Ganiжан Davydov
Head of the Elders in the Neighborhood
When it comes to the establishment of the city of Osh as a cultural and industrial center of southern Kyrgyzstan, it is essential to mention the native Osh resident who dedicated over 65 years of his life to the prosperity of his hometown — pensioner Ganiжан Давыдов. Ganiжан Давыдов, born in 1913, is an agricultural worker by education. Back in 1930, under his leadership, 665 individual farmers united to form a collective farm. As the secretary of the Komsomol organization and head of the poor committee, he led one of the first collective farms in the republic — the "Shura" collective farm, and became the chairman of the Dehkan-Kishlak village council. After successfully completing a year-long internship in Andijan in 1935, the first president of Uzbekistan, S. Akhunbaev, offered him the position of deputy chairman of the Andijan city executive committee, but he returned to his hometown.
He worked for two years as the secretary of the Aravan-Burinsky district executive committee, then as the head of the general department of the Osh regional executive committee. During the war years, he fought at the front, and after the war, at the suggestion of the secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the republic, B. P. Yakovlev, G. Давыдов was elected chairman of the Osh city executive committee. At that time, local cadres who were well acquainted with the life and culture of the people were needed. Давыдов was exactly that kind of worker. He held this position until 1957. The residents of the city, especially the older generation, fondly remember the good deeds of this remarkable man in improving the city. An episode speaks to the soulfulness of G. Давыдов towards people. The hospital, which was located in the current rest house, reported that officer Kuznetsov had died from his wounds. Давыдов hurried there. The city utility services did not even have ... boards for the coffin.
Давыдов sent a carpenter to his home and ordered him to dismantle the only wooden bed (suri).
An extraordinary personality was at the helm of the republic at that time — the unforgettable Iskhak Razakov. His first assignment to Ganiжан Давыдов was to restore the building of the S. Kirov Theater, which had been severely damaged by a fire. The work was taken up by everyone, led by Давыдов. People shared what they could, even on their meager rations: some brought old boards, others a dozen nails... There was no machinery or transport, only carts and bare hands... Давыдов went to Tashkent. At that time, the chairman of the State Planning Committee of Uzbekistan was a native of Osh, geologist, Lenin Prize laureate, academician Habib Abdullayev. He sent a couple of wagons of construction timber and a wagon of plywood. When one of the participants in the workday told Давыдов, "You are a representative of the city executive committee, why are you carrying boards like ordinary people?", he replied, "Even the great Lenin carried logs at a Saturday workday." With each passing year, the city grew both in width and height.
In the post-war years, there were no decent streets in Osh, no multi-story buildings, clay houses stood everywhere, and the streets were narrow and dusty; there was no talk of asphalt. Давыдов promised to help build houses first for those who would participate in road construction. And the people followed him. It was during his chairmanship that the current central streets of Kurmanjan Datka, Lenin, Amir Timur, Gapar Aitieva, and Navoi were laid. The railway station square and others.
The story of the construction of the central building of the current Osh State University — then a pedagogical institute — is interesting. Iskhak Razakov, who did a lot for the cultural development of the republic, entrusted Ganiжан Давыдов with finding a good location for construction. After consulting with the elders, he proposed several plots in the city (one of the options was the area of the current Geologobaza). But none of them appealed to I. Razakov. Then Давыдов told him about the foothills of Suleiman Mountain. They visited the top of the mountain: the center of the city, on the west side — the majestic mountain, on the east side — Ak-Bura, a garden... However, this area, known among the people as "Guzar of the Sheikhs," was densely populated. It was necessary to relocate over one hundred and twenty families. This was a significant problem, as all the families had many children, and the state promised nothing in return — neither money nor building materials — nothing but a bare plot of land. The most unforeseen circumstance was that the family of Давыдов's biological sister lived there, so he decided to start the relocation with this family. As a result, the brother-in-law, offended by Давыдов, divorced his wife. But there was no other way for Давыдов. Each family was allocated a plot of land of 13 hundredths.
