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Many Lifetimes

Lately there are just too many op-ed pieces of Afghanistan and everyone is a purported expert on the topic and had seen this debacle coming a long time ago. This essay was a bit different and sobering kind of read for someone novice to both the topic itself and how the forces of history shaped that country.  Knowing a country and its context is no easy feat even for those who have roots there. In the preface to his book A Place Within M.G. Vasanji writes:

It would take many lifetimes, it was said to me during my first visit, to see all of India. It was January 1993. The desperation must have shown on my face to take in all I possibly could. This was not something I had articulated or resolved, and yet I recall an anxiety as I travelled the length and breadth of the country, senses raw to every new experience, that even in the distraction of a blink I might miss something profoundly significant.

He goes on to describe his background. Vasanji is not from India and neither are his parents. It was home to his great grand parents. But he speaks multiple Indian languages and always had deep connection to the country sight unseen. Even with all that learning India was a not easy for him. I can only imagine the quandary of those in the Western world who sought to understand Afghanistan. It would take many lifetimes. 


 

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