Anecdotes during my Travel

  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...