Who Will Fly Us This Time?

Gaurav Ojha

Winds howl from the north

Hurricanes rumble from the south

As the butterfly flutters in some la-la land

Thunder and lightning turn their havoc on

What gets triggered cannot be undone

Anger fuels the fire and lets it burn

There are traitors among us

Hiding within the crowds

They told us to pick up stones

To wound our own heads

After those flames and smokes

We were only left with the ashes to recollected

Is there a spark left to reignite?

Has the experiment failed?

Are we getting dumped into the dustbin again?

What if another storm is coming?

Carrying the gush of dishonesty and despair

What would happen to our freedom?

As the soft rain washes young blood from the street

Do they even know why they have died?

What kind of burden do they want us to carry?

Are we the sheep as we were?

In between old and new

What about those rebellions

Where wretches were sacrificed in the feast

Prepared by jackals for their wolf

The lion kept on roaring from the zoo

But the master knew how to keep his dogs happy with bones

Everything changed for the same thing to return

Can the Lucifer restore glory to this lost Shangri-La?

What if his dark glasses can’t find the vision?

Will the clown get up and perform on the stage again?

Jokers are ready to follow in the footsteps

Our red stars have fallen cold

And the sun doesn’t even have its shadows

But the bells of the temple are bustling

 After the ritual of fire, smoke, ashes and sacrifice 

Are we still searching for the way from one hell to another?

Who will find our golden calf that has gone astray?

For a nation without ideals

Grass remains green on the other side.

Beggars have no choice, they say

Like a kite hovering over an unknown horizon

What a monstrous torture

Who will fly us this time?

Oh! Generation of fire and zeal

Don’t let them crawl back

With the promises that resemble a hoax

Revolutions where pawns die for their savior

Listen to what they don’t say

Say what? They don’t want to listen

To the kings, queens, and those who remain unspoken

With their enchanters and bandwagons

Horses, donkeys, camels and ministers

They will weave their magic, play out their tricks

But don’t let them turn your hopes

Into just another circus

(Gaurav Ojha is a faculty member specializing in communication, critical thinking, management, and research at various educational institutions in the Kathmandu Valley. As part of his creative pursuits, Mr. Ojha regularly publishes opinion pieces, poems, and non-fiction articles covering a wide range of topics, including death, disease, social issues, humanism, and spirituality.)

Self-Focused Workshop


Workshop happens on a continuous basis

1. Foundation and identity Validation:

Who the heck are you and what do you bring to the ball?

2. Getting yourself around and getting yourself chosen:

While making your rounds If you wanna get chosen first choose yourself

3. Managing your quirks neuroses while accentuating your positive traits:

Carefully calculate risks versus reward but not at the expense of not being YOU first

4.  Daily functionality and internal stock management:

Identify what works and let go of the rest 

Haiku: Let it Float Away

Let it all float away

Like the boats and the stray leaves

On a moonlit bay…–

Jacques Fleury is a Boston Globe featured Haitian American Poet, Educator, Author of four books and literary arts student at Harvard University online. His latest publication “You Are Enough: The Journey to Accepting Your Authentic Self” & other titles are available at all Boston Public Libraries, the University of Massachusetts Healey Library, University of Wyoming, Askews and Holts Library Services in the United Kingdom, The Harvard Book Store, The Grolier Poetry Bookshop, Amazon etc… He has been published in prestigious publications such as Spirit of Change Magazine, Wilderness House Literary Review, Muddy River Poetry Review, Litterateur Redefining World anthologies out of India, Poets Reading the News, the Cornell University Press anthology Class Lives: Stories from Our Economic Divide, Boston Area Small Press and Poetry Scene among others…Visit him at:  http://www.authorsden.com/jacquesfleury.–

A RIGHTEOUS DAUGHTER’S PRAYER

A thousand thanks to God, my endless prayer

For giving me a mother kind and rare

My crown in Heaven, Eden’s brightest part

My loveliest moments live within your heart, Mom

My faith, my pride, my honor standing tall

My greatest mountain – you above them all 

When I take flight, you are my wings to soar

My finest song, my strength forevermore, Dad

Eshmatova Charos is one of the most inquisitive students, deeply studying linguistic theory, and a holder of international certificates. She was born on August 18, 2007 in Uzbekistan. She is studying at Denau Institute of Entrepreneurship and Pedagogy Fields of activity: in depth of study the Uzbek language, gaining detailed knowledge of Turkish languages, and Early Achievements and Educational Path. She has obtained a national certificate in Uzbek language and literature (B level) and holds several international certificates. She graduated from secondary school with excellent grades and achieved notable positions in several academic subject Olympics.

