I went to Kosova in December 1999 on a visit. It was indeed ravaged by the atrocities committed by the Serbs. People are very proud and friendly. I had a very nice time there coping with the ever present struggles for water and electricity. Part of my trip included taking some donated clothes that I had collected in USA, and distributing them in the villages up in the mountains near Mitrovica. These villages were braving some of the worst winter snows seen in some time.
The welcoming of the year 2000 was another joyous moment. To be able to share in the joy of a people who felt safe to walk again in the open at night without being stopped by soldiers or without ’’disappearing’’ was indeed an eye-opening experience. Everywhere I went, I was initially thought to be UNMIK worker and then when I replied that I was an Indian, I had to watch their reactions because India was a good friend of Yugoslavia which is the same power that was their enemy. But I was always in the company of friends who spoke and when I jibed in with a few words of Albanian, the cigarettes started to be offered across the table and the bonds of friendship were sealed.
The most exciting incident I experienced was on Jan 7, 2000 when me and my Albanian friends were stopped by French NATO troops near the market south of the Bridge in Mitrovica. They searched my friends, but since I spoke French to the soldier and I had my Passport as an ID, they could not search me initially. Finally the soldier pleaded with me that he wanted to search me just to show his officer that he was doing his job. He merely padded down my legs and told me that I was clear. But the way he treated my Albanian friends was very insulting and unbecoming of an army sent to stabilise the situation in Kosova.
From that time on, many events have come to pass in Kosova and it will only be time before we see any major change. We shall have to wait and see. But till then, anyone with a zest for getting their adrenaline pumping should try and make that trip to Kosova. The best way to get documents to go there is by contacting the UNMIK office in New York at the UN building. I personally went through Macedonia, but that way is not recommended. Prishtina airport in Kosova is now open and flights from Slovenia, Germany, Switzerland and Austria do fly there. More information when I get some new plans lined up.