VISIT TO TASHKENT, SAMARKAND AND BUKHARA

The last time I had landed in Tashkent it had been enveloped in a white blanket of snow and I had negotiated the airport in dim early morning light. The flight landed at nearly the same time last week, but in post Navroz Tashkent it was a glorious spring morning and flowers were in full bloom.

And that was not the only change. The University of World Economy and Diplomacy, where we had been invited for a round table on Central Asia and Regional Security was another pleasant surprise. Early morning student joggers in the campus were transformed into formal clad students conversant in English when classes began. As future diplomats they were well informed about global affairs and armed with technology that the modern generation considers an inseparable part of itself. As I lectured to a group of students I realised that they were also curious about what I thought about transition in their world and able to clearly articulate their opinion.

Tashkent remains one of my favourite cities with wide boulevards, graceful buildings, bustling markets and a friendly atmosphere. Browsing through book shops, selling old and new books along Navoi Street and then halting for a drink at one of the many roadside kiosks or wandering into one of the many parks with their ancient chinar trees remains a favourite activity. So does buying small traditional souvenirs and exquisite ceramics in green and blue.

This time there was also an opportunity to revisit the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara. The first pleasurable experience of the trip was the superfast train Afrasiab that waited at the Tashkent station platform. A fast and very comfortable two hours later the train was in Samarkand. The Registan, seen often in photographs of historical monuments and brochures is breath- taking in reality as one crosses the road and enters the complex. Steeped in Timurid history it has been restored to its former glory along with a number of other monuments in Samarkand and Bukhara. Legends, myths and history combine as one wanders through monuments like Shahi Zinda, Gur Emir and the Bibi Khanum complex. The concert of national costumes through the ages at the El Merosi theatre in Samarkand
was a visual delight that highlighted local traditions and clearly indicated the cultural linkages that the region had shared.

The more flamboyant colours of Samarkand are absent in the stark beauty of Bukhara. The simplicity of the sand coloured buildings, many of which are still being excavated, is distinctive of the city. It was in the many caravansarais in this city that Indian traders lived as they traded in tea and indigo. The small rooms have now mostly been converted to small shops selling crafts made with traditional designs and embroidery in vibrant colours. In Bukhara one can spend hours moving in and out of narrow lanes and being surprised by old mosques and madrasahs that appear unexpectedly in the corner. Most of these have been a part of the everyday life of its people and it is only recently that they have been identified as national heritage.

As the night train from Bukhara arrives back in Tashkent early morning sounds of the city waking up mixes with the smell of baking bread. The non is distinctive in every city and you see shops advertising “Bukhara style non” in Tashkent. It is a collage of these small images that remain in the midst of a series of meetings and interactions that is followed by the flight back to Delhi —- a lady selling tulip bulbs at a street corner, a small child in a traditional costume, an outdoor tandoor cooking pilaf and many more.

Anita Sengupta

(Notes from a trip to Uzbekistan in April 2013)

16-06-2019