SANDIAH (IBU KASUR)
Place of birth: Batavia, Netherlands East Indies ( Jakarta) Date of birth : January 16, 1926 Died : Jakarta, October 22, 2002 (age 76) Grave : Kaliori Village, Kalibagor, Banyumas, Central Java
Sandiah or better known as Mrs Kasur is an artist, songwriter and also an Indonesian education figure. Mrs. Kasur’s personality is known as a friendly, patient, loving and impressive person.
Born in Jakarta on January 16, 1926 as the eldest of five children, Sandiah successfully completed her studies at Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs (MULO) in the late 1930s and worked at the Priangan Prefectural Office, Bandung. When Japan entered Indonesia in 1942, Sandiah fled with her father to Bandung. Not only that, Mrs. Kasur was recorded to have spent four years in Yogyakarta, from 1946-1949.
Sandiah and her husband Soerjono met because they were both members of the Indonesian Scouts during the Indonesian National Revolution (1945-1949) in Bandung. She married Mr. Kasur on July 29, 1946 in a refugee camp in Yogyakarta and had five children. It was from this marriage with Mr. Kasur that the nickname “Bu Kasur” began to emerge. Mr. Kasur’s nickname itself originated from the nickname “Kak Soer” whose real name is Soeryono. When the war ended, in 1950, Sandiah and Mr. Kasur moved to Jakarta. It was there that they both began their work in the world of children through song and education.
MrsKasur passed away on October 22, 2002 due to a stroke. It is known that one week before she died, Mrs. Kasur still accompanied the children from Mr Kasur’s TK Mini (the name of one of the kindergartens she founded) on an excursion to Taman Safari Bogor. Her body was buried next to the grave of her husband, Soerjono, who had passed away in 1992, at Kaliori Family Cemetery, Kalibangor in Banyumas, Central Java.
Yayasan Setia Balita, which oversees Ms. Kasur’s schools, manages around five branches of Pak Kasur’s Mini Kindergarten and oversees one Ceria Bangsa Kindergarten spread across Jakarta, Bekasi, Tangerang, Cibubur, and Surabaya, and is now continued by their children.
CAREER JOURNEY
The beginning of Ibu Kasur’s career began when she was often involved in activities carried out by her husband, Soerjono (better known as Pak Kasur) who during the Netherlands era worked as an HIS teacher. Furthermore, when Pak Kasur worked as an employee of the Department of Information, he often gathered children in his yard for the Jakarta RRI (Radio Republik Indonesia) broadcast. From there, Ibu Kasur was often asked by Pak Kasur to replace him on the air at RRI as a nanny for the children whenever her husband was out of town. Although at first it felt hard because she was “forced”, it turned out to be a way for Ibu Kasur to be involved in the world of children’s education.
When TVRI was established in 1962, Sandiah brought children’s themed programs, namely “Arena Anak and Mengenal Tanah Airku”, then in the early 1970s, Sandiah was also famous as the host of Taman Indria on TVRI. When the era of private television emerged in the early 1990s, Mrs. Kasur filled one of the children’s shows, namely the Hip Hip Ceria quiz on RCTI which first aired on August 1, 1993. It is recorded that she hosted the show from 1993 to 1996.
Bu Kasur devoted much of her time and energy to children’s education. Together with her husband, she founded a children’s school called TK Mini in 1965. The kindergarten was divided into three levels: “Parakit” for three-year-olds, “Kutilang” for four-year-olds, and “Cendrawasih” for five-year-olds. Initially, the kindergarten was located in his house on Jln. H. Agus Salim with Taman Kanakak, Taman Putera, and Taman Pemuda. However, Taman Putera and Taman Pemuda were not developed, and were even closed.
Some great figures have received education at TK Mini such as the 5th President of the Republic of Indonesia Megawati Soekarnoputri. Then, the youngest son of Soekarno-Fatmawati who is also Megawati’s younger brother, Guruh Soekarnoputra. There is also a former Minister of Youth and Sports (Menpora) in the era of President Soeharto, Haryono Isman, and comedian Ateng.
