Mother

My eyes are pearls without you,

My heart is lost without your view.

In the dark, you’re my guiding light,

Without you, nothing feels right.

Though I may be ill or insane,

You ease my sorrow, soothe my pain.

You are the joy within my soul,

The missing piece that makes me whole.

Heart to heart, we’re intertwined,

A sea of love, an angel kind.

My soul’s springtime, you alone

Dear Mother, you’re my peaceful home.

Munisa Ro’ziboyeva was born on March 14, 2008, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. She is currently studying in a finance-focused class and has a strong passion for languages and global affairs. Munisa holds an IELTS certificate with a score of 6.0 and has actively participated in Model United Nations conferences. Her writing has been featured in several international publications, and she was recently awarded a 100% scholarship to pursue her studies in the United States.

Poet’s Heart

No matter how much a poet writes,
Their words never end.
In this world, never ever,
Will the poet’s name die!

There are many professions, skilled individuals, and people with honorable titles in the world — and no matter how much we praise them, it seems not enough. Yet, there are such people in our lives whose hearts are constantly filled with passionate emotions, love, and divine feelings at every moment. They always look at existence through the eyes of the heart and express their unique and subtle feelings through the pen. Are you wondering who we are talking about? Of course — poets!

A poet. This is not just a title. Behind it lies a world of inner storms, emotional uprisings of the soul. As one of the great literary figures of the past century, Erkin Vohidov, once said:

A poet’s heart is like a pomegranate,
Its juice is their poetry.
Those of the poetic path
Have no mercy for their own heart.

Indeed, a poet’s heart is like a pomegranate. And their poem is the juice. Just as the tiny seeds of a pomegranate are crushed to produce its juice, so too the deepest feelings, emotions, sorrows and joys, hopes and dreams hidden within the poet’s heart are awakened. Like the scattered pomegranate seeds, the poet’s thoughts and reflections come together and bring about a spiritual stir in the heart, which results in the beautiful, divine lines we call poetry.

During the creation of a poem, there is no emotion left untouched in the poet’s heart. That’s why we say: a poet shows no mercy to their own soul. Poetry is a literary form that reflects all the feelings, impressions, and thoughts that occur in the human mind and heart.

The poetess Zulfiya defined poetry as follows:
“Poetry is the fruit of emotions, impressions taken from life, and reflections…”

A poem does not appear out of nowhere. Only true poets can create it. Merely rhyming two words or lines is not a sign of being a poet. A real poet’s heart contains loyalty to their homeland, love for their country, all living beings, and the Creator. It is these emotions of loyalty and love that inspire them to write poetry.

A poet finds joy, inspiration, and delight in every event. For example, some find inspiration in the quiet of golden autumn, in the gentle whispering of the trees, the rustle of falling leaves, or the pattern of rain. Others find inspiration in the soft call to prayer, the cry of an infant, the fleeting nature of this world, the worries and hardships of life. Their thoughts and desires give them no rest, not even for a second.

That is why one poem can fill our hearts with joy and pride, while another can immerse us in thought, connecting us with the pain of others. A true poet is someone whose heart overflows with patriotism, justice, humanity, goodness, courage, and bravery.

Such noble qualities are embodied in the poet Nazrul Islam. In Erkin Vohidov’s poem “Rebellion of Souls”, Nazrul is portrayed as a devoted poet who radiates light through his gaze, looks at the universe with a sense of wonder, and uplifts humanity with a sense of justice. From birth to death, he lives for his people, his nation, and never fears speaking the truth.

Even at the cost of his own life, he calls on all mankind to seek justice, truth, and human values. Yet, the masses see his actions as rebellious and imprison him.

The following lines from the poem express the true nature of a real poet:

If you are a poet,
Let your heart be ready
To be sacrificed for your people.
If you are a poet,
Let your people
Be your shield.

Over time, Nazrul Islam departs from this world, but his spirit lives on. The people make his golden words their guiding slogan.

At the end of the poem, Erkin Vohidov writes that Nazrul Islam’s spirit gave him no peace. The spirit of the character says to the poet:

Being a poet is like
A bleeding wound in the heart.
I do not wish for you, young one,
A peaceful life,
Or comfort.
Do not rest,
As long as you live.
Let inspiration bring you pain,
Be ill with poetry’s ache.

These lines awaken feelings of pride, bravery, and courage in today’s young writers. Through them, the poet’s spirit urges Erkin Vohidov not to write about fleeting pleasures or superficial beauty, but instead to live with the struggles of the people, the worries of his time, and to take poetry seriously.

