Odyssey of the Afghan girl

By Anish Mani Dixit

Her unforgettable green eyes stared out of the cover page of National Geographic magazine in the year 1985. Her innocent face besieged people all over the world. That photograph not only visualized a flawless teenager but also portrayed immense sufferings she and her fellow countrymen endured from decades of painful Civil War in Afghanistan. The then defacto government ruled by Soviet Union in Afghanistan, perhaps, could have also forced her to reveal traces of pain and agony as was vividly seen in her famous teenaged photograph. People all over the world were overwhelmed by the genius effort of the award wining photographer who had traveled in 1984 to the Refugee Camp in Pakistan and had succeeded in capturing the most amazing and marvelous errand of his profession. Perhaps the photographer- Steve McCurry- himself, at that time, might not have realized that his unique photography skills could bring him astonishing recognition worldwide. The beautiful and which till recently anonymous Afghan girl became National Geographic magazine’s most precious cover page picture till date.

Who was she? What was her identity? These were inquisitive questions often queried by anxious people to the photographer. Ironically, most of the time, he was speechless. For him, it was only a coincidence that he had captured the girl’s image in his camera. But people were relentless. They demanded more explanations. Spectacled by the overwhelming response from people worldwide, he frequently undertook difficult journey down to Pakistan and through its neighbouring borders only to find despair and dissatisfaction. But, his agonizing pursuit in search for the girl only reassured his resolve to disclose her identity.

Finally, McCurry luck favoured him. In January of this year, his years of resoluteness finally succeeded in paying him rich dividends. After all, the photographer finally knew whereabouts of that mysterious Afghan girl. After 17 years of struggle and hardwork, he has traced her identity. Her name is Sharbat Gula. She is married and has three children. She lives in a remote ethnic Pushtun region of Afghanistan with her family. National Geographic is keeping her exact location secret to protect her privacy.

It was indeed treat for my eyes as I was privileged to see the same Afghan girl at the National Geographic Channel just recently. That documentary which was aired couple of weeks earlier had revealed many quests of the photographer and his amazing sense of curiosity that took him to various corners of Afghanistan to unveil girl’s identity. In the same documentary, he was seen driving past roads of Afghanistan in sweltering heat, constantly asking local people about her precise location. It was, no doubt, a difficult journey for him, which saw him, coming back to the same Refugee Camp in Pakistan. He showed the photograph to village elders who in turn revealed it to their friends and contacts. There were cases of false identity: One man said the girl in photograph was her wife. Another woman who distantly resembled with the girl in photograph insisted that she was the one. However, her false claim was soon exposed after going through facial recognition tests.

Finally, a man came forward who insisted that the same girl had lived next door to him, a decade ago. Later, the man returned with girl’s brother. Both of them quickly identified green eyes of the Afghan girl from her photograph. It was that moment at which McCurry thought he was very close in his endeavor. After negotiations, McCurry was permitted to meet the girl. He was instantaneous to convince about the exact resemblance of the girl from the moment he saw her green eyes. It was only after few anxious days when facial recognition tests reaffirmed his assertion. His happiness knew no bounds.

Sharbat Gula perhaps ages above 30 now. But she isn’t sure of her age. Looking at her now will force us to believe that she has had endured extreme pain and sufferings. But her narration of her difficult journey from that Refugee Camp at Pakistan in 1984 to Afghanistan, where she resides now, is heartrending. She was a child when her country was caught in the jaws of the Soviet invasion. She was perhaps six when Soviet bombings killed her parents. She left Afghanistan along with her brother because of continuous fighting. The journey that had begun with the loss of their parents and a trek across mountains finally ended miserably at a Refugee Camp in Pakistan. In the mid-90s, during a lull in the fighting, Sharbat Gula went back to her village home in Afghanistan. She has since then lived with her husband- a baker by profession- along with her pitiful memories of agonizing war.

McCurry is now committed to help Sharbat and her family. He has pledged to provide education for her three children. He has also promised to fulfill Sharbat’s dream of making a pilgrimage to Mecca next year. Even after so many years, the photographer strongly believed that her eyes have had still retained the same intensity and fire she has aged but, in his opinion, she is still beautiful now.

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