Universitas Gadjah Mada is holding a 50-day Community Empowerment Field Study Program (KKN-PPM) from June 20 to August 8, 2025. In its implementation, students are assigned to serve by carrying out programs aimed at community empowerment. This includes Yudha Adhistira, a student in the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program, who is implementing the “Sira Saraja” (Sinau Rame Aksara Jawa) program in Blitar Regency, East Java. This program focuses on socializing the use of Javanese script and language to elementary to high school students in Bululalang Village and Bakung District, highlighting a number of common mistakes, such as the use of the words “makempal” and “tedhak sungging,” as well as errors in writing the names of villages and public places on digital platforms such as Google Maps.

In an online interview on August 31, 2025, Yudha explained that the aim of this program is to reduce misconceptions about the use of Javanese script and language, while fostering motivation and interest among the younger generation in  Javanese language objects. “To attract this interest, the material has been designed to be appealing, such as displaying examples of beautiful Javanese manuscripts, conducting case studies of Javanese-language pop works, and introducing the potential of Javanese cultural objects and tourism in the Blitar area,” he explained.

However, the implementation of this program is not without challenges. Yudha revealed that there is still a lack of educators who are experts in the Javanese language and a limited number of student worksheets (LKS) that focus on Javanese script. Nevertheless, the students' enthusiasm was evident through their active questioning and interaction during the activities. "The situation was quite exciting and challenging, especially when presenting new things that could attract the children's interest. Despite some difficulties, the children's enthusiasm through their interactions and many questions about this teaching method is a joy in itself," he added.

The Sira Saraja program also reflects the importance of preserving regional languages as part of national identity. The slogan “language is the soul of a nation” is relevant in efforts to preserve and develop regional languages. The conditions in Bululalang Village and Bakung District are concrete examples of the current state of regional languages, which are becoming increasingly “foreign” to their speakers.

In line with this, in his lecture, Prof. Dr. Hendrokumoro, M.Hum., lecturer in the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program and professor of Linguistics at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, emphasized the importance of a flexible, enjoyable, and relevant approach to learning regional languages (Hendrokumoro 2025, May 8). This is an important strategy so that regional language learners, especially native speakers, can continue to preserve and revive regional languages as a form of national identity. Therefore, synergy between various parties is needed as a joint effort in the preservation and development of regional languages in Indonesia.

Bibliography

Hendrokumoro. [Universitas Gadjah Mada]. (2025, May 8). Pengukuhan Prof. Dr. Hendrokumoro, M.Hum., Guru Besar Fakultas Ilmu Budaya UGM. [Video]. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d6PJDguBFk.

On Sunday (August 24, 2025), HMJ Kamastawa conducted social service and teaching activities at the Darun Najah Orphanage and Shelter for the Poor in Maguwoharjo Village, Depok, Sleman. This initiative, organized by the Social Community Division and the Academic Division, reflects the students' social responsibility and dedication to the community as part of implementing the Tri Dharma of Higher Education. The target audience for the activity was orphaned and underprivileged children, with a focus on educational support for female high school students.

Prior to the social service activity, the Social Community Division opened donations of money and goods, including reading books, stationery, and cleaning supplies. These donations were then distributed to meet the needs of the Darun Najah Orphanage.

The series of events began with a teaching activity guided by the Academic Division with the theme of Javanese script and how to write it. In this session, students presented interactive group games. Participants were asked to answer questions competitively, and each correct and quick answer would earn points. After the game ended, the group with the most points was entitled to a prize.

The event continued with a social service activity by the Social Community Division, which donated snacks and necessities for the orphanage, such as brooms, boxes, and so on. The funds for these necessities were obtained from an open donation that had been opened previously.

The event concluded with a symbolic presentation of commemorative plaques and the handover of donations from the chairman of HMJ Kamastawa to representatives of the Darun Najah Orphanage management. Students and orphanage children also took part in a group photo session to commemorate the occasion and share stories.

Kamastawa's community service activities are not merely about carrying out work programs, but also provide a shared learning space that offers valuable experiences for both students and children at the orphanage. In addition, these activities support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the areas of health, education, equality, and sustainable communities and partnerships.