Let’s refer to another work. In Abdulla Oripov’s “The Road to Paradise”, the central figure is a young man who was a poet in his lifetime. He wrote inspiring poems, was a good son to his parents, and harmed no one. He dies while trying to save a drowning girl during a flood. In the afterlife, he stands before the Balance Keeper who measures sins and virtues. The young man, hopeful that he may enter paradise, is surprised to find his good deeds weigh less than his sins.

He asks to see his greatest sin. The Balance Keeper shows him the burning souls of envious, dark-hearted people in hell. The point is that although the young man was given divine talent and a sharp pen, he used it only to describe mountains, nature, and romantic imagery, rather than to expose society’s evils or prevent wrongdoing.

This leads us to Abdulla Oripov’s profound words:
“A poet cannot isolate themselves in their own little world and write — they are connected through countless threads to the complex, conflicted, and heated life around them. Thus, they must live with the concerns, pain, and passions of their era…”

One of his quatrains also captures this well:

Don’t say a poet runs everywhere,
Neglecting the world’s burden.
They carry a mountain on their back,
Yet walk lightly like a bird.

Only when a poet takes on the burden of that mountain — not only their personal troubles, but also the problems of society — can they truly be called a poet.

In conclusion, today’s young writers must first and foremost possess patriotism, loyalty to the homeland, and a sense of humanity. For generations, our ancestors have passed down works that emphasize such noble qualities. Even knowing that writing them could risk their lives, they never feared spreading goodness and light.

Therefore, the writings and poems of today’s young authors must also become true weapons of goodness and patriotism for future generations.

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Author: Xo‘jamiyorova Gulmira Abdusalomovna
Born on June 25, 2004, in Surkhandarya region. While studying at Secondary School No. 22 in Uzun district, she actively participated in Uzbek language and literature Olympiads and earned honorable places. In 2022, she was admitted on a state grant to the Termez State Pedagogical Institute. She is a graduate of Shine Girls Academy and the “Formula of Success” course, and a member of Kazakhstan’s “Qo‘sh Qanot” Union of Writers and Poets. Many of her scientific and promotional articles and authored poems have been published in international newspapers, journals, and collections, and she holds several international certificates.

Pheasant Resurrection

At the intersection,

dim at dawn, carnage

on my way to work,

a pall over routine,

any ambition faded,

feathers, color askew,

sienna, umber, ochre –

that placid blue-gray

mimicked mourning doves.

Just yesterday, the pheasant

pecked happily at bugs,

perversely, too often,

tempting tires, fenders.

I missed the stark day

at noon, the definition,

township man, Joe

of Arimathea scraping

evidence from asphalt.

Then, a glorious vision,

(where’s the seraphim?)

coming home at dusk,

same indistinct light,

there, there! his ghost

or a resurrection,

cock-sure apparition,

red crown bobbing,

strutting like a rooster,

prince of his dominion,

as if nothing occurred,

my anguish irrelevant.

Thomas, no doubt,

placed a reservation

for supper at Emmaus.

David Sapp, writer and artist, lives along the southern shore of Lake Erie in North America. A Pushcart nominee, he was awarded Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Grants for poetry and the visual arts. His poetry and prose appear widely in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. His publications include articles in the Journal of Creative Behavior, chapbooks Close to Home and Two Buddha, a novel Flying Over Erie, and a book of poems and drawings titled Drawing Nirvana.

Stop Time

An inverted hourglass, grains of cosmic dust

that resist gravity, but succumb to the inexorable fall.

Time, a mighty, dark river that overflows,

carrying memories like dry, withered, and faded leaves.

A withered petal, the ephemeral beauty of a moment lost forever.

A distant echo, the dying whisper of a lament.

A ghost train moving away,

taking with it the promise of a tomorrow

that will never come.

An iceberg slowly melting,

the inexorable erosion of existence,

leaving behind a frozen void.

A blank canvas, waiting for the final brushstroke,

but finding only the shadow of what was.

A whisper in the wind, the silent farewell,

a goodbye with no return,

an echo of pain in the cold immensity.

GRACIELA NOEMI VILLAVERDE is a writer and poet from Concepción del Uruguay (Entre Rios) Argentina, based in Buenos Aires She graduated in letters and is the author of seven books of poetry, awarded several times worldwide. She works as the World Manager of Educational and Social Projects of the Hispanic World Union of Writers and is the UHE World Honorary President of the same institution Activa de la Sade, Argentine Society of Writers. She is the Commissioner of Honor in the executive cabinet IN THE EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIAL RELATIONS DIVISION, of the UNACCC SOUTH AMERICA ARGENTINA CHAPTER.

