History Of The University Of Indonesia And The Meaning Of The Makara Symbol

UI Depok Monument (Source: Wikipedia)

JAKARTA - The University of Indonesia (UI), which is identical to yellow, has a symbol called makara. This symbol consists of several picture elements full of meaning. So how was the history of this yellow campus identity formed?

Before discussing the meaning of the UI symbol, we must recall the history of UI. Since it was built, this campus has in fact become a blueprint for the development of universities in Indonesia, especially Java.

UI is actually a legacy from the Dutch colonial government. Quoting the UI page, initially the Dutch created a health science college in 1851. The school for producing medical personnel was called Dokter-Djawa School.

In 1898, the name was changed to School tot Opleiding van Indische Artsen (School of Medicine for Indigenous Doctors) or also known as STOVIA. This medical college is famous as the creator of many nation founders. On the eve of the fall of the colonial regime, STOVIA was closed in 1927.

However, several other high schools were started in several cities in Java. Among them are the Technische Hoogeschool te Bandoeng (Faculty of Engineering) which was founded in Bandung in 1920, Recht Hoogeschool (Faculty of Law) in Batavia in 1924, and the Faculteit der Letteren en Wijsbegeerte (Faculty of Letters and Humanities) in Batavia in 1940.

One year later, the Faculteit van Landbouwweteschap (Faculty of Agriculture) was built in Bogor. The five campuses became the pillars in the creation of the Nood-universiteit (Emergency University) in 1946.

Nood-universiteit changed its name to Universiteit van Indonesië in 1947 and is based in Jakarta. Had moved to Yogyakarta when the Indonesian capital moved, but returned again after the Dutch recognized Indonesian independence in 1949.

Universiteit van Indonesië was then united into "Universiteit Indonesia" in 1950. This university has a Faculty of Medicine, Law, Letters and Philosophy in Jakarta, a Faculty of Engineering located in Bandung, the Faculty of Agriculture in Bogor, the Faculty of Dentistry in Surabaya, and the Faculty of Economics in Makassar. .

The faculties outside Jakarta later developed into separate universities between 1954-1963. The University of Indonesia itself is located in Salemba, Jakarta and in 1987 built in Depok, West Java.

The symbol of makara

This yellow campus has a symbol called makara. Other information from the UI page, the symbol was created in 1952 by students of the Class of 1951 Fine Arts Faculty of Engineering, Universiteit Indonesia, Bandung, Sumartono or more commonly called Sumaxtono. The basic idea of this symbol is called kala-makara, which is a combination of two forces that exist in nature.

Kala as the power of the sun and makara the power of the earth. "The two forces were combined and Sumaxtono stimulated into a makara which symbolized the University of Indonesia as a source of knowledge, as well as its results, which spread in all directions," he wrote.

This symbol consists of two elements, namely the tree with its branches and makara. The meaning of the tree and its branches and buds represent the tree of knowledge and its branches.

Meanwhile, the buds will continue to bloom as long as science lives on. "Thus, Sumaxtono would like to state that the branches of science will develop according to the needs and progress of the times," he wrote.

Meanwhile, the symbol of makara which flows the water symbolizes the results that radiate in all directions. The meaning given by Sumaxtono is that the University of Indonesia as a source of knowledge will produce scholars who are intelligent, skilled, full of piety, virtuous, and personality, and have an open attitude.

In addition, this symbol also reflects the hope that UI graduates will become individuals who are responsive to changes and advances in science and technology as well as problems faced by society. Able to solve existing problems in accordance with academic principles, wherever they are.

What is unique is that the manifestation of the makara symbol is given a different color background from the 14 existing faculties. For example, red is for law faculty, orange for social and political science or FISIP, blue for engineering faculty, and green for medical school.

So you don't need to be surprised when you see people wearing Adam's apple or yellow jackets - as UI's alma mater - but the background color of the meaning is different.