Together with the Center for Cultural Studies and the Center for Disaster Studies UGM, students of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture study program had the opportunity to dive directly into the community environment in the context of community service. This activity involved the 2023 and 2024 batches, namely Abimanyu Mahendra, Yanuar Agung, Noviyanti Alfitri, Bayu Seta Ardiansyah, Maylafaizza Nafisha, Fega Achillea, Rafi Nur Fauzy, and Rafif Wicaksono.

This activity was led by a lecturer in philology, Dr. Sri Ratna Saktimulya, M.Hum. who also serves as the current Head of the UGM Center for Cultural Studies. For two days (22-23 June 2025), this team carried out activities in Padukuhan Wotawati, Pucung District, Gunungkidul Regency, DI Yogyakarta.

Wotawati Village, which is located in a unique valley of the former flow of the Ancient Bengawan Solo, has historical and cultural potential but faces significant problems. The main challenges include the absence of a comprehensive and credible narrative regarding the identity of the village that is vulnerable to misinformation, minimal education and preparedness for hydrometeorological disasters, and suboptimal preservation of local culture. This community service aims to empower Wotawati through an approach based on local wisdom and participatory education.

Therefore, this joint team intends to compile a literary work Babad Wotawati which contains history, geography, cultural potential, and disaster education holistically. This Babad is expected to become an official reference source regarding information and the identity of Wotawati village and can become a valuable cultural heritage in the future. This Babad is not only a medium for preserving identity, but also a disaster education tool that is easily accessible to the public. Macapat song training will also complement this effort, reviving oral traditions as a means of conveying messages to the younger generation. Thus, Wotawati can rise as an independent, empowered, and widely known community with a complete and accurate narrative, while being ready to face future challenges.

Thus, in-depth research efforts are needed by visiting and observing directly at the research location. Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture students are given the task of practicing karawitan, introducing tembang dolanan, practicing macapatan, interviewing residents, or documenting activities.

With this activity, it is hoped that students can apply the knowledge and skills they have gained during their studies and can provide benefits to the community directly.

Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture student of 2024 batch, Ghibran Arsha Daffa (NIM 24/543974/SA/23427) or familiarly called Ghibran, made it to the final stage in the Dimas-Diajeng contest of the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Dimas-Diajeng itself is the term for a pair of male and female teenagers who are officially appointed as DIY tourism ambassadors. For men, it is called Dimas, and for women, it is called Diajeng. The selection of Dimas-Diajeng is under the auspices of the Tourism Office. Meanwhile, the most important task of Dimas-Diajeng itself is to promote tourism and culture in their respective regions.

To start Dimas-Diajeng's journey, Ghibran went through file selection, semifinals, psychological tests, deep interviews, then entered the final stage consisting of 15 men and 15 women. After the file selection stage, participants were given the task of creating video content about promoting tourist attractions in the city of Jogja and Ghibran chose to discuss Pasar Ngasem, which turned out that no one of the other participants chose that topic.

If selected and crowned as Dimas, Ghibran must be a representative of the dynamic and cultured youth of Jogja and actively participate in tourism promotion activities.

In the process, one of the things Ghibran remembers most is when collecting files because Ghibran collected the files 7 minutes before the registration deadline. This is because Ghibran actually intended to register for Dimas-Diajeng Bantul City, but it turned out that this year it was not going to be held. Therefore, Ghibran immediately prepared himself in a short time to register for Dimas-Diajeng Jogja City.

In addition, in the process of making video content, Ghibran found things that moved and impressed him. One of them was when he met a grandmother selling traditional toys. Ghibran said that even though her merchandise was quiet, the grandmother looked happy when she was invited to interview. According to the grandmother, she had been selling toys since she was little. The grandmother also prayed for Ghibran so that his steps would be smooth in undergoing the Dimas-Diajeng contest.

After the final, the Top 3 Dimas-Diajeng will be selected to represent the city of Jogja in the election of Dimas-Diajeng Yogyakarta Province. So if Ghibran is selected in the Top 3 list, Ghibran must compete again in Dimas-Diajeng Yogyakarta province.

However, even though Ghibran will be busy with Dimas-Diajeng activities in the city of Jogja, Ghibran still wants to contribute as a student in the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture study program at UGM, one of which is in the field of storytelling. Ghibran intends to take part in a national-level storytelling competition, or even a monologue.

