People I

We love taking photos of people. I do too. Here's a first collection from my trips.

Left: my fellow passengers on Hong Kong's tram.

Right: a couple steal a corner of the Chain Bridge, Budapest, Hungary. It took me a while before I managed this shot. Partly because there were people passing, partly because I was trying as hard as possible to be inconspicuous.

Left: Sikh guards having a chat at the Golden Temple, Amritsar, India.



Right: This guy was on the phone for some time while his girlfriend (we assumed she was), waited for him to end the call. He was either oblivious to her growing impatience, or simply ignoring it. Oh yes, this was taken in Istanbul, Turkey.


The shot on the right was taken outside Qutb Minar, Delhi, India. She was probably tired and waiting for the rest of her group.

Below: This is one of my favourite shots of my trip to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercegovina.

where's the front line?

‘I wish that for just five minutes, that man gets to experience the war..then I’ll ask him.’

Majda was visibly upset. The couple she’d brought to her home-hostel from the bus station had made the drive back an unpleasant one.

He was asking so many questions, she said to me. ‘Is the city (Mostar) still divided? Where’s the Muslim section? Is this the former front line? Are the Muslims and Croats still unhappy with one another?’

Majda told me that together with his questions, the man (who’s apparently a researcher/historian) was reaching conclusions of his own—it’s as if he had come to the city only to prove his own hypotheses about how people were living after the war. For many of us, that’s the easiest thing to do: watch a conflict unravel on TV and decide that that entire country has gone to the dogs, it’s unsafe to go there, people living within its borders are ‘so sad’, we’re so lucky not to be there, etc. And then we switch to a cooking show or something mind-numbing on one of the channels on cable.

Indeed, colleagues who found out I was going to Sarajevo looked at me in horror: that place is a war-torn city, they told me. Never mind the fact that the war took place 20 years ago. But Sarajevo was for me a city to be devoured with wonderment. Its name itself is exotic, and it was here that an assassin got the wheels of the First World War turning.

 I’ve lost count of the number of times people asked me why I’d chosen to visit their city. All the same, they could not hide the fact that they were thrilled to have a visitor, that too from a faraway little place they may not have heard of. And while I answered their queries, I could not help but wonder how this city lived through 44 months of terror, and how it has bounced back.

Much of Sarajevo has been cleaned up and reconstructed: cafes once again fill with people having their daily dose of tea and ćevapi, the streets are filled with Sarajevans going about their routine. Nevertheless, people have their stories to tell about the conflict of the 1990s. Meris recounted how his grandmother cheated death twice when mortars struck the Old Town. The first time round he thought he had lost her; turns out she was hiding in an apartment block not too far away. Across from BBI Centar, the modern steel and glass mall, is a park where a monument commemorates the children who were killed during the war. The green spaces behind the monument are still green, unlike similar spaces in Mostar. The high death toll meant every available space had to be turned into a grave for another family member, another friend. I remember walking through one such park where hundreds lay buried.

When I spoke to Meris over the phone some time after the trip, I asked him if it bothers him that the war is a main draw for tourists to his city. I was, after all, a part of this dark tourism (visiting places associated with tragedy and/or death). Not at all, he said. In fact, Meris was pleased that people are returning to his city. There’s more to Sarajevo than the war of the 1990s, and tourists need to know that we’re a people who want to move past that episode, he said. At the same time, it is imperative that people learn of the causes of the war and learn from those mistakes.

Still, while some of us have decoupled Sarajevo from the war, others will find it difficult to do so. I suppose some people who live there, and in fact in other parts of Bosnia and Hercegovina, will continue to negotiate with their memories. The people I met during my trip to the region acknowledge that all sides suffered, no thanks to greedy politicians. Yet some are uncomfortable with the thought of repairing broken relationships. For some, the perceived Other is really not that different after all. Yet there are those who still think that in their midst live people who continue to remain a source of worry: they threatened our way of living before, they might do it again.  

Sarajevo in 3 days

"I view Sarajevo as one city, like a person made up of different parts." - Aziz, in Joshua Irby's
Meeting Miss Irby.

As a smile spread across my face, I shut the book after reading this line and the paragraph that
followed. It summed up exactly how I felt about the city I recently visited.

Of course, most people still think of the city as 'war-torn' and 'dangerous'; but let me assure you
that the most "dangerous" experience for you would be having to answer (countless times, might
I add) a very common question: 'why did you choose to visit Sarajevo?'

The capital of Bosnia-Hercegovina is a lovely little city which one person told me truly deserves
being described as a blend of the East and West, more so than Istanbul. You be the judge. Personally, I loved how the city is small enough to be navigated on foot. And considering the number of cafes and eateries that stick out of virtually every corner, you would not have to worry about being on your feet all day. So here's my suggested itinerary. 

