I was born in this town 44 years ago, on 18 December 1964 exactly. My childhood was decorated by the happiness of being a town boy who goes to school in the morning, learn Quran and Islamic teachings in the afternoon and playing football in the evening. Just in front of my village, across the street, there is an ample ricefield, in which I used to play kites in planting season and joining peasants in their harvest time.
My elementary school building is located between acres of this ricefield. When break time comes, we just need to jump over a water tunnel, that separates our school building and the ricefield, and play among straws of paddy, as far as we want. Sometimes we were not aware how long we play, and when we returned to classroom the teacher is already back, standing and ready to punish us for being late.
I attended my junior high school (SMP) also in this town, on the eastern part of the city, taking the road leading to another town called Lemahabang (later we call this town as L.A, having known that there is a famous city in USA called Los Angele- L.A for short). Although feels quite reluctant, my father who is a known Islamic scholar (ulama), let me enrolled in the school, after a long and hot discussion with my mother. While my father wants me as his successor for Islamic knowledge holder like him, my mother, who is a medical practitioner insists me, on taking general knowledge first. When I graduated from the school, my father reminded me of his demand. It is because my older sister already took his job as medical practitioner, like what my mother does. It is my turn, he said, to follow his path. Otherwise, he would find another boy (son? remarried?) who can comply his words. Soon after graduation I enrolled in a religous senior high school, away from my town, living in its hostel.
Cikarang was a town, in which people stick to Islam in a traditional way. They received religious education mostly through non-formal lectures in mosques, learning halls (majelis taklim), family gathering and people gathering. Formal religious education in the form of classes and grades do not start until late 1960s. Their commitment to religous teacher are quite high, a condition that can be compared to other areas like Banten and East Java.
In Rabiul Awwal, the 3rd month in Islamic calendar, mosqes commemorate the birth of Prophet Muhammad one after another. Sometimes they seem compete one to another, to make their feast more lively and attended by more participants, by inviting popular figures.
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My elementary school building is located between acres of this ricefield. When break time comes, we just need to jump over a water tunnel, that separates our school building and the ricefield, and play among straws of paddy, as far as we want. Sometimes we were not aware how long we play, and when we returned to classroom the teacher is already back, standing and ready to punish us for being late.
I attended my junior high school (SMP) also in this town, on the eastern part of the city, taking the road leading to another town called Lemahabang (later we call this town as L.A, having known that there is a famous city in USA called Los Angele- L.A for short). Although feels quite reluctant, my father who is a known Islamic scholar (ulama), let me enrolled in the school, after a long and hot discussion with my mother. While my father wants me as his successor for Islamic knowledge holder like him, my mother, who is a medical practitioner insists me, on taking general knowledge first. When I graduated from the school, my father reminded me of his demand. It is because my older sister already took his job as medical practitioner, like what my mother does. It is my turn, he said, to follow his path. Otherwise, he would find another boy (son? remarried?) who can comply his words. Soon after graduation I enrolled in a religous senior high school, away from my town, living in its hostel.
Cikarang was a town, in which people stick to Islam in a traditional way. They received religious education mostly through non-formal lectures in mosques, learning halls (majelis taklim), family gathering and people gathering. Formal religious education in the form of classes and grades do not start until late 1960s. Their commitment to religous teacher are quite high, a condition that can be compared to other areas like Banten and East Java.
In Rabiul Awwal, the 3rd month in Islamic calendar, mosqes commemorate the birth of Prophet Muhammad one after another. Sometimes they seem compete one to another, to make their feast more lively and attended by more participants, by inviting popular figures.
continued....
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