Singaraja- Nyurat lontar, is one of the local pearls of wisdom passed down by the ancestors for the people of Bali. This writing tradition has existed since ancient times, generally using Balinese script. Various things are written on the media of palm leaves which contain educative ideas. In the midst of an increasingly modern development, coupled with the more massive use of Latin script, the activities of palm-leaf rejecting have faded.
The Department of Languages, Indonesian and Regional Literature, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Ganesha University of Education (Undiksha) pays attention to this reality. Conservation efforts are being carried out, one of which is through a competition, Monday (25/10/2021). The activity which took place at the Wantilan Sasana Budaya, Singaraja City, was attended by 26 participants from high schools/vocational schools throughout Bali. The competition for the Undiksha Chancellor’s trophy was followed enthusiastically while still paying attention to the protocol to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Head of the Department of Language, Indonesian and Regional Literature, Dr. I Wayan Artika, S.Pd., M.Hum., said this activity was very important for the preservation of Balinese culture. “And this is indeed an important meaning for us to see, from the mission of the department, in this case, the Balinese language education study program which is very closely related to writing lontar. Therefore, we do this activity to be a joint activity,” he said.
This academic from Batungsel Village, Tabanan Regency also explained that the use of the Balinese script is indeed not as massive as the Latin script. This caused the Balinese script to be a bit under pressure. Therefore, there is a need for continuous conservation efforts, while at the same time welcoming the programs launched by the Regional Government of the Province of Bali. “We want to contribute something valuable to Balinese culture, as a tribute to the ancestors who developed the Balinese script. Because not all languages have characters. Because of that, we really feel we need the support of various parties, especially how we can implement this in the concept of independent learning on an independent campus,” he explained.
This activity was opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Arts, Prof. Dr. I Made Sutama, M.Pd. He gave appreciation to the Indonesian and regional language and literature departments that had taken part in the preservation of Balinese culture. It is hoped that this activity can be carried out in a sustainable manner and in the future the number of participants will increase in order to maintain the existence of the Balinese script. (hms)