As the host of a children’s program on Radio Republik Indonesia, Ibu Kasur was able to expand her educational programs throughout Indonesia. And as chairperson of Yayasan Setia Balita, she established four kindergarten branches nationwide in the 1990s. After Mr. Kasur passed away in
1992, the children’s educational institution changed its name to TK Mini Pak Kasur, and now has several branches in Jakarta.
In addition to being active as an educator in her own children’s educational institution, Mrs. Kasur is also active as a seminar speaker both in Indonesia and abroad related to special themes for children and as the caretaker of a section in the children’s magazine Bocil published by Gramedia Magazine.
WORKS
Satu-satu, aku sayang ibu. Dua-dua, juga sayang ayah. Tiga-tiga, sayang adik kakak. Satu dua tiga, sayang semuanya. The lyrics of the song adorned the childhood of most Indonesian children. The song titled “Sayang Semuanya” is one of the many works of Sandiah or better known as Bu Kasur.
There is something unique about Ms. Kasur’s songs, which is that she often avoids the letter “R” in her song lyrics so that children can more easily pronounce and remember. So that almost all songs created by this couple are still popular today.
In order to continue her husband’s obsession, after Pak Kasur’s death, Sandiah had produced a children’s film entitled Amrin Membolos in 1996. The movie tells the story of a child named Amrin who loves to play roller skates. Until one day Amrin and his friends signed up for a roller skating competition. Because of his enthusiasm, Amrin increased his practice portion until the evening. As a result, Amrin was often late and skipped school, which made her father angry and burned her roller skates.
Mrs Kasur is not only good at writing children’s songs but also writing books. Her most famous book is titled Air Mata Sang Pohon Purba.
INFLUENCE
Mrs Kasur is known as a patient and loving mother. Through her works, Mrs Kasur has become a role model who teaches the younger generation of Indonesia moral values and lessons for the future on various platforms. She is the inspirational figure behind children’s songs that are still listened to today. Through the lyrics of the songs and the schools that were built, until now Mrs. Kasur’s services and thoughts are still remembered forever. Learning while playing, playing while learning, those are the keywords that underlie the mindset and action patterns that are always lived and implemented until now in managing her kindergarten school.
In the world of education, children’s songs have an important position because they are cheerful and contain educational messages according to the child’s developmental stage. Children’s songs become one of the media to educate children. Messages can be delivered in a fun way. And filled with lyrics, melodies, and fun music as well. This can increase children’s enthusiasm for learning and the learning atmosphere becomes fun.
This figure also deserves to be called a Hero for Child Psychologists, because of the way he educates Indonesian children through the songs he created. Children are educated through songs or writing by emphasizing ethics, aesthetics, work ethic, and creativity. By inspiring their creativity, educating children will be easier. When facing an event or solving a problem, they are taught to look at the process, analyze, make conclusions, and then determine the attitude and actions to be taken By exploring these stories, we can celebrate the extraordinary legacy left by Ibu Kasur and Pak Kasur in the world of art and children’s education in Indonesia.
AWARDS
Thanks to her dedication to education, in 1988 Mrs Kasur even received an award from the President on National Children’s Day.
For her services in the world of children’s education, Mrs Kasur also received a number of awards, including the Bintang Budaya Para Dharma in 1992, an award from the President as a “Pendidik Kreatif dan Berdedikasi” on the occasion of National Children’s Day (1988), and the Centro Culture Italiano Premio Adelaide Ristori Anno II from the Italian Government in 1976. Finally, Ms. Kasur also received an award as a “legendary children’s show host” on television. Mrs Kasur’s face was also immortalized in the Tokoh Wanita stamp series in 2004 and her birth date was immortalized in Google Doodle on Sunday, January 16, 2022.
Source:
Lady in Melody, Museum Musik Indonesia, 2024
