I couldn’t sleep tonight. Something felt off. I checked my WhatsApp and Instagram messages - something I rarely do these days. My gamelan teacher, Pak Hartono, passed away. He taught generations of musicians, and was one of the greatest traditional dance drummers the world has ever known.

This weekend I will be playing music with my gamelan orchestra in New York. I will think of the many days I spent with Pak Hartono - I was a Fulbright Scholar and I begged him to come out of retirement to teach me - he did, but only if I promised to play as a musician and not as an academic.

I make meals into masks and then eat them.🥪 /foodmasku 🌈 rc.xyz/foodmasku 🗽

I still remember the first time I met pak Hartono. My Indonesian was really bad and I called him the wrong honorific. He smiled and told me in English “We are all human.” I will do my best to share his wisdom to the world. Turut berduka cita sedalam dalamnya.