Blast & the Host

The evening of 10th December, 2016 would be one of the most memorable days in my life.  I was in Istanbul at that time. I was invited as a Keynote Speaker in the “7th International Conference on Governance, Fraud, Ethics & Social Responsibility” jointly organized by Bahcesehir University, Trakya University and International Group on Governance Fraud Ethics & Social Responsibility forum to deliver my speech on CSR. The day was full of activities with the conference rolling out, speech by various speakers including me, intermingling with conference participants from various places across Europe and so on. In the evening, my local host, the Conference President and Professor in Bahcesehir University, Prof. Ipek, and her husband Giuseppe, who is an Italian settled in Turkey, invited us for dinner- me, my friend from Trakya University, Turkey, Prof. Kiymet, and another conference delegate from Albania- to one of the hot & happening places in Istanbul, Taksim Square to treat us with authentic Turkish food in one of the oldest restaurants Asmali cavit... wowed by the dinner & the excellent hospitality of the restaurant staff, we walked around the place to the auto park after the dinner.. In between the walk, Kiymet gets a phone call from her office assistant who asks her if she's safe as there was a blast nearby few minutes back... we got into the car of Giuseppe & started driving.. the entire city was cordoned off, roads were blocked by Police... we all were tensed & worried at the same time... me & Kiymet more, because while coming back from the conference to the hotel (Marriot) in the evening, where my local host had made my staying arrangements, we had crossed the stadium near Besiktas where the blast had occurred...In fact, Marriot was close to the Besiktas stadium... Ipek & Giuseppe won't let us go back to hotel.. it was already midnight, we were taken to their home, put into comfortable couches, treated with hot Kashmiri tea, in the meantime Ipek prepared beds for our comfortable sleep at night.. and as we woke up to a brighter & better morning next day, treated with hot tea & cookies (Ipek won't leave us without that) before we head for the conference again to Bahcesehir University.. business as usual.... made me thinking about humans, humanity & inhumans - the God & Devil, all within us & among us...

(P.S.: This piece was written on 11th December, 2016 right after the bomb attack in a football stadium in Istanbul.  The above piece is a remebrance and "thank you" note for my amazing hosts, Ipek & her husband Giuseppe who without knowing me much, extended such a wonderful hospitality in an alien land in a difficult situation, that would always stand as a testimony of humanity to me. Link to the news on blast: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/10/bomb-outside-istanbul-football-stadium-causes-multiple-casualties)