Yogyakarta, 27/3/2025 – On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, the Instagram account @kratonjogja.event announced the winner of a competition. Not a contest to get a wife, but the #WaditraPralaga Content Competition held on two platforms, namely Instagram and TikTok. In the announcement, there was one student from the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture study program at UGM who was announced as the winner. The student is Muhammad Yasir Ramadan with NIM 24/542781/SA/23331. 

The theme of the content competition was of course around Waditra Pralaga because it was still related to a series of closings from the Paramaiswari exhibition. According to Bausastra, Waditra itself means music or percussion, while pralaga means war. This is in line with the performance presented by the palace, namely a battle between male and female orchestra players. What the palace wants to show is that women have the same potential as men.

Yasir stated that there was actually no special reason for him to join this competition. Yasir happened to hear this announcement while watching Waditra Pralaga at Kagungan Dalem. While watching, the MC announced that there would be a TikTok and Instagram content competition. The content can discuss anything, as long as it is still related to Waditra Pralaga. It was stated that one of the criteria for the winner would be calculated from the total number of viewers on the content, with the provision of using the hashtag #WaditraPralaga and by tagging the social media accounts of Karaton Yogyakarta. Honestly, Yasir did not expect that he would be announced as one of the winners of this competition because the number of viewers of his content was not as many as other content. However, when his name was included in one of the 10 winners, Yasir was happy.

According to Yasir, the difficulty in preparing the content was predicting the direction of the audience’s interest. With the analysis and video material that Yasir had recorded, he chose a video containing music that many people knew. With this, Yasir chose a video when the players performed one of the soundtracks in the film “Pirates of the Caribbean”.

The prize that Yasir received for winning the competition was the opportunity to watch the Opening of the Hamong Nagari Exhibition with the performance of the Abdi Dalem Fashion Show accompanied by Acapella by the Yogyakarta Royal Orchestra for free. In addition to being free, the winner also got a special place, where they got the front seat. According to Yasir, the event was very memorable because it was opened directly by Ngarsa Dalem and was also attended by G.K.R. Bendara, K.P.H. Natanegara, and also Wayah Dalem (the sultan’s grandson). In addition, what made this experience memorable was the Abdi Dalem fashion show, which is very rare to find now. Finally, there was also a performance accompanied by the Yogyakarta Royal Choir which made this event more lively and gave a magnificent impression.

[Public Relations of Javanese Literature, Fega Achillea Maydena]

Yogyakarta, 27/3/2025 – Noviyanti Alfitri (NIM 24/533646/SA/22795), a 2024 student from the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture study program, inaugurated as a Diajeng Gunungkidul 2025 at the end of February. Diajeng is a representation of a young woman from a regency—in this case, Gunungkidul Regency—specifically in the field of tourism. Usually Diajeng is paired with Dimas (as a representation of youngman). They promote nature and culture-based tourism in their district and become icons for young people.

The selection process for the Dimas-Diajeng icon began in December 2024. Starting from the selection of files and administration, written selection, interview selection, then the announcement of 15 finalists who were quarantined, and officially crowned on the coronation night on February 22, 2025.

As the holder of the title Diajeng Gunungkidul, Noviyanti or who is familiarly called Upik has the main responsibility of assisting in the marketing sector at the Tourism Office in promoting tourism in Gunungkidul Regency.

Not the coronation night, according to Upik, the most memorable experience during the Dimas-Diajeng selection process was during quarantine. During the quarantine period, Upik gained a lot of knowledge ranging from tourism, culture, regional specialties, public speaking, and others. This increased Upik’s knowledge and Upik learned a lot of new things during the quarantine period.

In addition to the most memorable moments, Upik also said that she had difficulty in time management. Because of the tight timeline of the selection process, Upik had to adjust her lecture schedule at UGM with her other activities. However, fortunately Upik was able to go through everything smoothly by making a priority scale.

Even though she has been named Diajeng Gunungkidul 2025, Upik realizes that she is still part of the UGM Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture students. Therefore, Upik wants to contribute a lot to her study program. She wants to do several things; become a writer or participant in the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival in Bali, become a talent or production team in the Gugur Gunung activity, and maybe take part in a competition to bring the name of the study program. In addition, Upik also has an ambition to be able to write her own anthology. 

Wow, it seems like Upik has so many desires and ambitions! Hopefully, all of Upik’s ambitions can be achieved smoothly without any significant obstacles. With this story, hopefully other students will also be motivated to do what they like and develop themselves even more!

[Public Relations of Javanese Literature, Fega Achillea Maydena]

Yogyakarta, 24/3/2025 – Gayatri Dyah Paramesti Lituhayu, a student of the Japanese Language and Culture program, class of 2021, had the opportunity to study at Kansai University in Japan for one semester with a scholarship from the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO). Kansai University was the university Gayatri chose to experience studying in Japan because it offers an attractive program focused on career preparation in Japan.

Gayatri’s journey to Kansai University began with her desire to join an exchange program in Japan. She prepared all the necessary requirements for applying for the scholarship, including documents such as her Japanese language proficiency form, reasons for choosing the program, and future plans. However, passing the program did not guarantee a scholarship. Nevertheless, Gayatri eventually passed the program and was able to attend Kansai University with the JASSO scholarship.

One of the most memorable experiences for Gayatri during her time at Kansai University was working part-time as an English teacher at a Kindergarten after receiving a recommendation from Kansai University. At the kindergarten, Gayatri engaged in activities such as singing and playing games in English. Additionally, Gayatri introduced Indonesian culture and language to the children at the kindergarten. The warm welcome from the teachers made this part-time work experience one of the most unforgettable moments for Gayatri in Japan. Gayatri also shared her participation in the Ikeda Matsuri, a festival held to welcome the autumn season. The participation of international students in this festival is a special activity arranged by Kansai University. The students wore traditional Japanese attire and joined the local residents in celebrating the festival.

