Indonesians in Focus: Djukardi Adriana

By Barrie | August 9th, 2007 | No Comments

At 57, Djukardi Adriana should be enjoying his well-deserved retirement. Instead, the father of two keeps climbing mountains both in the country and overseas.

“Climbing mountains has a lot of benefits. It helps us control emotions and develop patience when facing extreme conditions. It also helps us realize the greatness of God and to thank Him for all these gifts,” said Djukardi, who is known as Bongkeng.

Bongkeng is a senior member of Wanadri, a group of mountain climbers and jungle hikers.

“I joined Wanadri because I love climbing mountains,” said Bongkeng, who was born in Bandung on Sept. 1, 1950. He joined Wanadri in 1973 and earned the right to be called W-306 Angin Lembah.

“In Wanadri I learned about the techniques of survival in the wilderness, discovering how to explore nature, what types of leaves are edible. All this learning helps me appreciate the importance of nature and the wild.”

Bongkeng has conquered almost all major peaks here, including Soekarno and Cartenz mountains, both in Papua, and Rinjani Mountain in West Nusa Tenggara province.

In 1982, he climbed the Materhorn in Switzerland and Monterusa Mountain and Mont Blanc in France. He conquered Gran Paradiso Mountain in Italy in 1989 and in 2002 he climbed Eiger Mountain in Switzerland.

“When we reach the top of these mountains we can feel how small we are when compared to the landscapes below,” Bongkeng said.

Bongkeng, who because of his passion for mountaineering moved from Bandung to Jakarta, has also been busy educating youngsters at schools in Jakarta. In 1998, for example, he trained a group of Indonesian women mountaineers to climb alpine mountains.

In 1990, Bongkeng helped establish the Indonesian Steep Slope Climbing Federation, or FPTI, and his activities only increased after he was appointed manager of a mountaineering equipment shop owned by PT Jayagiri, a company manufacturing gear for climbers, in Jakarta.

Bongkeng’s success in conquering some of the world’s highest peaks, however, has come at the expense of his relationship with daughters Rinjani Mulyati, 23, and Cici Rizkiani Senapati, 19.

“I spent all my time climbing and on other related activities, and even more hours working in Jakarta. I didn’t get the chance to see my two daughters grow up.

“I wasn’t there when they started learning to walk. I didn’t have the opportunity to help them with their homework. I lost those important moments when they grew up. The result is that there’s a gap between us; they’re reluctant to see me and that makes me sad,” Bengkong said.

He, however, is grateful to his wife Euis Sumiati, whom he married in 1977, for having supported him throughout and sent their daughters to school.

“My wife always supports me,” he said. “Before we got married she already knew that I was a mountain climber. My wife always understood that our children didn’t want to follow my interest in mountaineering, or climbing hills. She educated them to become book lovers instead.”

Bongkeng recalled how his first daughter asked him why he gave her the name Rinjani. “I explained to her that Rinjani was one of the highest mountains in Indonesia, and that the natural views there were so beautiful.”

“Then she said, `One day, when you climb Rinjani mountain again, don’t forget to bring Rinjani sand from the top so I can keep it.’ I felt that was a big challenge for me because my own daughter laid it down.”

And so at the age of 55, Bongkeng had the change to go back to climb Rinjani and brought sand home from the mountain for his daughter.

“Rinjani is now married and has given me a grandson who is now eight months old. His name is Rafa Atwa Ramadhan. I give all my attention and affection to my grandson now.”

In 2000, Bongkeng decided to quit all his activities in Jakarta and head back home to Bandung, where he accepted an offer to work as a consultant for PT Eigerindo Multi Produk Industri, a company that manufactures equipment for mountaineering and hiking.

One of his duties with the company is to appraise and test Eigerindo products. He is also involved in developing the Eiger Adventure Service Team (EAST).

As a mountaineer, Bongkeng said, he had experienced both happiness and sadness. The happiness came along with pride when he and his colleagues successfully scaled some of the world’s highest mountains and planted the Indonesian flag on the summit. The sadness came because he’d spent so much time away from his family.

According to Bongkeng, Indonesia is a biologically rich nation, as can be seen from the wide variety of flora and fauna that can be found on every mountain and in national parks.

He said it was a pity the government wasn’t able to manage the parks well. One small example, he said, was Gede Mountain in the Gede Pangango Mountain National Park, where the environment is dirty despite the fact the mountain is popular with overseas tourists, especially Japanese.

“Plastic rubbish is everywhere, shelters and public toilets have been damaged,” he said, adding that all of this happened due to a lack of concern, insufficient patrols by forest rangers and the indifference of visitors toward conservation and the environment.

Theresia Sufa