Beleever 

They say it is useless, some people say 

They say it will never heal anyway

But, there are some who do not believe in Beleever

And some are waiting, hoping it will fail forever

From a company in Japan,

From Shisiyado Siyako’s hand.

From Marjon Calcium’s harmony,

It opens the door to healthy destiny.

Beleever, Beleever, oh Beleever,

We truly love you forever.

Beleever, Beleever, oh Beleever,

With you our lives are healthier.

Some have already been cured,

Some have risen, their strength secured.

Many found joy and a brand-new start,

Some are eager to drink with heart.

Some cannot reach the product’s way,

But those who drink are healed each day.

Some expected death in despair,

But found new life and fresh air.

Some passed with honor, that is true,

But many still love Beleever too.

Beleever, Beleever, oh Beleever,

We truly love you forever.

Beleever, Beleever, oh Beleever,

With you our lives are healthier.

Dilafro‘z Sultanova, daughter of Azimboy, was born in 1996 in the To‘rtko‘l district of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. She stepped into the world of literature in 2025 and has since emerged as a prolific and dedicated creative writer. To date, she is the author of thousands of literary works and the holder of several international certificates.

Her creative portfolio is diverse, encompassing quotes, monologues, life-based stories, poems, and traditional ghazals. Through her writing, she reflects deep emotional insight and a strong connection to real-life experiences. Several of her poems are currently being adapted into songs, marking a new stage in her artistic journey and highlighting the growing recognition of her work.

“All Encompassing”

1.)

As age cleans me out

day and night tasting

sugar and icing cakes

chocolate malts and lipstick kisses

my memories mounting horses

galloping across fields and countries

I laugh gritting my teeth

wailing against walls and doors unopening…

2.)

My mother cooks in a hot kitchen

my father hammering nails of fire

wars mounting tanks and hollow ships

full of men in metal suits and swimming trunks

fishing for good against wrong

ideas changing through centuries

waking up childhood dreams

with the sun rising through a rainbow window.

3.)

We will die fat and boneless

in our conclusions

not knowing the whole truth

and the endlessness of shame

some grabbing ahold of God

as He lets us enter the Light

the stars not enough

for all the dark hearts.

4.)

But God’s heart all encompassing.

The Last
Your heart tiptoed down the hall
out the door
across the street
as far as the other side of town
until the rubber band snapped
and took the rest of you
leaving a chasm in mine.

I filled it with words
first as entreaties
cried out ever so calmly
then etched onto endless pages
until the torrent ebbed
and shifted form.

One day
I realized I had written a poem
that wasn’t about us.

So this is my final for you.
One word
broken in two.

Good
bye.

Periodic Table of Emotions 

There’s a science to this chemistry of avoiding combining catalytic connections between the heart and the head. Like all good experiments, something has to blow up, spill over, or make me choke to figure out what doesn’t work. Unfortunately, while actual scientists record the results to know what to  avoid, as an artist, I tend to use a less clinical approach; the process has always been what interests  me most. Even with the dances I choreograph, once they are done, it’s being in rehearsal I remember,  not the finished work.  

So in the lab of my life, I need to go back and redo again, and again, not remembering that it isn’t the  amount of each element, but the fact that they don’t work together at all. Reminding me once again  that this combination still produces a destabilizing outcome. 

Longing and anticipation, anxiety and memory, anger and regret, self-medication and sorrow, these  opposing components do not play nicely together in any setting, controlled or otherwise. 

With compounding and identifying which interactions work well together, the balancing act is more  nuanced, but I have found that these groupings are always from the same side of the spectrum. Calm  and compassion, forgiveness and gratitude, awareness and curiosity, these always interplay quite  nicely. Mixed with the right physical response, they can produce an alchemical conversion into a state  of being that is calm, settled, almost at peace. With more subtle adjustments: a little more breathing,  a little less fear, the sweet spot of spiritual sanity is attained. Not in the past or future but finally,  gloriously, successfully in the present. 

