Adventures in a Rumi World

The tall, curly-haired man in the middle is prolific Writer/Performer, Ian Pounds of Ripton, Vermont. The kids surrounding him are Afghan orphans in the city of Kabul. Through the support of the Omprakash Foundation & AFCECO, Ian taught these children, and many more, English, computers, photography and music for the past five months.

On April 14, 2009, Ian arrived in Kabul with only a Cittern (10-string mandolin), handbag and bright red duffel bag to his name, the first volunteer invited to live extensively with these orphans, and incredibly, a man living with sixty girls, ruffling the feathers of fundamentalist mores.

Through his daily online journal entries (hardly what I would call a blog) Ian penned the dramas and dangers of following through with what anybody would agree is a near-impossible goal: staying alive in a war-torn country.

Ian writes..."A man living among girls who in this country are of marrying age may incite a row...If we cannot convince parents of my role and trustworthiness, if we cannot find a way to get government official approval, to convince them this orphanage is an open book, that there are no radicals here, for security reasons I may have to... move to Pakistan."

But, stay alive he does, even finding a place for his Western ideals and virtues among Rumi literature, Islamic traditions and many mornings of Chi tea. And, as always, vigilant about who the Taliban are or where they might be, Ian plays it safe. To be discovered is a fate Ian knew would spell disaster.

But, naively or not, Ian's fears and concerns abate when he meets the beautiful, silly faces of parent-less children, like Nabila, Farzana, Omid or Malalai as well as Meetra, Nafisa, Frishta and Fawad or Ulfat, Sunbola, Mahbooba and Araj. 108 names in total, memorized and remembered by voice. The brains of these youngsters were like sponges soaking up how to count to ten and the days of the week in English, how to sing, how to e-mail, even how to love an American.

So vivid are Ian's descriptions and profound realizations that you, the reader, can't tear yourself away for a day from his confessions.

But, why dangerous Afghanistan? Why not any other needy orphanages in any other country, even right here in the U.S.? I want to ask him this and so many more questions while meeting him this weekend at Gloria's home but then I found my answer from this June 12 entry.

"I tell myself I have come here to build a bridge, no matter how small, in the name of duty if for nothing else. I’ve come here to gift some children with tools, love and maybe a few memories to carry them through the toughest of times. I’ve come to build a tiny model for my nation as it marches toward a milepost: one decade of war in this country."

Still, there's much to learn in Ian's passages about Afghanistan, none of which you'll read or hear on CNN or the major network news. His latest mission is to find 100 new sponsors for the children by New Year's. He's currently on a speaking "tour" throughout New England and will fly to San Diego in October to speak at five schools there. Emma Willard in Troy might be his next stop!