The road to 50

Tasdikiah Siregar, Partner, Jakarta

Now I know purification of oneself. This is the meaning of Tasdikiah’s name in Arabic, but it is also an apt and timely reminder as many Muslims across the globe are currently navigating the month of Ramadan. Observed as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community, fasting itself is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam, with the spiritual rewards of fasting believed to be multiplied during Ramadan.

“It is a blessed month, a time when we have opportunity to have quality time with family, to make deeper connections with friends and colleagues, and to use this month to do more” comments Tasdikiah Siregar, a Partner in our Jakarta office. “During Ramadan I feel that when we do prayer or recite the Quran, it is somehow more. More peaceful, more blessed, just more”.

This desire to more can be seen throughout Tasdikiah’s approach to community and charity, recently she has led the team in Jakarta organising its domestic waste by collecting and delivering recyclable rubbish to the Budi Luhur University waste, where it is then sold for use by manufacturers as raw materials. Funds raised will be used to buy water filters for communities affected by the Cianjur earthquake, which struck West Java, Indonesia in November 2022. Tasdikiah highlighted that “it's not just about the waste management in and of itself, it's also an important community setup to empower, learn and contribute to a wider societal benefit.”

2023 is a notable year for Tasdikiah, in addition to her activities and initiatives with the firm, this year she turns 50 and has turned her focus to what she calls ‘the road to 50’. “My goal this year is to do 50 acts of kindness. One of those this Ramadan, is that I am volunteering at Kid’s with Cancer Shelter in Bandung, Indonesia. In particular I’ll be supporting fun and exciting activities, such as drawing, for them to take part in in the afternoons after their morning treatments. Additionally I will be spending time at a local orphanage to support their efforts, as well as cooking and distributing food through a local food truck to the wider community.”

How does Tasdikiah find the energy to keep this momentum going, not just throughout the year but whilst fasting too? Unsurprisingly, she has a positive viewpoint here too, noting that “things don’t feel much different for me during Ramadan. Although we are fasting, we also have a lot more activities to take part in, so I feel energised by that. Having a shared experience and so many people who are really supportive of these activities is wonderful - I’m really grateful for that”