In the fall of 2019, it was the 100th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Major General of Internal Service Adzhike Kutmanaliev. In honor of this significant date, the Internal Affairs Department of the Issyk-Kul Region, which he himself headed from 1976 to 1981, held a series of ceremonial events dedicated to this leader. One of the streets in the city of Karakol is named after General A. Kutmanaliev, where the administrative building of the regional police is located — it was built at his initiative, and a museum was also established.
Some facts from the general's biography were reflected in the book "Glorious Path," published by his children Jirgal and Azamat Kutmanaliev based on their father's manuscript. However, most other facts about this man's biography were classified as state secrets for almost half a century.
Adzhike Ashubayevich Kutmanaliev was born in 1919, according to the current administrative division, in the collective farm named after Zhdanova in the Chui District of the Frunze Region of the Kyrgyz SSR, in a family of poor peasants. In 1935, he graduated from elementary school in his birthplace and went to study in the city of Tokmok, where he enrolled in preparatory courses at the workers' faculty.
As A. Kutmanaliev himself recalled, the admissions committee was particularly picky about him because he was too short. "Fearing that I might be rejected, I cried. At that moment, fortunately for me, a tall, dark-haired man with curly hair, resembling a gypsy, walked in. I later learned that it was Director Nechaev. If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't have made it to the workers' faculty. That's how unexpectedly a person's fate can be decided," he said.
After the new Constitution of the USSR was adopted in December 1937, the first elections to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR took place. By that time, A. Kutmanaliev had turned 18 and could participate in the voting. One of the famous aviators of that time, Valentina Stepanovna Grizodubova, ran as a candidate for deputy in the city of Tokmok. In October 1937, she set five world aviation records for women flying light aircraft. On September 24-25, 1938, as the commander of the crew, along with P.D. Osipenko and M.M. Raskova, she made a non-stop flight from Moscow to the Far East on the aircraft "Rodina" (ANT-37 "Rodina").
In honor of the candidate's arrival at the airfield in Tokmok, a rally was organized, where the celebrated aviator arrived in a small biplane. After the ceremonial speeches, Grizodubova performed several demonstration flights, taking one person on board at a time. Young A. Kutmanaliev was fortunate enough to sit in the plane with Valentina Stepanovna that day. As he later recalled: "It was an unforgettable event. I was filled with joy. I, a simple Kyrgyz boy, got to sit in an airplane. Like all young men, I fell in love with the profession of a pilot."
After graduating from the Workers' Faculty, Kutmanaliev enrolled in an agricultural institute. In 1940, while studying in his second year, he decided to undergo a medical examination to enroll in a flight training school to fulfill his youthful dream. After failing the medical examination, he continued his studies, where he actively engaged in sports. That same year, he became part of the delegation from the Kyrgyz SSR for a trip to Moscow for the Day of Physical Culture celebration. At that time, each republic sent its representatives not to compete for supremacy in specific sports, as is done now, but to showcase the achievements of their republic, performing on Red Square according to a specifically developed program.
For three months, the Kyrgyz delegation of 200 people trained in camp conditions on the grounds of the agricultural institute in Frunze. The training conditions were tough. According to the artistic directors' idea, they needed not only to learn complex artistic exercises but also to have a good bronze tan. The artistic director was a sports master from Moscow, Nikolai Lipatov. According to established rules and procedures, the performances of delegations from each republic were not to exceed 7 minutes.
According to archival materials, on July 21, 1940, the delegation from Kyrgyzstan, along with delegations from other republics, performed on Red Square in honor of the Day of Physical Culture. It was then that young A. Kutmanaliev saw I.V. Stalin and other party and government leaders standing on the mausoleum of V.I. Lenin. He later wrote: "Of course, that day remains an unforgettable day in my memory, despite the passage of time. I still remember that we lived at the address: Moscow, 57, near the 'Sokol' metro station. We were all dressed in red suits, embroidered with national ornaments. Wherever we appeared, we were warmly and joyfully welcomed by the Muscovites."
In 1942, after graduating from the agricultural institute, he was sent to work in Chon-Alai — in the village of Irkeshtam, where his fate was intertwined with the first Kyrgyz general, Isakbek Moniev. This meeting opened a new chapter in the biography of Adzhike Kutmanaliev.
