A letter to the teachers of English: 108Conversation skillsNooradin meets the Indian teacher [Archives:2006/942/Education]

Prof. M.N.K.Bose
[email protected]
Professor of English,
Faculty of Arts, Ibb
Nooradin: Hello, teacher. Good morning.

Teacher: Hello. You are Nooradin, aren't you? I'm trying to remember names.

Nooradin: Yes. You're right. It's difficult to remember all the names, isn't it?

Teacher: Insha Allah, I'll try and remember many. Where are you from?

Nooradin: I'm from Ibb, the old city of Ibb.

Teacher: The old city? How old is it?

Nooradin: May be a few hundred years. This part of the city is newer.

Teacher: There must be old buildings and mosques there. Is there a palace too?

Nooradin: I don't think there is a palace, but there is an old mosque called Al Kabir mosque. It is a very old one with beautiful architecture and four porticos.

Teacher: Must be a big one, as the name suggests. Kabir means big, doesn't it?

Nooradin: Yes, it is a big one too.

Teacher: What else can one see in the old city, Nooradin?

Nooradin: There is an old gate called Al Rakezha gate. It is one of the five gates in the strong wall around the city; the other gates, I'm told, are damaged.

Teacher: Oh, What a pity! The wall must also have been damaged. Anything else?

Nooradin: If you walk through the streets of the city, you can experience the ancientness of the city; the structure of the houses and the roads and everything. There are traditional markets in the city and traditional food items in the restaurants.

Teacher: Are you saying that the city is still kept old?

Nooradin: Unfortunately not. The people prefer modernity and so they are spoiling the antiquity of the city, demolishing the old buildings and constructing modern ones.

Teacher: It's a pity. Ibb should also become a tourist attraction, shouldn't it?

Nooradin: You are right. Tourism is our government's priority now. Would you like to visit the old city one day with me, teacher?

Teacher: Certainly. I'll be your guest. Ok?

Nooradin: With pleasure, teacher.

Your words will be respected

if they despise evil.
——
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