https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog.html Essays, field notes and short stories by Mahatma Putra, documentary director and photographer. id Sat, 26 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0700 https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/pikiran-yang-mendiskriminasi.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/pikiran-yang-mendiskriminasi.html Sat, 26 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0700 Foto: Mahatma Putra, Desember 2011. Kita semua pasti pernah merasakan tidak enaknya didiskriminasi. Entah karena warna kulit, bahasa, kelas sosial, bentuk fisik, bahkan seremeh asal sekolah. Kita hidup di dalam gelembung kita sendiri. Memilih untuk menikah dengan yang satu ideologi, bekerja dengan… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/cry-me-a-river-mencari-kolaborator.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/cry-me-a-river-mencari-kolaborator.html Mon, 21 Sep 2026 14:03:54 +0700 We are looking for collaborators. Cry Me a River is a feature documentary we have been filming since 2024 in Sepaku, East Kalimantan, where Indonesia's new capital city is rising on Balik ancestral land. Syamsiah moves uphill to grow food the way her ancestors did. Her son Randi cuts hair inside… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/maraton-pertama-lalu-pamit.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/maraton-pertama-lalu-pamit.html Sun, 23 Aug 2026 12:42:47 +0700 Rewarding myself with downloading and opening Instagram after completing my virgin marathon! Posting it for my memory. I think I will delete insta again. After seeing the feed for few minutes, I have no interest in spending time in it again. Already one month without insta, and having my phone… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/anatman-nadiem-dan-gojek.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/anatman-nadiem-dan-gojek.html Sat, 04 Jul 2026 09:20:49 +0700 Kami di Anatman Pictures pertama kali kenal sama @nadiemmakarim saat kompetisi film pendek Go-Video 2016. Saat itu kami meraih video terbaik. Sepanggung sama Nadiem dan banyak bicara tentang harapan akan perubahan Indonesia. Momen ini jadi salah satu milestone yang tidak akan pernah kami lupakan.… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/kisah-cinta-platonis-di-gili.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/kisah-cinta-platonis-di-gili.html Thu, 15 Jan 2026 13:05:01 +0700 We shot this in July 2025, a platonic love story between Alfie @alvinavoronina and Rian @jupaadriyana. Finding magic @majik_maswand during her travels in Gili T. After 6 months finally released! Blue love for Mandiri 💙🤩 Fun adventure and sunny weather, perfect shoot days. Even Samudra &… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/air-mata-di-gelas-kertas.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/air-mata-di-gelas-kertas.html Sat, 10 Jan 2026 14:54:32 +0700 Tears are flowing like an endless rain into a paper cup, from the first day till the last day of the shoot, not only theirs but mine also. I asked short questions and they open up automatically, and shared their whole life story. All these Ibu2, these powerful women ranges from victims of… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/vipassana-dan-bayanganku.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/vipassana-dan-bayanganku.html Sun, 04 Jan 2026 21:58:27 +0700 (25/12/25-04/01/26) Vipassana is always hard. This time I met this guy, my Shadow from 2018. He was an alcoholic, full of pride, full of rage and fire. He made everyone around him miserable. He finally got what he deserved on the 22nd of October 2018, a heart attack like GERD. That guy definitely… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/tiga-tahun-duduk-bersama.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/tiga-tahun-duduk-bersama.html Tue, 23 Dec 2025 21:38:00 +0700 Our last group meditation of 2025 💚 our third year consistent in doing this, an oasis for our minds. Thank you everyone, especially to @joanrumengan and @imaamaa who have been consistently showing up to practice together since the group started in 2022 😊 https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/jatuh-cinta-pada-sepaku.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/jatuh-cinta-pada-sepaku.html Mon, 22 Dec 2025 22:00:02 +0700 Placing your hand on your heart like this is called heart-opening meditation. Monks and yogis use it to contain overflowing love and grief they feel. Love and grief could happen simultaneously. All the electricity and aching feelings can be felt at the exact moment in time. Right after stepping out… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/berlari-dengan-kru-ramping.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/berlari-dengan-kru-ramping.html Sat, 20 Dec 2025 11:30:50 +0700 As a documentary filmmaker who goes around with a lean crew (most of the time only with one partner), physical fitness becomes my number one priority. I need to carry 5-7 kg of camera plus 5kg of tripods around during shootdays. Sometimes need to run around to capture moments. Long travels.… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/the-winner-takes-it-all.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/the-winner-takes-it-all.html Mon, 15 Dec 2025 21:32:34 +0700 Lagu @abba ini terasa sangat cocok untuk disandingkan dengan poster film pendek horor ini. Bagaimana sebuah rezim merasa berhak untuk takes it all, bukan hanya untuk mengeruk sumber daya, berdiri di atas hukum, bahkan sejarah pun ingin ditulis ulang. Negara sebagai kekasih rakyatnya sudah mengambil… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/no-mud-no-lotus.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/no-mud-no-lotus.html Wed, 10 Dec 2025 16:34:09 +0700 I've shot a lot of landfills. Most of the time it made me overwhelmed and numbed to see how much we consume. My son hates it when I keep on saying the teaching of “No mud no lotus.” Yes, this is the unwanted mud, the lotus could bloom from it. Insights always come from suffering. Thank you for the… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/daun-penjaga-perjalanan.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/daun-penjaga-perjalanan.html Mon, 08 Dec 2025 13:51:50 +0700 Stopping by my uncle’s in Samarinda. My father is number 8 of 11 siblings. My uncle @ipam_purnama is the 11th. Before continuing our Kalimantan tour, in front of the car door my aunty picked a small leaf from the ground, giving it to us and said “This is something alive to protect your journey.”… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/dandelion.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/dandelion.html Thu, 04 Dec 2025 12:41:19 +0700 [Dandelion part 1 of 2] I just realized, I am a dandelion. A lot of times I feel that documentary filmmaking is useless. I made films about environment, mindfulness and loving kindness. From basic human rights to fashion waste. From ganja decriminalization to permaculture. From scientific… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/patah-hati-pada-tanah.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/patah-hati-pada-tanah.html Wed, 03 Dec 2025 20:02:10 +0700 Have you ever romantically fall in love? Feeling the warm electric pulse going from your heart to your whole back, the whole body, to the tip of your fingers? I felt it to the land of Bumi Ayu on a train ride to Jogja, last year I think. I couldn’t believe I could fall in love romantically with the… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/lagu-sumbang-dari-masa-lockdown.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/lagu-sumbang-dari-masa-lockdown.html Tue, 16 Sep 2025 18:41:19 +0700 Tercipta di tahun 2020, masih relevan sampe sekarang. Ganti kata Asia dengan Gaza, ganti kata tanah Aboriginal Australia atau Amerika dengan Bali, semua masih relevan. Dulu ragu terus, sepertinya ngga bijak marah-marah, sekarang malah berpikir, sepertinya ngga bijak kalau ngga marah-marah. Akhirnya… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/meditasi-di-dalam-bioskop.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/meditasi-di-dalam-bioskop.html Sun, 15 Dec 2024 22:14:02 +0700 Kali ini meditasi bersama bukan di mindfulness circle @kebunmeditasi tapi di @kineforum setelah selesai screening dan diskusi Terpejam untuk Melihat di @indonesiaclimateweek. Bersama-sama sekitar 15-20 menit duduk hening di dalam bioskop, menyadari tubuh dari ujung rambut ke ujung kaki. Sudah… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/kehidupan-baru-di-kebun.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/kehidupan-baru-di-kebun.html Mon, 28 Oct 2024 09:10:48 +0700 Our baby chick was born. Very cute and very beautiful to witness the new life emerging with Hinako and their daughters. We also harvests passion fruits, papaya, loofah (for washing dishes), collecting seeds, and planting some zinia flowers. They are staying long term and already familiar with… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/mimpi-shooting-untuk-bbc.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/mimpi-shooting-untuk-bbc.html Sat, 26 Oct 2024 13:15:30 +0700 I have been a photography enthusiast since high school. Since I was in high school, I loved watching BBC documentaries, and had a wishful thinking, maybe someday I can shoot for BBC. Finally last year the dream came true. I had a chance to shoot for BBC Storyworks. It was an honor and pleasure… https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/selametan-untuk-jamu.html https://www.mahatmaputra.com/blog/selametan-untuk-jamu.html Tue, 22 Oct 2024 18:14:09 +0700 Late post of our Selametan for Jamu. This ceremony of Nasi Kuning (yellow rice) is to celebrate the life of Jamu, our cat that passed away last month. A lot of people are sad, a lot of tears, but Jamu already brought a lot of smile, laughter and happiness also. Nasi Kuning is like that. The…