It seems that because I have nothing to do for the past few weeks that I bought several books to entertain me on bed at night (yes, I was bored). One of these is a nice thing written by Simon Winchester about Krakatoa. We all know and heard about Krakatoa, the volcano that erupted more than 100 years ago. The thing about this book is they way Winchester reflects on the cataclysmic events on 1883, how it relates with one another, how the science was found and much more. Winchester discussed much about the origins of plate tectonics, which is quite new to science as people during Krakatoa time, believes the continent doesn’t move. The theory itself explains why Indonesia is epicenter volcanic activity (pacific ring of fire). Its seems that the Aussie is charging forward, which created fault line all along Sumatra and Java (which suggest Malaysia will one day cease to exist, crushed by Aussie, but that’s gonna be million years in the future). And where there’s fault line, there’s volcanoes and earthquake. Just look at Indonesia..you’ll get what I mean.
Surprisingly, Winchester also noted on the biological differences in Indonesia, this so called ‘Wallace line’ that separates SEA flora and fauna with those of Australians’. Reading this book is much like watching the connection series on History Channel (If you’ve watched them), which one thing relates to another in the ways you can’t imagine they did. Like ‘gutta percha (getah percha)’ which insulates telegraph cables, which is abundant in SEA, which helps the world to know about Krakatoa (it was the latest invention back then), which help to explain why it is famous. Now, Winchester also touch a part of Dutch Colonization of Indonesia (I’m proud that were part of the British than Dutch but who gives a damn). How life was like in Batavia (Betawi, now Jakarta). Much like any European colonies, locals are servants to their Europeans Master. Despite having the largest Muslim population, much of the locals differ from the Arab’s sense of Islam. Woman bathing half-naked in canals, Syariah diluted with Adats and past Hinduism beliefs. They still believe in ‘Orang Alijeh’ spirits that guarded the Krakatoa. So Islamic were the Indonesian and probably much the rest of SEA back then huh?
The Krakatoa changes all this. The destruction was massive. Tsunamis destroyed much of east Java and South Sumatra, with roars heard in much of SEA and Australia. The ash covers most of the world, dropping temperature for a few degrees (wow, we need one now because of the Global Warming!). Pumice, along with skeletons floats in the Indian Ocean months after the eruption, all in all, it’s an almighty eruption! Destruction, poverty and hardship somehow relates to terrorism which Winchester argues the cause of rebellion after the eruption events. Somehow, some of the Javanese turn into religious zealots, Islamic fundamentalist (well, it seem most of them still are now), bracing for Jihad against the Dutch. Aided by the Mecca educated Hajis, which reveals themselves as so called ‘Mahdi’ that will come on the End Time (if you’ve seen cloud of smoke rising up, thundering roars, and tsunamis you would believe its Doomsday too). It seems that Winchester tries to relate the current issue of religious fundamentalism (Islamic, especially) with hardship of survival, or war of ideologies that were in fact never cease to end, centuries ago. He could be satirizing Indonesians’ Muslim, past and present on how un-Islamic they were and how easily Muslims influenced by religious cause, which foreshadow the lack of knowledge among them. Personally for me, don’t you think there’s and explanation of things happening around us (like tsunamis, earthquake) that can be seen, recorded and learn upon? So why should we hastily look for Walis, Imams or Priests for divination while God has given us the Knowledge (in the form of disasters). Turning ourselves into fanatics by our ignorance? Come on, you’ll see Mosques survived during the 2004 tsunamis, can you accept the fact that they were well constructed compared to houses instead of its’ divine? Churches and Temples would survive too if it were there. And why so the Babri Mosque that was demolished by the Hindus was, well demolished, if Mosques are so ‘divine’? So don’t be ignorant people..worldly knowledge as is important as afterlife too.
In conclusion, Krakatoa is a nice compilation of everything that seems, unconnected, but played a role in that almighty event of August 1883.
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