Indonesian Consulate General in Karachi, recently organized the demonstration and training of Indonesian traditional Batik Making. The event was officially opened by the Indonesian Consul General in Karachi, Rossalis R Adenan and attended by some Pakistani arts students, wives of diplomatic communities, and Pakistani arts lovers in Karachi who are interested in knowing and understanding Indonesian traditional batik.
The President of the Pakistan-Indonesia Friendship Society (Mahmudulaziz) and the President of the Pakistan-Indonesia Business Forum (Majid Haji Muhammad) also attended the event. In his remarks, Indonesian CG mentioned that the purpose of this event is to provide opportunity to the Pakistani nationals and diplomatic community in Karachi, particularly to the ladies and arts lovers, to learn and to know more about Indonesian traditional batik.
He also mentioned that as the biggest archipelagic country in the world with more than 17,000 islands and 240 million population, it would be impossible to visit and live in Indonesia without knowing one of the country's most highly developed arts form called batik as the traditional fabric of the country.
He further mentioned that the word batik is thought to be derived from the Javanese word called 'mbatik' which means 'a cloth with little dots'. The suffix "tik' means little dot, point or to make dots. The other version says that batik originated from Javanese word of "tritik' which means a resist process for dying where the pattern are reserve on the textile by typing and sewing areas prior to dying, similar to tie dye techniques. Another Javanese phrase for the mystical experience of making batik is 'mbatik manah' which means 'drawing a batik design on the heart'.
He stressed that apart from the world's recognition of Indonesian' robust economy amid the debilitating crisis in Europe and the US, batik as Indonesia universally accepted cultural heritage, is a trademark that has built national pride which has been designated as a 'Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity' by Unesco on October 2009. As part of the Unecso's acknowledgement, it insisted that Indonesia preserve their heritage.-PR