Where are you Seyum, my friend from Eritria?

Where are you Seyum, my friend from Eritria?

I still remember him a tall shy boy, always ina bending position while moving and while standing. He was with me in the physical chemistry group. We had common teachers, common classes. He said he is from eritria.
In those days I did not know where eritria was located.

Evrybody whomthe soviet union supported was taken as something very natural to support for. Soviet union would support only genuine movements. We knew Ethiopia had its monarch Haile Selasi removed and a new revolutionary leader Mengistu Haile Merium has taken over.

To be a supporter of Ethipia and its leader Mengistu Haile Merium was something fashionable and vry natural and I would say on hindsight very safe.

For the Soviet government ethipia was fight a sessionary movement. Later I came to know that they are also Marxist in their outlook.

I saw Ethipians and I saw eritrians. There was difference. The eritrians were calm and quite and sober.
So eritrians in Moscow could not openly argue their cases, they were not supported by the USSR. They kept very low profile, studied hard and waited for their turn.

Seuym was my friend. I feel sad that in those days I did not spend more time with him. Language was a problem. He spoke English with his accent. I had difficulty. He said there are mny Indian teachers in Eritria. He studied under one such teacher and till date reemmebers him as a real teacher. He had very high impression