The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

13.07.2015 Views

As soon as they entered Dvoryankov’s hotel room, the telephone rang. Someonefrom Taraki’s administration said that a limousine with guards had been dispatched todrive Nikolai Alexandrovich to the residence of the chairman of the Revolutionary Council.While they waited for the car, Starostin showed Dvoryankov the latest issue of the AfghanEnglish-language newspaper, The Kabul Times. On the front page, a photograph portrayed ablissfully smiling “giant” Taraki sitting at his “chairman’s” T-shaped desk with governmentmembers as “Liliputs” gathered around, staring admiringly at the chairman of theRevolutionary Council.“You see, Nikolai Alexandrovich, what sort of photographs are being published inAfghani papers!” exclaimed Starostin angrily. “It’s completely ridiculous. Remember, Ishowed you portraits of ‘The Great Leader’ that had been placed all over the city? Did younotice that Taraki is painted in a greenish-blue tint? The posters are ridiculously designed,and he is depicted with an idiotic smile, his head sticking out of some ridiculous gofferedcollar, as if he is Tartuffe or some medieval Spanish king. How can one explain this? Couldthe mass circulation of this depiction mean that someone from Taraki’s entourage is tryingto compromise the head of state, depicting him as deranged? Or could it be that hiscomprehension of reality is simply inadequate?”“Valery, you are accustomed to suspect everything and everybody. I understand thatthis is your profession. However, I am almost sure that such an image—an image of a kind,simple man of the people—has been created deliberately by Afghan propaganda as acontrast to Daoud, a gloomy, arrogant aristocrat who almost never smiled. I think that thisimage of Taraki could be well-received by Afghanistan’s lower classes, workers, andpeasants.”270

“And the English-only Kabul Times is published for whom? For Afghan workers andpeasants?” remarked Starostin sarcastically.Dvoryankov didn’t have a chance to respond. There was a polite knock on the door.A young officer with a bushy moustache, who was an aide-de-camp of the head of state,invited the professor downstairs, where the car was waiting. Dvoryankov took an attachécase filled with gifts and went towards the door, handing Starostin the room key. BiddingDvoryankov farewell, Valery asked him to call as soon as he returned to the hotel.Nikolai Alexandrovich called around 10 a.m. the following morning. He was agitatedand told Valery that while he was returning to the hotel, Taraki’s car was involved in anaccident. Nobody was hurt, but it was suspected that the head of state was the object of aterrorist attack. The driver of the car that impacted Taraki’s limousine was arrested andunder investigation.Valery stopped by his residence to pick up some cold beer before continuing to thehotel. Dvoryankov was not alone in his hotel room. The professor was having a livelyconversation with his guests, including Nurzai, the president of the Academy of Sciences,and other Afghans who sat on the bed and chairs in the room. The Afghans were in obviousadmiration of the scholar, who was in his teaching mode trance. Valery thought that theylooked like sparrows sitting on bare branches of a wintery tree. They would utter fromtime to time in Pashto, “Ustaza! Ustaza! (Oh Teacher, Oh Teacher).”When Dvoryankov saw Valery, he told his visitors that he had to leave for theembassy right away. The guests filed out of the room. Starostin drove NikolaiAlexandrovich not to the embassy or to his home, but to Paghman. There, in the emptypark, designed by Italians in the early twentieth century during the rule of Amir Amanullah271

As soon as they entered Dvoryankov’s hotel room, the telephone rang. Someonefrom Taraki’s administration said that a limousine with guards had been dispatched <strong>to</strong>drive Nikolai Alexandrovich <strong>to</strong> the residence of the chairman of the Revolutionary Council.While they waited for the car, Starostin showed Dvoryankov the latest issue of the AfghanEnglish-language newspaper, <strong>The</strong> Kabul Times. On the front page, a pho<strong>to</strong>graph portrayed ablissfully smiling “giant” Taraki sitting at his “chairman’s” T-shaped desk with governmentmembers as “Liliputs” gathered around, staring admiringly at the chairman of theRevolutionary Council.“You see, Nikolai Alexandrovich, what sort of pho<strong>to</strong>graphs are being published inAfghani papers!” exclaimed Starostin angrily. “It’s completely ridiculous. Remember, Ishowed you portraits of ‘<strong>The</strong> Great Leader’ that had been placed all over the city? Did younotice that Taraki is painted in a greenish-blue tint? <strong>The</strong> posters are ridiculously designed,and he is depicted with an idiotic smile, his head sticking out of some ridiculous gofferedcollar, as if he is Tartuffe or some medieval Spanish king. How can one explain this? Couldthe mass circulation of this depiction mean that someone from Taraki’s en<strong>to</strong>urage is trying<strong>to</strong> compromise the head of state, depicting him as deranged? Or could it be that hiscomprehension of reality is simply inadequate?”“Valery, you are accus<strong>to</strong>med <strong>to</strong> suspect everything and everybody. I understand thatthis is your profession. However, I am almost sure that such an image—an image of a kind,simple man of the people—has been created deliberately by Afghan propaganda as acontrast <strong>to</strong> Daoud, a gloomy, arrogant aris<strong>to</strong>crat who almost never smiled. I think that thisimage of Taraki could be well-received by <strong>Afghanistan</strong>’s lower classes, workers, andpeasants.”270

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