Suci

Author : Diana Roswita

Suci’s family experienced financial difficulties. Her mother was just a laundry, and made cakes for selling in a stall, unable to fulfill all their needs. One of the most urgent was the rented house they already stump for a few months. Though the owner has several times asked so that they settle the bill. But because his mother begged, they were given a grace period for another month.
Nevertheless, Suci who was still in high school could not let it be. She tried economical as possible, so that when her friends, Siska and Nita, invited into the cafeteria, she refused. She spent more time resting in the library. In addition, she thought of ways how to get a job to pay their rental arrears.
Suci derived from a simple family who lived in the slum. His father had died. During the time her mother worked hard to support the family; mother, Suci and her sister, Murni. If there was time, they just helped their mother. But mother's condition was not well in recently, made ther income dwindled and required Suci to get additional revenue.
Fortunately, Suci had a neighbor, Ayu, who worked as a waitress in a luxury restaurant. She then met Ayu to ask for any vacancy at the restaurant where she worked. Apparently the restaurant was indeed required additional manpower, not as a waitress, but as a singer who will accompany the guests for karaoke singing. After testing, finally the boss received Suci and directly allowed her to work.
Besides her close friends, Suci also knew Agnes, a classmate who did not get too close. Because of being rich, Agnes also had many boyfriends. So in Agnes's birthday party, she was not present. While from other class, Suci was also familiar with Pierre, a guy who became an idol of girls at her school, including Agnes. Suci knew him accidentally in the library. Once Pierre offered to take her home. Embarrassed by her home state, Suci lied to by appointing an elite house in a luxury housing compleks. Pierre finally knew this lie. But he was not angry and wanted to take her real house.
When Pierre walked, Murni, her sister who have put on jilbab because had learned about hijab, saw them. Murni reminded Suci about Islamic law about the relationship of boy and girl. Although Suci said they are not dating but just friends, but according to Murni, a friendship only for same girl, while for the opposite, they had to maintain their eyes.
More or less Murni’s words affected Suci. Moreover, she accidentally also heard the contents of teaching about the importance of maintaining the sanctity of self. She began uncomfortable with her work, especially clothes she wore when singing. It was slightly opened or thight. Moreover, her friend Nita who became the model for a magazine was raped a photographer because of wearing minimal clothes. This rape made Nita was so stress and nearly committed suicide.

The condition became worse when a drunken guest began to bother her. Suci slaped him. But she was scolded by her boss. In addition, Murni asked her about the provision obtained from the job, was halal or not. Because she knew from Ayu, the restaurant also provided liquor for the customers.
One day her mother had a sudden recurrence of pain, and fell unconscious so that the neighbors had to take her to hospital. Apparently her mother was depressed because of the arrival of the owner of their rented house. Holy was confused what she had to do. Thankfully, help came from Sister Sita, a doughter of the owner stall where Suci sold the cakes made by her mother. She was also the mentor of recitation of Murni and her friends. Finally Suci decided to wear the hijab and refused Pierre who wanted to be her boyfriend.

Publisher : DAR Mizan in 2002

Gandhi, My Father

Nobody denies the greatness of the name of Mahatma Gandhi as a hero of anti-violence who strugged for India's freedom. All people of India regarded him as father of the nation. And no one believed when one day in the year 1946, a man looking like shaggy and dirty due to drunken vagrant found dying, said his father's name was Gandhi.
Harilal Gandhi.was eldest son of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba.When his family was in Africa because his father, alienated the British government, Harilal stayed in India. He later married Gulab had betrothed to him, without the permission of his father. His father thought he's too young to get married. In order to persuade his father, Harilal went to Africa without his wife. He began learning his father's struggle, managing the newspaper and publishing a book that spoke of human rights and every nation to gain independence.Then Mahatma’s vexation dissapeared and Gulab was called to Africa to live with them.
Their struggle was never smoothly worked. Mahatma Gandhi was in prison. Harilal replaced to be an orator, lead the demonstrations. Mahatma Gandhi's freedom, instead of Harilal was in jail. His wife and daughter, Rami, chose return to India at the request of Mahatma. Harilal requested to keep accompanies of his father's struggle.
Harilal’s disappointment at his father's decision to send his wife back to India was peaked when a scholarship to study in England was given to him just a gift for someone else's child. Harilal himself was eager to learn English and went to law collage to continue their law firm, and became the successor of Gandhi's struggle.
After being free from the punishment, Mahatma invited back to fight with him, but Harilal refused. He should feel constrained by rules that made by his father. His father would never understood his desire.He decided to live his own life and returned to India, following his wife and doughter.
But living in India, without a title and content, made Harilal difficult to find a decent job. Moreover, the name of Gandhi was a heavy burden on his life. He lived at a rent house with his wife and children, living hand to mouth because of an uncertain income. When the Mahatma and his family returned to India to continue the struggle, Harilal tried to persuade his father to give them the capital to try a business.What a disappointment to him, heard nearly all the property, land and houses, again has been granted by his father to help others who are regarded as brothers in arms.
Harilal again speculated to start a business. He even dared to take risks for the debt. Because of the greatness of Gandhi's name, many people gave confidence to invest their capital. But because it always failed, Harilal more debt piling up. Her house was frequently visited by debt collectors. Even Mahatma Gandhi himself told his friends to demand Harilal who abuse the trust.
Harilal's life was increasingly erratic, when Gulab his wife died. Her children lived and cared by Mahatma Gandhi and his wife. His life was not ungodly johnny. Had converted to Islam because he wanted to show his rebellion to his father, but returned to Hinduism later.Physical and mental getting damaged because of being a slave of liquor and often found drunk in the street.
How ironic! Mahatma Gandhi, considered a hero who saved the soul of millions of Indian Nations, was unable to save the soul of his own son. Apparently, there is indeed no human being is perfect in this world.

