Gianyar, Regency

Ni Luh Siki
A Headmistris and a Painter

Luh Siki was born in Padang Tegal village, Ubud, on the 28th February 1942, and first desired to become a policewoman, but as fate would have it she didn’t get the chance. After graduating from SR (Sekolah Rakyat/Public School) on 1954, she later studied at SGB (Sekolah Guru Bawah). Finally from there, she fertilized her instincts, and decided to become a teacher.

“My memoirs are truly full of sadness. My parents passed away when I was a little girl, then followed by my aunt, which I considered as my real mother, also left me, just before my final examination in SGB. When she passed away, I could not follow the cremation procession because I wasn’t informed about it, not like today in this sophisticated world,” she memorized.
Graduating from SGB in June 1958, Lu Siki was assigned as a teacher in SD (Elementary School) Kedewatan, Ubud. According to this mother of three sons, being a teacher at that time is different from today, where now the students are very neat and clean. At that time, a teacher had to bathe their students because most of them didn’t bath before going to school. After finishing this, the daily lessons would start.
Luh Siki is now a grandmother with four grandchildren and has been a headmistris since 1964. After retiring in 2001, she has recently began painting, a talent she has fostered since 1975. Her hard life motivated her to work even harder, after her return from work, she often went to the farmland to cut the rice, and at night she worked as a paddy striker. She learnt to deal with everything to survive.
Until one day she got ill, then was told by her husband, Tegun who also a painter, not to go to the rice field anymore. Siting vacantly at her house, she keep thinking what should she done now? “I must be able to paint,” that is what was realized in her mind. “When my husband went to the rice field, I stole one of his paintings and added to it with a light and soft colour (abur). Then I’d put it back in its place before he returned home. My husband did not realize whether the colour was correct, or not, but if he did think something was wrong , he would surely ask me about it , and I would reply that I don’t have any idea about that,” said Siki memorizing.
She already attended exhibitions in the Art Centre, when Ida Bagus Mantra became the Governor of Bali. With that opportunity, she showed her skill in painting in front of the Minister of Education and Culture Mr. Daoed Joesoef (at that time), then followed an exhibition in Ratna Warta Museum, Ubud and overseas exhibitions, in Japan together with many Balinese painters.
Luh Siki, who had 45 years being a teacher, fells very proud of being an educator, because of the opportunity of passing knowledge to the pupils. According to her, wherever she goes, some body will say hello to her. She suggests to parents that they should be cautious in educating their children, it means not spoiling them too much. Sometimes it’s necessary to dress down children, because if we educated them in the wrong way it will become critical to the child’s future growth. (BTN/Suambara)