1

Meghadutam

On ashadhasya prathama divase,

with the onset of monsoon,

I evoke Kalidasa to recall

the big data of my memories.

In the duta kavyas the clouds

become sky messengers between

two estranged lovers of legends,

sending data at lightning pace.

Tonight from Shantiniketan

I send on blockchain of clouds

multimodal information

to the land of revolutions.

Amidst the din of liberty

and equality and fraternity,

you receive encrypted input

in quantum cloud computing.

At night you do data mining

of clouds transcending barriers

to decipher the sentiments

and render the output as amour.

2

Dim-moon Midnight

Under the light-polluted moon

the AI gives me stats

of the number of human deaths

since the beginning of this earth.

On a night train to Bolpur

I message you, 109 billions

have died, 8 billions still alive.

From a cloudy afternoon

in Barcelona you reply that

this world is a graveyard then.

Whether from dry Bolpur

or from rainy Barca,

it is not difficult to see,

this world is of ghosts, if they be.

But, you say, ghosts don’t exist,

else all terrorists and murderers,

conquerors and warmongers,

will have had a tough time

to survive the haunting

by the souls of the dead innocents.

I agree and wish some ghosts

do exist on this earth –

ghosts of dead children or parents,

who may come to manifest

in a dim-moon midnight,

so that early in the morning

this earth will not have to

bear the tragic rain of grief.

Both of us ask the ghosts to rise.

Statistics say this world is yours.

3

Sorcery

When the Sorcerer left I could

not find anything I disliked

him for, so I wrote about him

as an exemplary father.

Death erases all the faults and

makes you long for them once again.

Until every loss is replaced

by a different love, a new one,

as a safety net to forget

the pain of loss, just like a tree

that mourns not for the flowers shed

but loves the growing buds instead.

4

Magpie Life

At night I tell someone details

of something secret in my life.

In the morning I think, should I

now be tense, nervous and regret.

The clouds sit heavy on the roads,

some rain seems imminent again.

Some birds on a pole though remain

so happy in love transient.

I’m oblivious to their mirth,

they’re oblivious to my pain.

Some drops start to fall on the ground;

the hoardings watch in fading paint.

One bird alone comes in the shade

reminding me what you had said.

Living with no remorse, regrets,

while keeping faith in the unknown.

UzJOKU: Where Youth, energy And knowledge unite

In a world where diplomas are often seen as mere tickets to employment, the true purpose of higher education is sometimes forgotten. But for students like me, university is not just a stepping-stone — it is a transformative experience. It’s where knowledge becomes purpose, curiosity becomes direction, and youth finds its voice.

In 2024, I was admitted to the Uzbekistan University of Journalism and Mass Communications (UzJOKU) on a state scholarship. I study English Philology and Language Teaching under the Faculty of International Relations and Social-Humanitarian Sciences. For me, this wasn’t just the fulfillment of a dream; it was the beginning of a lifelong journey in the pursuit of knowledge and meaningful communication. UzJOKU was established in 2018 by Presidential Decree No. 3737 and holds a unique place as the only specialized media university in Central Asia. In just seven years, it has evolved into a vibrant hub of journalism, international relations, media design, psychology, political science, and philology. But beyond degrees and disciplines, UzJOKU is a space where theory meets practice. Its modern facilities — from professional video studios to audio recording labs — allow students to apply what they learn in real-world settings. What sets UzJOKU apart, however, is not just its infrastructure. It’s the energy that flows between people. Here, passionate teachers transfer their knowledge — and their inspiration — to students who arrive each morning with eyes full of hope and hearts full of ambition. The university’s motto, often repeated by its rector Sherzodkhon Qudratkhoja, captures this spirit perfectly: “A university is the place where people and knowledge meet.”

At a recent Student Media Conference, Rector Qudratkhoja reflected on the institution’s rapid growth:

“These seven years were not ordinary. They were equal to many more. We’ve built the foundation of journalism and the social sciences — once scattered, now unified. The world has changed. That’s why what lies ahead is greater than what we’ve already achieved.”

Today, with nearly 5,000 students and a faculty of distinguished scholars, UzJOKU stands not only as a university but as a movement. Its rector — a renowned journalist, TV presenter, political scientist, and academic — leads with a vision grounded in national values and global thinking. He is also the chairman of the Uzbekistan National Media Association and holds the title of Doctor of Political Science and the prestigious “Mehnat Shuhrati” (Labor Glory) Order.

