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Chapter I
Retno's Adoslence Time.
A Jakarta-born woman, on 17 November 1939 long ago with the full nam of Ratna Icwari, came from a family of which her father was a teacher named R. Soerono Tjitro Santjoko and his wife named Rr. Moekibah binti Mukidjo. However, when Retno's age was 12-13 years old, she valued that name of icwari contained the letter of "c" which looked queer, and did not sense to Javanese culture as well as Retno did not feel "comfortable" with the name "Ratna", less javanesed culture. Then, she eliminated that queer "c" word and replace with the common "s" letter. The name Ratna was even changed into Retno, which sounded natural. Then new name Retno Iswari was created.
Retno was a child from a social class descendant in the deepest Javanese root called "Priyayi Kinship" which meant noble descendant. Noble descendant like Retno family were the main strap of classical Javanese culture. This javanaese culture heritance was seen on etiquette which highly followed the harmony and self-control reflected on soft language usage, kromo inggil. The impact was clearly seen depeerly in the traditional pattern called kejawen. With that ideology, the Hindunism and Budhanism tradition of cosmical pholosophy as well as epic and classical story along with it, were integrated compactly in the Islamic monotheism frame. That kejawen culture herited by her noble descendant was Retno's way of life when she was a child.
Retno felt closer with her father rather than her mother. According to her, her mother tend to be "authoritative" person and supportive on her youngest daughter. Her father was characteristically an educator, calm, a kind of sheltered person and never lost his patient. Her father was also tending to have simple and modest way of life. Although she still remembered her mother's harshness, Retno would never regret it. It was her mother who taught Retno's personality to be a tough and discipline woman in keeping her personality. Retno was never doubt in keeping her principle. Retno never questioned her mother's merit how to be autonomously economical. For her, there was no job which did not deserve to be taken. I was even asked to sell fabrics. Written batik fafric at that time was a kind of material which was expensive and rare enough, and apparently we had a network to the production field. "I was even told by my mother to bring batik for her distant customer. I also was asked to go to the neighborhood, especially to ask for the balance payment. That was what made me autonomous up to now." Told Retno summarized.
Her mother preferred to choose how to overcome life's complexity by behaving autonomously, a behaviour which was inherited to her daughters. That was what later would support Retno to be "modern" business woman who counted on her skill, intelligent, and work diligence, not connection and various "ways".
The problems of Retno's transition period did not only relate to her name. in Javanese culture, name was normal to be discussed. If the name was not proper, it was to easy to change and replace. It was different with face. Wherever the face went, it would come along. That was the face which always became a big problem for Retno. Wherever she ws, her face was tried to be hidden. Why?
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What and why did Retno always hide her face and how Retno's adoslence time in her college time? Further you can buy biography book "Pengusaha dibelakang ilmu kecantikan inspirator kosmetik Indonesia" Retno Tranggo, in common book stores all around Indonesia like : Gramedia and Kinokuniya bookstores.
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