Life in the Regions: Ambassador Zhugamgul Soodanbekov Surprised by Offering to Buy Mira Emilbekova's New Book for One Cow

Ирэн Орлонская Exclusive
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The head of the library No. 2 in the village of Kenesh in the Kochkorbaev Ayil District of the Issyk-Ata region, Mira Emilbekova, was surprised that Ambassador Jumagul Soodanbekov valued a book at one cow.

A Turmush correspondent spoke with her.

She was born in 1961 in the village of Min-Kush in the Jumgal district. From 1979 to 1984, she studied at the V. V. Mayakovsky Kyrgyz Women's Pedagogical Institute in the Faculty of Russian Philology.

She and her husband, Syrgak Osmonov, raised one son and two daughters. Unfortunately, her husband passed away in 2019. All of their children received higher education. Her father-in-law, Temir Osmonov, and mother-in-law, Tokush Saltykova, made significant contributions to the development of the village of Kenesh and were well-known individuals. The family is proud of them and respectfully keeps their memory alive.

Her work experience totals 46 years. She has been awarded the badge "Excellence in Education." She has been working in the library sector since 2016.

According to her, she came here because the library is named after her mother-in-law. Since then, she has been striving to preserve the library, support its activities, and regularly conduct various interesting events.

To attract readers, she, along with active women from the village, organized a group called "Shayir Apalar" ("Cheerful Moms"). This year, the group is celebrating its seventh anniversary. The participants perform works by the famous poet, a native of the village, Kökül Jamankulov, as well as poems by other Kyrgyz poets, celebrating their homeland and creating a good mood.

"In our lives, the library and books play a huge role. Without books and education, a person has no future. Unfortunately, today there are fewer and fewer people who come to the library to read with love," she noted.

M. Emilbekova also shared a memorable incident:

"I have great respect for books. When my father-in-law passed away, Jumagul Soodanbekov (at that time he was appointed ambassador to Kazakhstan) came to our house. He is our relative by marriage. While looking at the books in the house, he saw a new edition of a book in the Kyrgyz language — it was only the first volume. He told me, 'Give me this book — I will give you one cow for it.' And if you find the second volume — I will give you two cows. We were surprised that there are people who value books so highly. I still tell my children: people who respect books have a bright future."

M. Emilbekova dreams of living actively and interestingly, without illnesses. Thanks to her participation in the "Shayir Apalar" group, she learned to sing and now wants to master playing the komuz.

During her student years, she represented Kyrgyzstan at events dedicated to the 1980 Olympics.

Additionally, she plans to travel, loves sewing on a machine, and is interested in the works of young poets. She also strives to study the Kyrgyz language more deeply, as her education is in Russian philology. Comparing both languages, she notes the beauty and richness of the Kyrgyz language.
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