Putu Oka Sukanta (born 29 July 1939 in

Singaraja Singaraja is a port town in northern Bali, Indonesia, which serves as the seat of Buleleng Regency. The name is Indonesian for "Lion King" (from Tamil ''singam'' and ''raja''). It is just east of Lovina, and is also the centre of Buleleng District ...

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

) is a versatile Indonesian author of fiction and poetry. He wrote

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

and

novels A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

while still in Bali and after he moved to

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...

and

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

. From 1966, during the New Order, he was imprisoned without trial as an alleged member of

LEKRA The Lembaga Kebudajaan Rakjat (Enhanced Indonesian Spelling System, EYD: Lembaga Kebudayaan Rakyat, often abbreviated Lekra; meaning Institute for the People's Culture) was a very prolific literary and social movement associated with the Indonesian ...

. After his release in 1976, he has come to be known as a writer, journalist and an expert in the field of traditional medicine.

Biography

Putu Oka Sukanta started writing at age 16. He actively wrote

and children's stories while in his native Bali before moving to

and

. In 1966, in the crackdown following the

30 September Movement The Thirtieth of September Movement ( id, Gerakan 30 September, abbreviated as G30S, also known by the acronym Gestapu for ''Gerakan September Tiga Puluh'', Thirtieth of September Movement) was a self-proclaimed organization of Indonesian Na ...

, he was imprisoned in Salemba in Jakarta as an alleged member of

. The years 1965 and ’66 were tumultuous ones in Indonesian history. A high school teacher, he had been dismissed from his job before his arrest. He spent the next 10 years behind bars with no idea of how long he would be there. After his release in 1976, he continued to have difficulty publishing due to surveillance and censorship. Some of his texts were not available in Indonesia but in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, contributing to his reputation abroad but not at home. In 1982 and 1983, Putu had an opportunity to attend the Popular Theatre Workshop in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

and

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. Some of his works are published in foreign languages. He is also a contributing editor and a senior staff member of an alternative magazines. They are also available in Indonesian Progressive Contemporary Poetry (Indonesia, 1963), The Prison Where I Live (London, 1996), Voice of Consciences (USA, 1995), Bali Behind The Seen (Australia, 1997), Black Cloud Over Paradise Isle (USA, 1997), Manageri IV (Indonesia, 1998), and Silenced Voices (Hawaii, 2000). He is also the producer of many documentary films, one of which portrays the social impact of the tragic events of 1965 when hundreds of thousands of Indonesians fell victim to nationwide massacres. Besides being known as a writer, he acquired expertise in the field of traditional medicine. During the time being captured in Salemba jail, Putu studied

acupuncture Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientifi ...

and

acupressure Acupressure is an alternative medicine technique often used in conjunction with acupuncture or reflexology. It is based on the concept of life energy, which flows through "meridians" in the body. In treatment, physical pressure is applied to ac ...

from a Chinese doctor who placed in the same cell. After his release from prison in 1978, he went to

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

to deepen the knowledge. In 1980, he established the Foundation for

Traditional Medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

in Indonesia. He was married to Endah Lasmadiwati in 1987. In 1990, he was put back in jail due to his efforts to teach traditional medicine on the people suspected by the government. Throughout the New Order regime, he was never released from surveillance even while abroad. After his release from prison, Putu and his wife continued to gather herbs grown in Indonesia for their foundation. His expertise in acupuncture and herbs has taken him around the world in 23 countries. Now Putu Oka Sukanta to the Central Executive of the Association of Indonesian Naturopath

Ikatan Naturopatis Indonesia Ikatan Naturopatis Indonesia (Indonesian Naturopath Association, or I.N.I.) is the national organisation for traditional Chinese medicine practitioners (known as ''sin she'') in Indonesia. Address: Jln Hayam Wuruk no: 114. Like modern medical or ...

. The Foundation facilitates to conduct research on traditional treatment methods for patients with

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

Publications

* Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta * Putu Oka Sukanta

References

External links

Taman SringanisThe brutal truth about the 1965 massacres in Indonesia – Pacific Media CentrePutu Oka Sukanta's Books

Biography of Sukanta, Putu Oka , Southeast Asia Digital Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oka Sukanta, Putu Indonesian male writers Indonesian male novelists Indonesian male short story writers 20th-century Indonesian writers 21st-century Indonesian writers 20th-century Indonesian poets 21st-century Indonesian poets Indonesian film producers Indonesian journalists Members of the Lembaga Kebudajaan Rakjat Indonesian activists Indonesian political prisoners Living people People from Buleleng Regency Balinese people 1939 births