One of the challenges Gayatri faced in Japan was the limitation of her Japanese language skills. This obstacle made it difficult for her to actively participate in the Japanese Corporate Culture class. In this class, students were expected to answer questions, engage in discussions, and give presentations related to business. Consequently, the Japanese language used in this class included many vocabulary terms specific to Japanese business, which were quite difficult for foreign students to understand. Despite this, Gayatri did not give up and studied Japanese more diligently in order to participate actively in class.

Japanese society is often viewed as homogeneous. Knowing this initially made Gayatri concerned about the adaptation process in Japan. However, her concerns proved to be unnecessary. The people of Kansai whom Gayatri met were welcoming and respectful of religious differences. Gayatri’s new friends helped her find halal food, and even a dim sum vendor informed her that the dim sum he was selling contained pork when he noticed that Gayatri was wearing a hijab.

This valuable experience at Kansai University ultimately changed Gayatri’s future plans. Initially, Gayatri wanted to work in a field unrelated to Japan. However, this plan changed, and her dream now is to work in a field related to Japan. Furthermore, Gayatri has expressed her determination to pursue graduate studies in Japan.

[Valentina Pramahita Iswari through Public Relations of Japanese Literature UGM, Yulia Agustiani]

Yogyakarta, 17/02/2025 – Penerbit Erlangga, one of Indonesia’s largest companies in the printing and publishing industry, has once again launched the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) internship program for college students. This program is designed to enhance literacy competencies and provide hands-on experience in the publishing world, covering areas such as editing, graphic design, and book marketing. Elsyam Fudhail Azka, a student from the Arabic Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), had the opportunity to intern in the Madrasah Division, Islamic Studies Department at Penerbit Erlangga.

Occurring between September and December 2024, the MBKM program allows students to be mentored by experienced professionals, helping them develop critical thinking, communication, and project management skills. Through practical experience and guidance, students gain insights into producing high-quality, reader-friendly books, ensuring that content is well-written, easy to understand, and adheres to the Indonesian Spelling System General Manual (PUEBI).

Beyond skill development, this internship program also provides students with opportunities to build professional networks and understand the dynamics of Indonesia’s literacy industry. Many alumni who have participated in internships at Erlangga Publishing have successfully pursued careers in publishing and related sectors. Through this program, students not only gain valuable work experience but also develop a deeper awareness of the importance of literacy and education in advancing society.

Active participation in various projects and editorial processes offers students a unique and enriching experience, while also reflecting Erlangga Publishing’s commitment to supporting and contributing to the improvement of Indonesia’s education system and the development of young talents. With the presence of the MBKM program, it is hoped that students will gain real benefits, inspiring new innovations in the fields of literacy and publishing in Indonesia.

[Public Relation of Arabic Literature, Elsyam Fudhail Adzka]

Yogyakarta, 28/2/2025 – During the 30th Temu Budaya Nusantara (TBN), a new Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture student from the 2024’s batch took part in the competition as a delegate and immediately came out on top! Who is the winner? Let’s take a peek at the story!

Ghibran Arsha Daffa’ Musaffa’ is the 3rd place winner of the Storytelling Competition held at the 30th TBN in 2024. Although Ghibran is a new student, this did not dampen his determination to compete in this national competition. Ghibran said that as soon as he heard that a national storytellers competition would be held and he could represent Universitas Gadjah Mada, he was immediately interested to join.

Initially, the theme he wanted to take was children’s games (dolanan anak). Ghibran had even arranged the storyline of the story in such a way. However, after consulting with an elementary school teacher in Yogyakarta, it turned out that the story was considered less relevant to youngster. The teacher finally suggested a romance theme, but it could be connected to culture. Finally, the theme chosen was jathilan. Ghibran stated that this story was inspired by the story of Dr. Inggar Bagus Wibisono. A doctor, jathilan dancer and an Keraton’s abdi dalem all at once. The synopsis of the story is as follows.

There are 2 college students who are dating named Joko and Wati. Wati is said to like things that have to do with culture and has the opinion that she must take part in preserving and maintaining culture, especially Yogyakarta culture. The peak of the conflict takes place in Malioboro where Joko finally finds out that Wati is a jathilan player. Here Joko represents the thoughts of the people who like to swallow the stigma about jathilan raw. However, Wati still chooses to break up with Joko and preserves the jathilan dance and becomes a skilled dancer, to the point of being nicknamed Nyai Rangga Wati.

However, there is a unique fact, namely that Ghibran is actually afraid of jathilan! Even now, when he hears the accompaniment of jathilan gamelan, he still feels nervous because in the past there was an incident where a jathilan dancer almost wanted to enter his house, hihihi. So the process of making this fairy tale is one of Ghibran’s ways to get out of his comfort zone. For the sake of this fairy tale, Ghibran was willing to observe and interview female jathilan figures.

Ghibran got a lot of things from this TBN XXX event. Ghibran is grateful because he became brave enough to try new things and put aside his fear. Ghibran also got new friends, even from Bali. Although at the beginning of the event Ghibran felt afraid, because of his father, Ghibran was convinced to try his best because winning or losing is a later matter.

From Ghibran we can learn that in order to achieve what we want, we must put in a lot of effort. In addition, as young people, Ghibran gives an example that we can create cultural-themed works and clear the negative stigma that has been attached to the culture. Finally, there is a message from Ghibran that young people should not be ashamed to preserve their own culture. Because if we don’t preserve it, who else will?

[Public Relation of Javanese Literature, Fega Achillea Maydena]