Exhale. 

Now, where did I leave that glass of wine? 

– Janaea Rose Lyn

5 

4 

I love this rhythm. Generally subdivided as 123, 12, or 12, 123, it’s my favorite to choreograph and  drum. Dum dum dum, Tek tek. Dum dum, Tek tek tek. Or to jumpstart the clutch of my heart when it’s faltering. Boom boom boom, Bap bap. Boom boom, Bap bap bap.  

Five is the number of wounded themes I have identified, where the best and worst of my impulses  reside. It is the count of the primary pillars that inform my life. And let’s not forget the senses. Each  has a primary pattern that is daily re-interpreted with subdivisions, changing accents, and  syncopation, as I phrase the structured improvisation that is my life: 

Belonging attention care, Trust guidance 

Love service, Art beauty abundance 

Sight sound smell, Taste touch 

The first are my recent areas of intense scrutiny. What I didn’t get, what I long for, what I gave to a fault,  what informed my behaviors, and where I attached the conviction that no longer serves me. Protective  armor has its place, for a time. Defenseless, I have no choice but to give these to myself. The  necessary cliché of healing my inner child so the adult me is integrated, interacting with intention and no longer in reaction. The work at hand. 

Following are what nourish me, and each other. Soul food. 

The last are trickier. Blinders finally off, the view is expansive, but the glare of seeing what is actually in  front of me often requires a hat, something I never wore before. The volume of the voices in my head is louder, too. I lost my olfactory sense for a time, which has always been dominant for me, so it was  disorienting to say the least. The day of the shock, it came back full force. It turns out I also needed  some pharmaceutical assistance, so it’s now safely restored to the pantheon of pleasures. The final  two can leave me aching, so I try not to focus on them as much since you’ve gone. I can enjoy eating  and drinking again, but that’s not the flavor I miss. When we do see each other, I look forward to our  parting hug, brief kiss of care, and the sensation of your scent landing lightly on my skin.  

– Janaea Rose Lyn

Room to Move 

Gravity, physics, and physical abilities notwithstanding, the primary partner in my dancing life was  space. Moving in and through it, changing levels and planes, staying in place or inverting perspective,  all of this expanded my expressiveness. Space is tangible. It has weight and viscosity. It’s more  obvious when it duets with water or temperature and can be felt as humidity or an icy chill, but it  shimmers all the time. Pay attention, and you’ll see.  

Now I am navigating a whole other relationship to spaciousness, interiority. My head and heart  growing to make room for a different kind of locomotion. I have always worked on my inner self, but as  with training my outer self, neither produced outcomes as quickly as hoped. With time, the results  were evident in both areas. I have many decades of practice under my belt. 

Unencumbered by the grueling demands of the life I once lived, I find I am working harder than I ever  have. My daily spiritual practice takes as long as a New York City technique class once did. Once  completed, I am not sweating on the outside but equally as exhilarated within. Filled with insights,  understanding, and shifting perceptions, I may look the same to others, but invisibly, I am more  gracious and accepting. I am less encumbered by my psychology, and am learning how to get, and  stay, out of my old ways. I no longer get as easily ensnared in the drama of others.  

I have blood memory and bone density, even if my flesh is a little more wrinkled. I often get  compliments on my long, salt and pepper mermaid hair. You have to earn that, and I can live  underwater now. I can breathe in both worlds. The vastness of emptiness is not terrifying anymore  because I have found that when I fall, I can also grow wings. I have met divine mentors and  apprenticed myself. I was always a serious student, though to my chagrin, not always a quick learner. 

Like the air that surrounded me onstage, unseen by the audience but charged nonetheless, I am a  lone but no longer alone.  

I’m in good company. 

– Janaea Rose Lyn

See Through 

Where stone and pillar held firm and formidable, diagonal canyons of air and light form transient  shadow and shape. 

Strange how echoes become visible when belonging to either side. 

Confessions and fervent prayers drift past in full view, no longer needing to seep through cracks to escape.  

Bored eyerolls and questionable gestures intended for childhood crushes across a pew look lost, eternally seeking a response no longer forthcoming. 

