TEMPO.CO, Bandung - As many as 1,061 Indonesian physicians recorded the world first mass angklung (one of the Indonesian traditional music instruments) yesterday. The performance that was held in the park of Hasan Sadikin Hospital Bandung lasts over an hour.

The representative of Indonesia World Records Museum (MURI) Damian Awan Rahargo said the physicians' performance was the first ever recorded on the MURI records. According to him, the General Chairman of MURI Jaya Suprana has decided that mass angklung performance will not be recorded as a local Indonesian record. Instead, as announced after the performance, MURI had inaugurated the record as the world record.

"We confirm it as the world record because it has never been done by other hospitals in the rest of the world," said Awan, followed by cheers by from participating physicians.

Hasan Sadikin Hospital Managing Director Bayu Wahyudi said the event was held as a short escape for the doctors from their routine while preserving the culture. He confirmed the absence of more than a thousand physicians for two hours did not hamper the services of the hospital.

The mass angklung performance was started at 13:30 local time and led by Saung Angklung Udjo music group. The physicians presented national anthems such as Ibu Kita Kartini, Bengawan Solo, and even The Beatles' All My Loving.

ANWAR SISWADI