Badung The Center of Tourism

Ida Bagus Gede Jelantik
Writing Lontar Since Teens

‘Not a day without writing’. This catchphrase suits Ida Bagus Gede Jelantik who spends a lot of time each day writing lontar. This father of 3 sons who lives in Geria Manuaba, Sibang Kaja, Badung, explains that he has been writing aksar Bali (Balinese letters) since he was 11 years old. ‘Years ago, when paper was so expensive and difficult to find, I wrote on the cement paper left over from construction,’ he said. The first time he wrote Kidung Tantr. Then he went on to write various lontar and copied lapuk lontar (broken lontar) that could no longer be read.

The husband of Ida Ayu Murtini and teacher of SMU Negeri 1 Kuta explains that besides copying the lontar of his ancestors, he also copied lontar that were not really concerned with his own legacy. He also writes lontar to order and quickly became known as a great lontar writer.
In the beginning, he was writing lontar in order to save Balinese culture and was willing to do it without any payment. ‘I reproduced broken or obsolete lontar and bequeathed them again to the next generation,’ he added.
According to him, lontar is 3.5 cm wide consisting of 4 lines and written back to back by using pengerupak. To write lontar, firstly 3 holes are punched in one sheet. Next, he starts writing from left to right on the first line. After the sketch in the form of aksara (Balinese letter), it is rubbed with blackener called ngipat by using candlenut fruit, jarak fruit and camplung fruit that have been nyanyah (fried without oil). Then, it is cleaned with cloth. The sheets are then strung together with yarn to become one title of lontar. The top of yarn is tied by a kepeng coin (a coin with square hole in the center) to keep the lontar tight. The next step is the lontar di-pasupati (a ceremony for purifying the lontar), so that it will have magic power.
Jelantik has written a lot of lontar such as; lontar awig-awig (traditional law) whether for desa adat (traditional village), sekeha truna-truni (young people in society) or subak (irrigation system in Bali); lontar Babad (genealogy); lontar Usada (science of Balinese traditional treatments); mystical lontar or lontar sesikepan which is believed to act as a guardian and lontar about Weda.
Besides writing lontar, Jelantik, who was born on 12 September 1952, also teaches his skill to students from all over the world. There are visitors from the USA, China, Korea and Japan who specially come to his house to learn how to write aksara Bali (Balinese letters).
In teaching how to write aksara Bali, it needs his own technique because writing on the lontar cannot be false. Students must refine their writing technique so that it has a thick and slight form, especially for the orthography of aksara Balion. Eventually the technique will come naturally and the writer will become fluent.
Students then learn to write types of aksara Bali on the lontar leaf. After that, they continue to write or copy the writing into lontar. ‘I also write the name of hotel menus on lontar by using English. This kind of writing was ordered by someone from Hotel Oberoi Mataram, West Lombok,’ add the Upakerti award receiver from the Department of Culture of Badung Regency 2002.
Then how much is paid for one lontar? ‘Complete lontar with their keropak, are sold at different prices. For example, a lontar awig-awig complete with its keropak can sell for Rp. 1.200.000. Prasasti that consists of 20-25 sheets is sold for Rp. 500.000 to Rp. 600.000,’ said Jelantik, who says that the key to his success is understanding Pasang Aksara Bali (Balinese letters). (Arsa)

See Bali's Regencies : Badung : Writing Lontar Since Teens Gianyar :I Wayan Kamasan Writing “Lontar” Bangli : Bangli Regency Develops "Lontar" Industry Klungkung : ”Lontar” of the Kingdom Age Karangasem : Gusti Ketut Merdhu An Expert in ‘’Lontar ‘’ Buleleng : Comic Strips on the Lontar Leaf Jembrana : Towering Lontar Palms in West Bali National Park Tabanan : Wirata, Skilled in Lontar Writing Denpasar : ‘’Lontar’’ Writer from Denpasar