"Women nowadays can’t just do housework, take care of their husband and children and then sit around the living room and watch sinetron. I find modern women are eager to do something else; socialize, expand their career, run a small business." (JG Photo)

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In celebration of National Batik Day on Saturday, we sat down with Intan Abdams Katoppo, a batik enthusiast who somehow juggles being the executive vice president of consumer banking for Bank Negara Indonesia, raising two children and finding time to sculpt.

Intan shares her secrets for multitasking, which she says flows through the veins of every modern woman, her definition of  emancipation and the hubbub over a proposal to perform virginity tests on high school girls

When did you first fall in love with batik and other Indonesian cloths?

It was while I was still in college. I liked to go traveling with friends and I always brought home traditional cloth as souvenirs, you know, batik, ulos, songket, tenun and so much more.

Now my job allows me to travel around Indonesia from one city to another, from Sabang to Merauke.

That’s how I know about the names for each cloth and how to identify where they come from.

Indonesian cloth is fascinating.

How did you get into batik?

I met a couple of people who have the same interest. We met at my son’s basketball game years ago.

We exchanged ideas and information about Indonesian cloth and batik and we ended up collecting them.

I feel proud to wear batik to the office every day. I also make my own batik clothing.

Do you have any favorite Indonesian cloths?

Yes. I’m a big fan of batik pesisir and songket Palembang.

You can identify whether it’s batik pesisir or not by its color. Batik pesisir always has bright colors. You can find it in Cirebon, Lasem or Tuban.

You also sculpt. Can you tell us more about that?

I was a psychology major in college, so I love anything to do with social interaction. I love to make bronze sculptures involving two people interacting.

It’s been a decade since I started this hobby.

I’ve participated in several sculpture exhibitions, like the last exhibition that was held at the World Trade Center in Jakarta in 2007.

That was the last time I had my work displayed in public.

How much do you love art?

I’m an art enthusiast. In 2002 and 2003 I helped organize a Jakarta arts festival as part of the celebrations for Jakarta’s anniversary.

We organized art performances in extraordinary places, like a pianist playing a grand piano by the side of the Ciliwung River and experimental music at an asylum.

We wanted all the people in Jakarta to be able to enjoy the arts, no matter where they live or their social background.

Too bad we can’t run it anymore.

We had difficulties finding donors and sponsors. We need perpetual funds to be able to support art in this country.

How can you manage your family and busy life outside the home at the same time?

Multitasking is in the blood of every woman.

Women nowadays can’t just do housework, take care of their husband and children and then sit around the living room and watch sinetron.

I find modern women are eager to do something else; socialize, expand their career, run a small business.

But they should be able to determine priorities between work and home.

Do you think being able to multitask makes women look smarter than men?

No, it’s not that. Being able to multitask also has its bad sides.

Women are able to split their focus, while men are generally only able to focus on one thing or subject.

That makes men more able to produce masterpieces, unlike women who have to focus on different things or subjects, making it hard for them to just focus on one thing and produce a masterpiece.

What do you think about a husband divorcing his wife because he says she is too busy to maintain the marriage?

That happens a lot around the world. We women need something to fall back on.

For some that’s what money is. Security matters.

A lot of independent women think they don’t want to argue about money with their husbands so they try to find money to support themselves.

I think women need to be aware and be prepared for what might happen, but still realize that their family is the priority.

A Jambi lawmaker has said young women should be given a virginity test when applying for university. What would you think if such a test was introduced in Jakarta?

It would be hard to implement here. Jakarta is such a pluralistic city.

There are a lot of reasons the policy wouldn’t work, such as human rights and educational psychology.

For me, it’s a ridiculous policy. It’s the result of excessive democracy and an inability to comprehend democracy itself.

I think Indonesians need to be more selective and smarter in choosing our representatives.

Do you think virginity has anything to do with someone’s level of intelligence?

Definitely not. You can’t say someone is uneducated because she or he is not a virgin anymore.

 I think it’s time for this country to be more appreciative of other people’s decisions.

You can’t just judge people by the results of their decisions.

Be the first to write your opinion!

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