Story of a fighter in Java war.

Title        : Glonggong 

Author    : Junaedi Setiyono

   

 The setting of the novel is Java in the 19th century. At the time Java was a Dutch colony. The main character lived in Tegalrejo, a small village in the outskirt of Yogyakarta. He was a son of a nobleman named Suwanda. Later he knew that Suwanda was his step father. Although he was born as a step son of a nobleman, he grew up in a village. He barely could read and write. He learned Javanese and Arabic characters from his neighbor Kyai Ngali, an Islamic clergyman. 

As a village boy he used to play with other village boys. He would play fighting games with his friends using papaya leaves as sword. In Javanese language it is called Glonggong. He was really good at fighting with it that he was addressed as Glonggong. One day when he fought with his friend in a village road, someone watched him attentively. He was Antawirya a.ka. Diponegoro, a prince from Yogyakarta palace who would lead Java war. 

Glonggong realized that his mother was ill. She never got out of her house. She always stayed inside her room. She would sing Javanese songs all day long. She was never cheerful and she looked depressed. When his servants told him that he and his mother should move to another house he realized that his mother was divorced. This time he lived in a smaller house in the same village. He would bring his mother everyday to a river to take a bath. Then Glongggong knew that Suwanda, his step father, had a new wife. When he passed by Suwanda's house he saw a nice girl named Endang. Surya, his childhood friend had a crush on her but Endang would soon marry to Prayitna. Prayitna was very jealous to Glonggong and Surya. When an opportunity came Prayitna fought Glonggong. It was a fierce fight but Prayitna lose. After the fight Kyai Ngali, his teacher, warned Glonggong that what he did was wrong. He also warned him that a great war would soon break and that Glonggong should choose a good side. He meant prince Diponogoro's side. Since he won the fight with Prayitna, Glonggong got a reputation as as a good fighter, although he made a living by selling chicken to local market. Meanwhile Endang often met his mother in the river. This action made Prayitna even more jealous. Then second fight broke. Prayitna attacked him when brought his mother back from the river. His attack also injured Glonggong's mother. Glonggong was really mad and he fought back. This time Prayitna was badly injured. Not long after that Glonggong's house was on fire and he could not save his mother. At the age of seventeen he lose his beloved mother. Desperate Glonggong was known as a good fighter by the time. Then Surya offered him a job at a noble house. St first he worked as a servant but later he realized that his real job was as a bodyguard. There he met Danar, another maid, who helped him learn Latin character. He also learned that his real father was Ki Sena. Then he would work as a bodyguard for court officials who traveled far. He often guard them to Magelang, a small town about 40 km to the north of Yogyakarta, to play gambling. Surya told him that Ki Sena was in prison because he rebelled the Dutch colonial government but he failed. Surya also told him that Danar could lead to him. But Danar just gave him little information that Ki Sena was in Wirogunan jail.

When he guarded his boss Pringga to prince Diponegoro's residence in Tegalrejo, he saw mob. There were many soldiers and workers working on a project. They were building a road trespassing prince Diponegoro's land. Three days later the road project was ruined by the prince's followers. Soon hostility escalated. Several fights followed. One afternoon he went to pick up his master at prince Diponegoro's residence. As he approached Tegalrejo he the mob again. Suddenly sounds of cannon were heard. It was the day when the Dutch army attacked prince Diponegoro's residence. People ran in panic. The situation was chaotic. From a distant he saw black smoke. He was sure that prince Diponegoro's residence was burned. He ran everywhere to find his master. Finally he found his master who escaped with the prince. He saw the prince wearing white cloth and talked to his followers. He gave oration to raise their fighting spirit. It was July 20, 1825, the day when Java war broke. 

 One day Glonggong and Danar guarded someone to Semarang. Glonggong was curious because his father, who had been released from jail, lived there. At night he went out to find out about Danti, his sister, and Ki Sena, his father. When he asked a man about Danti his reaction was discouraging. The man recommended him to go to a place. He found that Danti his sister was a comfort woman there. So he went to to find Danti. He did not find her but a woman told her that Danti was smart and lucky. One night suddenly Glonggong was arrested by Danar and his boss and then he was jailed in the middle of a forest for he was suspected to have contact with a spy from the Yogyakarta palace. But then one day he was released and soon asked to join Jayengan unit. This was an army unit under Diponegoro who rebelled the Dutch colonial ruler. later he was told that his boss Pringga had betrayed the prince and joined the Yogyakarta palace. He also realized that his father Ki Sena once was a follower of prince Diponegoro and that his duty was to guard the logistics of the Diponegoro army. Then the unit commander assigned him the same duty. It was a hard and dangerous job because the army was always on the move since they used guerilla tactics and became enemy's target. Surya, his childhood friend, did the job before him but he failed. He reported that his stuff was robbed twice. So he lost the job. Then Suta, also his childhood friend, failed to do the job. He was badly wounded in a battle. 

Since that time on Glonggong did his new job dutifully. He roamed from one area to another, supplying the Diponegoro army with arms and food secretly. One day he had to guard some stuff to Ungaran, a dangerous place whre his father and Surya were killed. The danger proved to be true when he got to a forest just outside of Ungaran. Some people stood on his way. They immediately attacked him. Since he was a good fighter he could beat them easily. Then someone came. It was Danar, his friend. Danar was not a great problem for him. Glonggong could finish him easily. As he would continue his trip suddenly he heard a loud bang and he felt severe pain in his back and soon he lost consciousness. When he recovered, he was in a small village. He lost contact with his army unit.

Then he tried to see Danti but when they met Danti did not trust him. After that he got back to his village. He got in touch with his former servants in the Suwanda's house again. Not long after that he got a clue that Suwanda, his former step father, hid a secret. He found a wheel of the coach that he guarded to Ungaran on his last duty. He was suspicious to Suwanda so he decided to spy on him. later he found out that it was Suwanda who shot him at the back and robbed him. He found the jewelry that he lost in the attack. Then he managed to seize the jewelry and ran with it. He decided to give it back to prince Diponegoro. Unfortunately he did not have opportunity to see Diponegoro. He heard that the prince would go to Magelang to negotiate with the Dutch so he went there. But it was too late. As he got to the negotiating venue in Magelang the guard did not allowed him to see the prince. Then Diponegoro was arrested during the negotiation and then he was exiled. Up to now the story of Java war is still very popular among the Javanese especially those who live in central Java and Yogyakarta. I come from Magelang so I am familiar with the story. In my family the story was handed down from generation to generation. 

The story is told proudly in my family because my great great grandfather was a unit commander in the Diponegoro army. When the prince was arrested in Magelang, he was forced to run, changed his identity and settled in a vilage outside Magelang. He did not dare to come home to Yogyakarta because he was a fugitive. Following the arrest the remaining army of Diponegoro was hunted by the Dutch army and there were mass murder. The Javanese people were beheaded then their heads were attached on bamboo sticks along the roads. Perhaps it is a way of terrorizing the Javanese people and to give them lesson not to rebel the colonial ruler again. The village is now called Sindas, which mean head in Javanese language. Outside of Magelang there was a village named Geger, which means torso. It was told in my family that the village used to be a mass grave for Javanese people who were beheaded by the Dutch army. It was a bitter memory in my family but we are proud of it.