Denpasar – Two professors from Udayana University—Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Drs. I Made Agus Gelgel Wirasuta, Apt., M.Si. and Prof. Dr. I Nyoman Darma Putra, M.Litt.—received awards from the Bali Provincial Government in recognition of their dedication and contributions to the people of Bali. The award presentation took place during the peak events commemorating the 68th Anniversary of Bali Province on Friday (August 14, 2026).
Prof. I Made Agus Gelgel Wirasuta received an award for innovation in the field of Balinese Traditional Health (*Usada Barak*). The award was presented by the Bali Provincial Secretary, Dewa Made Indra, at the Wiswa Sabha Utama Building in the Bali Governor’s Office.
Prof. Gelgel explained that *Usada Barak* originated from a spiritual gift (*paice*) bestowed by the ancestral spirit of the Tuluk Biu Temple. He combined his expertise in herbal medicine with *arak* (local spirit) and *Eucalyptus globulus* (acting as a co-solvent) to create the *Usada* nebulizer product.
“I am not sure exactly where the name came from. I later learned from the Tuluk Biu Temple elders—who spoke of a figure named *Ki Barak*—that *Usada Barak* proved somewhat useful at the time, alongside the Governor’s intense efforts to assist the community,” he revealed.
He also noted that *Usada Barak* is currently being developed into a nano-emulsion in collaboration with PhD students from the Faculty of Medicine’s Biomedical Sciences program, a partnership that has successfully yielded five Scopus-indexed scientific articles. Work is also underway with the herbal industry to launch a BPOM-registered product, tentatively named “Kinasih.”
This dedication and contribution earned Prof. Gelgel the award for innovation in Balinese Traditional Health from the Bali Provincial Government. The awards are presented to individuals, regional government agencies, villages, customary villages, tourism stakeholders, institutions, and community groups that have achieved excellence in various fields and contributed to the development and people of Bali. These awards serve as government recognition of the recipients’ dedication and an encouragement for them to continue making their best contributions.
Meanwhile, Prof. I Nyoman Darma Putra was one of 20 cultural figures to receive the “Dharma Kusuma” award for 2026, presented personally by the Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, at the Ksirarnawa Building, Denpasar Art Centre.
The Dharma Kusuma award represents the Bali Provincial Government’s honor and recognition of the services, achievements, and accomplishments of artists, cultural figures, scholars, and community leaders in strengthening and advancing Balinese culture. Among the various awards presented by provincial and regency/city governments, the Dharma Kusuma is recognized as the highest honor.
In 2026, for the first time, the Dharma Kusuma award was presented to 20 figures; typically, the number of recipients ranges from five to seven. Prof. I Nyoman Darma Putra was among the recipients in the scholar category.
Prof. Darma Putra had the opportunity to share his experiences during an online verification process conducted by the selection team, where candidates were asked to explain their significant and monumental works in the context of strengthening and advancing Balinese culture.
He explained that he had submitted two monumental works. The first was his dedication as a juror for the Rancage Literary Award for over 25 years, specifically for the assessment of modern Balinese literature. Through this role—assigned by the writer and Chairman of the Rancage Cultural Foundation, Ajip Rosidi—Darma indirectly helped foster the development of modern Balinese literature. Although not as vibrant as the scenes for Indonesian literature or traditional Balinese literature, modern Balinese literature has increasingly established its presence, evolving from its early days when it struggled to take root—much like a *kerakap* vine growing on bare rock. In the past, modern Balinese literary writers were typically older—for instance, Made Sanggra received the Rancage Award at the age of 72—whereas recently, young people have taken a keen interest in writing, with authors as young as 27 (such as Carmamira) successfully winning the Rancage Award. Following each judging session, Darma would compile reviews that were first published in the mass media and subsequently in book form.
Secondly, Darma Putra successfully established and led *Jurnal Kajian Bali* (Journal of Balinese Studies) at Udayana University, achieving prestigious international Scopus Q1 indexing (the highest tier) and Sinta-1 accreditation (the highest national level). Founded in 2011, *Jurnal Kajian Bali* serves as a scholarly platform for academics and researchers from various countries to publish their research findings. Many doctoral students and aspiring professors have realized their career ambitions after successfully publishing their work in the journal. It was the first journal from Udayana University—and indeed from any higher education institution in Bali—to secure international indexing; while other journals published by non-university entities in the region had existed previously, they had since ceased operations. Through *Jurnal Kajian Bali*, Darma Putra has succeeded in placing the names of Udayana University and Bali on the map of reputable international journal publications.
On a separate occasion, the Rector of Udayana University, Prof. Ir. I Ketut Sudarsana, S.T., Ph.D., expressed his appreciation and pride regarding the awards received by the two Udayana University professors.
“We extend our congratulations and express great pride in the awards received by two Udayana University professors—Prof. Darma Putra and Prof. Gelgel—from the Bali Provincial Government in recognition of their dedication to their respective fields.”
According to him, these awards serve not only as recognition of individual achievements but also as an inspiration for the entire Udayana University academic community to continue producing work that yields broader benefits.
“Hopefully, this recognition will inspire the Udayana University academic community to continue their work and deliver tangible impacts on the well-being of society—not only in Bali but also across Indonesia and the global community,” the Rector stated.
The awards also demonstrate how the contributions of the Udayana University academic community can extend beyond the academic sphere to generate wider societal benefits.