Ghibran's hope for the future is that this Dimas-Diajeng program can help and educate many people, especially in the field of tourism. Let's pray that all of Ghibran's goals and aspirations will be achieved!

Noviyanti Alfitri (NIM 24/533646/SA/22795), a 2024 student from the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture study program, inaugurated as a Diajeng Gunungkidul 2025 at the end of February. Diajeng is a representation of a young woman from a regency—in this case, Gunungkidul Regency—specifically in the field of tourism. Usually Diajeng is paired with Dimas (as a representation of youngman). They promote nature and culture-based tourism in their district and become icons for young people.

The selection process for the Dimas-Diajeng icon began in December 2024. Starting from the selection of files and administration, written selection, interview selection, then the announcement of 15 finalists who were quarantined, and officially crowned on the coronation night on February 22, 2025.

As the holder of the title Diajeng Gunungkidul, Noviyanti or who is familiarly called Upik has the main responsibility of assisting in the marketing sector at the Tourism Office in promoting tourism in Gunungkidul Regency.

Not the coronation night, according to Upik, the most memorable experience during the Dimas-Diajeng selection process was during quarantine. During the quarantine period, Upik gained a lot of knowledge ranging from tourism, culture, regional specialties, public speaking, and others. This increased Upik's knowledge and Upik learned a lot of new things during the quarantine period.

In addition to the most memorable moments, Upik also said that she had difficulty in time management. Because of the tight timeline of the selection process, Upik had to adjust her lecture schedule at UGM with her other activities. However, fortunately Upik was able to go through everything smoothly by making a priority scale.

Even though she has been named Diajeng Gunungkidul 2025, Upik realizes that she is still part of the UGM Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture students. Therefore, Upik wants to contribute a lot to her study program. She wants to do several things; become a writer or participant in the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival in Bali, become a talent or production team in the Gugur Gunung activity, and maybe take part in a competition to bring the name of the study program. In addition, Upik also has an ambition to be able to write her own anthology.

Wow, it seems like Upik has so many desires and ambitions! Hopefully, all of Upik's ambitions can be achieved smoothly without any significant obstacles. With this story, hopefully other students will also be motivated to do what they like and develop themselves even more!

On Monday, March 4, 2024, at 09.30 WITA, Dr. Arsanti Wulandari, S.S., M.Hum, a lecturer from the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program, became a speaker in a public lecture entitled ‘Philology in Javanese Manuscript Studies’. This activity was held through the Zoom Meeting platform and initiated by the Javanese Literature Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Udayana University (FIB UNUD).

In the public lecture, Dr. Arsanti Wulandari presented an introduction to philology, reviewed the concept of philology, the object of study, the tasks of philologists, and the final product produced. The presentation was equipped with examples of Javanese manuscripts and their identification, so that the audience could understand about philology more easily. The discussion session that followed provided space for participants to ask various questions, showing their high enthusiasm for the topics discussed.

Kuliah umum mengenai filologi ini diadakan sebagai respons terhadap semakin berkurangnya minat mahasiswa dalam bidang studi filologi. Meskipun demikian, saat ini pemerintah sedang serius mendorong penggalian pengetahuan dan nilai-nilai yang terkandung dalam naskah kuno. Harapannya, melalui kegiatan semacam ini, minat, dan pemahaman terhadap filologi dapat tumbuh kembali di kalangan mahasiswa.

Pentingnya memahami dan menjaga keberlanjutan pengetahuan serta nilai-nilai kebudayaan yang terdapat dalam naskah kuno menjadi fokus kuliah umum ini. Dengan memberikan bekal pengetahuan, semangat, dan menjalin kerja sama yang baik, diharapkan pengetahuan dan nilai-nilai kebudayaan pada naskah kuno dapat tetap lestari dan dapat kemudian dikembangkan sesuai dengan kebutuhan zaman. Hal ini selaras dengan tujuan pembangunan berkelanjutan, terutama dalam meningkatkan mutu pendidikan (poin 4) dan memperkuat kerja sama untuk mencapai tujuan bersama (poin 17).

No less than other well-known study programs, it turns out that being a student of Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture can also carry pride and inspire other people around! For example, Dian Nitami (Dian) and Miktahul Ulumudin (Ulum) below. Both are students majoring in Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture, class of 2023 and 2024.

