IN MEMORY OF TAYFUN PASA RIP

One may wonder what is the connection between Sarayonu Lefkosa  or Taksim-Istanbul  or Newington Green London  and Tayfun Pasa, and many who will join the list and the author, save that they had many years of memory dreams and communal concerns at a cost of personal sacrifices .  Tayfun was a London Gazi .  He came to it he saw it and in his way conquered it .

Tayfun and I use to introduce ourselves as always in jest as the graduates of Maddox School of Journalism, under the directorship of Faruk Zabci of the Hurriyet London.  Maddox Street in 1980s was a very special place, full of talented young people with families and young children with deep social political concerns.   In momentary lull in the constant deep concern after the deliveries and collections of the daily papers would finish, long after office hours, by  early evening we would all cheer each other us  and joke and Tayfun will start a Rumeli songs and the whole office will start to sing.  Tayfun was always ready to break the lull, at some cost because in those days there were always some Turkish Supper start in London either on the way to perform at London Pavilion or had just finished some European engagement and wanted to see the latest in Town.  Maddox Street provides assistance and we never knew who would interrupt momentary joy in our lives or come and join us.

Tayfun was newly married and my daughter and his, arrived almost at the same time and we would hear their early voices in the background in the course of telephone conversations and we would joke with each other and say “soon they will grow and answer the phones for us “.  Well Tayfun now I am a grand father and I have no idea if you have since I heard your Cenaze Namazi just two hours ago.

Tayfun and I shred almost an identical philosophy , live and let live and helped  as much as one can .  Only regret is that we never had much to give except our own time , our own effort and our own lives.  Soon we all run out of life and many forget to thank and those nearest and dearest to us do without us because we have wasted ourselves to the faceless multitudes.  This is because we live and he lived his life in public domain.   If it was not public domain of Maddox street it soon became public domain of Newington Green , the Restaurants, Embassies and public offices for the benefit of our communities.  More we gave, as we use to say to each other, we shall have less to our own families and children.  Well Tayfun your have reached another station with lot of good deeds in your name now I promise you for the rest of my life that I will ask those who you helped if they have sent you fatiha .

I  now send you mine.  I am very saddened with your departure without having spoken to you for  such  long time .   I shall learn from your grief and improve my failings aspects of my character as I send your family condolences for the empty space you left rest of their lives.

I also wish get well to Mehmet Resat  Doktor  

7 Nisan 2013 

Suleymaniye

Londra  

BY AHMET MUSTAFA CONSULTANT IN  INTERNATIONAL LAW