The construction of the institute building was the largest in the city at that time. There was a shortage of labor, machinery, and building materials. It was necessary to mobilize all able-bodied citizens: sleeves rolled up, students and schoolchildren, teachers, workers from nearby cooperatives, and soldiers worked here. Much was done manually, using horse-drawn transport. Thus, work on the construction of the large structure began. After that, the construction of schools named after Gorky, Makarenko, Kirov, and others began. Ganiжан Давыдов knew how to organize people and communicate with the public.
He calmly said: "Our people are very hardworking; they should not be frightened; they need to be explained to, they need to be believed in!" And the people followed him.
The name of G. Давыдов is also associated with the history of greening the city. The city was growing rapidly, and it needed to be greened, but there were no seedlings to be had, as there was no nursery of its own. And Давыдов quickly decided the problem in his own way.
On his initiative, 30 hectares of land were taken from the suburban state farm, and seedlings and seeds of ornamental trees were brought in from the neighboring Khadja-Abad. Greenhouses for the flower business were laid on the site of the old apple orchard at the foot of Suleiman Mountain. The knowledge he acquired in the forestry department of the Tashkent Agricultural Institute came in handy for Давыдов during these years. A fine sense of taste, logic, and the idea of expediency dictated the choice of seedlings for the green attire, so preference was given to chestnuts, Crimean pines, Tien Shan firs, Caucasian linden, birch, etc. When Давыдов was resting in Crimea, he liked the Majnun-Tal, but how to obtain them?
Then the restless Давыдов took it upon himself to equip the Lenin Corner in the sanatorium, and the chief physician, quite satisfied, allowed him to cut two thousand cuttings. Fortunately, these cuttings took root in Osh, and today they delight the eyes of the townspeople and guests of the city.
"In each of the two or three trees planted along the streets, in the parks and squares of the city, there are traces of my hands, and I am proud of this," Давыдов justly says. A lot of effort went into greening Suleiman Mountain, creating an alley connecting the parks named after Navoi, Toktogul, the memorial complex "Eternal Flame," and improving the buildings of the regional and city state administrations. The old-timers know Давыдов as one of the "architects" of the famous central market of the city, the initiator of the improvement of the squares and streets of the city.
How much effort it took to create the recreation area of the "Oshstroy" trust on the banks of Ak-Bura with a wonderful green garden, cottages, and three large ponds. And in the construction of the "University Town," there is no small contribution from Давыдов. In this bustling work, Давыдов had to work hand in hand with many remarkable leaders of the republic, region, and city. Among them are Iskhak Razakov, Sultan Ibraimov, N. Narozhny, B. Yakovlev, K. Kachkeev, I. Saidov, M. Kurbanov, A. Suyunbaev, S. Ablesov, B. Primov, K. Atashev, T. Amanaliev, V. Moskvitin.
Ganiжан Давыдов often fondly remembers talented specialists: V. Makhotin, G. Gabrielian, M. Mamajanov, Ya. Dorožansky, head of the education department U. Sadybakassov, chairmen of the quarter committees: X. Butaev, A. Yunusov, X. Tashkhodzhayev, Khodadabayev, I. Sulaymanov, Yusupzhan ake, Gafur Mahmud, Ganivay ake, Tashbolot ake, and many others who worked alongside him for the prosperity of the city of Osh.
People know G. Давыдов as the head of a large and friendly, remarkably talented and hardworking family. Each of his eight sons and three daughters could have a separate book written about them — a famous doctor, a well-known engineer, an inquisitive manufacturer, a respected educator... He still has a lot of concerns, interesting ideas, and proposals today. After all, he has been a member of the presidium of the city and regional councils of veterans since 1973, the unchanging chairman of the parents' committee of the Kirov school, a welcome guest at almost all city celebrations, and the head of the elders in the neighborhood.
A low bow to you, dear Ganiжан-ake!
Honored People of the City of Osh
