Romancing life in Kyrgyzstan

They appeared like turquoise pieces decorated intermittently in the Himalayas. In reality, they were Himalayan high altitude lakes that I detected from 37,000 feet above sea level. Soon they disappeared, replaced by a scenery of gigantic range of mountains, barren, snowcapped miles at a stretch. 

Apart from the palpable thought of how lucky I was to witness a fragment of this beautiful planet, my mind pondered on the routes that ran once through these endless Tian Shan Mountains, world’s one of the longest ranges shared by Kyrgyzstan and China. It is through these unhindered mountainous land that caravans carrying spices, muslins, silk, shawls and carpets from India reached many faraway lands and brought back saffron, raisins, turquoise, walnuts and more. At the gateway of this perilous terrain stands Kyrgyzstan where earliest records of history were documented in Chinese 2,000 years ago! That of course is much, much back in the time.

Flying over these mountains, I reached Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital. For the uninitiated, a little about Kyrgyzstan: A landlocked country with only 5.5million people, 97 per cent of its area is mountainous. Kyrgyzstan is located strategically in the northeast of Central Asia with Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,Tajikstan and China as its four bordering nations. It is of much importance to US, Russia and now to India for its unique geographical location. 

Not much was known to me of modern Kyrgyzstan of 20th century and my perceptions had reference in the Silk Route era. I wasn’t interested in its geopolitical identity or its political past, although when I first saw the gorgeous sculpture of the rising working class at the main city square, I was curious. 

My deep focus remained Kyrgyz people, the common man on the road, the fine culture, subtle, elegant yet impressive shimmering through architecture, food, and city planning. I noted their daily lives at chaikhanas, cafés and open air markets. From a quick hello we broke into conversations about everyday lives bonding over jugs of kompot, the quintessential dry fruit drink of cherry or apricots and over cups of tea combined with tenderly warm flatbread just rolled out of oven.

Routed through these conversations I felt connected to this mountainous land tucked within Pamir and Tien Shen. I realised the impact of mutual dependence that was set in caravan days and is afresh this season resonating possibilities. Today’s Kyrgyzstan is resilient, determined to become a developed nation, coming out of Soviet impressions. It needs international support in realising its full potential as a brand and it has found a supporter in India, a reflection of prosperous trading times in the Central Asian region. With cooperation in sectors like pharma, tourism, capacity building, e-governance, infrastructure, culture Kyrgyzstan and India are once again in a relationship with renewed vigour.

One day at beautiful and busiest cafés of Bishkek, Café Faiza, I met an elderly-young lady Olga Karimov. She was old because she was old, she was young because she believed in her blood red lipstick. Olga had an apparel boutique tucked in one of the quaint lanes off Jilek Jobu, the arterial road of Bishkek. She had been making wedding gowns for 48 years. We bonded like a house on fire! 

She quipped with zest much like her lipstick colour: “You see my great grandfather was an assistant baker in the Czar’s army when Russia took over. He chose to stay back and I am the fourth generation Kyrgyz. My kids have left Bishkek to pursue their lives in US and my husband once went to Russia to visit his parents and never came back. Everyone tells me to go back to Russia but I don’t know anyone there. My family belonged to Orsk in the Ural Mountains but to tell you the truth I hardly even know where that is!” Olga chuckled mildly and then said, “I am a Kyrgyz by birth and I rather die as one.” We promised to meet the next day and she would then share with me her mother’s recipe of Kyrgyz ‘on the go snack’ Samsa. 

On another occasion my search for black seedless raisins that can beat the sweetest Merlot of Italy, made me chance upon Aibek at Osh market. He had a large stall with 52 varieties of dry fruits from which I found my object of desire! Aibek speculated I was from Bangladesh and then as soon as I uttered India, he spontaneously broke into “Jimmy, Jimmy Aa Ja Aja” leaving me completely thrilled. A hit song from a Mithun Chakraborty blockbuster in Bishkek! 

That is Kyrgyzstan for me. Lots of joy, resilience, grit, romance for life despite their challenges.

No wonder these were the same emotions embedded in the poetry of legendary Kyrgyz poet Chingiz Aitamatov: “I was saying goodbye to the Tian Shan mountains, to Issyk-Kul. Goodbye, Issyk-Kul, my unfinished song! How I wish I could take you with me, your blue waters and your yellow shores, but I can’t, just as I can’t take the woman I love with me. Goodbye, Asel. Goodbye, my pretty poplar in a red kerchief! Goodbye, my love, I want you to be happy...”

I carried back some Kyrgyzstan in me.

The author is a writer and filmmaker