Les Gornall sends greetings from Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, where he has been working. He met up with the local Baha'is who send their regards to all in Northern Ireland.
“Georgia is a new country, one of the CIS countries that used to be part of the USSR before it was broken up. The country lies between the Caspian and the Black sea. In November, there was a ‘rose revolution’ much publicized on TV resulting in some political turmoil. Les. says 'The country is broke as a result of loosing markets to the USSR but not poor. The pension may be only 80p per week, but the population is highly educated, one of the security men on my project spent eight years as an astrophysicist with a world class telescope in the north of the country. The history of Georgia goes back to the Fourth Century and some of the churches date back to this time. When the world discovers Georgia it will become one of the major tourist centres of the world, there is so much to see.
“At Naw-Rúz there were three parties, Naw-Rúz night, a large reception followed by a large dinner! There is much music, poetry and graphic art to rich to take in. Much laughter and a real sense of building a new country.”
Above: Les Gornall, fourth from right, in light shirt, with Friends in Tbilisi
Left: Naw-Rúz in Tbilisi
BACK TO CONTENTS PAGE