Mukaddes Kalkavan, beloved wife of Kaşif Kalkavan, passed away. Her funeral was held on February 21, honoring their enduring legacy.
In Memory of a Happiness -
Mukaddes Kalkavan and her husband Kaşif Kalkavan
Written by: Osman Öndeş
I saw an obituary in the newspaper. It was the news of the passing of Hacı Mukaddes Kalkavan.
The esteemed wife of the late Kaşif Kalkavan, Hacı Mukaddes Kalkavan, had also passed away. The funeral of the deceased was held on Saturday, February 21, following the noon prayer at Üsküdar Şakirin Mosque and was buried at Karacaahmet Family Cemetery.
Wishing for mercy, I opened the 6th Volume of my document titled 'History of Turkish Shipowners,' published in 2017, and I transferred the interview we had with Mr. Kaşif Kalkavan in Salacak to these pages. This means that 19 years had passed since then.
I had also taken a few photographs of Mr. Kaşif.
He was a gentleman with a philosophical outlook on life.
He described it as follows:
'I do not say the world should conform to me; I adapt to the world.
When we sat somewhere and some friends said, 'Let's have a party,' I never conformed to them for a lifetime. But I never expressed the words 'You absolutely cannot have a party' to them. I simply preserved the order of my life with God and my conscience, did not interfere with anyone's property, and did not reach out to anyone's belongings except my own rights.
Even if they gave me the banks of America, what would I do with that money!
I cannot poison my future.
Even if I see a future from such money, I know that it has no outcome. I will not touch it.'
Kaşif Kalkavan was born in 1926 in Rize. His father was Cafer Sadık Kalkavan and his mother was Besire Kalkavan. His wife, Mukaddes Kalkavan, is the daughter of his grandmother's niece. They got engaged in 1947 and married on September 9, 1948.
The family had four children, three sons and one daughter. The eldest son is Nevzat Kalkavan, followed by Metin Kalkavan and Mehmet Kalkavan, with their daughter being Leyla Hanım.
Kaşif Kalkavan was named after his grandfather.
Cafer Sadık Kalkavan had eight children named Kaşif, Arif, Selahattin, Necati, Şükriye, Şakire, Sadiye, and Akif.
To honor his father's memory, Kaşif Kalkavan did not forget the Aydınlı Village of Rize, where he built a mosque and ensured that water reached the village.
He passed away on January 18, 2010, and was laid to rest in Karacaahmet Cemetery.
From the tape recording I kept in my archive, I listened to what Kaşif Kalkavan told me years ago in his office in Salacak, and I published this interview, which conveys his life story and philosophy, in the special issue of Dünya Gazetesi on Wednesday, October 30, 2002.
'If you go the right way, you will reach the right destination,' he said, continuing:
'In my youth, I understood life as respect.
When I say respect, I mean respect for nature, I want to express respect for humanity.
I want to emphasize the sanctity of family ties and that we should be beneficial to our homeland and nation. Otherwise, one cannot reach anywhere through ostentation.
(Source: History of Turkish Shipowners Volume VI - 2017, p. 28 and onwards)
If I say I was handsome, my intention is to mean a regular life.
*I have always been wholeheartedly devoted to my religion. I do not say the world should conform to me; I adapt to the world. When we sat somewhere and some friends said, 'Let's have a party,' I never conformed to them for a lifetime. But I never expressed the words 'You absolutely cannot have a party' to them. I simply preserved the order of my life with God and my conscience, did not interfere with anyone's property, and did not reach out to anyone's belongings except my own rights. Even if they gave me the banks of America, what would I do with that money! I cannot poison my future. Even if I see a future from such money, I know that it has no outcome. I will not touch it.
*There is no saying 'I don't know'; reading is the knowledge that is valid in the world.
*67 years of my life were spent in Istanbul. I witnessed many people from the maritime community and the industrial world passing away. But everyone migrated to the same place. There is a way to leave; there is a meaning to saying goodbye. One can leave this way or that way.
What do they say? Live little, live long, the outcome comes back to you!
*Those who are free in their conscience, respectful, and as respectful to themselves as they are to the rights of others and their state are the only virtuous people! Throw the rest aside. They cannot be beneficial to their families, their surroundings, or their homeland. They only deceive themselves and pass away.
*In one word, I say; 'He who does not accept his own rights is actually denying his sustenance.'
The justice of rights cannot be awaited at the courthouse. Lift your head up; even if you search, you cannot find where it is, but it is everywhere.
*I have seen many bosses. Those who do not accept their rights eventually accepted their fate.
*If a person ignores the truths, it will surely be very dangerous for their future. For this reason, all our children are honorable and respect their dignity.
*We always show respect for morality, faith, and knowledge. It is for this reason that no one can criticize us. All my children received much higher education than I did and were raised with faith.
*If I cannot provide material assistance, neither I nor my children will lack in spiritual support. The sole reason for my life continuing this way is honesty.
*From the very beginning, looking back at the past, I say; 'You must look ahead. You must not poison your future!' The word 'Read' was revealed from Allah to the Prophet Muhammad. *There is no saying 'I don't know.' Read. Read more. Knowledge is the most valid knowledge in the world.
*The only reason for this life to continue this way is respect, etiquette, and being complete; if I look back at the past from the very beginning and advise with a folk saying, I say; 'Look ahead, do not poison your future!'
*Throughout my life, I have needed knowledge a lot. We sent our children to England to learn maritime trade. Then our children studied in America. My daughter's children and my sons' children studied in England and America.'
