Book Review When The Dutch Got Drunk, Batavia Was Born - The Charm Of Jakarta From The Point Of View Of A Four-time Writer

Illustration (VOI / Detha Arya Tifada)

JAKARTA - Since ancient times, Jakarta has been a city contested by many countries, from the Portuguese, English, French, to the Dutch. The city is not only a business center but also a center of government. Therefore, the old Jakarta saga not only brings us to nostalgia, but also becomes a medium of learning related to the importance of Jakarta.

This idea is presented by the writer of the history of Jakarta, Alwi Shahab in several of his books. In the past, Jakarta dominated the topic of books by the man who is familiarly called Abah Alwi. One of them is written in his book, entitled When the Dutch get drunk, Batavia is born (2013).

Abah Alwi was skilled in writing the history of Jakarta. His writings feel so real. Not surprisingly, really. This is because Alwi has witnessed the historical development of Jakarta since the Dutch, Japanese, Old Order, New Order, until today, the reform era.

Abah Alwi said that Jakarta from the time of Batavia was a monument of this nation. For him, the stories he works on are a part that can enrich his knowledge of the history of Jakarta.

In Holland, Drunk was Born Batavia (2013), Abah Alwi raised various topics from the history of Jakarta. Starting from the origin of the name Batavia, the origin of the Ragunan area, the story of the famous painter Johannes Rach, to the splendor of the legendary hotel that has been an icon of Jakarta for a long time, Hotel Des Indes.

All that Alwi told us to emphasize that the past was so important, and so good, that everyone at least had the courage to find out. That is what makes the historical picture of Jakarta not only black and white, but colorful.

The origins of Batavia

The pillars of colonialism in Indonesia began with the conquest of Jakarta in 1619. This conquest made the Governor General of the VOC, Jan Pieterszoon Coen, want to name the city he conquered by the name De Hoorn. The name is taken from the hometown of Coen in North Holland.

However, before Coen could suggest that name, during a victory party over Jayakarta, a drunken VOC soldier shouted the words "Batavia, Batavia." Long story short, the name Batavia was pinned to a city that was built from the ruins of this Jayakarta.

Seeing that fact, Coen was annoyed. Repeatedly he tried to change it. However Coen did not succeed. The VOC leaders in the Netherlands who called themselves Heeren Zeventien preferred the name Batavia to De Hoorn as Coen suggested.

Investigate, the name Batavia is a name that comes from the ancestors of the Dutch nation, the Batavier tribe. In more detail, we have reviewed in the article "The Origin of the Name Batavia: The Enchantment of Jakarta That Triggered the Four Power War."

The origins of Ragunan

Apart from the origins of the name Batavia, Abah Alwi also reviewed the origins of Ragunan. For the layman, the name Ragunan is often seen as a zoo in the capital city of Jakarta.

However, actually ragunan is a large area owned by a Dutchman named Hendrik Lucaasz Cardeel. Cardeel is a figure given the title Pangeran Wiraguna by Sultan Haji for his services to the Kingdom of Banten.

"In 1675 the news came out that a part of the Surasowan Palace in Banten, where Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa sat, was on fire. Two months later, Hendrik Lucaasz Cardeel, a wake-up engineer, arrived, who claimed to have run away from Batavia. to the Sultan, apart from declaring his readiness to rebuild the burning palace, he also expressed his desire to embrace Islam, ”written on page 15.

We have reviewed the details in the writing "Traces of Prince Wiraguna in Ragunan." Long story short, Cardeel returned to Batavia. For some time Cardeel served the Company until he died in 1711. The name Pangeran Wiraguna was later immortalized as the name of the Ragunan area. The first immortal landlord in the region.

Famous painter

Alwi did not only discuss the history of Jakarta in terms of geography. He also discussed one of the most famous painters in Batavia, Johannes Rach.

In the Dutch colonial era, it was difficult to find a picture of the beauty of the city of Batavia. Because, at that time the photography industry had not yet emerged. For this reason, people who want to see Batavia in the past can only see paintings from a variety of painters living in Batavia. one of them who is famous is Johannes Rach.

"Fortunately, Johannes Rach has the expertise to paint in the form of sketches drawn with ink and a brush. The officer with his skills, while serving in Batavia since 1762, has painted various corners of the city of Batavia, which at that time was a fortified city, "appears on page 31.

For his services, people can find out the beauty of the city which is nicknamed the Queen of the East. Rach's love for Batavia led her to continue to live in the city she loved.

To the extent that, he also died in Batavia on August 4, 1783 at his residence on Jalan Roe Malaka. In fact, his grave can still be found at Jalan Tanah Abang I Inscription Museum, Central Jakarta.

The grandeur of Des Indes

In addition, Abah Alwi also discussed iconic buildings in the londo era. Hotel Des Indes, which has been around since 1829, appears to be on Abah Alwi's radar. For him, Des Indes is the most important hotel and an icon of Batavia.

“Des Indes is the best hotel in Batavia. behind it was the tall roof of the main warehouse, a multi-storey warehouse. Meanwhile, in front of it is a banyan tree which is considered sacred by the community, ”he wrote on page 227.

Unfortunately, Des Indes's heyday ended in the early 1970s. The hotel, which used to be occupied by the diplomatic corps and foreign guests, was dismantled and turned into a shopping center for Duta Merlin. The hotel, which many wanted to become a cultural heritage, was subject to government policy at that time.

Presumably, those are some of the topics in the book. Even so, in this book there are many other reviews related to old Jakarta. Like the history of the Ancol area, Toko Merah, Glodok and so on.

Now Abah Alwi is gone, but his works are still immortal. For that, we also had time to immortalize the figure of Abah Alwi in the article "Remembering Journalist and Jakarta History Literacy Writer Alwi Shahab."

Book details:

Book Title: When the Dutch got drunk, Batavia was born

Author: Alwi Shahab

First published: 2013

Publisher: Republika Book

Number of Pages: 268