The curious daughter of the tree out back  

climbed as the perfect perch 

to hold hands, steal a kiss, 

has entered as a congregant of trunk and branch. 

Deeply exquisite is this state of exposure. 

Nothing ruined, only revealed. 

Centuries of lives that cobbled these stones with their stories, only to find their place with one. At their head. 

Sun replacing stained glass becomes the window witness. 

 – Janaea Rose Lyn 

Photo: All Hallows House, Alison Butler (2023) 

Onomastics and the Toponymy of Boysun District                                                                        

Mamatraimova Khadicha Eshali qizi
Student of the 2nd year, Group 424
Department of Uzbek Language
Faculty of Philology
Termez State University

E-mail: mamatrayimovaxadicha@gmail.com
Tel: (+998) 94 194 01 05

       Annotasiya:    Ushbu ilmiy maqolda oʻzbek tili  geografik hududlar onomastikasi Boysun tumanidagi ayrim hududlarining nomlari misolida oʻrganiladi. Mavzu dolzarb boʻlib, oʻzbek tili onomastikasining rivojlanishada toponimika, oronimika, mikronomikaning farqlari va ahamiyati yoritiladi. Maqolaning maqsadi — oʻzbek tili toponimik onomastikasini kengaytirish hamda bir nechta hududlarning nomini ommaga keng mulohaza orqali yoritib berish. Tadqiqotda tahlil va solishtirma metodlaridan foydalanilgan. Natijalar shuni ko’rsatadiki, onomastikada shu vaqtgacha oʻrganilgan joy nomlari bilan birgalikda fan uchun yangi boʻlgan hudud nomlari ham keng jamoatchilikda oʻrganilmoqda.

 Kalit soʻzlar:   Onomastika, Boysun tumaning kichik hududlari toponimi, toponimika, oronimika, mikronimika.

Annotation:   This scientific article examines the onomastics of geographical areas in the Uzbek language through the example of the names of certain territories in the Boysun district. The topic is relevant, and the differences and significance of toponymy, oronymy, and microtoponymy in the development of Uzbek onomastics are highlighted. The purpose of the article is to expand Uzbek toponymic onomastics and to present the names of several regions to the public through broad discussion. Analytical and comparative methods were used in the research. The results show that, along with place names previously studied in onomastics, new territorial names that are novel for the field are also being actively explored by the wider public.

Keywords:  Onomastics, toponyms of small territories of the Boysun district, toponymy, oronymy, microtoponymy.

Аннотация:   В данной научной статье ономастика географических территорий узбекского языка рассматривается на примере названий отдельных местностей Бойсунского района. Тема является актуальной, в статье освещаются различия и значение топонимики, оронимики и микротопонимики в развитии узбекской ономастики. Целью статьи является расширение топонимической ономастики узбекского языка, а также всестороннее представление названий нескольких территорий широкой общественности. В исследовании использованы аналитический и сравнительный методы. Результаты показывают, что наряду с ранее изученными в ономастике названиями местностей, активно исследуются и новые для науки территориальные названия.

Ключевые слова: Ономастика, топонимы малых территорий Бойсунского района, топонимика, оронимика, микротопонимика.

Introduction

Everything surrounding us in the environment—objects, events, and phenomena—has its own name according to its function, characteristics, movement, and state. Through naming, humanity preserves countless pieces of information in its collective memory. The field of linguistics that deals with the naming of objects and phenomena is known as onomastics. The term onomastics (from Greek onoma — name) is an independent branch of linguistics that studies proper names.

Proper names include personal names, place names, names of rivers, lakes, mountains, deserts and other natural objects, celestial bodies (stars, planets, galaxies), various socio-cultural objects (schools, enterprises, street names), as well as names given to animals. Onomastics embodies valuable information about humanity’s historical memory, national and cultural values, and linguistic thinking.

Within onomastics, several subfields are distinguished:

• Toponymy — the study of geographical names (cities, villages, streets);
• Oronymy — the study of names of mountains, mountain ranges, and hills;
• Micronymy — the study of names of small geographical objects (wells, canals, small hills).

