Ki Sumitro is a dalang entrusted with rare ancient Javanese manuscripts for safekeeping. Dressed in white, batik sarong and a black peci, the 65-year-old recently talked with Tempo at his house in Desa Kendakan in the Central Java district of Magelang.

KI Sumitro is a true farmer. Each day he would go to his vegetable patch located about 200 meters from his house. His wife helps Sumitro tend the small garden, planting cabbages and carrots. The sk