Kartikeya Sharma/WION news
Sipping Ballantine’s at 11 PM, after the dinner, I felt like assessing my first day in Syria. I always felt that this trip would be a feather in my cap but the outcome was mixed. But let’s be truthful. I’m an invitee of the government of Syria and no investigative journalism taking place in the city. I’m neither a defence or war correspondent. I’m a greedy political correspondent who loves to see and taste the world. Subsequently, the only thing which happened was discreet and indiscreet observations made on the first day in Damascus, Syria’s capital.
Firstly, the grilling at the airport for bringing an innocuous LiveU was a gigantic experience. It taught me first hand as to why technology gets better of the bureaucracy. A small device which integrates network strength of 4 to 6 sim cards had to be deposited at the Damascus airport. Despite being invited to cover Damascus Trade Fair for the rebuilding of Syria, I went through the experience of being a thief. I wondered as to what nationals secret of the existing government I would be able to reveal under constant nudging, guidance and oversight of two lovely fellows from the tourism ministry. I ended up working with my mobile phone and using WhatsApp vigorously. The difference was that the density of the coverage and footage sent.
The 4G sim card and my good phone did a decent job. The LiveU remains deposited at the Syrian International Airport. LiveU also suffered badly at the hands of the Syrian custom because it was made in Israel. I wonder whether made in Russia LiveU would have to suffer the same fate. The officers realizing that it was made in Israel sealed the fate of the device. All my plea and contact calls failed.
This is how the day started after travelling for more than 12 hours. A flight which took me to Thiruvananthapuram from Delhi to Sharjah and eventually to Damascus tested my back’s patience. I survived the LiveU fiasco but it broke my cameraman’s heart. So much so that he forgot to lug in his crucial luggage to his room which later was eventually traced to the government provided a taxi. He got the bag.
The journey to the capital too was too a revelation. I saw dying trees on both ends. I was told that because of the war the irrigation suffered and for this reason, the tree-lined highway too suffered. The outskirts of the capital witnessed the brunt of the brutal war. It reminded me of Afghanistan of 2003 when I visited Kabul. Big mansions and housing complex lay shattered and marked by the bullets of AK-47s.
You can feel the military on the skin in the city. The city has a checkpoint everywhere. You see soldiers both Russians and Syrians managing the civic life. It is not possible to report from Syria if you are not locally invested. There are dedicated lanes at checkpoints too. One for the military and another for the civilians.
I thanked my star that I had help from the state. This is despite the fact that I had to undergo an official schedule which I found came into my way of working out a nice story. No-where we could take videos without being interrupted. Every time, soldiers had to be shown the official order. I could feel the state on my skin literally.
But then I must admit that I’m not a US fan.
The United States has broken stable and authoritarian states in the name of democracy and human rights throughout the world. West Asia has suffered the maximum and biggest brunt leading to unmanageable immigration crisis in Europe. Same happened with Syria. Today, the country is staring at Edlib offensive whereas US is more interested in preserving its turf in Syria than killing ISIS. These are the big issues.
The beautiful things of life lie in smaller details. Damascus is a beautiful city. It is full of young and charming men and women. It is sunny in the afternoon but chilly in the evening. The bohemian crowd of the city remains uninfected with Saudi Arabia brand of Islam. But the state does provide access to radical elements operating from Lebanon against Israel.
The young enjoy the city. I enjoyed this beautiful city and its tasty food. Less of spice and more on layers of taste, the food remains a big draw for people like me. The country wants to rebuild itself. The Damascus trade fair is a step towards it. Many cities lie in ruin but they can be rebuilt.
The first day told me that what you see about the state or its adversaries is not the same thing about people live there. Syria is both ethnically and religiously heterogeneous. You can feel the charm when you walk through the old Damascus citadel. There are many more days to invest in this beautiful land which has witnessed violence from both the state and ISIS. The state can reinvent itself and change the narrative but ISIS and Taliban affiliates will never do so. They will need to be defeated once for all even at the cost of sounding naïve.