Indonesia, daughter of ex-president converts to Hinduism

Indonesia’s founding father and first president's daughter Sukmawati Sukarnoputri, on Tuesday converted from Islam to Hinduism, an unorthodox move in the world’s most populous Muslim country. The ‘Sudhi Wadani’ ceremony and formally re-converted to Hinduism from Islam. The ceremony took place at the Bali Agung Singaraja at the Buleleng Regency in Singaraja city of Bali, the ancestral land of the family. She was married to Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran Adipati Arya Mangkunegara IX but got divorced in 1984. It may be pointed out that the main religion in Bali is Hinduism, though it is quite different from the Hindu religion practiced in India.

As per media reports, Sukmawati’s Balinese grandmother, Ida Ayu Nyoman Rai Srimben, played a major role in influencing her decision to convert to Hinduism. Active in her nation’s politics, Sukmawati belongs to the influential and respected Sukarno family. Her parents played a key role in Indonesia’s struggle for independence from Dutch colonial rule. After the country was declared independent in 1945, her father Sukarno became the first president and served for 22 years, till he was deposed in 1967.Sukmawati’s elder sister Megawati Sukarnoputri was the fifth president of Indonesia, while she herself founded the Indonesian National Party (Partai Nasional Indonesia-PNI), which contested several national elections.