Turkish President Abdullah Gul Sold Soda in Street

(Unlike corrupt Feudal Lords, 'Waderas', 'Sardars, Pirs in our politics, Turkish president built a habit of making a lawful earning by working hard, selling Soda in the streets. Is it not a great lesson to be learnt and a big lesson for our politicians?)

Sharing landmark moments from his life with London-based Arabic language monthly Arrajol, Turkish President Abdullah Gül said his family decided to let him to go ahead with his education after he was unsuccessful at selling soda.

“Families in Kayseri [Gül's hometown] perform a test on their children when they grow up. Those who are interested in commerce are encouraged in such professions and those who are not are sent to school. I was going to sell soda, but it seems I was not successful and they sent me back to school,” Gül told the magazine's February edition, according to the Presidency's website.

The president defined his family as a “middle-class” family that was committed to “religion, traditions and values.” Noting that he had a “big family,” Gül said he had a happy childhood.

“The most important point in my childhood is my experience selling soda. I remember well, there were bottles of soda in a wooden box and I had to sell them by shouting aloud. But it seems that I could not be successful,” Gül said.

The president said he was first interested in the country's political issues when he was attending high school, adding that his interest “deepened” during his university years at İstanbul University's Department of Economics. A former foreign minister and prime minister, Gül was elected as Turkey's 11th president in August 2007.