PERFECT FORM OF SOCIETY

Oksana Bulanova. I first saw this name in Azerbaijani Congress newspaper. My attention was attracted by a rather extensive article about Azerbaijani national costume. Inspired by reading, I noted that the author's knowledge of the subject was very deep, while her presentation was not only emotional, but also extremely exciting. Here I found something that distinguishes the author of an article that coldly lists facts from an article by a thoughtful, enthusiastic and caring person. I thought the article belonged to an art critic and certainly our countryman, or countrywoman. There was no doubt that the author was of Azerbaijani origin. But when I finally saw the author's first and last name at the end of the article, I was very surprised. I read it again. And, of course, the question arose: where does such an interest in our national costume come from?

Once again, I put forward a theory that seemed logical to me, thinking that these are the results of some studies on the way to a scientific degree. And then I saw her articles more and more often on the Internet and later, in the Azerbaijani print media. Maybe they have signed a contract with her? But I was so surprised when I read on the Internet about a Russian journalist, a native of Moscow, who had written the book "Azerbaijan: Culture, Traditions and People". Moreover, the presentation of the book was held at the Union of Writers of Azerbaijan. It was Oksana Bulanova.

Needless to say, the next day, I visited all the bookstores in search of the book. Alas! No one promised anything, but everyone knew about this book and hoped that it was about to appear on the market. And then my colleague, Mabud Maharramov, tells me that he recently met a Muscovite, who was so in love with Azerbaijan that she decided to come to Baku and live here! It was Oksana Bulanova. Can you imagine my reaction? I, of course, decided that I must definitely find the author of such wonderful articles about the national dress! But how? And then it was time to remember the Russian saying: do not have a hundred roubles, but do have a hundred friends, or at least very good acquaintances. So I found her mobile phone number. I really wanted to talk to her about the national dress, about the distinguishing feature of any national costume, and the objective reasons that form it in any nation, and particularly in Azerbaijan. After all, costume is an expressive and artistic part of the national tradition. Each element of the costume (men's or women's) - whether it is kalagai, corab, araxcin, or arxaliq or caxcurs - has its practical purpose based on the geographical location, the concept of morality and relationships in society. In short, behind this is all we call life.

Unfortunately, in recent years, no serious and in-depth attention has been paid to the reconstruction of national costume. Today it is not recreated, but sewn with a kind of general stylistic orientation rather than specific detailed style that belongs to one or another unique region of the country. Meanwhile, each region has not only its traditional colours, patterns, ornaments, but also traditions of using details of costume when wearing it. For example, it was not customary for a girl of marriageable age to wear a belt (kamar) emphasizing her waist over the top of her blouse. It was worn under it, because the girl was not supposed to tempt men, attracting their eyes to this part of her body and thus arousing sinful thoughts and desires. And only after becoming a wife, a young woman had the right to wear a belt over the blouse. This talking detail of costume and traditions allowed even strangers to get information on the status of the woman in society just with one look at the costume.

Also, a young girl was not supposed to wear a lot of expensive jewellery. All this was allowed only after marriage. For expensive jewellery on her allowed people to find out details about the financial status of her husband and family. In the history of national costume, there is a great deal of such important and interesting details, which nobody even remembers today, regarding costume as simply archaic. I learned these interesting facts from Bulanova's articles. I am very grateful to her for that and for the book, in which I expected to find a detailed description of the costume - men's and women's. This is the subject of my career interest. Costume is very important in the theatre, in particular, national costume with all its exclusive details and colours! So I was looking for exciting details about this part of the culture of the ethnic group. And I found something quite different - the advanced analytical view of an impartial person on the nature of things that fall within the concept of "modern Azerbaijan".

This book is the result of a detailed, historically substantiated and exciting journey to the colours of national customs and traditions, and an analytical study on the mental characteristics of a nation that is genetically not inclined to violence and wars. It is an unbiased view of a man in love with the scent of the exotic East. However, as it turned out later, she has long been attracted to the East as a cultural phenomenon. But only here, at the confluence of two cultures - East and West, did she find what she had been looking for so long. Each page of the twenty-two chapters contains a comparative analysis of the usual European and eastern ways of life. All is in favour of the latter. It's her East - dream and reality merged together, an eastern fairy tale that came true, the true story of the Karabakh problem with historical documents, holidays, faith, the importance of family ties, the worship of ancestors' moral laws and the spiritual beauty of the people, as well as the beauty of people living in a beautiful country.