Dian and Ulum were invited to the annual Campus Expo event held by the MAN 1 Tulungagung alumni association, through the Tulungagung Student Communication Forum (FKMT). This Campus Expo was held on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at MAN 1 Tulungagung. Like Campus Expo events in general, here Dian and Ulum are in charge of educating and sharing experiences about being UGM students. They discussed topics around UGM entrance selection, college fee education, KIP scholarships, and a glimpse of UGM itself.

The Campus Expo itself was attended by 1st - 3rd year, but the seminar session was specifically attended by 3rd year where the class was certainly preparing for the exam to enter college. Dian was invited to be one of the speakers because she was one of the lucky students who had the opportunity to study at UGM with funding assisted by a scholarship. So at this event Dian gave a testimonial that scholarships at UGM are very open to students from any entrance selection path.

From Dian and Ulum's point of view, MAN 1 Tulungagung students were certainly very happy because they could meet their seniors who were studying at UGM. Then the impressive occasion was when the speakers entered, they were greeted with the Pionir celebration song with the enthusiasm of Mantasa (the name for MAN 1 Tulungagung students) overflowing. Even in the closing session, it was enlivened again by the Pionir celebration dance so that this indicated that MAN 1 Tulungagung students were really enthusiastic about participating in this seminar session.

For Dian, the impression gained from this experience was a sense of joy because this was the first time Dian had the opportunity to be a speaker who of course could educate and motivate the MAN students.

With this valuable story from Dian and Ulum, it is hoped that this can be an inspiration for other student to always be able to provide benefits and spread positive enthusiasm to people around them, that being part of the family of Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture students is a pride and not less cool than other majors.

Excerpted in full from: hystoryana.blogspot.com

Philology, as the study of manuscripts and classical texts, plays an important role in preserving the cultural and historical heritage of a nation. One of the interesting aspects of philology is the effort to understand and translate manuscripts, which means transforming ancient texts from their original format to new forms that are more accessible and easier to learn, such as in the form of illustrated stories, batik cloth, and so on.

Paleography is a scientific discipline that studies the character of ancient writings in manuscripts. As a science that supports the specialization of Philology, Paleography is a compulsory course for the Language, Literature and Culture Study Program.

On Friday, December 6, 2024 the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program held an exhibition initiated by the lecturers of the Philology course, Dr. Sri Ratna Saktimulya M.Hum,. and Dr. Arsanti Wulandari M.Hum,. The exhibition involved Master of Literature students in the Philology course and the undergraduate students of Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program for the Paleography course. The philological exhibition “Mengalih Wahana Naskah” aims to introduce the public to the importance of ancient manuscripts in the formation of Indonesian history and culture. The manuscripts not only serve as historical documents, but also as a means of understanding the noble values and wisdom passed down by our ancestors. This exhibition also explores how these manuscripts transformed from handwritten texts into more attractive illustrated texts and wearable batik cloth. It is a means to introduce to the public that ancient manuscripts are not just text documents, but also works of art that contain high aesthetic value.

Students of the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program in the Philology Exhibition

“Very happy to be able to organize this exhibition, previously we, the class of 2023, were asked to make batik cloth, then it will be exhibited today, it's fun to try making batik cloth and at the same time get a grade for the Final Semester Examination” said Muhammad Rizki, one of the students of the Language, Literature and Culture Study Program.

The exhibition showcased batik cloths that had previously been made by students of the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program in the Switching Workshop. The long sash batik cloths were written based on the interests of each student. There are 3 scripts that can be chosen to write the proposition sentences that have been made. Javanese script, Pegon script, and Balinese script, each has its own uniqueness and beauty. Dr. Arsanti Wulandari M.Hum, revealed that this project will be taken as the fulfillment of the Final Examination of Paleography course in 2024. There are also illustrated stories made by Master of Literature students.

Students of Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program Make  Batik for the Exhibition

It is hoped that the Philology exhibition: Alih Wahana is able to introduce many people to the existence of Philology as a useful science for life. Ancient manuscripts can be absorbed with the science of Philology to prepare for present and future life. In addition, this exhibition is one way to preserve ancient manuscripts in Javanese culture.