A Maraş proveb says that:
“The partridge sings at the upper side of Maraş, and the francolin vegetates at the lower side.”
I want to Maraş on May. Since I went in May, I couldn't understand the seasonal difference between the upper side and the lower side In May, all parts of Maraş are green. Especially if you stretch towards Göksun and Efe Spring, you will see the most beautiful pines and forests of this region. What's inside Maraş? It's dry, bone-dry. It has nothing but a street which was opened with noisy protests during the time of the former mayor, a high school and Çeltik Palas. If the Institute for Girls, Ziraat Bank and Government House are finished, there will be these three buildings as well. However, the people of Maraş cannot be regarded as people who do not like to read. The following books are sold on its streets at all hours of the day: Beklenen Şarkılar, Adem ile Havva ve Cenneti Alâ, Firavunun Son Günleri, Çocuklara Mahsus Resimli ve Tatbikatlı Namaz Hocası, Develili Seyranî, Hıçkırık.
If I hadn't met journalists, teachers and students from Maraş, I would have returned very upset. When I talked to them, I realized that the people of Maraş were also complaining about the present underdeveloped state of Maraş. The next day, I also toured the primary schools of Maraş. These also enlightened my heart a little more. There is more: While I was passing by İstiklal Primary School, I also saw students in a classroom listening to their teachers silently and admiringly. From my heart: "Study the children of Maraş; the wolf cubs! Atatürk, the man whom we can hardly meet for centuries, said that science is the most truthful guide in life, study. A little later, when I arrive in Antep, I will open my suitcase, start reading Sait Faik, Orhan Veli, Haldun Taner, and read them again and again, so read” I even cried. Later, I also met a village teacher, Nabi Çalık. Nabi Çalık: “Intelligentsia should come here, take the soil in their hands, squeeze, squeeze” he says. Nabi Çalık! This genuine village boy makes me so emotional. I return to the hotel. In the hotel hall, I find Nuri Pakdil waiting for me.