Mother of India

I found this picture in an old magazine. I think, it is wonderful picture. It makes me moved. As Indonesian, since I was a child, I have been taught to respect "Ibu Pertiwi", a concept of "Motherland". In my opinion, this picture has more complex concept, that is "Mother respect Mother".

Asis Sanyal, the photographer said, "When I came upon this young mother praying in the water at Kalighat temple, I was incredibly moved. People bring their deepest hopes to this holy place, and I wondered what she was wishing for. I've always been inspired by photography, but didn't take my first picture until I was 53 years old. Moments like this make me want to learn as much as possibly can."

I always admire India, it's people and it's culture. By now, I knew India only from book I've read or Bollywood movie I've watched. Someday, I'll go there. The land where Sidharta Gautama was born.

Jakarta-Surabaya, The Face of Homes

In January, this year, I had moved from my home in Surabaya to Jakarta as I got new job. Now, I can also call Jakarta as my new home. As time goes by, I made a new friend in Jakarta and adapted with Jakarta's people way of life. Furthermore, i think Jakarta and Surabaya have far more similarities than differences.

The first apparent similarities lies in the geographic locations of the two cities. They are both located on the north coast of Java Island. Surabaya similar to Jakarta divided into eastern and western principalities by river. Surabaya divided by river Kali Mas; likewise, Jakarta by river Ciliwung.

On the other hand, the two cities also have obvious differences. Jakarta is located in the northwestern coast of Java Island, while Surabaya is located in the southeastern coast of Java Island. In addition, Surabaya is a city governs by a mayor, whereas Jakarta is a province governs by a governor.

Jakarta Old Town

Surabaya Old Town

Second similarities. Both Jakarta and Surabaya are two of the most densely populated area in Indonesia. They are both highly urbanized, due to many industries located in the city. Surabaya is similar to Jakarta as the main education center. Jakarta is the home for many universities; likewise, Surabaya is the home for many students around Indonesia. Moreover, Jakarta is much larger with 18 million inhabitants, while Surabaya has only about 5 million inhabitants.

Meanwhile, they are quite similar in their appearance. There are a lot of multi-storied buildings and shopping center. Both of the cities suffer from heavy traffic, especially in the central business district. There is also a large slum area as the result of uncontrolled urbanization. Jakarta has several public park with WIFI (internet wireless connection) service. In the same way, the public park of Surabaya attracts many internet surfers. In addition, the weather of two cities are similar, which is hot and humid.

Furthermore, the economies of the two cities are also based on the same business; industries and trade. Most of the inhabitants of both cities are worked at factory and commerce. Both of cities play the basic role in Indonesia economic growth. There are only two stock exchanges in Indonesia, both are located in Jakarta and Surabaya. Both of the cities are also a busy part for commercial ship.

Finally, I think that the people's behavior are very similar. Everybody seems in hurry, road are notorious for indisciplined driver behavior. Transportation laws are broken. Neither Jakarta, nor Surabaya can be called friendly city. People talk as short as possible, just for the important conversation. People must beware of pickpockets, especially in public transport. In addition, Javanese is the largest ethnic group in both cities. Because of that, the inhabitants of Jakarta derive the mix culture between Betawi and Javanese, while the inhabitants of Surabaya derive the mix culture between Madurese and Javanese.

Thus, while Jakarta and Surabaya have little differences', in my opinion, the two cities are very much alike in their appearance; weather, economic and culture. Although, I sometimes feel they are not a comfort city to live in, I enjoy the daily activity in big cities. I love the rhythm and the crowd. Both of them are my home.



I miss Surabaya, and I miss you guys ....