74.A New Assignment in Cukurova University , Turkey

After my first assignment abroad I had to return to REC   cancelling part of the leave sanctioned for the  purpose. Reasons I had explained in my previous blog. After r-joining, I  continued  my work as usual predominantly teaching and a little  bit of research. Almost an year  elapsed during which I time I bought an old  Maruti 800  and was  using  my car regularly. Then , as had happened in Singapore  case, one of my friends  whom I met  in N S S College  of Engineering Palakkad as a co-examiner  sent me an email  asking whether  I am interested  in an assignment  in Turkey. He was in Turkey for quite some time , but now moved to North Cyprus as Dean  of a university and was  checking whether  I am interested  in joining a  university in Turkey under government. It was in Cukurova University in Adana, a small city hardly 15 KMs from the Mediterranean. Like the offer for Data Storage Institute, this also came up through the goodwill of a friend.

However, there  was  some  difficulty in getting  further  leave  from college  as I had signed a  bond to serve  the institution  for two years when taking leave  for assignment in Singapore. This was  for one year leave, but I had availed  only  half the  leave  sanctioned  to me. I had  completed one year and so I thought  I can take extra-ordinary  (without salary) leave  for another two years. As principal was  not cooperative, I approached  the  Chairman  through our  Kuttanad  MLA who was  the  brother  in law of a colleague  in Mechanical department. He was kind enough  to phone the  MLA and I got my two years ‘leave sanctioned  under  little pressure on principal.

While I was planning to   go to Turkey, inflation was very high in Turkey. The promised remuneration of approximately USD 2000/ was thought to be sufficient to live in Turkey and as we were   only interested in seeing the places even if we cannot save much, I decided to accept the offer. It was as Professor  in Electrical Engineering in the Faculty  of Engineering , Department  of Electrical & Electronics Engg . Our son and his wife were left absolutely free  in the house. He was working and his wife  preparing for her Pg entrance examination. They had excellent company in another two  doctor couples  newly married and together  they  used to ransack all the  good restaurants  in Kozhikode  like Paragons, Sainoos etc. Rest of the time our daughter in law  could prepare for her medical pg entrance  examination.

At that time, there was no direct flight to any of the airports in Turkey. Emirates were running their flight from Madras(Chennai) to Dubai and another flight from Dubai to Istanbul. Gulf Air flight was via  Bahrein to Istanbul. We have to catch these flights from Chennai or Mumbai. First time, we chose a Gulf Air flight from Chennai . WE  had booked a  ticket by train to Chennai in the evening. At Kozhikode railway station, there  was  heavy rush. For every passenger   travelling more than 10-15 persons had come to see them off. Of course, later we realised that these people were in the first lap of their journey to Mecca   for theor Haj pilgrimage.  Similarly, when we reached the airport, it was almost difficult to enter the airport. Somehow, when we entered the check in counter, we found that very old people with a lot of   difficulties were all sitting in  their white  cloth carrying their identity  tags aloft  waiting for a flight  to Saudi  Arabia.

Turkey  which was  known to be the ‘sick man of Europe’  was  transformed to modern Turkey by the efforts  of a single  man, Mustafa Kemal Pasha  or Ataturk(Great Turk). During the  World War I, he led the Ottoman army to a victory  against the allies  in the war of Gallipoli  and thus came to prominence as a leader. But after the world war, when the Allies wanted to divide Turkey, Kemal Pasha prevented this and developed the unified Turkey and made it the Modern Turkey.  He was made the Father of the Nation in 1924. Primary education was made free for all and a constitution was made in which religion and governance will not have anything in common. Unlike in many countries in the West, ladies were given equal rights like that of men including voting rights in election. Turkish language was made compulsory for all in education and administration. People in public places were not allowed to follow religious customs like wearing scarf   on the head  of women.

Our flight from Chennai was to Bahrein first and then to the ancient city  of Istanbul, a  city in two continents on the North of Turkey. We had to take another flight to Adana from Istanbul. We missed the first connection flight but luckily there was another flight at 11 PM which took us to our destination, Adana. Fortunately, a future colleague in the EE department was waiting at the airport. It was extremely cold outside, somehow we managed to reach the university guest house by 2AM.

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