My Grandmother is The Wife of a Freedom Fighter. - Just Menong

 

November 10 is a memorable date for me. On this date, the figure of the hero and the source of inspiration seemed to be rescheduled and came back in my mind. Yup, adjacent to the birthday of Embah, my beloved grandmother, November 10 seems to bring its own nuance to remember the meaning of Hero's day for the younger generation.

MULO  

November 9, 2022, should be the 98th milad if he is still with us.

For me (and all his grandchildren). Embah was not only an ordinary woman but also a strong, tough, and lifelong learner figure.

Sometimes a lot of questions are asked of me, like why I notice who in the Sundanese family calls our grandmother 'Embah'. Well, not fully understood, the term ‘Embah’ seems to have been attached as a ‘grandmother’ in the original Embah family from a village in West Java. There is no clear origin, even though I often ask this to my mother or others.

Embah was born in Jakarta as the eldest son of the father of a ‘Sign or Wijkmeester,’ the lowest government bureaucratic position in the administrative order of Inlandsch Beestur, or government for indigenous people in the Dutch colonial era, which is currently probably equivalent to the village.

With this little privilege, even though a woman, Embah is allowed to get an education up to the level of MULO (Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs), a public school equivalent to junior high school.

Embah himself once said his desire to continue school at Algeemene Middelbare School (AMS) is hampered by the requirement that only families who use Dutch every day have the right to continue this high school equivalent education.

This is because Embah's father, commonly called Embah Bek, refused to use Dutch in everyday conversation. However, Embah himself speaks fluent English and Dutch and often teaches us, especially my sister, who took Dutch as a course of choice first.

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This is what has always been the motivation for us to always learn.

Only those born and raised at the time of education are difficult to reach many people, especially women never recede the spirit to continue school to a higher level. Moreover, we are born and raised in the era of education is easy to get.

He also often teaches a canapé-style counting without using tools. Just ask for the multiplication of hundreds or thousands; Embah can answer it in less than 1 minute. Unfortunately, this science is not really what I learned because, honestly, I was too lazy to break the technique of counting ala Embah. 😢

Guerilah

Unlike the girl of the time, who was generally married at a very young age, Embah had worked as an administrative worker of a bank in Batavia before finally getting married at the age of 22 years.

It feels like being lighter because I know that era as a worker is not commonplace, especially for a woman. And perhaps the greatest is Embah Bek and his wife, whom we call him Uu, who always encourages his daughter's son to always go forward and work.

Embah married a soldier in the war of independence. In addition to working as a soldier, Aki also often acts as a translator because he speaks fluently in various languages, such as English, Dutch, Japanese, and Chinese.

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It is the wife of a fighter; Embah also gued with Aki. When I was a kid, one of the memorable moments I probably had was watching the film ACI series on TVRI with Embah.

ACI, Aku Cinta Indonesia, is a film production series of the Communication Technology Department of Education and Culture (Pustekkom Depdikbud), which aired in 1985 every night at 19.35–20.05 WIB. In addition to life-themed in schools, Amir, Cici, and Ito, the ACI series, were also made for the National Struggle History Lesson (PSPB) series.

While watching the ACI PSPB, Embah shared a lot of experience when accompanying Aki fighting against the invaders. How to trick when fighting on the battlefield. A 'ad forward' means 'backward,' and vice versa, and 'backward' means 'add.'

Embah also told about his sad moment when accompanying Aki when all Siliwangi soldiers migrated from West Java to Central Java in resistance against the Dutch, who wanted to reoccupy Indonesia. At that time, Embah only has two sons, the first Uwa, who is 2 years old, and the second Uwa, who is monthly. On the way, one of the wives of the fighter lost his baby, who was carried away by the current while crossing the rushing river with a rope. Embah could only cry while hugging his two toddler sons.

Not only the grief in the guger, but also many sad stories that Embah told, including the time of the dark times, where a lot of indigenous traitors who became Dutch spies made the atmosphere no less gripping. This story further inscribes the meaning of Hero Day for the younger generation.

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Living as a soldier’s wife is not easy. Because of frequent movement, several sons of Embah's daughter were born in different provinces, including Ibunda, the third child, who was born in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara; and the fourth uncle of the fourth child, who was born in Soppeng, South Sulawesi. Don't imagine the distance of the cities that are going through as closely as now. Ships were the mode of transportation of choice at that time; Embah was still dressed in cloth and kebaya while bringing his sons and daughters to accompany him wherever Aki served.

Hero Service

At the end of her life, Aki spent the rest of her life as a plantation employee after no longer being a soldier. Embah himself told me that at the beginning of being a soldier, first, the rank of one can be chosen as he wants to be. Aki himself chose a low rank, even though competency can certainly be more than that. The reason is because devotion is not seen from the rank. And of course, over time, with all her skills, Aki can achieve higher ranks at the end of her life.

Aki died at the age of 52 in the 70s, leaving behind a wife and 10 young daughters. With his pension money, Embah raised his sons and daughters.

This sad story never makes Embah complain or cry. Although we in the end lived a simple life, our family never lost the outpouring of affection from a grandmother, whom we called Embah.

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Until the end of the 90s, every November 10 at 00.00 WIB, Embah still attended the ceremony at the Heroes Cemetery Park. Stand up straight and loud, singing national songs that are turbuled in the chest.

And every 4th, I will accompany Embah to take the pension. That's where we'll meet many veterans and wives of veterans and listen back to heroic stories during the struggle. Pride and must always accompany a smile and spirit that is still blazed even though independence has long been in the grasp.

The End of the Struggle

During his life, Embah loved learning a lot of things. There was always something that caught his attention and made him intrigued to ask. By the day of Heroes, our family not only celebrated the birthday of Embah but also the birthday of one grandchild and one great-grandchild. No need to wait for the day to arrive; we always gather at the house of Embah at every weekend: 10 daughters, 30 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren (formerly still 4 great-grandchildren)

Stroke became the end of Embah's life story 15 years ago, a formidable fighter who was not complaining.

Embah may not have been uplifting to defend this country. But like the millions of stories of other veteran wives, all his devotion during accompanying Aki became part of the history of this nation.

Al Fatihah is for all our heroes and whoever has given his sacrifice for the establishment of this country.

The meaning of the day of the hero for the younger generation is actually not only rhetoric but realized by continuing the ideals of the heroes who are now one by one gone. The spirit of learning and the spirit of spreading the good for ourselves, others, and the country that we love.