Last Day in Uzbekistan: 'Graduation Ceremony' at Alisher Navoiy University and Last-Minute Rambles in Tashkent

Monday, April 29, 2019
Tashkent-Bombay

Last Day in Uzbekistan: 'Graduation Ceremony' at Alisher Navoiy University and Last-Minute Rambles in Tashkent.

     Salaam Aliekum from Tashkent!
     It felt great to awaken in my lovely faculty housing on the campus on Alisher Navoiy University and be able to take it really easy. I had no early assignment, and having gone to bed only at 2.00 am, I enjoyed the luxury of staying in bed till well after 8.00 am.
     I then started to get going: breakfast was a walnut-raisin pie that I had carried with me, a bread roll from the flight and one of my energy bars with coffee. I keep congratulating myself on the amount of tips I have picked up over so many decades of solo traveling--the food I carry with me stands me in good stead for mornings like these when, being in a foreign country with no easy access to food, I do not go hungry as I always have my nuts and energy bars or cookies with me.
     At 10.00 am, Maftuna, Nozilya's assistant, came to my door to tell me that I would be needed in the office at 11.00. That left me enough time to pack carefully and sensibly and have a shower and get dressed.  All these I did before I left my room.

'Graduation Ceremony' at the University:
       Nozilya had taken great pains to design and create a proper 'Certificate of Participation' for every student who had taken my Writing Workshops and these had been signed by the Rector of the University and needed to be counter-signed by me. I spent a while doing that as well as catching up on email messages as I finally had access to wifi in Nozilya's office. One of the most negative things about Uzbekistan has been the lack of easy digital communication facilities. Not to have wifi at the faculty housing was its biggest drawback for me--other than that, the place was wonderful. But, basically, all my work has had to stay on hold for a whole week as I have no wifi connection in my room to allow me to stay on track.
     Anyway, the very formal graduation ceremony was held in the same classroom in which I had taught my two Travel Writing Workshops.  The students had come formally dressed and it was a joy to see how enthusiastic they were. I have forged what seem like such close friendships in such a short time with people who are so genuinely warm and lovely. The ceremony began with a few words by Shahnoza who is the wife of the Dean and also a professor and translator. She speaks beautiful English and her lovely vote of thanks was a pleasure to hear. Another professor named Ahmad then followed and he too was warm in his gratitude.
     The three students (chosen by Nozilya and myself) who had progressed best through the course were selected and singled out for praise, but everyone of the students received the award certificate (beautiful framed) and each of them posed for a photograph with me when their names were called. I loved the pomp and ceremony of it all--it made them and me feel so special for what we had accomplished together. Nozilya deserves full marks for the time and trouble she had taken, from the get-go, to make this workshop a success for me and for the students. And from what I could see, it was much appreciated by the students who seemed to love it and to have learned a whole lot. I have told them that I would like to continue to stay in touch with them--funnily enough, a lot of them have started following me on Twitter (including Nozliya)--so I will have Twitter relationships with them which, I hope, will continue.

Last Lunch With Nozilya:
     When all the posing for pictures was done (and it took ages!), I adjourned with Nozilya to her office with the lovely bag of gifts I had been given: books associated with the University's history and the writings of Alisher Navoiy, the Uzbek writer after whom the university is named and of whom I had never heard until now. There was also a lovely terracotta souvenir plate with a ceramic rondel of the Gur-E-Amir (Mausoleum of Timur) in Samarkand in the center. This was the monument I had seen spotlit at night and it has left a lasting impression on my mind. So it was great to have it on a plate.
     Nozilya and I left by cab for lunch--back to Bukhara, the restaurant that is really close by. We had patir (local bread) and shorba (soup)--basically beef broth with vegetables, beef kebabs (beautifully marinated and grilled medium-rare--so delicious) and raita with cucumber and red radish. It was a simple but very delicious meal and as it was my last one with Nozilya, we talked a lot about future collaborations of which I hope there will be many.  They have told me that they would be so happy to have me return to teach again at the university as well as bring other professors from America to do the same. I am so grateful to Fulbright for giving me this incredible opportunity to teach in so exotic a country and to have made so many significant academic connections that will thrive as we go forward.

Last Minute Rambles in Tashkent:
     Two students were to go out with me again today--Ozod and Jowahid. I have gotten to know these two young lads so well that I now think of them as friends. I told them that I had two or three places I still wanted to see--based entirely on the essay that the students had submitted to me as part of their Writing assignments.

First Stop--Minor Mosque:  
     Minor (pronounced Mee-nor) Mosque is one of Tashkent's newest structures. It dominates the city because of its color (pure white, almost like the Taj Mahal) and its huge bright turquoise dome--the only shot of color, other than the decorative blue touches in the ceramic flowered tracery that climbs up the walls of the main gateway and the main entrance to the mosque.
     After we took a few pictures at the front, we tried to enter the mosque. But it was prayer time and men (who are only allowed inside during prayer time) were bowing low in prayer. Women could pray outside until the male prayer time was done. I peeked in through an open door and saw a vast hall-like space that is very delicately decorated. But apart from seeing this, we could go inside.

