The War of Bharatayudha: Loka Pantjakala, Waltz in Masquerade

Written by: Nur Hayya Adilah — RTCollective May Edition

Bill Gates steps out of tech to deliver an applaudable performance on betrayal and colonialism?!

Have you ever imagined that Bill Gates is actually a FISIP UI student? Not that American billionaire, but Muhammad Bill Gates Lim from FISIP Ul, who took the stage as a lead actor in the faculty’s annual art event!

Gelora Berseni Mahasiswa Baru, or Gelmab, is an annual event organized by the Department of Art and Culture BEM FISIP UI that has been held for 14 years. In 2025, Gelmab presented a new theme, which is Perang Bharatayudha: Mahabharata that is adapted from the Ramayana folktale.

With that vision in mind, Gelmab FISIP UI features various performances such as parades, art exhibitions, and the most-awaited special performance, which is the theatre. These performances are presented by freshmen of FISIP UI from each study program. Gelmab was also created to allow students to express themselves through art, while sparking creativity and fostering togetherness among students.

As a student of the Faculty of Humanities at Universitas Indonesia, I had never been interested in theatre performances before, but I suddenly became intrigued for the first time because of the International Relation department’s theme, characters, and synopsis.

The Mahabharata has seven major characters, and for this time, the International Relations department was assigned to represent Bhima as their character. The figure of Bhima is often depicted as tough and aggressive, although he is actually soft-hearted. The International Relations students matched Bhima’s traits to the theme and storyline. Interestingly, their struggles happened to reflect Bhima’s characteristics.

Prologue

Set during the colonial era in Indonesia, the story centers on the betrayal within a company named Pantjakala. Around 1940 in Batavia, there was a worker at the Pantjakala company named Wijajanto, who was also the father of two sons, Galang Karsa and Nugraha Endra. Wijajanto desired to reveal a secret behind the company. Tragically, he was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Therefore, Galang Karsa and Nugraha Endra began to unveil the shadow of conspiracy lurking behind Wijajanto’s death.

Galang Karsa (right) and Wasti (left) finding Wijajanto’s documents. [Personal documentation/Shabrina Amanda Novrizal]

“Galang Karsa is my older brother, and once he finds our father’s documents, he plans to reveal the secret behind this company and the truth behind our father’s death,” said Bill who plays as Nugraha Endra.

To be clear, the documents that Galang Karsa found belonged to the Dutch. Wijajanto has been keeping this secret with those documents for a long time. However, during that long period of time, Wijajanto also felt guilty and was determined to reveal the secret behind the company. Unfortunately, it did not happen. Because of that, Galang Karsa and Nugraha Endra plan to uncover the truth. And there, the story became more suspenseful…

Chapter I: Writer’s Notes

The performance got a lot of applause and respect from the audience because of the amazing acting and the plot of the story. Just so you know, this theatre performance provided trigger warnings for individuals to prepare for some potentially distressing content, such as shouts, stomps, harsh words, etc. Thus, I have a lot of questions, one of them being how long the preparation took until they could present this performance so well.

“Actually from the coach themselves, we are already starting to prepare for Gelmab from the beginning of the semester, in July or August. Even before the holiday, batch 2024, we were asked if we wanted to be the coach, etc., also what is our plan for Gelmab this year, how are we going to train the freshmen later, and preparing something like a curriculum for them to practice using,” said Felicia, a 2024 International Relation student who also happens to be one of the mentors.

(From the left to the right) Wasti, Galang Karsa, and Nugraha Endra planning to reveal the secret behind the company. [X/@leovincies]

I personally think that it is interesting because they are really excited and are doing their best to prepare Gelmab for the freshmen, even during the holiday. Bill, one of the lead actors, added his personal experience as a freshman himself, “For the freshmen themselves, batch 2025, our preparation starts from September. We already separated our job desks, so each of us knows what we are going to do later.”

After I heard both of them talked about the preparation time, I was really impressed because for such a short time, they are still able to present this awesome theatre performance.

Chapter II: Curtain Call

Behind the curtain, each person shares different experiences and stories through Gelmab. Not only the people who are on stage on D-day, but also the people behind it have their own stories and points of view about Gelmab itself. Therefore, I asked them a slightly emotional question, “Does Gelmab mean a lot to you?”

International Relation FISIP UI’s students curtain call. [X/@leovincies]

“To be honest, from the very beginning, ever since I was in high school, I really loved watching theatre so much. For me, personally, Gelmab is the greatest experience I have ever had that means a lot for me. Even though there are bad memories, if I were asked if I want to repeat it again, I would. Moreover, there is also a term in FISIP about Gelmab, “everything starts at Gelmab amongst FISIP students.” said Felicia in her perspective and experience after joining Gelmab twice.

“Just like Felicia, I personally think that with the presence of this Gelmab, we can bond much more, become closer, and get to know each other much better.” said Bill after completing Gelmab for the very first time.

Shabrina Amanda, a student from the Faculty of Humanities at Universitas Indonesia, enthusiastically attended the International Relation FISIP UI’s theatre performance, “It was very fun! It is interesting how they managed to slip in a touch of their personality as International Relations majors. I think the colonial setting is personally very in character for them. It is interesting how they explored the concept of power gaps through Wijajanto’s murder. When the curtain call happened, I even wanted to cry.. Good job HI ‘25!”

Epilogue

Everything starts at Gelmab amongst FISIP students. The term that is commonly known in FISIP UI really shows and proves that Gelmab truly brings some positive sides such as building a friendship and getting to know each other better. Besides that, Gelmab also serves as a medium for all FISIP UI students to express their talents in arts and theatre. Gelmab is also more than just a performance, it is a journey of growth for everyone who takes part in it. From here, I believe that art not only sparks creativity, but also helps build a stronger friendship, provides emotional support, and allows people to support each other in difficult times and celebrate success together.