Tbilisis haiat parki Hyatt Park Tbilisi siyvarulidan ... - Style Magazine

30
stili #23. 2007
One Step From Love
to Hatred…
If you stop any passer-by in any district of Tbilisi and ask what city he loves
most, everyone will say ‘Tbilisi’.
We Georgians are fond of our ancient capital city. We dedicate to it songs, verses
and toasts, take pleasure in showing it to the guests and recalling its history.
Those born in Tbilisi consider their origin as a special favor and pride.
But today, our Tbilisi is not the same city in honor of which we used to compose
songs and verses. Governmental systems, changing requirements of time, taste
and fashion cause us – every one of us – to turn our backs on our cherished home
city and methodically, ruthlessly, irreparably cripple it without looking back at the consequences.
Impersonal administration buildings and irrelevant monuments, craggy apartment
blocks with odd doors and windows, rusty garages and motley-colored shops, rising
in place of unique old districts without any consideration of the existing background,
style, local specificity – unfortunately, all this is done by us and will probably go on
for many years to come. Evidently, this is what we want to have. An advantageous
position, especially that the responsibility always rests with somebody else (because
we would never harm our city) – the local undereducated architects, entrepreneurs
with no imagination, development companies chasing profitable deals, corrupted government
officials, etc… The only thing we forget is that we are the members of this
list (architects, businessmen, development companies, government officials, etc.).
So what do we feel toward our city – do we love or hate it? Let us face the
truth – the present-day alarming (as I think) situation of Tbilisi is our fault. Yes, we
are fond of the place where we were born, but our personal interests, whatever they
be, appear to be much closer to our heart than the environment in which we live.
And this is the way on which love and hatred are just one step – one little, but
important step away.
KETUSIA IGNATOVA