Anecdotes during my Travel

  A part of the country called Turkey is in Europe and the rest in Asia. In general, in our experience, the culture of the Turkish people is closer to Asian culture. But it seems that a good part of them wants to be European. That is why they imitate Europeans in dress and other things. In fact, like Indian culture, the current culture in Turkey is a hybrid culture. The Turkish language itself is a good example. The script is English. The grammar is Arabic. Because of this, they can never handle the English language well. Almost all books are available in Turkish translation, even engineering books. I doubt if they have heard of copyright. I understood this after the first classes. Almost all the information has to be written on the board. Students will obediently write everything down. The students will be very happy if the questions are asked from that. Everyone will get good marks. It is a problem if they ask a little differently. I remember a story a friend told me. Two A...

Once, while waiting for a bus, a short man approached me and asked if I was from India. As we spoke, I got to know him well. He was a third-year medical student at Cukurova University living in Adana with his three siblings—a sister and two brothers. They lived in a rented house about five kilometers from us, while their elderly parents remained in a village in Iraq. The eldest sibling worked to support the others, and one of the brothers was a skilled cook. When I invited them over, all four accepted and visited us the following Sunday. It was a wonderful occasion. As descendants of Mesopotamian culture, they were eager to learn about Indian traditions. They examined our coins and belongings with great curiosity, and my wife gave them several books. The sister, Emina, asked me to write her name in Sanskrit so she could have it engraved on her locket. They were so enthusiastic that although they arrived in the morning, they stayed until evening. Before leaving, they invited us to t...

  While in Adana, we met a Ukrainian doctor and his family. The doctor lived there with his wife and two children; his daughter was away studying in the capital, Ankara. I remember his younger child wearing many bangles and using eyeliner. This child had a Pakistani friend and had learned a great deal about India.The child was very knowledgeable about dance and even demonstrated some mudras (hand gestures) from Bharatanatyam, asking us if they were performed correctly. They seemed to believe that all Indians are naturally experts in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi; for the time being, we managed to escape the conversation without being "exposed" as non-dancers! The doctor, a specialist in malaria, noted that the disease remains a significant issue in the Indian subcontinent. He was applying for a position with the World Health Organization (WHO) and frequently asked me for help reviewing his application. Since English proficiency is sometimes lower in parts of Turkey and Europ...

  The Turkish people harbour a deep love and respect for Indians. This sentiment is rooted in history; Mustafa Kemal Atatürk , the founder of modern Turkey (meaning 'The Great Turk'), and Mahatma Gandhi were very close friends. When the first Turkish bank, İş Bankası (Labour Bank), was established, Gandhiji even contributed a small donation. Almost everyone here knows about Gandhiji. Most Turkish people have seen the movie Gandhi , and many of my students own the DVD. They frequently ask me questions about him during class. A common question is, "Why did Gandhiji choose to wear only one piece of cloth?" When I explained that he had taken a vow—that he would wear only one garment as long as so many people in his country could not afford even one outfit—the respect and admiration in their eyes were palpable. According to most people I met, Indians (Hindustanis) are their all-time friends (Arkadash) , and Pakistan is their brother country (Kardeş) . Here are ...

I had just from Singapore and joined REC. I had barely completed a year there when a teacher I knew at the NSS Engineering College in Palakkad sent me an email asking if I was interested in working in Turkey . He had been working in Turkey and Cyprus for years, and based on his invitation, I was assigned to Çukurova University, Adana, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Just as a student friend had helped me go to Singapore, here too, friendship created a new opportunity. Turkey was experiencing acute difficulties due to uncontrolled inflation, but the desire to see new places led me there. Although there were some obstacles in getting leave from the REC, I finally left. Then and now, there is no direct flight from any airport in India to any airport in Turkey. One must travel via Mumbai, Bahrain, and Istanbul or Mumbai, Dubai, and Istanbul. Flights are available with Emirates and Gulf Air. We booked Gulf Air. The flight departs from Madras (Chennai). Since most flights to forei...