Prayers for Tanah
I feel suffocated. I couldn’t breathe watching my son hit the drum set at the gallery, witnessed by many people. Ealah, Tanah, kowe iso, Le. You can do it.
I am so proud. His performance in playing drum was amazing. He hit with power, his feet tap on the beat perfectly. Then songs in a row he played. The truth is, he is a child with Down Syndrome, with weak motoric muscles. He was also very confident. Amazing!
Tanah Liat, 20 years of age, our only child. My husband Ugo Untoro, who is a painter, and I, got separated since Tanah was 11 years old. But their bonding is very strong. Every time Tanah misses his dad, he would dial an imaginary phone on his hand. Then, soon after, Ugo would call me and look for Tanah.
We named him Tanah Liat as a prayer, so he is easy to mold and his life will be organized.
Spending three years in a school for children with special needs, brought nothing. He kept hunching when he walked with his chin touched his chest.
A friend then recommends enrolling Tanah in Sanggar Alam (Salam), Nitiprayan. At Salam, everything is different. The first lesson was for him to walk straight up on the dikes with arms widespread. He learned about balance, motoric, walking straight as well as building confidence. Tanah fell into the rice field once. His body was covered in mud. No one laughed at him. Everyone helped him to clean himself.
Classes in Salam emphasized more on activities. There are no exams. Students are given the assignment to present on how to materialize their favorite activities. His presentation was about music.
Since Tanah was a little boy, he liked to play the drum. But the way he hit the drums was just random chaos, really giving us a headache. Six years ago, I called a music teacher, Cipi Prasetya. It was not an easy thing for Cipi Prasetya to teach Tanah. Cipi was once nearly resigned, but I appealed to him. “Please, guide him, Pi,” I asked him. Not six months later, Tanah had already become a drummer in Eman-Eman Band (video can be found in fb).
At the moment, Tanah is learning how to draw. One day he showed a drawing of a person sleeping in a coffin. “This is mummy died. Tanah cries, but it’s okay,” he said. Tears came rolling down my face. Tanah is ready for the possibility of not having me.
