Gajah Mada

Gajah Mada (c. 1290 – c. 1364) was, according to Javanese old manuscripts, poems and mythology, a powerful military leader and mahapatih or prime minister of the Majapahit Empire, credited with bringing the empire to its peak of glory. He delivered an oath called Sumpah Palapa, in which he vowed not to eat any food containing spices until he had conquered all of the Southeast Asian archipelago of Nusantara for Majapahit. In modern Indonesia, he serves as an important national hero, a symbol of patriotism and national unity.

Rise to Power

Not much is known about Gajah Mada's early life. Some of the first accounts mention his career as commander of the Bhayangkara, an elite guard for Majapahit kings and their family. When Rakrian Kuti, one of the officials in Majapahit, rebelled against the Majapahit king Jayanegara (ruled 1309–1328) in 1321, Gajah Mada and the then-mahapatih Arya Tadah helped the king and his family to escape the capital city of Trowulan. Later Gajah Mada aided the king to return to the capital and crush the rebellion. Seven years later, Jayanegara was murdered by Rakrian Tanca, the court physician, one of Rakrian Kuti's aides.

Gajah (Tulus album)

Gajah is the second studio album by Indonesian singer-songwriter Tulus. The album was released on February 19, 2014, by Demajors. The album occupied the eighth position in iTunes Indonesia in July. A few months after release, the single "Gajah" entered the charts in Indonesia. Other singles from the album were "Sepatu" and "Jangan Cintai Aku Apa Adanya".

The songs were written by Tulus, except "Baru", written by Tulus and Ferry Nurhayat.

The album won two awards (Best of the Best Album and Best Pop Album) at the 2015 Anugerah Musik Indonesia. The album was nominated for "Album of the Year" at the 1st Indonesian Choice Awards, but lost to Raisa' Heart to Heart.

Track listing

Commercial responses

The single "Sepatu" as released on iTunes on August 22, 2013. The song received positive reviews and sold well on iTunes.

The album Gajah was launched on February 19, 2014, through iTunes and physical release on CD. The album received positive reviews, selling 5,000 copies in its first week and 60,000 copies in the first two months, the best selling album from Demajors since Endah N Rhesa, which sold 30,000 copies.

Emha Ainun Nadjib

Muhammad Ainun Nadjib (born 27 May 1953), best known as Emha Ainun Nadjib or Cak Nun, is an Indonesian poet, essayist, and Islamic scholar. Born in Jombang, East Java, Nadjib began writing poetry while living in Yogyakarta, publishing his first collection in 1976. He became one of the city's predominant poets by the late 1980s, and by then had also began writing essays. He is the leader of the Kiai Kanjeng group, which stages dramas and musical performances on religious themes.

Early poems by Nadjib have elements of social criticism. However, more prominent are Islamic values, variously described as santri or Sufi. Islam is also a common subject for his essays. His writings have taken a variety of forms, including poetry, essays, novels, and short stories.

Early life

Nadjib was born Muhammad Ainun Nadjib in Jombang, East Java, on 27 May 1953. The fourth of fifteen children, he began his education at the Gontor pesantren, an Islamic boarding school, in Ponorogo. In his third year, Nadjib was expelled for leading a demonstration against school security. He later moved to Yogyakarta, where he studied at Muhammadiyah I Senior High School. He attended the economics program at Gadjah Mada University but did not graduate, leaving after one semester.