In the midst of an aerial bombardment of Maguwo, the airfield of the Indonesian Republic, by the Dutch army in December 1948, baby Harya Suraminata was taken by his parents to flee to Watumurah village, Kulonprogo district. Harya was the youngest of six children who later spent his teenage years in Jogjakarta. The young Harya was known for his drawing skills; he attended the Graphic Design faculty of Jogjakarta's Academy of Fine Arts (ASRI), but dropped out two years later. He then started drawing comics using the name HASMI in each issue. At the age of 23, Harya created Gundala, an Indonesian superhero in September 1969. Gundala soon became the most popular superhero in Indonesia and later the big screen movie Gundala Putera Petir was shown nationwide. Hasmi passed away on November 6, 2016.