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Baku, the city of life and energy

2 June 2014 13:48 (UTC+04:00)
Baku, the city of life and energy

By: Asiya Mahar

Visiting Research Fellow at Centre for Strategic Studies (SAM) under the President of Republic of Azerbaijan

Assistant Research Officer, Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), Islamabad, Pakistan

It is in fact a coincidence of pleasure for me that my one-month stay at Baku has matched with a date when Azerbaijani's are celebrating their Republic day. Firstly, I offer my heartiest congratulations to all Azerbaijani's for their undivided loyalty towards their land and their efforts to preserve their independence with vision and political and civil relationship.

There is a lot to say and share about this day which can not be mentioned in a short article. Meanwhile, my impression may sound vague and distorted but they are well-thought. This is because I'm a researcher and a researcher's main responsibility is to be objective. He or she needs to get the facts on the ground, compare them with each other, express them directly and leave the judgment to the readers.

There is a clear distinction between sharing knowledge and forming an opinion. My job is to share knowledge.

Having said that; I present my impression of Baku from three different viewpoints. first as a researcher and professional, second as an ordinary man and third as a traveler or explorer.

As a researcher, I find Baku a city with a professionally-made work environment in which you don't waste your time during work hours. Here everyone is making progress in their works day by day. You are working in a fair competition that motivates you to go ahead with new ideas and projects for a better future.

I' am pleased to see the growing industry of publishing. If one's decide to write an article or a book with progressive goals, nothing can stop you. Meanwhile, you enjoy helps from various people and organization to press ahead with your project. I would like to pay gratitude to my colleagues at Centre for Strategic Studies (SAM) under the President of Republic of Azerbaijan for their contribution to this research work.

My impression of work environment is not limited to a special environment. I visited ADA University and observed the professional environment there too. I was there for a conference last year. It was organized in an exemplary way in every sense. Additionally, as I keep searching for different events happening around the city, I realized that each person is provided with different opportunities to go ahead with their interested projects.

As an ordinary man visiting Baku, the very first thing I came to find out is that the city is a safe place for women. No one bothers you. As a girl or woman, you are free to move around the city without any fear at any time.

This is because the society treats you not as an opposite gender but as an equal human being. Here, any one particularly girls and women can visit different parts of the city, study, observe the nature, analyze the architecture and modern technological developments, think about the well-managed, clean and peaceful surroundings or go to the restaurants and have fun, or go to the sea for cruising, dining etc. In sum, you try different activities and finally find your interested one.

In your lifestyle, you are free to follow your choice. The state doesn't interfere in personal matters, and most people are European in their outlook.

I remember my first day wearing Abaya ("cloak", sometimes also called Aba. It is a simple, loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress, worn by some women in parts of the Muslim world including in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula). When I went out in Abaya, I was afraid of being arrested by police because I had heard that in some countries, wearing some kind of cloths is forbidden. On my way, I came across to many girls and women wearing Abaya. This gave me a sigh of relief. What pleased me more was their kindness by greeting you saying "Salam". In sum, people respect you despite whoever you provided that you don't cause concern.

For instance, I am a Muslim girl, who is following Islam by my own choice. I cover myself, don't shake hands with males, say prayers and do whatever I can to fulfill my commitment towards my belief. So, I don't experience different face or behavioral expressions. I really feel respect for the Azeri society for their kind dealing with human beings.

Moreover, as an ordinary man, I observe equal treatment of state for every citizen in terms of providence of basic household facilities, education, job, laws and justice. Azerbaijanis live a disciplined life and they follow rules out of their perception that it's good for them irrespective of the fact that police is strict with those who try to break the rules.

Before coming to Azerbaijan, I also read some reports published by different international organizations criticizing and ranking Azerbaijan low on human rights on the basis that the country isn't practicing democratic norms. But after being here, observing the satisfaction with which people are living their life, specifically after coming across the attendance of the huge numbers of Azeri's participated (though they had many other options to go and visit other places) for celebrations of Hyder Aliyev's 91st Birthday on 10th May; some serious questions began to find answers in my mind.

Isn't a unitary dominant presidential republic having a leader loved by majority better than a democracy where people even don't respect the heads of the government and criticize even their good acts? Isn't an autocratic system giving shelter to its citizens better than the so-called democratic states where many people are sleeping on the footpaths because of rising poverty?

Isn't such a state better as its people don't protest because they know that the overnment is trying to do its best . They know that their expectation is high and protest will not give them any benefit. So, they work instead of wasting time on protest. Shouldn't we appreciate a country for sustaining its independence and performing better than many other states in every sector? What better can we offer to people who work instead of complaining?

In terms of human rights, the facts on the ground show that Azerbaijan has effectively achieved the target of reducing poverty from 46% to 4% and has in a commendable way accommodated the forced IDP's of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Being a student of International relations, political system and its performance matters for me more than anything else. To the critics, I would say there exists problems everywhere, we should extend our help to areas where help is needed instead of overstraining ourselves with abstract problems.

Lastly, my impression of Baku as an explorer or traveler is that they city holds treasures for every one whether you are interested in historical adventures, museums, sculptural art, latest technological developments, natural parks and beauty, magnificent Caspian, theatrical performances, cuisine of different continents, shopping, fun, travelling, exploring etc.

Here, I would like to share few tips with travelers. If you are planning to come here, just learning some basic Azeri words and sentences is enough to feel at home in the city.

For good variety of cuisine, visit City Centre (Nizami Street, Fountain Square and around) and you will find multiple restaurants. If you want to see and explore the city, Metro Trains and buses run from 6:00 am to 12:00 pm. Just have with you the travel route of Metro Train and when you go to station, show it to anyone and ask when the train will come and people are kind enough to guide and help you. For buses, before moving out, check which bus goes to an area where you want to go to, then move to bus stop near you and usually you will not have to wait for more than 5 minutes.

For shopping lovers, Baku is a bit expensive city like other Capital cities around the world, but you will have no trouble finding a shop or a mall here. So, have a great shopping!

Summing it up, as I mentioned earlier, conveying my impression of Baku in one article is not possible because on each place you visit, you can write many articles. I will try to keep writing, but the brain of International Relations scholar inside me, demands me to write and focus on political issues. I request any one visiting Baku to write an article sharing your experiences in the city with others.

Happy Republic Day to Azerbaijani's again and may Baku (the city of lights) remain happy always.

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