I
learnt that Çary Aga had known both my father and grandfather.
“Dear
Saparmyrat, you should only be surprised if you meet someone who did not
know your grandfather, Annanyıaz Artygy. There was no one who did not know Annanyıaz Artygy in Gypjak, Gökje, Bagyr,
Herrikgala, Yalkym and Büzmeıin. Annanyıaz Artygy was an able man who
used to invite others to eat at his table. They sent your grandfather
into exile in 1932 since he had a private place and shop and had workers
working on a salary.
The
reason that I know these facts in detail is that my mother and uncle
were neighbours of Annanyıaz Aga.”
“Çary
Aga, did you meet my grandfather?”
He
smiled with pleasure.
“We
had so much in common. I met him in many different places, village,
markets, town center, you name it. Once I took two bags of barley and
went to the city. I was very young. At that time, on Sundays, the city
was very crowded and it wasn’t possible to find a place for donkeys,
horses, camels and vehicles. At that time we did not have vehicles that
we have now and there were a limited number of Türkmen in the city.
I
was walking with my bags and there was a poor man in front of me riding
on a donkey. The idle young people of the city were hitting him with
sticks and he was close to falling off. The poor man was not sure what
to do and was shouting and cursing at the kids. Their parents were on
both sides of the road and were watching heedlessly the kids’ attacks.
A man wearing a special black Türkmen hat (silkme telpek) came
rapidly and ran into the street. He began to whip the people
