Occasionally, very occasionally, European media mentions Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan but almost never Tajikistan. Not that it’s much different in Russia, where few people know much about the post-Soviet life of Tajikistan. This was how things were before the publication of Zahhak by Vladimir Medvedev. Our columnist Hofiz Shahidi, Chief Executive Officer of GTL Group, writes of his homeland.
Outside of the nearly nine million people living in the country, few know just how beautiful is the country, its mountains of Pamir, Tian-Shan and Fans capped white with snow against the bright blue background of the sky. As soon as one climbs a bit the way comes to small villages in which live blue eyed and blond haired people whose everyday life seems to be infused with the spirit of antiquity and peace.
The Soviet era was good for Tajikistan and a time of development in social and economic spheres. For comparison look at neighbouring Afghanistan to see the difference.
Tajikistan is the smallest by area of the middle Asia states and has just passed through war. The media coverage was uniformly negative, to such an extent I gave up watching, life is more peaceful uwithout mass media. Even the enormously important launch of Roguninskaya Hydroelectric Power Station passed unnoticed.
The Soviet era was good for Tajikistan and a time of development in social and economic spheres. For comparison look at neighbouring Afghanistan to see the difference. I was lucky – by that time I had the best grandparents from both – my father’s and my mother’s sides. I remember my grandfather Ziyadullo and my grandmother Marhabohon as rather traditional people. The elder grandfather’s home always gathered a lot of people of art. Being small we didn’t disturb older people watching artists working and then working again sitting around the hospitable dastarkhan of my grandmother Masrurahon in the Noble Nest – the government dacha of Nurek I spent my whole childhood in. It is a place I always go back while day and night dreaming and tell my children about. It was the most unconcerned and happy time of my life.
I love the old quiet by-streets, small traditionally built houses. I wonder was it necessary to destroy the old and replace with sky-scrapers in a mountain Republic.
Things change, nothing stays at one place. I am glad that at last they launched the first aggregate of Rogunskaya Hydroelectric Power Station. The face of the capital and other cities of Republic change. Time will judge if the choice of changes was reasonable. But I love the old quiet by-streets, small traditionally built houses. I wonder was it necessary to destroy the old and replace with sky-scrapers in a mountain Republic.
I’m worried also about the outflow of people though all the world is wandering today. Every person has and must have a right to choose. Migration is a logical movement of people from one place to another. Sometimes compelled to. Proverb “Acorn were good till bread was found” explains much. If you look deep into history you’ll find out that it happened in all times. It just became massive today. I think that there always were and will be many unsatisfied. No one likes overpopulated territories for example. Assimilation is slow but wherever you are you should remember your roots.
My father Tolibhon Shahidi recently and before wherever he lives always paves the way by his creativity to mutual enrichment of Eastern and Western cultures. Neither of us were compelled by circumstances to leave. I passed successfully exams at the University of Essex, Great Britain, gain my degree and settled my life there after I got a good job offer. There’s always a choice and we never tore the connection with our beloved homeland. All of us make our contribution to the development of independent Tajikistan as much as we can.
Books tell about my country and its life today. And the great novel by Vladimir Medvedev is not the only one. I am happy that my mother Gulsifat Shahidi writes a lot about Tajikistan and her books are translated into English and greeted at international forums. It is a great luck to be born to a family of father-composer and mother-journalist, literary critic and novelist now as well. Both are successful in their creative lives. I am proud of them. My father loves his work and always keeps to his choice. In our days he performs concerts at Opera House and amuses audience by new creations during his every visit to Dushanbe. I share his points of view by all means. His authority is unshakable for me. But I can add that behind every successful man there’s a courageous woman and that’s what my mother is in our family. Coming to the native places she also performs creative evenings and her books’ presentations.
I believe that life and cultural level of my country will be high. We should just act, not losing hope because as the great poet Omar Khayyam said, “The one whose hope is lost, dies first”.
The will to support development of the country was the reason for me to choose the photo project I help to exist now. The aim is to keep the national culture alive through telling the world about our existence, the beautiful faces of its men, women, children and old people. To transfer through the camera’s lens the feelings of photo personalities, to tell what they think of life in Tajikistan. I hope that the project will find a way to the millions of people. It is not just a story telling about my nation, it is a close acquaintance of other nations representatives to us through the images of real faces of my compatriots. I believe that the mood of the project will be positive, and feelings of the characters of shots will be full of life and joy. Many people in Tadzhikistan are tuned like this today: we can bare many things if only there’s no war – meaningless and brother killing.
Unfortunately, we can’t turn back time, those loved ones lost, are lost for ever. The future is in our hands. To live by the will of mind, creating but not destroying. To live by the order of soul – not killing but giving birth to good things. Great minds show the way that lets a man respect himself. We should learn, read and study thoughts of ancient wisdom. Attitude towards his life, people and happenings brings a man to good and evil. It depends on culture, surrounding, the chosen way and of course of the education. I believe that life and cultural level of my country will be high.
We should just act, not losing hope because as the great poet Omar Khayyam said, “The one whose hope is lost, dies first”.
