Today, my native city celebrates its birthday. I just can’t speak about it without love, because from the very childhood I am imbued with its spirit, which is very close to me.
Kharkiv is a city that appreciates actions instead of beautiful words. Kharkiv is a worker, which is able to work a lot and to have a good rest. It is a city of active, enterprising people who prefer not to wait for handouts from others, but to take their lives into their own hands. Kharkiv is a smart city, the scientific schools of which competed with Moscow and St. Petersburg in Soviet times.
Perhaps, our ambitions of the First capital prevent Kharkiv from playing the leading roles in independent Ukraine. But during these years, the region has formed a powerful lobby at the central level. Frankly speaking, many often dislike Kharkiv residents and make them playing second fiddle. It happens only because they feel our strength and are rather afraid. In addition to my personal experience and study, I see it clearly in various rankings, or, to be more precise, in the comparison of the results of external (international) and internal (national) researches.
For example, Financial Times indicates Kharkiv as the best city of the future from the point of view of investment attractiveness. After a while, the similar national research appears, and Vinnytsia is on the first place here. By the way, Kharkiv surrendered leadership to the same city in the ranking of the best cities for life, taking the second place in it. Then, the authoritative international researchers draw up an annual global university ranking, where Karazin Kharkiv National University is the best among Ukrainian higher educational institutions. In our ministry’s ranking, our Karazin University is traditionally the third one.
And you know, in these (maybe inappropriate on this holiday) appeals to some rankings, I also demonstrate the spirit and the identity of Kharkiv. We are not satisfied with the recognition of being equal. It is important for us to be the first and the best, because we apply a lot of efforts for this. Kharkiv is a city with powerful core, which cannot be destroyed by anything. It is always “alive, working and rock-solid,” as Vladimir Mayakovsky wrote about our city.
However, my favourite words about Kharkiv belong to Bulat Okudzhava:
“Oh, Kharkov, Kharkov, your streets,
They are bright without light.
Make your passers-by, the smarties,
Teach me wisdom”
Kharkiv is a wise city, which knows when it is time to “teach wisdom,” and when it is time to keep silence. Today, maybe it is better not to philosophize archly, but simply to enjoy this day.
Happy holiday, Kharkiv! Happy our day!