On to the Peace Memorial Park:
     The next item on my agenda was the Peace Memorial Park of which one of my students had written. This lovely park is set in generous acreage in the heart of the city--this was quite remarkable about this city: how much of urban space is dedicated to green zones. There are parks galore here and as it is spring time, the trees (mainly chestnuts) are in full bloom. I took so many pictures of them and of lilac buses blooming sweetly every where. I so miss spring in our Southport.
     The Peace or Memorial Monument features a gigantic sculpture of a woman bent down by sorrow. She is the Mourning Mother whose children had perished in the many wars in which this land and its people were involved through time immemorial. In front of her, in a sunken circle is the eternal flame--the Flame of the Unknown Soldier.  Many countries have this and it is equally moving no matter where in the world you might see it (the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, at Arlington Cemetery near Washington DC, or here). Flanking this sculpture on two sides are beautiful traditionally designed covered walkways that hold niches in which the names of each solider who dies for his/her country are engraved on brass plates. They are easy to find as they are categorized by the region of the country in which they died. It must be heartbreaking if you have actually lost a loved one in war, to come and identify the mark he has left on history. Yes, it was all deeply poignant and there was a reverential silence that generally prevailed among visitors to this venue.
     I was also continually taken by the armies of care takers and gardeners and maintenance people in this city. The place, needless to say, is immaculate. The degree of cleanliness is as good, if not better, than Singapore, and here it is achieved without the threat of fines (as in Singapore). Crews of men and women, fully uniformed and carrying the apparatus of their profession, can be seen keeping the place spotless.

On to the Earthquake Memorial:
        I had been passing by the Earthquake Memorial in a car several times, but I did want to go closer to take a look at yet another gigantic sculpture that features a strong man with a woman and a child in her arms cowering behind him. This is the focal point of the memorial that marks the earthquake that occurred on April 26 at 5.25 am in 1966 while the city still slept. Taken completely by surprise, I can just imagine the human loss that might have occurred here, not to mention the fact that the city was reduced to rubble.
     Soviet engineers and architects lost no time in constructing a whole new city and what you see of Tashkent today is entirely their doing. It is a sprawling, generously proportioned city, with beautiful modern buildings, stately parks (in which Russian Christians--who are the only people who own dogs here--taking them for walks), and a spankingly glorious metro system of which each station is a work of art. That said, the monument is surrounded by metal sculpture that features the city's rebuilding. We took a few photographs and left.

On to Chorsu Bazaar:
     I needed to finish up about 100,000 som (about $10)  that I had left and I figured that the best way to use it up would be to buy dried fruits and nuts (for which the entire region is famed) to take home. So, with the driver and the car at my disposal, it made sense to return to Chorus Bazaar where the prices are best. I ended up buying a kilo of peaches stuffed with walnuts and raisins. I also found fresh cherries in the fruit market and ended up buying those as well for Dad and Russel.  These are pretty early cherries--in the US, they are at their best in July.

Back on Campus to Get ready for Departure:
     I had reached the end of my brief but very productive and very eventful stay in Uzbekistan. The driver dropped me back to campus and my gallant escorts offered to accompany me to the airport at 9.00 pm when the same car would drop me off for my midnight flight back to Bombay.
     I returned to my room to try to find place for all the goodies I had bought: cherries, dried stuffed peaches, loads of Russian candies and chocolates, caramel-filled wafer cigars and 'halva' (vanilla fudge). I would have a great deal to give as gifts to Dad and Russel.
     Somehow I managed to find space for everything and had about an hour to spare to read quietly in bed (Jane Green's Falling: A Love Story) and to take a nap as I had a flight at midnight which would mean very little sleep tonight.
     I was awoken by a knock on my door--it turned out to be Nozilya, Dean Anwar and his wife Shahnoza who came to say Goodbye and Thanks to me. They had another gift for me: another terra-cotta plate, this time featuring the domes of Tashkent. It was really heart ending to say Goodbye to people who I had grown to know and like so much in such a short time.
       Once they left, I got back to reading my book in an attempt to wind down after what had been a hectic week in Uzbekistan. At 8.45, I put away my devices and heard a knock on the door. My escorts had come to get me. I was grateful that they carried my bag as I had turned heavy with all my buys. In the car, we sped off to the airport and I was there in 15 minutes. All went well except for the fact that the ground staff of Uzbelistan Airways did not check us in for the Bombay flight until two hours before the flight could leave. However, it did leave on time--and it was an empty aircraft. There were just 15 people on board. So every single one of the passengers got three-seaters to themselves to stretch out and go to sleep for the night. Drinks and a meal (dinner) that was very substantial (chicken with rice) was served followed by coffee or tea. I ate well and then settled down to three rather fitful hours of sleep, but at least I could stretch out. What a luxury this is in economy class on an aircraft today!
     We touched down in Bombay at exactly 5.30 am on April 30. I grabbed my bag and then took a auto rickshaw that got me back home in exactly 20 minutes.
     Uzbekistan has left its warmth on my heart. I hope to return there again in a few years' time--this time with Llew and this time including Khiva in our itinerary. There is always something you must leave undone so that it gives you a reason to return. And I believe I will...as I have made many lovely friends and taken a piece of them with me.
     Until tomorrow...