Zlatko Sarajlić, currently one of the best chess players from Gradiška, is not only a master of this game on 64 squares, but also a poet, photographer and a great host
Zlatko Sarajlić, currently one of the best chess players from Gradiška, is not only a master of this game on 64 squares, but also a poet, photographer and a great host. His journey from policeman to truck driver and chess champion is the story of a man who embraced life to the fullest. That inspiring story, sent to Supernova by Boško Grgić, was awarded as part of the “Super Human Stories” competition.
Zlatko used to be a police officer, but he realized that this job was not for him. He returned the uniform and replaced it with a steering wheel. He cruised all over Europe by truck, driving through France, Germany, the Benelux countries, the Baltic countries, as well as Slovenia, Italy and Hungary.
Each of those countries became to him like his native Elezagić, a small village in the heart of the Lijevča field, known, as he proudly says, for its extremely hardworking people. And in almost every one of those countries he visited, he made friends, to whom he spoke with great love about his native land.
He hosted many of them in his home, including four Frenchmen whom he met when they went by bicycle to distant China.
“I stopped them to rest and treated them with local fruit. I also offered them to spend the night. They agreed. After hanging out and having dinner, we played chess, where I won, of course,” says Zlatko with a smile, who doesn’t take his mind off chess even while driving a truck.
He won many chess tournaments, as evidenced by his medal racks. In addition to being an excellent chess player, Zlatko is also a passionate poet and photographer. He wrote a book of witty poetry for children and took hundreds of photographs of beautiful landscapes across Europe.
Despite his many talents and hobbies, he still has a love for travel, as well as a tradition of hosting travelers from various parts of the world. So recently at a gas station in Zagreb, he met the Argentinian hitchhiker Tomas Erbitia, who was traveling to a friend’s wedding in Georgia. Without hesitation, he invited him to spend the night, where his family, he says, welcomed him with warm sarma, brandy, beer and baking. The next day, Zlatko took his guest through the whole of Gradiška. He showed him all the beauties of the city and then took him to the border crossing, where he helped him continue his journey to Georgia with the help of friendly Turkish truck drivers.
Zlatko’s works bear witness to the warmth and hospitality of the people in these areas. One of the goals of the “Super Human Stories” project is exactly that – to find and present talented and inspiring individuals who, through their actions, change the lives of others for the better, making our environment a nicer place to live.
Source: akta.ba
