Founder of Samsara Living Museum

We are starting to see a global movement that believes in the same vision as ours, which is to uphold the values of culture and sustainability.
Tell us your story – how did you get here?
I was born and raised in a small village together with my family who had a responsibility to maintain and uphold our religion, culture, traditions and customs. As I grew up and Bali developed, I began to understand my experiences and the association of growing up in my village. I saw that there was an urgency to find some kind of model that could harmonise the development of our time, with efforts to preserve our culture, traditions and customs. So, that’s why I built the Samsara Living Museum – an initiative which I hope can enrich the reference patterns of harmonious development, and at the same time can be a solution for areas like my village that are full of challenges.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Being a recipient of the Indonesian Cultural Award from the Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia. This grace is only given to those who are considered to have a strong commitment to the preservation, resilience and innovation of Culture in Indonesia, which can be seen from the credibility of other national figures who have also received this award.
What impact have you made in Bali?
We have produced various documents, narratives, modules and collections, documented in the form of videos, books, displays, and media that we hope will be a guideline for the community in carrying out cultural preservation and innovation efforts. We’ve also seen an increase in public participation, especially the younger generation, in efforts to preserve culture and heritage, both from direct involvement in Samsara Living Museum activities, as well as development from individuals and the community.
We also birthed various cultural and heritage innovation programs and products that can be seen on our website and social media that have an economic impact both directly and indirectly. We’ve also established collaborations with various parties, both formal and informal cooperative projects, so that the impact of our initiatives can reach a much wider audience.
What does the future look like for you?
We look at our future quite optimistically because we are starting to see more and more parties agreeing with our initiatives. We are starting to see a global movement that believes in the same vision as ours, which is to uphold the values of culture and sustainability.
What do you love most about Bali?
Its harmony between the belief structure and culture that exists in society.
If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self?
I would advise myself to become a more productive human being, because I feel like I wasted a lot of time not doing things that benefit me, others or the universe.
What does being sustainable mean to you?
Sustainability to me is when there is only thought, word and deed (Tri Kaya Parisudha) in implementing harmony in a relationship with all aspects of life (Tri Hita Karana), so that it has a concrete impact on the good of life, and in the circle life (Samsara).