In Memory of a Happiness
Mukaddes Kalkavan and her husband Kâşif Kalkavan
By: Osman Öndeş
I saw an obituary in the newspaper. It was the news of the passing of Hacı Mukaddes Kalkavan Hanım. Hacı Mukaddes Kalkavan, the esteemed wife of the late Kâşif 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 she was laid to rest in the Karacaahmet Family Cemetery.
Wishing them mercy, I opened the 6th volume of my documentary work titled History of Turkish Shipowners, published in 2017, and transcribed the interview I conducted with Mr. Kâşif Kalkavan in Salacak to these pages. It meant that 19 years had passed since then.
I had also taken a few photographs of Mr. Kâşif. He was a gentleman with a "people's philosophy." He had described it as follows:
"I do not say 'let the world conform to me'; I conform to the world. When some friends suggested, 'Let's have a gathering,' while we were sitting somewhere, I never complied with them throughout my life. However, I did not express the words 'You absolutely cannot have a gathering' to them. I simply maintained the order of my own life with the account of God and my conscience, did not interfere with anyone's property, and did not reach out to anyone except for my own rights."
"Forget about Turkey; even if they gave me the banks of America, what would I do with that money! I cannot poison my future. Even if I saw a future coming from such money, I know it has no end. I would not touch it."
Kâşif Kalkavan was born in Rize in 1926. His father was Cafer Sadık Kalkavan and his mother was Besire Kalkavan. His wife, Mukaddes Kalkavan Hanım, was the daughter of his grandmother’s nephew. They were engaged in 1947 and married on September 9, 1948.
The family had four children: three sons and one daughter. The eldest of the sons is Nevzat Kalkavan, followed by Metin Kalkavan and Mehmet Kalkavan; their daughter is Leyla Hanım. Kâşif Kalkavan was named after his grandfather.
Cafer Sadık Kalkavan had eight children named Kâşif, Arif, Selahattin, Necati, Şükriye, Şakire, Sadiye, and Akif. To keep his father’s memory alive, Kâşif Kalkavan did not forget the Konaşlı district of Aydınlı Village in Rize; he built a mosque in the village and ensured that water was brought to the village.
He passed away on January 18, 2010, and was laid to his eternal rest in Karacaahmet Cemetery. From the tape recordings I kept in my archive, I listened to what Kâşif Kalkavan told me years ago in his office in Salacak in his own voice, and I published this interview in the special issue of Dünya Newspaper on Wednesday, October 30, 2002.
"If you go the right way, you will reach the right destination," he said and continued: "In my youth, I understood life as respect. When I say respect, I mean respect for nature, I mean respect for humanity. I want to point out the sanctity of family ties and explain that we must be beneficial to the homeland and the nation. Otherwise, one cannot get anywhere with ostentation."
"If I say I was handsome, what I mean is a well-ordered life..."
"I have always been sincerely devoted to my religion. I do not say 'let the world conform to me'; I conform to the world."
"There is no saying 'I don't know'; reading and science are the only valid powers in the world."
"67 years of my life were spent in Istanbul. We witnessed many people from the maritime community and the industrial world pass away. But everyone migrated to the same place. There is a way of going; there is a meaning to saying goodbye. As they say: 'Live a short life or a long one, the end eventually comes to everyone!'"
"Only those whose consciences are free, who are respectful of others' rights and the rights of the state as much as their own, are truly virtuous people! Toss the rest aside. They can be beneficial neither to their families nor to their nation. They only deceive themselves and pass away."
"In a word, I say: 'He who does not consent to his own right is actually the one who denies his sustenance.' Justice cannot be expected only at the courthouse door. Lift your head; you may not see where it is, but it is everywhere."
"I have seen many bosses. Those who were not content with their rights eventually became resigned to their fate. If a person turns a blind eye to the truth, it will certainly be very dangerous for their own future. For this reason, all of our children are devoted to their honor and dignity."
He emphasized that his children received much higher education than he did and were raised with faith. "If I cannot provide material aid, neither I nor my children withhold moral support. The sole reason my life continues like this is honesty," he said.
"Look ahead. Do not poison your future! The word 'Read' descended from Almighty Allah to the Prophet. There is no such thing as 'I don’t know.' Read. Read more. Knowledge is the most valid thing in this world."
Throughout his life, he felt a great need for knowledge. They sent their children and grandchildren to England and America for education. "All of my children are serving with a worldview that is more beneficial, more qualified, and more faithful than mine, and with no ill intentions toward anyone," he added.
"Being a scholar and cultured is an unparalleled quality bestowed upon a person by Allah. Almighty Allah implied to us through Prophet Muhammad that having great faith is possible through reading; He said, 'Read.' He commanded, 'Wherever knowledge is, go there.' The most valid virtue for people in the world is 'Science'."
He believed that if you earn your money rightfully and do good deeds, that money will never be lost or "sink." He advised: "The sun will not always set. Do not break your spirituality. One day, a sun may shine upon you! Never lose hope, but work."
Kâşif Kalkavan at the launching ceremony of the container ship "Mukaddes Kalkavan," named after his wife, with his wife Mukaddes and daughter Leyla. Photo: Osman Öndeş
"Do not expect others to speak your language; learn their language, learn it well, and you will see that you will find much closer connections, and the doors to success will open more easily. In our time, there were Levantine agents. They spoke five or six languages; we felt both discomfort and admiration in their presence."
Regarding family harmony, he noted: "I built my home in love and understanding with my wife Mukaddes. We got engaged in 1947 and marriage was destined for us on September 9, 1948. I am still very pleased with my life and lifestyle."
Kâşif Kalkavan in his Salacak office, recounting his life story. Photo: Osman Öndeş
"Read; learn economics and law well. Never allow yourselves to be downtrodden due to ignorance. Use your brain correctly. Maturity does not happen on its own. Respect contemporary science. Learn what is happening in the world, take lessons, and draw insights."
"If you look at my dreams, we are not even halfway there yet. Build mosques, build schools, build hospitals. Use a portion of your earnings for the public good. Do not withhold your contribution to the bread of the poor. Devious paths deeply grieve those who possess a conscience. If you do good deeds, your money will not sink. If you say 'let everything be mine,' you cannot rise. That sun will eventually set."
For the late Kâşif 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 mercy be upon them."
Source: denizhaber.com | Osman Öndeş Archive