Sravanthi Challapalli

If there is an endearing story full of hope, fortitude, youth, learning, will and determination,
this is it. The Rainbow Troops, the English translation of Indonesian writer Andrea Hirata’s novel Laskar Pelangi, describes life in the Indonesian island of Belitung, rich in tin and minerals. Based on
the writer’s life, his teachers and his schoolmates in school, the book tells the story of lives guided by two teachers: the middle- aged Pak Harfan and the 15-year-old Bu Mus, whose remarkable qualities include great reserves of courage and commitment.

The school they run call for these traits in plenty: an enrolment of less than ten students would ensure the authorities closed down the school. So would poor performance, and later on, the school itself is in
danger of being demolished by the mining company PN Timah as it sits on reserves of tin. The children, a motley crowd with poverty as the common factor, know that if they do not make an effort at school, they would have to work as fishermen, oil workers, coconut workers or in the tin industry.
But the school itself is woefully under- equipped – no staff except the two teachers, no bathroom, no calendar even, and not even the mandatory posters of the national leaders.

However, the teachers “made us fall in love with school, and more than that, they made us fall in love with knowledge. When the school day was over, we complained about going home. When we were given ten homework assignments, we asked for twenty.” It’s a book where the teachers stand out as shining examples of unflinching commitment and responsibility, and students that try not to disappoint. There are plenty of instances in which these efforts come through, and the big prize is
that the school is allowed to stand and not fall victim to the company’s plans. It does fall a few years later, though, weakened by time and the elements.

The author contrasts the change in education over the decades, which might ring true for many countries across the world, with these words: “ … school as a celebration of humanity, one that stood for dignity, the joy of learning, and the light of civilization. School nowadays was no longer a place to build character, but a part of a capitalistic plan to be rich and famous, to show off academic titles and gain power.” The book provides readers a glimpse into one of Indonesia’s islands, some aspects of
its school system and its youth’s lives and struggles with adversity, sometimes successful, sometimes not.