi swasta.  Tiba-tiba saya kagum pada diri saya sendiri… “kok bisa ya, bertahan?” Saya merasa keluar dari cangkang kenyamanan yang selama ini saya erami.

Pertama, saya membenci rutinitas.
Kedua, saya tidak terlalu cakap bergaul dengan orang lain.
Ketiga, saya merasa sulit bekerja dengan orang lain -terutama untuk hal-hal yang kreatif.

Jadi…, hebat! Saya bisa bertahan. Untuk kali ini, saya memberi salut untuk diri sendiri (suatu hal yang jarang saya lakukan, ngomong-ngomong hehehehe).

Sudah terlalu lama saya bekerja sendiri. Dulu sempat sih, kerja kantoran. Waktu itu saya masih meraba-raba apa yang saya inginkan. Jadi, saya cenderung mencoba segala hal. Ketika saya memutuskan untuk fokus menulis, saya menjadi lebih intim dengan diri saya sendiri ketimbang dengan orang lain (istilah kerennya “autis” ya?). Hal kreatif menurut saya patutnya dilakukan sendiri saja, sebab jika dilakukan dengan orang lain, saya tidak akan mendapatkan apa yang ingin saya capai.

Dulu pernah mencoba menulis bareng teman, hasilnya acakadul. Saya tidak percaya dengan konsep “two heads better than one”. Sekarang, ketika saya diwajibkan bekerja dengan orang lain, saya belajar banyak. Dan konsep “many heads will give a better result” tiba-tiba jadi pegangan saya. Bagaimana tidak? Kenyataannya saya tidak bisa bekerja sendiri untuk mendapat hasil akhir yang keren.

Meskipun pekerjaan saya masih seputar tulisan (ya, masih di situ-situ juga! hehehe), tapi kali ini saya harus mendengar omongan orang lain: masukan, kritikan, cacian. Dan bagaimana pun, saya harus mendengarkan itu semua meski sebenarnya tidak ingin, mengingat hasil akhir yang mutakhir tidak hanya berada di tangan saya. Saya cuma sebagai pintu bagi teman-teman kru untuk membuat film televisi yang bagus.

Hal lain lagi yang saya pelajari adalah, saya harus berkompromi dengan pasar. Karena bagaimana pun, rating is the king! Di sini, saya belajar untuk lebih tidak jadi egois lagi. Saya yang terbiasa menulis sesuka-suka diri saya, kini harus mempertimbangkan pemirsa. Saya tidak bisa lagi bersikap masa bodoh untuk hal yang satu ini.

Untuk alasan itu semua, saya pikir, saya baru saja naik kelas.

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