Ratna Sari Dewi Soekarno's Birthday In Today's History, February 6, 1940

The ex-wife of President Soekarno, Ratna Sari Dewi, who is 83 years old on February 6, 2023. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA – Today's history, 83 years ago, February 6, 1940, Naoko Nemoto was born in Tokyo, Japan. The woman grew into a smart and tough person. All in order to achieve the dream of becoming a painter and literary critic. Who would have thought that her closeness to art would lead her to know President Soekarno.

Naoko admired Bung Karno's enthusiasm for art. Vice versa. Later, the two of them fell in love and got married. Bung Karno also gave her a beautiful new name: Ratna Sari Dewi Soekarno.

No one knows one's life journey. That is what describes Naoko Nemoto's way of life. She was born in Tokyo on February 6, 1940, in the midst of an unfavorable economy – if not to say poor.

Her father is a construction worker. While her mother is a housewife. The money her father made was only enough to pay for her daily food needs. however, that's not a problem.

Her parents actually have ideals so that their children get a better life. The obligation to send their children to school is carried out properly. Naoko can seamlessly attend school through high school. Moreover, Naoko herself is classified as a smart woman.

Soekarno and his wife, Ratna Sari Dewi Soekarno in a moment. (NLI)

That intelligence is utilized to the fullest by Naoko. She showed interest in art and literature. Every day she studies hard to explore her interests. All because Naoko has solidified her dream as a painter and literary critic.

She understands that achieving a dream requires a process. Naoko also made the Sishere Hayakawa Art Production studio in Tokyo as a means of studying art. Such things bring grist to her mill. Her ability in the arts increased markedly.

“When Naoko was a teenager, her interest in art and literature was very high. She even has aspirations to become a painter and literary critic. Naoko's strong desire for her goals has driven her to join an art studio that provides various art courses. The studio is called Sishere Hayakawa Art Production.”

“In the studio, Naoko often spends her time learning various Japanese arts such as Japanese classical dance, singing, and drama. Naoko's seriousness in her training is not in vain. Naoko is often invited with her studio friends to perform on well-known stages in Tokyo," said Ilmiyanti in the book Soekarno is a Great Lover (2018).

Instead of art only bringing Naoko closer to her dreams, her closeness to art actually leads her to meet a soul mate. She first met her soul mate who both loved art at the Imperial Tokyo Hotel in 1959. The man who had a crush on her was none other than the President of Indonesia, Soekarno.

President Soekarno and Ratna Sari Dewi. (Wikimedia Commons)

Their closeness and similarities to art made Naoko steady when Bung Karno married her in 1962. This marriage made Bung Karno give Naoko a new name: Ratna Sari Dewi Soekarno. Both of them had a child. Karina Kartika Sari Dewi Soekarno, her name.

“She also aspires to be a writer and literary critic. She also enjoys singing and dancing to Japanese classics. Even played a drama at the Sishere Hayakama Art Production Association in Tokyo. Bung Karno, who first met Naoko at the Imperial Tokyo Hotel, admitted that it was not only the beauty of the Japanese girl that made him fall in love."

“But more than anything, it's Naoko's passion and obsession with art that got him hooked. So that Bung Karno was forced to propose with pearls of wisdom: Be you my source of inspiration and strength. In the following days Naoko Nemoto was given a new name by Bung Karno: Ratna Sari Dewi," said Agus Dermawan T in the book Bukit-Bukit Perhatian (2004).