Day 1

Take a walk around Baščaršija, the old town of Sarajevo. Start with Pigeons' Square and Sebilj (below, right), a kiosk-shaped public wooden and stone fountain, and lose yourself in one of the many alleys in the area.

Down from the Sebilj, make a right turn towards the Gazi Husrev-beg buildings which include a mosque. It is considered the most important Islamic structure in the country and one of the world's finest examples of Ottoman architecture. There's also a covered bazaar which offers the usual touristy trinkets in a variety of shops.



Continuing straight down from there would bring you past a string of cafes along Ferhadija, where you will also see reminders of the Austro-Hungarian era. You could also pop into the Catholic Cathedral which dates from the late 19th century.

Not far from here is the Orthodox Cathedral (on the left), which in my opinion, is best viewed at night because it is artfully lit up. What made it even more beautiful for me during my trip in late April 2012 was the falling rain.

Take some steps south from here and you will find yourself in front of the Miljacka River. Look out for a cream-coloured building topped with green domes. This is the Academy of Arts, which is reminiscent of Budapest's national parliament building. There's also the cute Latin Bridge, which gained infamy for being the site where the wheels of the First World War started turning; it was here that a Serbian nationalist assassinated the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire (Archduke Franz Ferdinand) in late June 1914. There's a little museum (Sarajevo 1878-1918 Museum) right next to the bridge which showcases photographs from that period.

Continue east of Baščaršija, and walk uphill past Sebilj and the tram stop towards Kovači and beyond. You'll find yourself in front of the Kovači Martyrs' Cemetery where the dead from the 1990s conflict rest. Just beyond here is the Yellow Bastion wherefrom you get lovely views of the city and its surrounding hills. The hills too offer some gorgeous views of Sarajevo, but it's not always advisable to tread those paths because some mines from the war remain.

Day 2

Prepare yourself for something more serious today with a visit to the History Museum. It is largely devoted to the 1990s conflict, and the building itself bears the scars of the war. Some of the photographs are disturbing, and so are some displays on how the Sarajevans survived the 44-month siege. But do look out for an alphabetic guide pinned to one of the walls, and you might just find yourself chuckling at the dark humour with which people possibly tried to keep themselves sane amidst the madness. Wander around the hallways on the ground floor as well, because there might be a temporary exhibition on in one of the rooms. At the time of my visit, there were two photography exhibitions, both dealing with the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. Right behind is the Tito Cafe, which is filled with photographs of Marshal Tito (the late leader of the former Yugoslavia).

I'd also recommend a visit to the Tunnel Museum in Butmir, close to the airport. It tracks the construction of an 800-metre underpass which was literally the lifeline of the city during the siege of the 1990s. The guide books suggest arranging for the trip from the hotel, but I suppose that was taking the four- and five-starrers into consideration. Alternatively, they said, take a tram (number 3 or 5) from the city centre to Ilidža terminus and hop onto a bus.

Simple enough, I thought. But as it turned out, a girl I asked said she did not know how to get there. I looked at my map and decided to walk...it looked pretty close by anyway. Under a sky that looked ready to burst, I put one foot ahead of the next for at least 20 minutes until I reached a crossroad. A lady at a salon nearby knew fully well where I was going from my appearance, and offered directions -- in Bosnian. I continued walking for another 20-30 minutes, past quaint houses and empty streets. Why am I doing this to myself again? I'm happy to report that I eventually found the museum. But my advice is, go with a taxi from Ilidža if you plan to take public transport. Otherwise, stick to the hotel's arrangement.

Day 3

If you haven't had enough of museums, make a trip to the National Museum. It's really quite close to the History Museum but I guess doing both in the same day would be overwhelming. One of the highlights here is the Sarajevo Haggadah, a 14th-century Jewish codex.

The other option is to pay a visit to the Svrzo House at Glodina (north of Baščaršija). It is a restored 18th-century house-museum (right) which has retained its courtyards and overhanging box windows. It may be a little difficult to find but it's worth the trip. The guy who runs the place said he's spoken to the authorities to put signs up to help tourists find the place. But it seems the government isn't allowing it because it wants to do the work. Nothing's transpired yet so if you find yourself scratching your head at some little junction, ask someone. :)

Note: These are not the only things to look out for because there are a number of other mosques and sites strewn around the city; I've only mentioned the ones I think are essential.

Getting InI took an overnight bus from Ljubljana (12 hours), which set me back by 44 Euros. Good thing
is that it saves you the cost of one night's accommodation. Buses are also available from regional
cities such as Zagreb, Split (Croatia) and Belgrade (Serbia). You could also take a train in from
Croatia (Zagreb) and Hungary (Budapest).
Alternatively, fly into Sarajevo with Lufthansa (via Munich), Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul) and
Croatia Airlines.

Money
I'm not sure about the airport but the bus station has no money changing facility. The best option here are the ATMs. Ditto in the city although you will find postal offices offering the service. Note too that the Bosnian Mark is the preferred currency.