“I did everything I could to forget the tragedy” – the story of the pepper-selling aunt
Hikmat aya Rozimatova was a mother of three children. Her eldest daughter passed away at a young age, and later, her 11-year-old son died as a result of an electric shock. The elderly husband and wife were left alone in the vast courtyard. Their only daughter takes care of her parents' daily needs. To distract herself from the tragedies she faced, the mother, who endured the trials of fate, began planting unique pepper seedlings, and soon the entire village started calling her the "pepper aunt."
“I did everything I could to forget the tragedy” – the story of the pepper auntie
“My eldest daughter passed away from an illness when she was young, and my son died in 2003 from an electric shock due to the electricians' fault. He was 11 years old when the accident happened. Apart from my husband, I only have one daughter left in life. She visits us often to check on how we are doing.
After losing my son, I fell into depression. He was constantly on my mind, and I suffered for many years. My worried husband went to his sister who lives in Tashkent and brought back several varieties of pepper, hoping that I might find solace by engaging in farming. For three or four years, I grew seeds and propagated the seedlings. As I planted the peppers, I experienced some different feelings. It felt as if the tragedies in my head had eased, even if just a little.
Currently, 8 varieties of peppers decorate my yard, serving as flowers in place of flowers. When I harvest the peppers and take them to the market, people ask, ‘Can we film them, will you give permission?’ Guests coming from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and other places take pictures and are amazed to see their beauty. They ask with curiosity, ‘Auntie, where did you get these peppers?’
Peppers planted in summer continue to bear fruit and bloom until winter; even if I put them in pots, they continue to bloom and bear fruit.
I sell peppers 12 months a year. If they ripen and become too many in the summer season, I put them in plastic containers, pickle them, and sell them in winter.
Everyone has different opinions about peppers. If you add them to your food, they add flavor, stimulate your appetite, and thin your blood.
I have only one dream: to increase the pepper varieties even more, raise our income, and send my husband to the Hajj pilgrimage.”