What I’ve found at UzJOKU is more than education — it’s connection. It’s the meeting point of experience and ambition, of heritage and innovation. It’s where I learned that energy isn’t only physical — it’s emotional, intellectual, and deeply human. And here, that energy is contagious. In a time of information overload and global complexity, institutions like UzJOKU remind us that shaping minds matters. That a university can be more than a building — it can be a living idea. I am proud to be part of this idea, to grow with it, and to contribute to a future where media is not only a profession, but a responsibility.

UzJOKU is not just where I study. It’s where I belong. It’s where people and knowledge truly meet.

About the Author

SHAHNOZA OCHILDIYEVA is a second-year student at the Uzbekistan University of Journalism and Mass Communications (UzJOKU), majoring in English Philology and Language Teaching.

Digital Inequality and Rural Women: Opportunities, Barriers, and Solutions

Sh. Kholmurodova — Student of Social Work, National University of Uzbekistan

Introduction

In 2024, the number of internet users in Uzbekistan reached 80%. But what proportion of this number consists of women living in rural areas? While digital transformation is rapidly becoming an integral part of our daily lives, not everyone benefits equally from this progress. Unfortunately, many women living in rural areas of Uzbekistan still do not have sufficient access to digital technologies. This gap is giving rise to a new form of social inequality — digital gender disparity.

1. The Concept and Relevance of Digital Inequality

Digital inequality refers to the disparity in access to and use of the internet and digital technologies among different segments of society. These disparities often reflect and reinforce existing economic, social, cultural, and gender-based inequalities. Compared to men, urban populations, and high-income groups, rural women face the most significant barriers. These include:

– Lack of access to digital devices and stable internet

– Low levels of digital literacy

– Gender stereotypes and traditional social norms

– Lack of economic independence

Moreover, factors such as marital status, age, and family responsibilities also influence digital access. Married women or mothers with multiple children often have less time and opportunity to use digital technologies.

2. Research and Statistical Data

According to the Ministry of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan (2024), 73% of women in urban areas use the internet, compared to only 48% in rural areas.

The UN’s 2023 *Gender and Digital Equality Report* indicates that in developing countries, women are 30–40% less likely to use the internet than men.

UNESCO’s 2022 study highlighted that many rural women have only heard of digital services but rarely use them in practice due to lack of digital skills.

A 2024 social survey conducted in the Sariosiyo district of Surkhandarya region revealed that 61% of women respondents could not use government e-services or online payment systems.

3. Opportunities and Positive Initiatives

There are several existing opportunities to integrate rural women into the digital world:

– Free training through the “Women’s Notebook” social support program

– Access to IT education through IT Park, “DigitALL,” and “One Million Uzbek Coders”

– Remote employment opportunities: e-commerce, content creation, and freelancing

– Special grants, microloans, and startup funding for women entrepreneurs

– Establishment of digital information centers for women within local communities

Pilot projects supported by local authorities, NGOs, and international donors have shown early success. For instance, the IT Park’s “Coding for Women” program has demonstrated positive results in rural areas.

4. Barriers, Stereotypes, and Practical Challenges

Despite the potential, many of these initiatives do not fully reach rural women due to the following barriers:

– Low self-confidence among women

– Family restrictions and lack of support for digital activities

– Poor digital infrastructure in remote areas

– Limited availability of user-friendly content in local languages

– Weak cooperation between local governments, NGOs, and grassroots activists

In addition, there is a shortage of community-level professionals — such as mahalla leaders, social workers, and teachers — who are aware of the issue and can actively facilitate solutions.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Ensuring that rural women can access digital opportunities is crucial for promoting their economic empowerment, social inclusion, and self-development. Achieving digital gender equality should be a central goal in Uzbekistan’s digital transformation strategy.

The following practical recommendations are proposed:

 Organize digital literacy courses — mobile outreach units in communities

 Develop user-friendly apps designed specifically for women (in Uzbek, with voice features)

 Invest in rural internet infrastructure, especially in remote regions like Sariosiyo

 Create motivational content that highlights success stories of female digital role models

 Establish local women’s digital centers — offering free Wi-Fi, training, and consultation

Clearly designate implementing organizations — including the Ministry of Digital Technologies, the Ministry for the Support of Mahalla and Family, IT Park, UNDP, and local NGOs

References

1. United Nations. Gender and Digital Equality Report, 2023

2. Ministry of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan. Statistical Bulletin, 2024

3. UNDP Uzbekistan. DigitALL: Digital Literacy Platform for Women, 2023

4. Social Survey Report: Sariosiyo District, Surkhandarya Region, 2024

5. UNESCO. Digital Literacy for Women in Rural Areas, 2022