Soivet Sydykbekov, the son of Tumonbay Sydykbekov, confirms that his parents indeed had 17 children. “Many of them did not survive due to illnesses, and in the end, only two sisters and two brothers remained — Tumonbay and Tügölbay. After the death of Sydykbek chon ata, Aymankan raised the children alone. She was a talented singer and improviser, which probably passed on to Tügölbay. He often went to the jailoo, where by the riverbank he began to create. Later, when he had health problems, he would come to rest at Lake Issyk-Kul. Tügölbay was reserved, while his wife Asylgul was kind and responsive. They raised a daughter and three sons. Unfortunately, shortly after that, Asylgul passed away, and my uncle became ill,” says Soivet Sydykbekov.
Today, the home of the people's writer Tügölbay Sydykbekov remains in the village of Ken-Suu and is under the care of his relatives.
According to Erkingul Sydykbekova, the wife of Soivet Sydykbekov, this house was built before 1960. “When we got married in 1966, we moved here. Initially, it was a four-room house built by my father-in-law Tumonbay. Later, extensions were added, which were combined under a common roof. Tügölbay often came here to rest. We continue to renovate it and host guests in the summer. This house is very important to us, so we do not intend to destroy it,” she shares.
In 1962, Tügölbay Sydykbekov celebrated his 50th birthday in his native village.
Tügölbay Sydykbekov, Hero of the Kyrgyz Republic, people's writer, and public figure, was a veterinarian by profession. In the early 1920s, he began studying at a primary school in the village of Ken-Suu, the building of which had just been constructed.
He then moved to the city of Przhevalsk (now Karakol), where he lived with a local resident named Korovin and studied at the Russian school named after A.P. Chekhov, which allowed him to master the Russian language.
Due to family circumstances, he also studied at the schools named after Krupskaya and Lenin. From 1928 to 1931, he attended an agricultural technical school in Frunze, and in 1931, he enrolled in the Central Asian Veterinary Institute in Ashgabat.
Gulsun Kasabolotova recounts that her husband, Iman Mergenbaev, and Tügölbay Sydykbekov were compatriots and belonged to the same clan. “During the events of 1916 (Urkun), they all went to the Tekes region in China. They returned to Kyrgyzstan in 1962 when Tügölbay was celebrating his 50th birthday in Ken-Suu. Later, he invited my husband to Frunze, where they discussed the lives of those who resettled during the Urkun for a month. This became the basis for the autobiographical work 'Zhol',” says Kasabolotova.
At the T. Sydykbekov Secondary School in Ken-Suu, there are many awards, belongings, and photographs of the writer.
Teachers at the school shared that in 2012, on the occasion of Tügölbay Sydykbekov's centenary, a museum was established. Its exhibition includes a “chepken,” headgear, a telephone, and other items that belonged to the people's writer.
The school also organized an exhibition of archival photographs, and there are special corners in the classrooms. Competitions are held for students, and awards are presented by representatives of the “Tügölbay ata” foundation.
The works of Tügölbay Sydykbekov have been translated into many languages, including Russian, Ukrainian, Uzbek, Kazakh, and many others.
He became one of the founders of Kyrgyz literary professional art and the author of the first national novel, becoming the first writer to be awarded the State Prize.
Tügölbay Sydykbekov passed away on July 19, 1997.
