Commemorating 93 Years Of Ellya Khadam, Google Doodle Shows Boneka Dari India Song

Ellya Khadam, one of the legendary swordsmen who became a Google Doodle on October 23. (photo: doc. google doodle)

JAKARTA – The legendary singer from Indonesia, Ellya Khadam appeared on Google Doodle, on Saturday, October 23. The appearance of the famous singer with the song Boneka Dari India in Doodle, right on her 93rd birthday

Ellya Khadam's Doodle that appeared on the Google home page that day was created by an artist from Semarang, Fatchurofi Muhammad.

The doodle is also to celebrate singer, songwriter and actress Ellya Khadam, widely regarded as the pioneer of dangdut, a popular Indonesian folk music genre that blends local musical traditions with diverse styles such as Western rock-and-roll music and Indian films.

Ellya Khadam was born as Siti Alya Husnah on this day in 1928 in Jakarta, Indonesia. During her teenage years, Khadam was neighbors with a Malaysian pop music style singer known as a deli.

She developed her musical talent by imitating this genre, which allowed her to make a name for herself by singing at weddings and later joining a local band.

Ellya herself eventually became famous as a singer in the Kelana Ria Malay Orchestra during the 1950s. This band draws a lot of inspiration from Indian culture and music. Khadam's career reached its peak with the release of her 1956 hit song “Boneka India” (Boneka Dari India) which is now considered a masterpiece of the dangdut genre in Indonesia. She is also famous or nicknamed "Boneka Dari India" because of her great success with the song.

Ellya expresses her love for Indian customs not only by using Indian tabla rhythms in her songs but also by wearing a traditional Indian sari and wearing a sindoor on her forehead.

In addition to her musical achievements, which popularized dangdut and inspired the younger generation to take the genre to new heights, Ellya Khadam also starred in dozens of films until the late 1970s. She has starred in films such as Benjamin Biang Kerok (1972), Gile Crocodile (1974), Lamentations of the Poor (1974), Benjamin Raja Lenong (1975), to Gudang Uang (1978).

Now dangdut displays Indonesian culture on a global scale as one of the most popular musical styles in the country. Even dangdut made a historic debut on stage in New York's Times Square earlier this year!

Happy birthday, Ellya Khadam, thank you for voicing the new wave of Indonesian culture!

Ellya died at the age of 81 and died on November 2, 2009. He left a unique musical genre legacy and eventually became iconic music in Indonesia. Now many young dancers, plunge into the business and the music industry to become famous and a lot of money. However, people will always know Ellya Khadam as a pioneer in the dangdut industry. It's not wrong if Google Doodle immortalizes Ellya Khadam on October 23, 2021.