Another good book to read as basis for understanding modern Afghanistan. A book that recorded the transition of Afghanistan to nationhood, albeit through the eyes of Michener. It's free too. Some vivid insights:1. Afghanistan was once invaded and razed by the Mongol hordes, but they left behind a pillar of corpses encased in gypsum as testimony of their terrifying presence;
2. Life of the Pashtuns, a major tribe of Afghanistan and their fascination with the travelling dancing troupe of feminine boys
3. The lives of the Povindahs, that nomadic tribe that traversed the deserts and mountains of Asia;
4. The powerful influence of the mullahs in the life of ordinary Afghans;
5. The stoning to death of an adulterous woman;
6. Afghanistan as a centre for learning and teaching Buddhism centuries before Prophet Mohammad was born;
7. The covert jostling for influence among the Russians, Americans and the British, and much more.
The funny thing is that there is no mention of the 'Talibans'. Presumably, they belong to another dominant tribe, the Afghans.
Go here for free downloading of the book.
Hi Chang Ngee, I'll have a look at this selection and pass on your recommendation to my brother John who lives in Australia. He visited Afghanistan when he was in University as part of an Overseas Study Program. I think he was there for about 5 months and for at least one month of that time each individual student stayed with a host family. He really enjoyed it. That was some 40 years ago now!
ReplyDeleteOur friend Don C. liked to read novels but not particularly James Mitchener because he complained that Mitchener described everything in such excruciating detail that he wrote long boring books. There was a book Mitchener wrote titled "The Drifters" that one interesting PC volunteer in our training group read and while in Malaysia he wrote to Mitchener and received a reply! The volunteer had told Mitchener that reading "The Drifters" had affected him in a way that he wanted to join the Peace Corps. He wrote to James Mitchener and received the letter from the author while we were both posted to a bahasa Malaysia rural school in Sungai Mati, about 10 miles from Muar. I remember the volunteer let me read Mitchener's response to him (it was a typed letter and typed signature that his wife had typed from dictation). I tried to memorize lines of James Mitchener's words: "Dear Whitt, I wish I were in Malaysia with you right now. Kuala Lumpur, Penang,and Kota Bahru are all places I would like to see again. Take a good look at them for me. I will always remember my time in Malaysia. I should have paid a million dollars for the privilege of going there, for the experience has modified my entire life." James Mitchener. Pretty remarkable author. The experience of Malaysia and my Malaysian friends has been a million dollar experience for me as well. Glad to read your blogs too.
Sorry I spelled his name wrong! It's MICHENER.
ReplyDeleteSHARING MESSAGES BY MAYANMAR GROUPS ABOUT YIP KUM FOOK AT SAMNAK SAMBODHI BUDDHIST TEMPLE, TAMAN DESA JAYA, KEPONG.....
ReplyDeleteDear Sir and Madam,
We are Myanmar group in Malaysia; we lived in Malaysia over decade and always went to one of SAMNAK SAMBODHI Buddhist temple in Taman Desa Jaya, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur and we were very sad and regretting with the committees of temple because they are using our monks in wrong conception of Buddhist teaching or Buddhist rules. We came to temple to help our monks and respected of our religion.
That temple is president of name: YIP KUM FOOK(lawyer), that our monks said and he is invited our monks from Myanmar to in charge of that temple but without pay anything to our monks, added he and his not respecting of our monks and sometime he ordered of his people to collected item such as paper, mineral water etc. without inform any words to our monks. In our religious believed we can’t take anything of holy place, if we done we are sin.
In pervious, our monk said the committees always asked money from him, when our monks gave RM20,000.00 in cash on 2001 to the committees, then committees keep silent, later committees make problem with our monk again and cancelled of our monk Visa permit to stayed in Malaysia, then our monk, Sadayaw Nandiya) go to Australia and our monk not come that temple at long time. “YIP KUM FOOK gave our monk notebook computer for to cover of that amount of money our monk said”
Many local people around temple said, now no more people come to this temple because committees is always make problem and we are heard from local people said: YIP KUM FOOK ordered of his people to put fire of Hindu temple at Taman Daya, Kepong because he needed that place to make his business about many years ago. “Everybody known what he done for Hindu temple at Taman Daya, Kepong”
Last time also he invited police to arrest the monks at holy place(temple) and locked the temple without afraid and shameful of people because he believed committee is big and has more authority, also his son always says to people: this temple is belonging of his father. “This temple donated from public, we are work hard for this temple”
This temple the committees always changed the monks, now they change the new monk to in charge of temple, this new monk also complaint the bad things of committees because committees also wait for donation box only, they without help anything to our monks. And committees controlled of our monks not to talk more or complaint more, our monks lived there as slaver and afraid of committees’ members.
In new building where remaining of Buddha statue marble; we have renovation of Buddha statue because that Buddha statue is put very low, we lift to highest the committees don’t like and unhappy. In our country, anyone be able to come temple to worship the Buddha but in Malaysia is different temple controlling by committees.
We hope everyone preserve of Buddhist teachings, and please safety of our monks, not see only money as this of temple. When we asked some of our people (Myanmar) and local people, the committees are very low of idea because is very narrow mind and without education of religions. And committees will not be disturbing of our monks, monks are like our father to take care of Buddhism and temple is like our place of resolving of our problem.
Recently, our monk (Sadayaw Ashin Indaka original from Madalay, Myanmar) has been staying in this temple also unhappy because the committees are not pay anything to him, he is working in hardly to advise people and we also unhappy and very sad when heard the bad news from our monks. Sometime the committees people came and shouting in the temple without have any reason and done what they need to do, our monk said, the committees of this temple don’t have Buddhist teachings in their mind, may be next time Buddhist can destroy.
From Myanmar Buddhist group in Malaysia but many word complaint by local Buddhist community in Malaysia.
sharing kok meng, kepong