jpnn.com, SURABAYA - An artist from Surabaya, Arul Lamandau (39), is playing violin music for 45 hours non-stop to commemorate the Heroes' Day.
He started playing the instrument on Tuesday (9/11) at midnight and will finish playing on Wednesday (10/11) at 9 p.m., at the Press Museum, across from the Majapahit Hotel.
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Before performing, Arul visited the graves of several well-known figures such as Bung Tomo, Gombloh, Cak Durasim, and WR Supratman, to pray for blessings so that he could perform well.
"The preparations started several months ago. The inspiration came from Ende NTT. Initially, I visited the Bung Karno's exile house, which was the birthplace of Pancasila," he said when interviewed at the Press Museum, Tuesday (9/11).
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Arul was reminded of the Presidential Decree issued by Bung Karno in 1959, which explained why November 10 was the National Heroes Day but not a national holiday.
"My hope is that with the 45-hour performance, President Jokowi will ratify the Presidential Decree and set November 10 as a national holiday," he said.
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"This is not a MURI Record event. As a citizen of Surabaya, I really appreciate the events of November 10, which are so important to me," said the man, who also works as an ice tape seller in Srikana.
According to Arul, when it is not enshrined as a national holiday, November 10 and its events will be forgotten by future generations despite that thousands of victims sacrificed their lives to defend independence.
Several years ago, Arul, who is usually called "Anjing Petarung" (the Fighting Dog) held a 19-hour violin performance.
"By designating it as a national holiday, the people of Surabaya in particular can be solemn in commemorating November 10 from year to year," he concluded. (mcr23/mcr20/jpnn)
This news has been broadcast on JPNN.com with the title: Main Musik Biola 45 Jam Nonstop, Arul Harap 10 November Jadi Libur Nasional