AN unusual letter from Amir Hamzah made Sultan Mahmud, the ruler of Langkat, North Sumatra, restless. Instead of finishing his law studies in Batavia now Jakarta which he began in 1932, Amir asked for permission to join the pro independence movement. The world was changing, Amir said. "The numbers and the knowledge of the people are increasing. They have the right to be consulted."

Education was the primary reason Sultan Mahmud funded Amir, who h