The correspondent of Turmush spoke with her through her daughter-in-law, Zhyldyz Babygulova.
Sanash Takyrbashova was born in 1932 in the Toguz-Toro district of the Jalal-Abad region. Having lost her parents at an early age, she was raised by relatives and grew up experiencing all the hardships of need. At 16, she married a resident of the village of Kara-Bürgön, Abdybek Kerimbayev. They lived together for 56 years. She has 7 children, 45 grandchildren, and 33 great-grandchildren.
She shared that she was the only daughter in her family.
“I will tell you how I got my name. I was the only daughter born to my parents when they were already elderly. They had no children before me. They really wanted a child and named me Sanambü. But they affectionately called me not Sanambü, but Sanash. So this name stuck with me. Six months after my birth, my father died. When I was 6 years old, my mother died, so I grew up with relatives, looking into the eyes of the wives of older relatives. It was a time of need. Due to poverty, we gathered ears of harvested grain in the fields, worked for the baes and manaps just to survive. We had a stone hand mill. We ground the collected ears on it and baked 'kalama' (thin flatbread),” Sanash apa recounted.
She recalls that at 16, she married the warehouse manager, who gave her a box of tomatoes.
“My childhood coincided with the war and difficult years. We went through very hard times. When I was 16, there was hunger and poverty. One day, I was playing with two friends, and out of hunger, we saw scattered tomatoes in the square and decided to steal them. At that moment, a guy who worked as the warehouse manager caught us. I began to beg and ask for forgiveness. He started joking and saying different things. That’s how we got closer, and that warehouse manager gave me a box of tomatoes and took me as his wife. That’s how I got married. My husband was a very active person, working in various small positions. We moved to the village of Kosh-Döbö in the Ak-Talinsky district. Then, in 1958, we relocated to the village of Kara-Bürgön. Since then, we have worked hard in the collective farm and state farm. Back then, both women and men worked equally for the state: you carry one child in your arms, hold another by the hand, and go to work. It was a tough time. Every person worked for the state. I worked as a waterer, achieved good harvests, became a deputy, and a delegate. I was awarded the 'Dank' order,” said S. Takyrbashova.
Sanash apa gave birth to 17 children, but 10 of them died very early.
“My husband Abdybek and I lived together for 56 years. During this time, I gave birth to 17 children. But out of 17 children, 10 died when they were still small, in infancy, while lying in the cradle. Four sons and three daughters grew up healthy and created their own families, having children. Unfortunately, later most of them died due to illnesses. Now I have a son and a daughter left. I now live with my only son Bolotbek and daughter-in-law Zhyldyz. And I still thank God. From these children, I have 33 grandchildren and 45 great-grandchildren. Now I am already 94 years old. The health of an elderly person, it turns out, depends on care. My son and daughter-in-law take good care of me. They cook for me. May there be peace and prosperity in our time. I wish my people well-being. And to the youth, I always wish health, a long life, and faith,” she said.
Zhyldyz Babygulova, the daughter-in-law who assisted in the conversation, shared that her mother-in-law has good health and remains lively.
“In my mother-in-law's passport, her name is recorded as Sanash. But, according to her, she was originally named Sanambü. She worked in various hard jobs in the collective farm and state farm: watering the land, mowing hay, gathering ears of grain. Later, she worked as a floor washer in the office of the head of the farm, among other jobs. As a daughter-in-law, I want to say that our mother was a very hardworking person. She loved to plow the land. She grew apples, apricots, potatoes, carrots, and beets.
My mother-in-law also had some abilities as a folk healer. She treated small children, 'lifted the heart' (removed fear), and treated children with rickets. This was called 'temir ötkü'. She also treated with the tip of a needle, helping many people in the village. She taught me this as well. She often ate healthy herbs. Maybe that’s why her health is very good. She never says that she has any pain. She eats well, drinks, and stays active. Just yesterday, on the holiday of Nooruz, she cooked sümölök for us and gave us all her blessing ('bata'),” shared Z. Babygulova.
