In order to commemorate and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of maestro puppeteer Ki Nartosabdo, the Semarang Arts Council (Dekase) held a series of arts and cultural events. The opening ceremony was held at the Raden Saleh Cultural Park (TBRS) on Monday, August 25, 2025. This moment became a meeting place for different generations, which is hoped to become a forum to get to know Ki Nartosabdho more deeply while preserving the artistic and cultural heritage he left behind.
Through this event, the Semarang Arts Council published a poetry anthology entitled From Gendang to Gending: 100 Poems from 100 Writers for 100 Years of Ki Nartosabdho. This anthology was written by a number of writers and poets, ranging from senior to young writers. In his introduction, the chairman of the Semarang Arts Council, Adhitia Armitrianto, expressed his hope that the new names appearing in this book would bring a breath of fresh air to the world of arts, literature, and culture in Indonesia.
Ervina Eka Safira, a 2023 Indonesian Literature student at Diponegoro University, was one of the writers who participated in this event. Through her poem entitled “Campursari di Tanah Surga” (Campursari in Paradise), Ervina describes her love for the maestro of Javanese art, Ki Nartosabdho. She hopes that Ki Nartosabdho will live on in people’s hearts and continue to create art even in paradise.
Campursari di Tanah Surga
siji sanga wolu lima
kendang kendang kempul gong pada bertalu
wayang-wayang pada berpesta
sinden-sindenn pada bernyanyi, bercengkok
segala semesta berlenggak-lenggok
berbahagia
sebab di atas sana
engkau telah dijamu
oleh para malaikat yang membawa berjuta jenis wedang dan jenang
dan bidadari-bidadari pada nembang gending Prau Layar
campursarinan
di tanah surga