The Link #26 - International Report: Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan

Raman Patel is a member of the Link team and works closely with the Krishnamurti Foundations, particularly in the area of dissemination of the teachings.

UKRAINE

The Krishnamurti Association Ukraine is co-ordinated by Alexey Arkhangelsky, a former medical doctor and now qualified yoga teacher. KLI has supported his efforts to disseminate the teachings in Ukraine and, to a large extent, in Russia too. He has done excellent work, translating and dubbing several K talks into Russian (it is only recently that Ukrainian is being taught again in schools), visiting major cities and showing videotapes.

Most years a gathering is held in Maganom, a nature reserve in the remote mountains on the shore of the Black Sea, in a spot about three hours’ drive from Simferopol that is finally reached after a two-and-a-half-hour hike over high cliffs. The alternative way would have been to hire an expensive private boat used to transport food, stoves, gas tanks, etc. It is the most unusual gathering I have ever attended. The whole week we were there we slept in tents, bathed in the sea, and fetched our drinking water from a nearby spring before boiling it for tea.

There were about 60 participants, from as far away as Moscow, Siberia, the White Sea, St. Petersburg, Kiev and Odessa, as well as from cities nearby. Some had travelled for over 40 hours in trains and buses. Their professions included science, administration and education, and their ages ranged from 24 to 55, with a couple of people about 65. A large number of them spoke good English. Some were fairly new to the teachings, while others were engaged in deep study and enquiry. A couple of scientists were combining the latest brain research with K’s insights in their treatment of psychosomatic problems. They had obtained good results and afterwards had introduced most of these patients to K.

The programme included two video showings, one large group dialogue (switching between English and Russian) and impromptu discussions. There was time for walks, swimming, reflection and silence. The place is an amazing setting for a gathering. Behind us were high mountains – rocky, pebbly, sandy, with some grass and small shrubs – and in front of us was the wide expanse of the Black Sea. It provided an incredible ambience for the video showings. The video system was run on a small generator, hidden a long distance away, and we watched the tapes in the open, amidst this spectacular scenery. After the videos, people sat naturally still for a length of time and it was quite amazing to absorb the silence sitting under the open sky, surrounded by the high mountains and facing the blue sea.

All the participants appreciated the videos and wished to have more of them subtitled. To this end, we formed a team made up of Darya and Severiyan (a young couple who are professional translators), their friend Anastasia (all three of whom are from St. Petersburg), Nicolay (from Moscow), and Alexander (from Odessa) – all of whom speak good English and are very familiar with the teachings. Alexey will remain the final verifier. Nicolay, who is computer savvy, will be the coordinator and the focal person to liaise with Francisco Mazza at the KFT. They are also going to create a glossary of the difficult terms so that the translations will have some consistency.

Ihor, who is in contact with Arne Müller, KFT’s publications co-ordinator, has translated a couple of books into Ukrainian, but he has yet to find publishers for them. Alexey said it will take time before Ukrainian becomes the main language again.

Nikolay works for Siemens and has a good job in management. He is going to explore the possibility of starting video showings in Moscow, perhaps even using his company’s facilities. He will also be contacting the main publisher of K books, Abgarian, who has a personal interest in K, and see about doing some new translations. Most of the participants felt that the quality of this publisher’s translations is excellent, and I was told that sometimes, when bookshops wanted to return books because of slow sales, he requested that they keep them on the shelves, essentially donating the books.

I found the Ukrainian and Russian participants to be intelligent and passionate people. Neither gullible nor argumentative, they were very involved in the discussions and would not let a question go until it was clear. It was really heartening to see the trouble they had taken and the distance some of them had travelled to come to the gathering.

In future, if Nikolay’s work in Moscow picks up momentum, perhaps the Russian Committee could be established there.

TURKEY

My ticket to Ukraine allowed a free stop in Istanbul. Before leaving England, I spoke with Arne at the KFT and we thought that, apart from my meeting Ali Bulut, a representative of the Krishnamurti Committee Turkey, it would also be good if I met two publishers in that city. Ahmet Ozbilen, of Ayna Yayinevi, has published most of the theme books, The Ending of Time and A Wholly Different Way of Living. System Yayincilick has published three pocket-size editions of talks; they are currently working on The Book of Life, What Are You Doing with Your Life? and The First and Last Freedom (aiming to bring them out by October 2006); they will then take up Total Freedom. Arne thought that if I met with these publishers it might help them to select other titles. (I also met Eda Esen, who had been a mature student at Brockwood Park School.)

Ahmet gave me, for the KFT, 10 copies of each of the K books he’s published. He said that the logo of an empty chair that appears on most of the K covers has popularised the books. The logo comes from K’s saying that the speaker is not important and is not to be made into an authority. He also gave me a sample copy of a pocket-size book he has put together that includes short excerpts from K, a biographical sketch of K and tributes to K by prominent figures. He gives these away at book fairs as an introduction to Krishnamurti. Ahmet used to employ five translators but now uses three. He uses the same editor for all the books, and the translators and editor know each other and share an interest in the teachings. They have created a glossary of difficult words, and most people I asked vouch for the quality of the translations. Ahmet is intent on eventually getting all the K books translated, even if the market is a bit slow at present. We went through the titles and I suggested some priorities. He feels that K’s message will stand the test of time.

Ahmet is in his mid-forties and is sincere and passionate about the teachings. He wanted to know more about K, the schools, the centres, and we also inquired into many questions related to the teachings. He has never seen K on video but would like to do so, so I am arranging to send him some DVDs. He has also made an interesting poster of all the K titles he publishes, using it as a display at book fairs.

I then phoned Caglayan Erengad, the KFT contact at System Yayincilick, and arranged to meet her and her colleague Seda Toksoy. Both of them are translators, with an interest in deeper questions of life. They had prepared a list, for clarification and discussion, of some of the difficult words and terminology used by K. We went through a part of it and also discussed how at times K uses words interchangeably or gives new meaning to old words. They said they have a friend who is steeped in K who is willing to give them feedback on their work.

The day I was leaving, I met with Ali Bulut – who has been to the Centre at Brockwood Park and to Saanen – and his colleagues who have an interest in the teachings. We had a lively discussion. I told Ali about my meetings with the publishers, and he is going to contact them, something the publishers also want. In future he can, if necessary, be a liaison between them and the Foundations. He is also interested in subtitling some DVDs, and we went through the subtitling software with his colleagues, who are computer literate. They all expressed the feeling that they felt energised by our meeting and will take up the subtitling in earnest. They will also activate the centre Ali has, a house on a lake an hour outside the city. He wanted to take me there, but I had to catch my flight.

AZERBAIJAN

After leaving Istanbul, I spent two and a half days in Baku, invited by Taher Gozel (who also arranged my hotel stay in Istanbul). He was very busy but gave me a tour of the old town and treated me to an Indian meal. We discussed many things, including, of course, what is happening in the ‘K world’. He is very interested in the teachings and says that, while Azerbaijan may not yet be ready for a general embracing of K, he would like to begin to do something there.

With Taher’s connection to the government, he thinks that he may have an opportunity to introduce into state schools K’s approach to education. He would also like to have seminars with business people to discuss leadership without psychological authority, what that might mean, and why it is necessary not only for businesses but, more importantly, for education generally. He has in mind the work of Peter Senge of MIT, but would bring in Krishnamurti and David Bohm, too.

Raman Patel, July 2006