Once Anastasia Yefremova, a prominent Moscow theatre critic, exclaimed when she first saw Baku: "In such a beautiful city, only beautiful people must be living!" The same feeling comes from Oksana Bulanova's book. Incidentally, about her name. In the Ukrainian language, Oksana is the verbal form of the name Ksenia. This name is of Greek origin and literally means alien, stranger, foreigner or wanderer. She really is a wanderer. She has been wandering the world for a long time, having been to twenty countries. She tried her hand in various fields. For a start, she got three educations (as a fashion designer, drawing teacher and journalist) and worked as a literary manager in Sfera Theatre, as director of a travel agency, and then she came to journalism. And without abandoning journalism and journalistic expeditions, she wrote two novels. The first one - "Turkish coffee" - became a bestseller, was translated into Turkish and re-released again. The second one - "Two" - entered the long list of the Russian award. And here's a book about Azerbaijan. Oksana is really a wanderer. She is a wanderer not by definition, but by the nature and essence of the soul. You cannot help comparing her with Kipling's character who loved to walk by herself. The character of my story also loves to determine her priorities herself. She gives the impression of a strong, confident, purposeful, strong-willed and passionate person. Therefore, she expresses herself not only in literature.

Her passion for songs began at the age of sixteen. At the same time, she got her first guitar with the money she had saved. She still remembers the poems she composed at the age of five...

 ...2003 became life-changing for her. It all began after Channel One of Russian TV asked her to head a filming expedition to Azerbaijan in order to create a documentary about this country. Oksana's friends and colleagues were horrified and strongly dissuaded her from travelling, because a war was going on where she was planning to go along with three other men, people there were strange and even walking through the streets was terrible. But we remember that she is one of those who like to walk by themselves. So, not listening to anyone, she went to Azerbaijan. The myth about terrible Azerbaijanis began to crumble literally on board the plane. AZAL's Boeing made a strong impression, including with well-trained stewards. Their group was met at the airport and put up at the Hotel Absheron, where everyone was also extremely polite, attentive and nice. It was getting dark and to begin with, Oksana went out to change money. Here she got another nice little shock from ordinary human kindness and attention. Returning after a walk along the boulevard, she was surprised by the attention of the police: they wanted to be sure that the girl (we do notice visitors immediately!) was okay and did not need any help. It was a continuation of the debunking of the myth about terrible Azerbaijanis. And in the next few days, she had expeditionary trips across the country, and this debunking continued at an ever-increasing rate.

- None of the twenty countries I have seen has given me so much emotional impressions per unit of time and space as Azerbaijan!, she recalls today. And everywhere, in all regions of the country and different climatic zones, people said when they learnt that we were from Moscow: "Say hello to Moscow! Say hello Russia!" I was amazed how this can happen: just recently in Sirvan, we were in light T-shirts, and some time later, in Naxcivan, we had to wear jackets because it was cold like in winter.

These and subsequent trips formed not only the basis of the TV essay about the country, but also resulted in a book entitled "Mosaic of Azerbaijan". Oksana felt that this country attracted her like a magnet. She wanted to return to it again and again. She offered interesting topics to various magazines just to get back here again.

- I do not like it when they talk about people, emphasizing their belonging to a nation. This is something of great-power chauvinism. It is even something insulting. I do not accept this. Here, in Azerbaijan, I did not encounter it even once! And I love it. I've always aspired to such a model of national relations where it does not matter what nationality you are. You are just a human. It seems to me that this is where I found the perfect form of society I always sought.

She is often told that she has euphoria from being in love with the country and that it is necessary to live in a country in order to see and evaluate it objectively. She has been living in it for several years now. She is engaged in journalism and rents an apartment paying for it with her meagre journalistic fees. Oksana believes that she has been communicating with the country long enough not to have any illusions and to evaluate it objectively. And she is surprised that we grumble, complaining about small things. For small things, she says, we cannot see the most important things: here everyone has the right and opportunity to feel needed.

- I feel good here! I feel comfortable, quiet and safe. When I got tired of inventing reasons for visits to Azerbaijan, I thought I could just come and live here in order to know the country better. And for several years now, I have felt absolutely happy here. I have a job, friends, my own social circle, which gives me something that Moscow could never provide with its crazy pace of life and the haste of friendly relations, although I have lots of friends there too... I feel like a woman, because men are giving way to me in the metro, not because I am so irresistible, but because they are so well-bred. Russia, unfortunately, has lost this appeal. Everything eroded and disappeared somewhat quickly...

I did not ask whether she was happy here. Everything is too obvious anyway. I just quietly felt happy for her, knowing how important it is for a creative person to live in harmony with himself and the world.