A Tale Of Two Countries

Very close and Vastly different, GeorGia and azerbaijan are a fascinatinG study in contrasts.  Prabhu Ghate tours the separated-at-birth nations

- Prabhu Ghate

Straddling the isthmus between the Black and Caspian seas, where Asia meets Europe, the two small countries of Georgia and Azerbaijan can easily be visited together. In fact, sitting side by side they remind one of Ali and Nino, the star-crossed couple in the eponymous novel by Kurban Said set in Baku just before World War I, which has become something of a classic. Ali is a young Muslim of noble descent who defies convention and marries Nino, his schoolgirl sweetheart from an aristocratic Georgian family settled in Baku. Their relationship survives the clash of cultures till it ends with Ali getting killed resisting the Red Army as it advances to absorb both countries as provinces of the new Soviet Union. Today they are independent again, flourishing in their own way, connected by strategic oil and gas pipelines, their capitals a scenic eight-hour train ride from each other.

Georgia is the more visited of the two. Imagine a country that is uniformly green, with blue skies and day-time temperatures of 25 degrees in May and June. It has snow-covered, 5,000m peaks as well as seaside resorts, is inexpensive, extremely tourist friendly (it guarantees e-visas in five days) and not too far away from India. Georgia was one of the first countries to adopt Christianity, and is studded with churches, many of them teetering on the edge of cliffs or perched on mountain tops. It is famous for its traditional polyphonic singing, best heard in Sunday morning church services. It is also strongly influenced by Islam since the Persians were here on and off over the centuries.

Tbilisi (the T is not silent) is one of Europe’s most beautiful capitals. It snakes along a winding valley, overlooked by ancient churches and a spectacular fortress. Today it is kept safe and crime-free by a police force appointed by the government that came to power after the Rose Revolution of 2003 and which sacked the entire corrupt force.