This doodle celebrates the 94th birthday of legendary Indonesian composer and songwriter Abdullah Totong Mahmud (A.T.). He is widely known for writing several famous children’s songs and has received several awards for his contributions and achievements in education. This doodle artwork was inspired by his song “Ambilkan Bulan (Take the Moon).”
On this day in 1930, Mahmud was born in Palembang, South Sumatra.
He had a passion for dancing and singing from a young age, and at the age of eleven, he began taking regular music lessons. After completing the Jakarta Teacher’s Training Institute, he accepted a teaching position in Australia as a recipient of a government scholarship.
Mahmud started writing songs for his students when he got back to Indonesia and started working as a teacher at the School for Kindergarten Teachers. Their catchy melodies and ingenious rhymes made them simple to memorize and sing. After he and his fellow educators began singing a certain jingle, Cicak di Dinding (Lizard on the Wall), children all around Jakarta soon began to hum along.
Throughout his career, Mahmud penned over 500 different nursery rhymes, including hits such as Pelangi (Rainbow), Ambilkan Bulan (Take the Moon) and Anak Gembala (The Shepherd Boy). He also hosted two music television shows for 20 years: Lagu Pilihanku (Song of My Choice) and Ayo Menyani (Let’s Sing).
Mahmud received the AMI Lifetime Achievement Award, the Bintang Budaya Parama Dharma Medal, and the Artists Award from the Minister of Education and Culture for his services to children’s music and education. A.T. Mahmud Meniti Pelangi: Sebuah Memoir, his autobiographical memoir, was also written by him in 2003.
Happy birthday, A.T. Mahmud!