It was story time for kids one recent Saturday in October, but their parents were just as excited to hear "Pak Raden" in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta.

The grumpy fellow with the Javanese outfit and thick moustache was a main character in the beloved puppet show Si Unyil, which aired every Sunday morning from 1981 to 1993 on Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI).

The show portrayed a regular Indonesian family in fictional Sukamaju Village, West Java. Pak Raden, the neighbor who was usually wrong but insisted he was always right, made kids roar with laughter – and think twice about acting the same way.

"We are happy to see Pak Raden visiting our village. For people in my generation, Si Unyil is very popular. It was a good show and reflected various teachings in our daily life including tolerance," said Vera Hedrita, a 38 year-old resident of Kramat Jati.

A storytelling series in Kramat Jati is recreating that experience on a small scale. Children have been gathering to hear stories on the last Saturday of the month for about a year now – sometimes in a local church, and sometimes in a local mosque.

The power of storytelling

Suyadi, who played the "Pak Raden" character and has told stories for children in character ever since, gathered with dozens of children at the GKI Pasundan church in Kramat Jati on October 19th.

"Storytelling can increase a child's intelligence, and it is also a good way to create a strong connection among parents and children," he told Khabar Southeast Asia.

Children also learn about morality and values through storytelling, he said. "Storytelling teaches a lot of lessons to our children and helps build good behavior, such as sharing and respecting others," he said.

Kramat Jati residents seem to agree. The community embraced the idea of story time once a month.

Not long after GKI Pasundan initiated the series, nearby mosque Musholla Al-Ikhlas, asked to get involved. So now it alternates between the two houses of worship. Children can go to either place, regardless of their faith.

Nine-year-old Adi Yanuar has never missed it.

"The story is fun, funny, and thrilling," Adi told Khabar.

Dewi Daniati came to the event with her three year-old son, Najwa.

"My child learned a lot from the storytelling – not only about norms and science, but also about humanity, love, friendship, and tolerance," she told Khabar.

Child's play

One of the event organizers from the mosque, Aminudin Bisri, said storytelling "is an effective way to create friendships and togetherness.

"Usually when storytelling activities are held at the church, the children will play afterwards at the mosque and vice versa; when the storytelling activities are held in the mosque, the children will later play in the churchyard."

Local resident Hartini, expressed satisfaction. "This event is good for our children, and I am glad both the church and the mosque are willing to take part," she said.

"The church and mosque here have been volunteering to find a place, speakers and also some games and food during the event. Everyone enjoys this event," said Jumani, leader of the community watch in Kramat Jati.

"We have two churches here and a few mosques, but we are all living in tolerance. We keep our community safe by keeping harmony and tolerance," he added.