For Darsem, Eid was a moment where she truly witnessed how, in the world she trod upon, material wealth overshadowed the god revered during the takbir. Don’t fret just yet, let me explain. When lips reverberate the takbir, they should be exalting the greatness of God, and in that moment, one should feel small. But what often happens is quite the opposite. It’s a pseudo-takbir, so to speak. Magnifying the name of God yet oblivious to one’s own insignificance. Magnifying the name of God but also feeling grandiose at the same time.
In this village, called Tajur, Darsem lived with her mother, Narsem. She was named Darsem because according to Narsem, girls should be named with a humble ending letter. Because humility is the philosophy of sturdy Javanese women who, despite being marginalized by the world, enduring hardships here and there, must remain silent. Bearing everything with fortitude, without the need to shout in anger, protest, or cry. Fighting against everything, working with hands and body, but lips still remain silent. For Narsem, work was done with hands, not with mouths. This philosophy was ingrained in Darsem, who learned not from books and pencils in schools, but from her mother who had no schooling tradition.
Darsem lived in a small, cramped area, with walls made of bamboo weaving, with her mother who had been a widow for a long time. Her father had joined the independence army and fought against the Japanese, sacrificing his left leg. Years ago, when her father was still alive, they had applied to the government to receive veteran benefits. Of course, they failed to obtain it until her father passed away. The bureaucratic process was too complicated, and they were too ashamed to ask repeatedly, always returning empty-handed and without any clarity. The veteran benefits were not much, and her father didn’t really want to demand compensation from the country for his struggle in the pre-independence era, but life was too hard for him, and the unbearable hunger forced him to ask. Although in the end, he never received it.