Prologue

160 YEARS SINCE THE BIRTH OF A GIANT
Tesla

”If I would be lucky to achieve at least some of my ideals, it will be benevolent for the entire humanity. If my hopes would be fulfilled, my sweetest thought will be that it was a work of a Serb. Long live Serbianity!” ”I have, as you can see and hear, remained a Serb even overseas, where I am engaged in my studies. You should be the same and with your knowledge and work raise the glory of Serbianity in the world.” (To the students of the Great School in Belgrade, June 3, 1892)
Thus spoke he, Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), mystic and scientist, without whose inventions the postmodern high-tech world would not be possible. He, descendant of Serbian Orthodox Christian clerical families both from his father’s and his mother’s side. He, who bequeathed his mortal remains and his entire heritage to Belgrade, Serbian capital in which he spent only one day of his life. He requested his mortal remains to be seen off with the melody of the Serbian song There, Far Away. He never requested, nor agreed, to have his body cremated. He was never citizen of Croatia, because that small country did not even exist during his lifetime.
Today, when a serious man sees all those who claim Tesla is theirs and irresponsibly blab about his origin, he must feel repugnance. When he sees how they lie, in the middle of Belgrade, that he ”never in his lifetime signed his name in Cyrillic”. When they perorate, with their darkened minds, whether Tesla should be buried as a baptized man, there between St. Sava and Karađorđe, between the Library and the Temple, or remain imprisoned in a shelf, in the gilded football ball, for the tourists’ selfies.
Thank God, Serbia decently marked 160 years since the birth of Tesla, with a series of excellent programs and uncovering of his monument at the St. Sava plateau.