Lesya attended the Hollands-Indische School (HIS), a primary level, colonial school for Indies natives. He was not given further education, which was common for children in his position.[4] He was interested in Dutch (the language of administration and scholarship at the time) and often talked to Dutch soldiers in his area to learn and practice the language. During his childhood, his love for classical Javanese literature began as he read works found in his father's library.