Essay - Yom Al-Bahhar Village: A Place of Kuwait's Important, Valuable Heritage and Nationalism, Author - Dr. Manoranjan Das (Advocate of Kolkata High Court)

Essay - Yom Al-Bahhar Village: A Place of  Kuwait's Important, Valuable Heritage and Nationalism

Dr. Manoranjan Das

(Poet, writer, editor, researcher, advocate of Kolkata High Court)

      In a nostalgic thought of the alluring old times, whispering tales of the past through its antique shops, old houses and traditional crafts, Yom Al-Bahhar village wants visitors to breathe in authentic Kuwait in every side. During a visit by Kuwait Times, travellers and shop owners shared their appreciation of the significance in the history that has aged.

   While travelling into the place, a distant voice could be heard singing what seemed like a country song, but the words couldn’t quite be deciphered. When going around to see where the voice was coming from, it was felt that it emanated from a middle-aged woman. That’s when it was seen that the woman was chanting the national anthem of Kuwait, with her children singing it with her.

     Such a continuous incident made the observation that places like this not only console time of the past, but also foster an idea of nationalism. “Yom Al-Bahhar evokes scenes from ancient Kuwait, reflected in the attire of people adorned in their national dress, the vintage toys that children used to play with in the past, the presence of old shops and traditional foods that have nearly faded from history,” the middle-aged woman said, picturesquing the place.

      She said the object of her visit was to teach her children about their fore-father’s efforts in Jshaping their history. “Now with the rapid uplifments in the world and the wideness to many cultures, our  children are more often related with the history of other nations than with that of their bmotherland. So, from time to time, it’s complex to remind them of their origins,” the middle-aged woman told. A poem,

 ' The culture and creed

 are owed nation

Where the view her ownness are rowed to             uniqueness.

It is prolonged to

          universality

as a norm and form 

          of fineness,

  basing on historical

          proof, at all.'1

       Another woman, Om Mohammad, who was staying alone accepting the blissful outdoor weather in the village while looking her children playing, said her children have grown up bored of the new lifestyle of coming at the jwell malls in Kuwait, which viewed  her to visit Yom Al-Bahhar. “By  coming places like Al-Mubarakiya and Yom Al-Bahhar, we can touch  greater value to our kith and kin by giving them idea about their past history and how the relatives of Kuwait used to live in the past,” she said. She attached with the original evident in every expression of the place enhances children’s thought of sweetenness, contrasting with observing the malls, which foster attachings of materialism.

A person pours traditional Arabic coffee.

A person pours traditional Arabic coffee.

       Kuwait Times also told to many shop owners. The owner of a shop with a banner showing its name as “Collectibles”, Hani Al-Asousi, a person of the board of directors of the Kuwait Society for Heritage, touched to childhood memories of taking items, which correctly led to the development of a big museum to his house, from which many items  were exchanged to this shop. “I was very keen to show in my shop the objects that were elabourately used in old Kuwaiti housekeepers: a roof fan dating back to 1942, an old gramophone, old radios, TVs, cameras, clocks and more. Here, all the things  your eyes fall upon is happenation,” he said. A rhyme,

' Old things are fine

And good, at all,

It's authentic, you see

And it's real.

Households like it well

And take to home,

They love it to heart

Properly at random.

In the remote village,

These are seen;

These are sometimes

Also unknown.

Old things, oh!  relate 

To their culture, own,

From the olden days

These are grown.'2

        Drawn to a cultural museum in the remote places of the village, Kuwait Times showed to Fahad Al-Abduljalil, Chairman of the Kuwait Society for Heritage, and Nawal El-Failakawi, in charge of the museum. They took part that the museum of Yom Al-Bahhar teaches people about a new azenda in Kuwait every three months. Previous topics sustained Kuwait’s maritime history, the incident of Kuwaiti women, the ministry of information, Kuwait’s red letter day, and now, the history of football in Kuwait. “We are informing rare photographs of skillful players and collectibles related to their championships, such as trophies, medals, books, magazines and newspapers,” they told.

  It's to be stored displaying Kuwaiti pottery.

      Museum showcases unknown photos and collectibles of advancing football players of Kuwait.

     A store owner at Yom Al-Bahhar village  

Store displaying Kuwaiti pottery.

Visitors  were enjoying their time at Yom Al-Bahhar.

        Museum showcases were rare photos and collectibles of piooneering football players of Kuwait.

     The last stop was at a store that showed small ship models. Abdulrahman Al-Qallaf discussed the significance of shipbuilding in Kuwait’s history. “In the past, shipbuilding was the only rule of trade and boosting the economy of Kuwait. However, the craft has been without-looked with the increase of the oil industry,” he said. Qallaf attached that his family shows its most to provide workshops to teach men  how to practice this craft, to intact it from extinction.

   Above all, as the day went to an end, the echoes of history extended in the air of Yom Al-Bahhar village, with  the pleasure of  knowledge.

References

* * Passant Hisham; Net;

1. Writer- Instant Poetry;

2. Writer  Instat Rhyme;