Story of Tyasadi Sunarjati
Deceived by a Friend, an Ulcer Doctor and a Prison Photographer

Tyasadi Sunarjati is a professional photographer and videographer with a long track record. He has collaborated with public figures, such as designer Anne Avantie to the former Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Susi Pudjiastuti. At first he dived into the world of photography when he saw his father who likes to take pictures. Tyas once thought photography was just a hobby because before he was more inclined to work on videography.

 

He remembered that his friend, Tanto, had lent him a camera to use. Tanto, who happens to have a music studio, asked him to take pictures of various activities that took place in the studio. When Tyas wanted to return Tanto's camera, he was invited to take part in a photo contest.

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Before I gave it to him, I took a picture (once), here it is. Turns out, my photo was entered into a competition by him. And his photos, none of them won, my photo won. At that time, I didn't realize that I could dive into photography. But it's okay. Because there was no opportunity to make money from photography, as all my clients were into videos," Tyas said.

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As time went by, Tyas encountered various opportunities in photography that eventually led him to pursue this field professionally.

 

Tyas's life journey has been challenging. He once got involved in a legal issue related to a fraudulent forex investment scheme managed by his own friend. During that time, Tyas worked as a marketer and searched for new potential investors.

 

Tyas mentioned that his friend was skilled in forex trading and had repeatedly made profits. He was interested in taking the marketing job because his friend had achieved significant profits in a short period of time. Tyas's decision to get involved in forex trading was questioned by his own wife.

From the beginning, my wife said, 'If you want money, we should work. You can open a tire repair business or become a photographer. That's work.' (I replied) 'What is this, dear? I said trading.' (She responded) 'Well, trading involves selling something, but this trading, is it gambling?' " Tyas recalled his wife's message.

 

Until one day, the funds managed by Tyas's friend named Agus, along with Agus's wife who handled forex transactions, disappeared. The investors demanded accountability from Tyas for the loss of their investment funds. This issue dragged on and was taken to the police to be resolved. Tyas tried to find a solution and did not want to appear irresponsible. He and his extended family even contributed Rp 1.2 billion as a temporary fund for the investors because the forex investment manager had promised to reimburse the funds provided by Tyas and his family.

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In the end, the police decided to let Tyas go home because he had good intentions in assisting the investors to avoid further turmoil.

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"I was fortunate enough to report it to a lawyer. Alhamdulillah, I no longer have to report regularly. When the lawyer met my mother, he said, 'We have a mandatory pretrial for this, but he (the lawyer) felt defeated. His assessment was that the police had made a wrong move. He said, 'We have a chance to attack.' His strategy was wrong, and the issue became prolonged. When we filed for pretrial on Monday, on Wednesday we were taken by law enforcement officers," he said.

 

In the end, Tyas got involved in legal trouble and was ultimately convicted by the court, sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. Tyas was executed at the Youth Penitentiary Institution Class IIA Tangerang. Initially, while inside the prison, Tyas still believed he was innocent and felt oppressed. He even looked down upon those who were already behind bars as inferior individuals. Tyas's mind became disturbed, and he even got into fights with fellow inmates in the cell.

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However, from that incident, Tyas gained recognition from the prison officials and became a respected figure among his fellow inmates because he firmly held onto the truth he believed in. The turning point for Tyas came when he started missing his children, especially his two-week-old baby who had just been born to his wife. Family, relatives, and even neighbors showed empathy towards Tyas and the situation he was in.

 

"There were many people who sent food. On the second day when I entered, my neighbors came because I was supposed to be the neighborhood association chairman. I felt a bit embarrassed but also touched. They came with food. And there were many of them. On the third day, my mother came from Jogja with boxes of Bakpia (a traditional snack)," he shared.

 

Tyas's egoism began to soften, and he sought ways to cultivate positive feelings within himself by sharing the love and affection he received from his family, relatives, and visiting neighbors with his fellow inmates.

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From the doctor to become a prison photographer

 

While in prison, Tyas was nicknamed "Doctor Bisul" (Boil Doctor) because he often helped treat boils and other skin conditions experienced by fellow inmates using makeshift medical equipment sent by his wife, such as betadine, cotton, rivanol, and bandages. Tyas's ability to treat boils garnered much attention from the inmates inside and even created queues. He cared for them all without discrimination.

 

Indirectly, Tyas's actions earned him respect from both the inmates and the prison staff. One day, Tyas was introduced to Gilang Rifli Anto, the Head of the Vocational and Educational Division at the Class IIA Tangerang Youth Penitentiary. Intrigued by Tyas's background in photography, Gilang called upon Tyas to photograph the marriage solemnization ceremony of an inmate and his future wife held at the prison mosque. The wedding activity was facilitated in a limited and appropriate manner, considering the inmates were serving their sentences.

 

"That was unexpected. His subordinate (Gilang) gave me a camera, asking me to cover the event at the mosque. I asked, 'What event is it, Sir?' He replied, 'Marriage solemnization, wedding, at the prison mosque.' That was the first time, and it surprised me," Tyas recalled.

 

With a prison pocket camera, he captured the simple yet meaningful moments. Tyas initially struggled to capture the expressions of joy and happiness from the couple and their family representatives. He found it different from documenting weddings in the outside world.

 

"I don't know, I haven't encountered this kind of wedding before. I had no idea or how to handle it. I told the groom, I tapped his shoulder like this and said, 'Brother, this is an honor for me to photograph the wedding,'" Tyas expressed.

 

The tap and statement touched the groom. In addition to photographing the marriage solemnization session, Tyas also took pictures of them with their families and the correctional officers who accompanied and supervised the activity.

 

"The second photo was taken in the middle of the mosque, with the family and the officers. Those two photos are sufficient to portray it. Why aren't the iron bars visible? It's because the officers already depict the story. That's when my career as a prison photographer started," he explained.

After finishing the photography session, Gilang asked Tyas to write an article about the event to be distributed to local online media. Since then, Tyas has been photographing and writing articles about activities in the prison.

 

"So it's not just about taking photos, but also creating news, about food, Ramadan activities, church activities, anything, the Learning and Teaching Center (PKBM)," he said.

 

Tyas's educational background, having completed a master's degree, also caught the attention of the prison authorities. Tyas was asked by the head of the PKBM (Learning and Teaching Center) at the Tangerang Youth Penitentiary to teach the inmates. At that time, PKBM was short of educators in sociology, English, and Indonesian language subjects.

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"It feels like I need to find the reason why I am there. I feel like I have to seek a purpose because many here feel like they are serving their sentences. But for me, I'm thinking, I have to gain something from here," he stated.