Rajapatni.com: Surabaya (24/2/24) – Thirteen stalls selling grilled fish and fish crackers on the Kenjeran Lama Beach road, Kejawan Lor area are written in Javanese script, each of which reads the name of powder. There are the names Bu Sulastri’s Smoked Fish, Maria Ulfa’s Smoked Fish, to Mbak Emi’s shop and Kenjeran Barokah Fish Crackers.
These thirteen stalls are clearly different from the others, which are never empty of visitors. This striking difference can be seen in the brownish banner with Javanese script measuring 150cm X 100cm. At the top of the banner it says Javanese script and at the bottom it says Latin script. On the left side of the banner there is the Rajapatni logo with the website address, rajapatni.com. Don’t forget the seller’s cellphone number.

This Javanese script banner was created by the participants of Sinau Aksara Jawa, which was held by Puri Aksara Rajapatni with support from the Surabaya City Government through the Surabaya City Library and Archives Service (Dispusip) and the Surabaya City Culture, Youth and Sports and Tourism Service (Disbudparpora).
Apart from that, this banner is the final assignment of the Javanese Sinau Aksara participants. At the end of the Sinau Javanese Script class, each participant must look for a trader whose company or place of business wants to be given a new banner in Javanese Script. With a total of 10 sinau participants, 13 banners were placed.

There are 7 banners installed at fish sales stalls on Jalan Kenjeran, 3 banners at the old-school Bright Bulan seller at the ITS roundabout, 1 banner near the Unesa campus and 1 at Manukan Kulon Surabaya. The installation of this banner in Javanese script is a continuation of the Javanese script in which Javanese script can be reintroduced to the public more widely.
Among the participants in Sinau Aksara Jawa were the family of diplomat Ishii Yutaka and his family. Ishii actually invited his wife and children to learn to write and read Javanese script. In four meetings, the Ishii family and other participants were relatively able to write and read basic Javanese script. They can even write characters digitally.

“We as a family would like to say thank you very much for the opportunity given to our family to learn Javanese script. To Mr. Nanang who invited us to join this class, Mrs. Ita who taught Javanese script with pleasure, Mr. Wiji who taught Javanese culture, the Javanese script teacher who taught carefully, and our classmates, we say.

We will continue learning this beautiful and interesting Javanese script. “We pray that through this Rajapatni class Javanese script will be known to the wider community,” wrote Ishii Yutaka on behalf of the family via WA message.
Separately, Surabaya’s cultural figure, A. Hermas Thony, who is also the advisor to Puri Aksara Rajapatni, is proud of the completion of the first Javanese script learning class which was held at the Surabaya City Education Museum complex.

Thony hopes that the Sinau Aksara Jawa activity will become a real manifestation of cultural cooperation between the Puri Aksara Rajapatni cultural community and Japanese citizens. Furthermore, this Javanese literacy activity could be a stage for formal cultural cooperation between Surabaya and Japan.
“The cooperation between Surabaya and Japan that has existed for a long time, which was once symbolized by the Yosakoi dance, can be further enhanced in collaboration on maternal literacy literacy. Japan has Kanji. Surabaya has Javanese script. “This must be followed up into mutually beneficial cooperation in the future,” concluded Thony.

This Javanese script banner installation event is also an agenda for the closing of the Puri Aksara Rajapatni (PAR) 01 study group class, which has been implemented from January 27 to February 24 2024 in the form of closing while having recreation. This event was attended by all participants and Javanese script teachers. (nanang PAR)