Hikayat Panji Semirang

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Hikayat Panji Semirang is a tale of a princess who went and did all that she needed to do to achieve her goals including the use of unconventional means. She didn’t let life’s setbacks hold her down. She overcame one challenge after another with patience and acceptance. These strengths allowed her to keep her emotion in check when dealing with others, resulting in her earning love and respect from most that came to know her.

The personalities presented in this ancient tale describe human nature and is therefore just as relevant today. Their positive and negative traits exist in living and breathing beings in the history of mankind. That’s my take on the book.

As soon as I was able to read, my hunger for the written words were insatiable. There weren’t much materials available to me in those days, at least not where I lived then. So I devoured every book, comic, newspaper, magazine I could lay my hands on (including newspaper wrappings from the sundry shop). I would read everything cover to cover, and I mean just that. I would read publisher’s details, foreword, content, the main body, even the index. Never mind that I couldn’t understand half of what I was reading.

I was still very young when I first encountered Hikayat Panji Semirang. It was my first novel. To be precise, it was only 90 percent of my first novel. The binding had come loose and the last section was missing. No matter, I read the book and left the ending to my imagination (limited as it was back then given that I was the epitome of Katak Bawah Tempurung).

It was a few more decades before I laid my hands on the complete copy of Hikayat Panji Semirang. While it was nice to finally read the conclusion, it was almost an anti-climax to have my wilder imagination curtailed by the writer.

I have now read the tale many times over. With my ever expanding experience, I learn something new each time. Some might call it a love story. But I see it as a tale of strength and determination of a beautiful person in the face of adversity.

Panji Semirang Asmarantaka may be only a character in a tale, but I have learned many lessons from this heroine to help me through some of the rough patches in my life. Hence the choice of the title for my writings.

While I have allowed myself to dream of a happy ending, I understand enough to know that life is about the journey, not the destination. My writings is about my journey, my very own tale.
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