Combining Information Technology and Palace Culture
Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Hayu
Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Hayu, 33, the fourth daughter of Yogyakarta’s Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, aims to promote palace traditions to people around the world. One of her ways to realize her dream is to use information technology.
Born as a daughter of the palace, Gusti Kanjeng Ratu (GKR) Hayu, who had the childhood name of Gusti Raden Ajeng (GRAj) Nurabra Juwita, often traveled as she was growing up. She was educated in Australia, Singapore, the United States and the United Kingdom. This forced her to be able to live on her own, far away from the facilities she could easily enjoy back home.
Her modesty and humility was evident when she welcomed Kompas at her green and beautiful home in Keraton Kilen, Yogyakarta, on Tuesday (8/8/2017). “Just call me Mbak [big sister],” Hayu said when we used the honorific title of Kanjeng Ratu a few times.
While enjoying a glass of iced espresso with milk, Hayu said that her daily life nowadays was filled with the responsibility of a penghageng (manager) of the head of Yogyakarta Palace’s Tepas Tandha Yekti (Documentation and Information Technology division).
The division’s main job is to promote palace culture and tradition. It is also responsible for developing and using information technology in the palace.
Hayu’s main responsibility is documenting all palace activities and use and develop information technology in the palace.
Before the Tepas Tandha Yekti was established in 2012, documentation was the responsibility of several abdi dalem (palace servants). However, due to the lack of proper coordination, many files, notes and photographs became scattered.
Apart from six abdi dalem, Hayu also recruited 20 professional freelancers to help her promote the palace.
“They are the palace’s only official documentation team that creates the content to be promoted to the public,” Hayu said.
In mid-2015, the Yogyakarta Palace officially launched its official Facebook account under the name Kraton Jogja, as well as an official Twitter and Instagram account under the account @kratonjogja.
Two years later, the palace launched its official website, kratonjogja.id.
Content verification
Online, Tepas Tandha Yekti targets the younger generation of social media users in its campaign of loving Javanese culture. All contents in its official website and social media channels are verified by academics, Javanese culture experts and senior abdi dalem.
“This way, we promote information about the Javanese culture in general and palace traditions in particular. We can also interact with people to straighten several misconceptions on local traditions and cultures,” said the avid gamer.
Regarding the development and use of information technology in the palace, Hayu has prepared long-term targets to integrate all palace divisions in an e-governance system.
Hayu said she imagined how one day, Sultan Hamengku Buwono X could check updated data on the Yogyakarta Palace on a smartphone or a tablet. People in need of services, such as processing a family tree certificate, can also do the same.
“One day, the data of all departments in the Yogyakarta Palace can be found in one place, and it can be updated and integrated through the computer. Slowly but surely, the palace is transitioning there,” Hayu said.
Since she was a child, the wife of Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo Notonegoro has immersed herself in the internet. However, she said she had had difficulties accessing information about the Yogyakarta Palace abroad. From there, she developed the idea to promote the palace online for people around the world.
To ensure better understanding, information on palace traditions shared by the Twitter handle @kratonjogja is posted in English and Indonesian. In the future, all content on the official website kratonjogja.id will also be available in both languages.
“As we have proper website management, we will also create English language content,” Hayu said.
Hayu has lived in multiple cities since junior high school, having studied at the Stella Duce I Yogyakarta junior high school and the Brisbane Adventist College in Australia. She then spent her high school years at SMAN 3 Yogyakarta state high school and the International School of Singapore in the neighboring city state. While in Singapore, she learned about HTML and CSS.
To realize her childhood dream of becoming a computer expert, Hayu then decided to enroll in the Computer Science undergraduate program at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, the US.
After spending one year in college, Hayu realized that her real enthusiasm lay in information system technology. She then switched majors to Information System Management in Bournemouth University, England.
After finishing her study in the UK in 2007, Hayu interned at Microsoft Indonesia to fill a position in the public sector. One year later, Hayu entered the software industry and worked for banking application developer Aprisma Indonesia.
“As a project manager, I directly connected with state-owned banks as clients. Sometimes, when I was involved in rush projects, my team and I slept at the client’s office to finish the project,” Hayu explained.
In 2013, Hayu decided to quit her job while pursuing a master’s degree. While looking for a scholarship, she worked at Gameloft Indonesia, which is based in Yogyakarta. At the time, Hayu started managing Tepas Tandha Yekti.
Despite being appointed as penghageng in 2012, Hayu was only able to fully focus on managing Tepas Tandha Yekti in late 2015, right after she finished her master studies in Business Administration Leadership and IT Policy at Fordham University in New York.
Hayu follows her heart and poured all her knowledge and experience into the progress of the Yogyakarta Palace. Consequently, she must be willing to live thousands of kilometers from her husband, who currently heads the United Nations regional office for Samoa, Tokelau and the Cook Islands.
Hayu does all of this to chase her ambitions of promoting and introducing palace traditions to the world.
