Endangered paradise!!

[matahari]

I came upon this article just now and right after I finished reading it I called the local library to check if the book Endangered paradise was available, and it was =)

The book is written by the king of Gianyar, Anak Agung Gde Agung.

Read the article wich is named Bali in balance
http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/45/bali_in_the_balance/

[nyoman kris]

I support much of what the Anak Agung is saying, but some parts I don't understand.

I would like to ask why he says "We must develop steps to restore our Balinese traditions and our religion”. Where I live, which is in Ubud and thus inescapably affected by tourism, the Balinese traditions and religion are alive and well. The offerings are made throughout this compound several times a day and we were recently priveleged to participate in the odalans both of the family temple and the nearby Pura Desa. Two gamelan groups give regular concert performances, and they and other groups played extensively for the odalan.

I also perceive difficulties with his desire that tourists should not come to Bali to listen to jazz music etc. Certainly I am here to a considerable extent to listen to gamelan music, but I have had to acknowledge that a large proportion of Westerners, even in Ubud, even long-stay visitors, simply do not like this music.

Just as they prefer food more familiar to them than Balinese, and also cannot be expected to speak or understand Balinese language. While there is tourism here, and it would be hard to stop it, there has to be some accommodation to the Western requirements for comfort.

On the other hand, I am very much in sympathy with the Anak Agung’s proposition that it is time for a moratorium on clearing land for development. Perhaps he is in a position to promote this.

[tintin]

Yes, Cok Gde Agung is definitely in a position to remedy the destruction of Bali arable land, but if he can lead (and he does), he cannot do it alone. He is fighting an up-hill battle not only against certain groups' huge financial interests, but also against local greed and the lack of education of the Balinese population at large.

I agree with you that one could be a bit puzzle about some of his writings: on the surface, it would seem that everything is fine about the Balinese traditions and culture. However, to a perceptive observer and social scientist such as Cok Gde Agung, there is a real crisis going on in Bali, which eventually could result in its demise. I've read part of his Bali: Endangered Paradise, and it is not exactly the rosy, superficial, and somewhat deceiving picture of Bali that most of us casually see every day. If you have a chance (and the interest), grab his book: I did and it really opened my eyes to another reality.

On the related subject, here is a picture of Cok Gde Agung, taken on August 20, 1992, when his father was still alive, and the King. This picture was taken at Lebih Beach, during a ceremony to ask Ida Betara Segara for the souls of those who were to be cremated in a huge Pelebon in Gianyar, three days later. The two other men in the picture are no longer of this world. On the left, a most extraordinary fellow and a good friend, Agung Gde (A. Gareth Roberts), who served as a interpreter between the Palace and Blair's film crew (Agung was fluent in all levels of bahasa Bali). On the right, also an extraordinary man who maybe does not need introduction to many of you: Lorne Blair.

[attachment=0:3lfyxdu7]011Lebih8 (Medium).jpg[/attachment:3lfyxdu7]

[tintin]

Some more about Anak Agung Gde Agung, Indonesia's Pride

Anak Agung Gde Agung's name is engraved on a 450-year old stone, at the University of Leiden, Netherlands. His name appears on the ninth row, following eight world famous "pioneers, which include Sir Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, and Albert Einstein. This honor results from his dissertation titled "Bali: Endangered Paradise? Tri Hita Karana and The Conservation of the Island’s Biocultural Diversity,’" where he proposes and explores his Tri Hita Karana concept. This concept has been found to be universally adaptable to every eroding culture in the world.

Nota bene. For his Tri Hita Karana dissertation, Cok Gde Agung received his Doctorat from Leiden summa cum laude, and he is called a "pioneer" because of his innovative new anthropological methodology.

Some guy this Agung :!: