On November 10, we are celebrating as a Patriot Day. Usually, mass media will broadcast about patriots like autobiography, movies, and many more. So, as a good citizen and a young blood :) I am excited to tell you one of them (Patriots in Indonesia). He was a composer of Indonesia Independence Song, Indonesia Raya. His name is Wage Rudolf Soepratman and most of people knew him as WR Soepratman.

He was born in Jakarta on March 1903. He was a teacher and really loves to play violin. His brother taught him violin when he was in Ujung Pandang. He also arranges music and turns it into a song. He came to Bandung as a journalist and stayed in Jakarta for a long time.

Actually, he was a son from one of KNIL (Soldier of Dutch East Indies) but he doesn't like them much. He has spirit of nationalism. He started to write down what his really felt. He wrote about the Dutch East Indies who doesn't have kindness, and Indonesian Nationalism values. The response from Dutch East Indies? All of his wrote was forbidden to circulate in Indonesia.

He wrote and arranges music all the time until he found an article on Timbul Magazine. The writer challenge all citizen in Indonesia who loves play, arrange, to compose an Indonesia Independence Song. After read that article, he started to arrange and finally on 1924, Indonesia Raya was born.

Youth Congress in Jakarta, October 1928 make a youth statement (we called it Sumpah Pemuda) and WR Soepratman started to play his Indonesia Independence Song but in Instrumental. All young man who came to Congress felt the spirit of nationalism and proud of Indonesia. Soon, in every congress the song always played.

Finally, Indonesia got Independence and Indonesia Raya became Independence Song. WR Soepratman as the composer died in Surabaya on August 17 1938. President gave the honor to him as one of patriots in Indonesia who really support Indonesia with his own way, music and written.

For more information please kindly visit Tokoh Indonesia :)

Happy Patriot Day! :)