Produksi : Anil Kapoor Film Company
Director : Feroze Khan
Producer : Anil Kapoor
Writer : Chandulal Dalal
Cast : Akshaye Khanna sebagai Harilal Gandhi, Darshan Jariwala sebagai Mahatma Gandhi, Bhoomika Chawla sebagai Gulab Gandhi, Shefaly Shetty sebagai Kasturba Gandhi, Vinay Jain, Marion Hind, Daniel Janks

The Butterfly Lovers

THE BUTTERFLY LOVERS is a Romeo-Juliet story of Chinese.If in Indonesia it may be similar with ‘Saijah and Adinda’ legend, Roro Mendut and Pronocitro, or other legendary love story that exists in some areas. Therefore, the story of Butterfly Lovers was already very popular among the Chinese community. So not surprisingly, this story has several times made the film, both wide screen and television, including starring Peter Ho.
I watched THE BUTTERFLY LOVERS is released in 2008, martial art version. But ordinary language is not Chinese, but Cantonese, so it is a bit strange in the ears. There is a bit similar to Thai. But surely not too much different with the usual Mandarin.
It told about Zhu Yanzhi (Charlene Choi), the sole daughter of an officer Zhu Gongyuan (Ti Lung) is sent to study in collage, disguised as men. He brought a letter from his father to be submitted to Cao tao (Harlem Yu), which is a medicine teacher at the college. Come take her departure is Cheng'en Ma (Hu Ge), her childhood friend. He also helped when Yanzhi get trouble on the way. But he was not alone, there was another man who helped her.
Back in college, he was taken facing chairman Cao Tao To-tau (Hung Yan Yan). It was there she knew the man who helped her was the oldest student named Zhongshan Ling (Wu Chun).Zhongshan was asked by Cao Tao to guide Yanzhi during probation before undergoing the test whether she could stay in college or not. They had become friends, until the feelings became mutual love. Originally Zhongshan who did not know Yanzhi was a girl, thought he was ill and asked for medicine to Cao Tao. But Cao Tao who knows the identity of Yanzhi was calm, but still did not unlock the secret for he feared Yanzhi expelled from college.
Zhangshan finally learned the truth when he found Yanzhi fell and injured while looking for medicinal plants for Cao Tao. This drug is an anti-pill tortoise, could make a temporary dead. Knowing this truth, they were feeling more deeply in love with both of them. Even through the assessment Zhangshan and Cao Tao, Yanzhi finally managed to graduate continuing of studying in college. But just at that moment, Ma Cheng'en came to fetch her.
Yanzhi later recounted by him that his father sent her to learn because it was deliberately facing defamation issues. Yanzhi’s family sent in jail. But thanks to the help of Ma Cheng'en who successfully promoted, Gongyuan Zhu and his wife (Li Qinqin) as well as other family released. Hearing this,Yanzhi with Ma Cheng'en came home.But earlier, she had tied an appointment with Zhongshan, who promised to catch up and get her to stay at the villa of butterflies --- the hill where a lot of flowers and butterflies live.
At home Yanzhi surprised to see there wedding preparations. Said his mother, it was for her wedding. But she immediately refused when it would be married to Ma Cheng'en already regarded as a brother.Gongyuan ignoring her daughter's rejection because it was already indebted to Cheng'en. Yanzhi was locked in the room.
Zhongshan who just haw arrived also heard about Yanzhi marriage. He immediately slipped into Yanzhi’s residence and talked to her. They planned to escape and promised to meet in a river. Did their efforts? If you love a kind of Romeo-Juliet story, surely you could guess the ending.


Director : Jingle Ma
Produser : Catherine Hun,
Writer : Chan Po Chun, Jingle Ma, Ng Ka-keung, Yeung Sin Ling
Distributor : Mei Ah Entertaiment Tahun 2008
Cast : Wu Chun as Leung Chung-Shan (Liang Zhongshan), Charlene Choi as Chuk Yin-Chi (Zhu Yanzhi), Hu Ge as Ma Sing-Yan (Ma Cheng'en), Harlem Yu as Uncle Cho-Yau (Uncle Caotou), Ti Lung as Chuk Kung-Yuen (Zhu Gongyuan), Xian Seli as Ngan-Sam (Yinxin), Hung Yan Yan as Uncle To-Tau (Uncle Toutuo)