I got to know Shirchin Baatar, visiting Mongolian scholar at UC Berkeley, in 2001. Together with Jeff Falt, human rights lawyer, we produced several fund raising events to send the first Mongolian woman, Oyuna Tsedevdamba, to Stanford University. With our combined effort Oyuna received her MA in International Policy Studies and now works as an adviser to the president of Mongolia.
Years later, Baatar introduced me to G. Mend Ooyo, poet and president of the 26th World Congress of Poets, who came to the Sacred Grounds and read his poetry in Mongolian. Baatar works tirelessly to help the underprivileged Mongolian community in the Bay Area and to keep their tradition and culture alive. The Naadam festival is happening soon, where Baatar brings wrestling, music and archery to the Golden Gate Park. The music is always enchanting. The food and the men hefty. Ask for Baatar at the West Speedway Meadow. Everybody knows him.