*All my children are more useful, more qualified, and more faithful than I am, and they produce services with a worldview that does not wish harm to anyone.
*Being knowledgeable and cultured is an unparalleled quality given to a person by Allah.
Allah has implied to us through the Prophet Muhammad that being a person of high faith is only possible through reading; He said, 'Read.' He commanded, 'Wherever knowledge is, go there.' The most valid virtue for people in the world is 'Knowledge.'
*Throughout my life, I have needed this a lot. It is not money; being human is what matters first.
*If you do good deeds and earn with your rights, that money will not be wasted, it will not perish.
The sun will not always set. Do not break your spirituality. One day, a sun may shine upon you! I say never lose hope, but work.
*A person should think not only of this world but also of the next world to support their future and should be aware that they come from a life that will be accountable in the realm of existence. *A person should be very humble. They should not destroy but strive to build.
*One should not enter among the bad but among the good; one must gain love. No one can even force their child to be educated. The foundation of success is love. Love should be the skillful presentation of respect. *It is possible to reveal a child's talents by giving them the opportunity to develop those talents.
*Each of our children is a part of my wife's and my heart. For this reason, each of our valuable friends in our companies is a child of this family.
We are from the İyidere district of Rize. I was born in August 1926 in the Yalıköyü neighborhood. My father's name is Cafer Kalkavan, and my mother's name is Besire Kalkavan.
I finished elementary school at the end of 1937. From there, I was sent to Samsun for middle school. We had relatives in Samsun; I stayed with my aunt.
I wanted to be very successful, to rise very high. But not just by myself; I dreamed that our whole family would be successful and rise high. That is why I worked hard. But in our time, the conditions were not favorable, and educational opportunities were very limited. However, I placed great importance on both economics and law education.
*Ensuring that my children receive a very good education became the goal of my life.
*Also, to communicate with foreigners, you must speak their language. Therefore, it is essential to know at least English. I have always dreamed of these things for my children; I have felt the excitement and longing. The body can work with its arms and legs, but nothing can compare to the brain. You must develop your brain. When I say develop, it is done through reading, knowledge, and wisdom.
Kaşif Kalkavan at the launching ceremony of the container ship named 'Mukaddes Kalkavan,' named after his wife Mukaddes, at Sedef Shipyard, with his wife Mukaddes and daughter Leyla.
Photo: Osman Öndeş.
*Do not wait for others to speak your language; learn their language, learn it well, and you will find much closer connections, and the doors of success will open more easily.
*In our time, there were always Levantine agents. They spoke five or six languages; we felt both discomfort and admiration in their presence.
*I have three sons and one daughter. All of them are valuable in their own right. The eldest is Nevzat Kalkavan, the youngest is Metin Kalkavan. My middle son is Mehmet Kalkavan. They show me the same respect they show to their elder brother Nevzat Kalkavan. The children do not fall short in this respect towards their elders.
*Allah has given reason to His servants. If there is a fault, it is the punishment of that servant's reason.
Let me give you an example; Allah has made ships, made rudders, given compasses, and provided maps. If you go on the right course, you will safely reach the port. Otherwise, if you do not know your way, if you deviate onto the wrong path and lose your course, I say may Allah guide you.
Praise be to Allah; thank you to my Lord, and thank you to you, thank you to me!
My wife Mukaddes Kalkavan and I established our home with love and understanding.
Kaşif Kalkavan said, 'My relationship with my wife Mukaddes Kalkavan is very old. She is the daughter of my grandmother's niece. In our family, cousin marriages continue. Since people from the Black Sea region are somewhat temperamental, the girls from our region know this lifestyle, so there is more opportunity for agreement, and marriages between us continue better.
In 1947, we got engaged after seeing, loving, and understanding each other. It was destined for us to marry on September 9, 1948.'
I am still very pleased with my life and living. We have three sons and one daughter born to us. First, our eldest son Nevzat, then our daughter Leyla, followed by Mehmet, and then Metin was born.
I was born in August 1926 in the Yalıdere neighborhood of İyidere village in Rize. My mother is Besire, and my father is Cafer Kalkavan. After finishing elementary school at the end of 1938, I was sent to Samsun to continue my middle school education with my aunt. At that time, conditions were very limited. There was nothing! Due to the lack of opportunities, I tell the generations that come after me that your time is favorable, and you should know how to rise high.
Kaşif Kalkavan in his office in Salacak during the years he narrated his life story.
Photo: Osman Öndeş (Source: History of Turkish Shipowners Volume VI, p. 34)
*Read, learn economics and law well, and never be trampled upon due to ignorance; respect the rights! Use your brain correctly. While every organ of the body expresses an activity, the maturity of your brain cannot be compared to any of them. Maturity does not happen spontaneously. Read, equip yourself with correct knowledge.
*Respect contemporary science. Learn what is happening in the world, take lessons, and know how to draw conclusions. A person should work with great humility, knowing that they should not only support their future in this pure world but also in the next world. You should not destroy; you should build. You will strive to build, not to destroy.
*If you look at my dreams, we are not even halfway there. Build mosques, build schools, build hospitals. Use a portion of your earnings for the benefit of the people. Do not fail to contribute to the bread of the poor. Twisted paths will greatly burden those with a conscience. If you do good deeds, your money will not perish, it will not be wasted! If you say, 'Everything should be mine,' you cannot rise to the top. That sun will one day set and disappear.
The late Kaşif Kalkavan, the late Leyla Kalkavan Mete, and his esteemed wife, the late Hacı Mukaddes Kalkavan, 'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, may they rest in peace.'
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
