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Hindustan Times

How an 11-Year-Old Boy on a Boat Became a Source of National Pride—and Envy

At 11, he went viral for dancing in futuristic sunglasses while balancing on a skinny boat going 20 miles an hour during a race. His job was to hype up his rowers, and he did it so suavely that Travis Kelce and other celebrities around the world paid tribute. As the annual boat competition returns this week, villagers in this rural Indonesian region are celebrating his fame and the financial windfall that followed. They're also asking: Why him? Dikha's team is no title contender. It didn't even win that viral race. And many of the 200 other boys who dance on racing boats have more talent. 'Dikha got lucky,' said Aprilastuti, who, like many Indonesians, uses only one name. She points instead to the highly regarded dancer for the reigning champs: Arkha, her 10-year-old son. 'Arkha's dancing has more variety,' she said. 'Dikha has only a few moves.' Said Arkha: 'I am better than Dikha.' This remote corner of the world is trying to grasp the fleeting randomness of internet fame. Government officials are touting the region as a tourist destination, with Indonesia's vice president attending this week's races. Dikha does his part, gamely repeating his 20-second dance for promotional videos as the province's new tourism ambassador. At the heart of this moment is a competition. For three months, some 200 boats compete in a series of races culminating in the main event. This time, the boys shimmying on their narrow bows have extra drive. 'The other dancers are motivated to be like Dikha,' Aprilastuti said. Villagers pull the racing boat inland in Kuantan Singingi earlier this hull of the boat is made from a single tree and is typically 100 feet long, and teams range from 40 to 75 male rowers. The boat races are unique to Kuantan Singingi, a region of 370,000 largely Muslim people with Malay roots. Getting here involves flying to the city of Pekanbaru and driving four bumpy hours south, across the equator. The route, lined with palm trees and mosques, features hazards including chickens, goats and the occasional monkey. Called Pacu Jalur, the competition dates to the 17th century. It was held in August to commemorate Queen Wilhelmina's birthday during Dutch colonial rule, and now coincides with Indonesia's Independence Day. The two-minute race covers a kilometer, or six-tenths of a mile. The hull of the jalur, or boat, is made from a single tree and is typically 100 feet long. Teams range from 40 to 75 male rowers. Each has one anak joki, or dancer. Beyond cheerleading, the dancer traditionally performs only when his team is ahead, signaling to faraway spectators which team is leading. He is always a boy, since a child weighs less and can more easily balance on a bow less than a foot wide. They wear traditional Malay outfits; Dikha personalizes his with oversize shades. The original video of Dikha dancing last year, uploaded by a local, went little noticed for months. Then this summer came edited versions set to the American rap song 'Young Black & Rich.' Dikha became an international sensation. He looked so effortlessly cool. Internet users dubbed his dancing 'aura farming.' The football star Kelce posted a video comparing his touchdown dances to aura farming. U.S. soccer player Diego Luna copied Dikha to celebrate a goal. Golfer Bryson DeChambeau, F1 driver Alex Albon and DJ Steve Aoki did their versions. Others spoofed it at the office, on their cars and inside Costco. Locals don't know who posted the viral videos, said Dzikri Maulana Muhammad, a Pacu Jalur uniform designer. The other mystery: Why him? 'There are many children better than Dikha,' Dzikri said. Arkha says he's a better dancer than his more famous rival. Asked about this assessment, Dikha nodded. 'Yes, there are,' he said. His mother, 36-year-old Rani Ridawati, had one explanation for his stardom: 'It was Allah's gift.' She did suggest a reason why his moves resonated: They are smooth and easy to copy. He mimics fanning air, shooting guns and flying. 'It's unique, the simplicity,' she said. Fame brought Dikha his first plane trip, to Jakarta to dance on national TV, and a small fortune. For highlighting Pacu Jalur, government agencies gave him about $3,700—more than the combined annual income of his mother, a nonpermanent office worker at a disaster agency, and his construction-worker father. They are saving the money for his education. On a recent morning in Pintu Gobang, a village of 1,500 people and three Pacu Jalur teams, Dikha woke up in the bed he shares with his two brothers. The middle child, he rode with dad on a moped to school. Classes were canceled. All 159 students were cleaning ahead of a visit by Indonesia's tourism ministry, prompted by his video. Dikha grabbed a broom. Dikha, shown departing for school, launched to fame after the release of an edited version of his dance set to the American rap song 'Young Black & Rich.'The competition, which dates to the 17th century, features about 200 boats facing off in a series of races culminating in this week's main event. After school, Dikha returned home, sat on the living-room rug and opened a package: sunglasses from a European company. He chatted with his family about filming a police promotional video the next day. His dream is to become a policeman. Then came practice, but not with his team. A smaller village with inexperienced rowers asked Dikha's squad for manpower and know-how. They wanted ringers. After a half-hour trip, Dikha and dozens of teammates boarded a longboat in the brown Indragiri River, where rival teams were also practicing. As his teammates paddled, the boy broke into his trademark dance, prompting cheers from the roughly 100 villagers onshore. One spectator was 12-year-old Muhammad Afif. He had been training to debut as the boat's dancer in a race four days away. Now he was watching Dikha audition for his role. 'I want to be famous like Dikha,' he said. He might have to wait another year. The team chose Dikha. Dikha, shown training this month, mimics fanning air, shooting guns and flying. Write to Stu Woo at How an 11-Year-Old Boy on a Boat Became a Source of National Pride—and Envy How an 11-Year-Old Boy on a Boat Became a Source of National Pride—and Envy How an 11-Year-Old Boy on a Boat Became a Source of National Pride—and Envy How an 11-Year-Old Boy on a Boat Became a Source of National Pride—and Envy How an 11-Year-Old Boy on a Boat Became a Source of National Pride—and Envy How an 11-Year-Old Boy on a Boat Became a Source of National Pride—and Envy