These spouses are celebrating 43 years of togetherness, having built a strong and happy family.
They share that their love blossomed thanks to the dombyra and art.
Moldaly Azhykulov was born in 1958 in the village of Asylbash. After finishing local school, he completed 10 grades and studied at a pedagogical college in Karakol, located in the Issyk-Kul region. After his studies, he returned home, where he began working as a teacher and also served in the army.
“During my studies at the college, I noticed a dombyra with one of the students on the bus. I don’t remember who it was, but the instrument caught my attention. It had the inscription ‘Katyusha’ on it. That was my first encounter with the dombyra. We studied on the upper floor, while physics was taught on the lower one. One day, hearing the sound of the dombyra, my friends and I decided to go down and peek into the classroom. There I saw my future wife playing this instrument. I thought it was her dombyra. After her performance, I asked her to pose for a drawing — at that time, I was learning to draw. While drawing, I fell in love with her, and perhaps that was the moment our story began,” he shares.
Khorlan Beksyrgaeva was born in 1960 in the Kegen district of Almaty region, Kazakhstan. After finishing 10 grades, she enrolled in the Karakol State Pedagogical Institute in the physics department in 1978.
“As my husband said, we met, fell in love, and in 1982 we legalized our relationship. We have two sons, two daughters, and eight grandchildren. All our children have higher education and work in their fields. Our wedding was modest — back then, there weren’t such lavish events as now. We held a small celebration in our village. Our traditions are similar on both sides, and our parents established good relations. I am grateful to the Kyrgyz people, my in-laws, and relatives. Unfortunately, my husband’s parents have passed away, but they were wonderful people,” she said.
Moldaly noted that his wife graduated from the pedagogical institute in 1983 and began working as a teacher at the Oktyabr School in Sokuluk. Later, she held the position of deputy director for about ten years. When our children were nearing the end of 10th grade, we decided they needed to continue their education, but the salary did not allow for that. So we moved to Almaty for work, where we were welcomed warmly. From 2002 to 2022, I worked as an art and drawing teacher at school No. 15, while my wife taught physics and computer science. We achieved a lot. My wife participated in the development of the 12-year educational program being implemented in Kazakhstan. She was invited to a teachers' conference in Astana, where she became the first recipient of the new order named after Konoev No. 1. This is a significant achievement. She was also awarded the medal “Ulagatty ustaz” for her high teaching results. Currently, she works at school No. 4 in Sokuluk,” he added.
During our time in Kazakhstan, the local authorities offered us to choose any plot of land, as they could not provide housing. I chose a plot near the school, and we were allocated 50 acres, where we built a house and lived good years, going to school from the end of the garden,” he said.
Khorlan noted that her husband currently works at the center for gifted children “Tañ cholponu.”
“My husband is a talented artist. He worked as an artist-editor at the newspaper “Aalam” in Bishkek and taught at I. Arabayev University. He created covers for books such as “Brilliant Snake,” “Kyz Kerbez,” and “The Love of the Minister's Daughter,” as well as illustrated many other works. He had a talent for drawing since childhood, and for his achievements, he received numerous diplomas and medals. In Kazakhstan, he was awarded the title of “Eurasian Artist-Designer.” At the global competition “Ecology of the Planet,” one of his students won a gold medal, and he was also honored with an award,” she added.
“I believe that our happy family and many successes are the result of our love, warmth, mutual understanding, and support for each other,” she concluded.
Gallery: Couples Moldaly Azhykulov and Khorlan Beksyrgaeva
