Robert Tyabji, New Delhi 1973

Afghanistan is a fascinating country. I had the honor of visiting parts of the country's central and northern regions in October of 1972 when the country was still a kingdom. We traveled in a convoy of jeeps (Toyota Land Cruisers - not the sleek comfortable ones one sees today) and had to carry everything with us, including fuel, water and food over and above the film and audio equipment.

I was part of a small UNICEF film team documenting the situation of displaced Afghans fleeing famine in the western parts, ndear the Iran border. These IDPs had trekked to the central province of Ghor seeking shelter from the oncoming winter in the many caves dotting the mountainsides. They were in pitiable condition. Their footwear was poorly cured leather stitched together around their feet. These people had little or no food or water and were in imminent danger of dying either from starvation or by freezing in the approaching winter.

Our film was meant to raise funds in Europe to pay for food deliveries to the region by truck before the passes closed for the winter. The local governor wasn't happy with our presence (although we had all the central government permissions needed to carry out our mandate) and had us placed under house arrest, confining us to a bungalow on the outskirts of a remote town. UNICEF's Regional Director had to fly in from Delhi to have us released and we managed by the skin of our teeth to catch the very last flight of the season out from Chaghcharan airport. Whew!

During the visit I had opportunities to enjoy the hospitality of one of the nomadic chieftains passing though the area on the tribe's way to Pakistan for the winter. He traveled with large herds of sheep and goats. They would even plant vegetables wherever they paused. The chieftain entertained us in a huge tent and we all sat on piles of carpets sipping tea. Fascinating!

Unfortunately I don't have any photos and neither do I have a copy of the film, which raised sufficient funds to send in a few dozen lorries filled with grain and other essential food supplies. I also have no news of how the IDPs fared in the brutal winter.