The word “merhaba” is a word that is associated with the Fisherman of Halicarnassus and contains a peaceful meaning in his philosophy. “Merhaba”, which is one of the most favorite words of the Fisherman of Halicarnassus, identified with her personality and greeted everyone, big and small, with that lush, Davidic voice. What attracts the Fisherman is that the word has many meanings, such as “I won’t hurt you” in Persian, “relax”, welcome”, and is easily pronounced in any language. It can be said that the calligraphy of Merhaba, which resembles a sail when written in old Turkish letters, appeals to the Fisherman’s passion for the sea. Especially in the years when he made radio programs, he suggested to say hello frequently to make life easier by calling the society at every opportunity and to make life easier, starting his speeches with “merhaba” and ending with “merhaba”. According to him, using this simple word instead of other greetings will both save time and prevent unnecessary thinking.
“Wait, let me explain, before I forget, why I use ‘hello’ as the only word of reassurance:
Sir, my mind has a thousand kinds of work. How will this job be handled, how will this article be written, how will this debt be paid? Thinking about these; How do I get along with the people I meet? Do I look at the clock and say, ‘Good morning sheriffs’? Who am I, to use them appropriately? I’ll just say ‘merhaba’ without a shortcut, I thought. Besides, if you’re aware, ‘merhaba’ has a loud, manly resonance. That’s not all; When you write in old letters, the sailboat figure appears.
Let me offer one more reason: ‘Merhaba’ originally meant ‘I won’t harm you.’ With all these features and beauty, what else is there to say! Isn’t it !”.
The following lines of Azra Erhat regarding her mingling with the public and her communication skills should be mentioned: “Every time the Fisherman of Halicarnassus comes to Bodrum, men come running from the shops, houses and street corners, hug him, want to kiss him, shake his arm as if ripping it off.” On the same subject, his daughter wrote: “His deep human love would not fit within the family boundaries, it would overflow. With this feature, which is gradually disappearing in today’s people, he would approach every person he talked to with value. He considered everyone equal and even preferred naturalness to protocol many times. What a fisherman, a gardener, a sponger is to him; statesman, a king was the same. The element of humanity was more important than rules and vanity.”