Johan Budi Sava: Taking care of Bung Karno's books

Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Malang, East Java

"Where was Bung Karno born?" a bookshop attendant asked, referring to the country's founding father, Sukarno.

"Blitar, East Java," his customer confidently replied, recalling what he had read in textbooks.He was born in Surabaya. He mentioned it in his speech at the University of Pajajaran, Bandung, in the 1960s," said the attendant of Toga Mas bookshop in Malang, East Java.

Delivering the speech after he was awarded the title of honorary doctor from the university, Sukarno talked about his birthplace to correct the Pajajaran University rector's statement that he was born in Blitar.

If that is true, it means the public has the wrong information about Sukarno's birthplace and his wish has been incorrectly interpreted. Sukarno, whose grave is located in Blitar, once said his body should be buried in his birthplace.

The above controversy is only one of the surprising facts revealed in Sukarno's private collection of thousands of books, which now belong to Johan Budi Sava, the owner of the Toga Mas bookstore on Jl. Dieng in Malang.

Thousands of old books - published both inside and outside the country - are being arranged on the second floor of the bookstore, which will one day serve as a small museum.anyone can make use of these books for their research. People can also take a look at the collection. But not all of the books are available to read because most of the valuable books are old and fragile," said Johan, showing a 1825 map of Yogyakarta that is among the collection.

Many of the thousands of books are covered with a fine layer of dust or mold, and they are still in a mess. But Johan is proud of the collection.

"I got them by accident," said the 42-year-old businessman.

Last year, when he was in Bogor, West Java, to look for a place for his new bookstore, he was introduced to a businessman who had kept the books from Sukarno's private library. He was Sukarno's friend who had been asked to take care of the collection. As he could not do it any more, he asked Johan to take care of them. Johan accepted the offer right away.was as though I had stumbled across a hidden treasure. Just imagine, for the three containers of books, I was only asked to cover the maintenance fees," said Johan, adding that the books must be worth hundreds of millions of rupiah.must be what is called good luck. It happened unexpectedly. So I will make the best of the collection for the public, particularly the book lovers," he said.

Johan started his bookstore business from scratch. In the early 1990s he opened a bookstore for students in the garage of his small house in Malang. He went to Surabaya every week to buy books and sell them in his shop. There were times when he could not sleep for days as he did not have enough money to pay his debt of Rp 4 million (around US$430) to the book supplier.

But he did not give up and worked even harder to develop his business.the business grew well, we also used our living room to sell books. Our bedrooms later became storage rooms and for years we slept with books," Johan said.

After 15 years, he has bookstores in Malang, Jember, Denpasar, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Bandung and Jakarta. Next year he will open another one in Surabaya.

They have become alternative bookstores for book lovers, particularly students, because of the low prices and casual atmosphere inside the shops.

The Yogyakarta store was designed by renowned architect Eko Prawoto and has the feel of a traditional market, reminding visitors of the golden days of the low-price book kiosks in Yogyakarta's shopping centers or in Senen, Central Jakarta, years ago.

There is a big opportunity to develop the book market in Indonesia, according to Johan.

He said that only about 20 percent of the population regularly purchased books. Eighty percent of the more than 200 million people living in the country therefore comprise the potential market.

"This is not just about opening bookstores, it's about encouraging people to read books, which should be available at affordable prices," Johan said.

Only the Surabaya store is air-conditioned, so Johan can cut costs and sell the books for lower prices.

In order to attract more customers, Johan often holds book discussions in his stores, involving publishers, writers and literary figures like Garin Nugroho, Sindhunata and Frans Magnis Suseno.

Johan recalled that when he was a student, he preferred to buy cigarettes instead of books because books were expensive. One of Johan's lectures, apparently concerned by his bad habit, told him to stop smoking and save his money to buy books. The lecturer was really surprised when, years later, he met Johan and learned that he had taken such an interest in books he now owned a bookstore.

Johan, who graduated from Petra University in Surabaya in 1990, opened his first bookstore with his wife.

He is now a successful businessman who often receives invitations to talk about his achievements.

"But what makes me sad is that many people still prefer to spend their money on buying food at MacDonald's, Pizza Hut or KFC instead of buying books. They spend Rp 50,000 on food without a second thought, but they say a book of the same price is too expensive," Johan said.

"You can enjoy the benefits of books for the rest of your life, but fast food only stays in your stomach for two or three hours," said the father of two.

PAYING RESPECTS: Former president Megawati Soekarnoputri (third right) and her brothers and sisters visit the grave of their mother Fatmawati, the wife of founding president Sukarno, in Karet Bivak, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday. (JP/J. Adiguna na)