Healing of Fractured Kosovo

No country, on mother earth, that professes and endeavors to be explicitly and overtly mono-cultural and one-dimensional , can achieve a world standing as a state to reckon with. History stands mute testimony to the fact. 

This is the unmixed and unwavering truth. Only countries that are tolerant to all cultures, open-minded to all ways of life and bear a liberal attitude to all ethnicity have prospered. You can pick up the map and have a look at it. Without naming any country, it is obvious that the major economic and military powers of the world live up to the parameters stated above. They are freethinking in their outlook and broadminded enough to amalgamate all cultural eddies into their core of nationhood that has proved to be an undeniable source of vigor and vibrancy to these countries. Kosovo, I observe, is safely and surely treading this path. The magnitude of rebuilding, that I had initially read about and later on seen on ground as a peacekeeper, has been phenomenal. I have seen the scars healing.

I have witnessed the restoration of confidence into the man-on-the-street. There is sense of pride in all Kosovars towards their nascent country. Kosovo is on the verge of a major transformation. The pace of this silent revolution is so rapid that it is indiscernible to the uninitiated observer. The mentality of the public has seen a sea change from 1999 when they were still mentally in the ‘war-mode', as is usually seen in societies recovering from the scars of conflict. The faint traces from the traumatic days may be evident is a few but in general the people of this land are getting on with their lives . During my one year stay in this part of the Balkans, I have learnt from the locals had to bear the ordeal of conflict in more that one way.

One of the language assistants working in my office named Meliza had to go without food for a complete 3 days during the bombing raids. Another local working in my office , Vjosa , recalls the distressing days when the Kosovars had to subsist on stored food in the house. She says that entire families were forced to stretch their edible resources very judiciously, as there was no guarantee about their next meal, if their food stocks were to finish. No shops were open. Bakeries did not function. The fear of hunger is very incapacitating and literally debilitates the individual's self confidence. I have heard of stories where a single loaf of bread had to be shared between a family for 2 days. As per the locals this was a small price to pay for peace and prosperity. This was the scenario in March 1999. Fast forward to Feb 2002. There was a time when bread was scarce. Now the Kosovars can choose between the various types of edibles and sit in the various side-walk cafes and enjoy the sunshine of freedom. Now the locals can mull over whether to have a cheese burek or a meat burek accompanied with plain yogurt or strawberry yogurt for lunch and can ponder over which discotheque to go for the night. This varied choice is my reliable parameter that peace has finally arrived and prosperity is just around the corner. The number of car owners have gone up since the war. Now everybody seems to have a car. The new found extended mobility of the population has given a played a major role in enhancing the local economy. The electric supply is more normal. The water supply has improved . Social life has perked up. Shops look more lively. People have expendable income. There is a surge in the construction activities. There is a palpable feeling of anticipation, as though the country like a crouching tiger is ready to leap forward towards tranquility, harmony, stability and prosperity. It has indeed been an unimaginably pleasant spectacle to see a battered country rise from that ashes, like a phoenix, to not only mitigate the pain and suffering of the population but to start rebuilding at a healthy pace. The credit for this goes, intrinsically, to the local leadership of this recently fractured section of the former Yugoslavia. It goes without saying the Kosovo Force(KFOR) , United Nations and various other non-governmental organizations are responsible for this continuing and progressing miracle. The extent of astute sagacious perceptivity I have seen in the Kosovars , for their country, is primarily responsible for the stupendous improvement in all facets of social and political stability it this part of the Balkans. The very fact that the elections were held without a single hiccup, even though this region is just recovering from a not so distant traumatic history, speaks volumes about the inherent strength and understanding of the men and women of Kosovo. It is precisely this character of the locals that will take this nation to dizzy heights of prosperity. Kosovo is at a pregnant juncture. The dynamic, dexterous, durable and dependable nature of the local majority will surely ensure that the birth of this nation takes place without further emergency complications. Kosovo is for Kosovars. And being a Kosovar is a more important identity that will surely over shadow any other racial divide. This newly acquired strength will stand Kosovo in good stead in the eventful and momentous times to come. 

Author's Note

Stay at Kosovo for one year