The Origin of Selected Place Names

The toponym “Boysun” is derived from the ancient Turkic words boy and sin, meaning “great mountain” or “large mountain”. In ancient Turkic beliefs, alongside the worship of various natural objects, mountains were also venerated, and Boysun was considered one of such sacred mountains. According to local legends, wealthy representatives of ancient Turkic tribes lived in this area, and the term “Biysin” was interpreted as “the village of the rich”. Among the local population, this latter explanation is considered more acceptable.

Besherkak is a village located in the Boysun district of Surkhandarya region. The toponym originates from the names of five individuals who once lived in this area. According to the conclusions drawn by Sadriddin Ayni in his work “Tuhfai Khaniy”, written based on eyewitness accounts by Qazi Muhammad Vafo (Shuhrat) of Karmana by order of the Bukhara ruler Rahimkhan, Rahimkhan undertook his second campaign to Kohistan in 1170 AH (1756/1757 AD). Near the Kohistan fortress (present-day Kallamozor), clashes occurred between the Hisar people and other free inhabitants of Kohistan.

In this battle, Rahimkhan emerged victorious, executed the captured men, constructed a tower of skulls, and distributed women among his soldiers. When the population around the fortress was massacred, five shepherds who were grazing livestock survived. As a result, the pasture was later named Besherkak, reflecting the number of surviving shepherds.

Approximately nine kilometers from Besherkak village lies Uzunquduq village. This name is associated with the formerly nomadic population of the area. Due to the absence of surface water, residents dug wells to access water; however, because the water level was deep, the wells had to be dug very deep. As a result, the place was named Uzunquduq (“long well”), although semantically the term chuqurquduq (“deep well”) would have been more accurate, since uzun refers to horizontal length, whereas chuqur refers to vertical depth.

The area also contains several oronyms such as Qirqtaram, Qiziljar, Xolmurod Hoji O‘ri, and Galaqo‘ton. The name Qirqtaram is believed to have originated from the appearance of consecutively aligned hills resembling strands of hair. Qiziljar is associated with the soil type of the area, which is fine-textured and red in color.

In Uzbek, the word o‘r has two meanings: (1) ravine or depression, and (2) elevation or hill. In Xolmurod Hoji O‘ri, the word o‘r is used in the sense of elevation, referring to a hill where the house of a person named Xolmurod Hoji was located. The name emerged from local expressions indicating proximity to his house.

The name Galaqo‘ton is linked to livestock breeding. Qo‘ton refers to an enclosure or structure used to pen sheep herds, while gala denotes a gathering or large group. Thus, Galaqo‘ton signifies a place where many herds were gathered. Micronyms in the area include Kelitosh, Ko‘rquduq, Qaloqlisoy, and Qamishlov.

Research Methodology

This study was conducted using an anonymous online survey with the aim of expanding research in Uzbek onomastics, introducing new data, and examining the accessibility of this information for the general public. More than seventy-five participants residing in the studied areas took part in the survey. No age restrictions were imposed, and personal data were not disclosed to ensure participant safety.

Review of the Literature

Toponyms constitute a significant part of the linguistic layer of a language. Professor E. Begmatov notes that nearly 50,000 toponyms from the regions of Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya, Khorezm, and Fergana have been identified and collected by Uzbek linguists. In the article “Oronyms Formed from Mongolian Lexical Units” by O. Begimov and Z. Aminova, it is stated that Southern Uzbek oronyms contain words and affixes characteristic of the Altaic period shared by Turkic and Mongolian languages. In later stages of the Uzbek language’s development, these elements underwent various phonetic, semantic, and grammatical changes, giving rise to new names through Uzbek-specific morphemes.

Additionally, S. Qorayev’s book “The Meaning of Geographical Names” provides explanations of key concepts related to place names in the sections “An Introduction to Toponymy” and “Terminology of Toponymy”. Such studies demonstrate that toponymy has been extensively researched.

Research Results

The results of the survey indicate that the majority of participants were young people (53%). Their knowledge of the etymology of local toponyms, oronyms, and micronyms, as well as their understanding of lexical-semantic and phonetic features of these names, was assessed. The findings confirm that the naming of geographical objects is closely connected with the natural-geographical conditions, functional characteristics, and worldview of the local population.

Discussion

During the research process, it was revealed that some place names are semantically inconsistent. Therefore, the issue of assigning new, more appropriate names was also considered. Scientific works in onomastics—including monographs, dissertations, and articles—were analyzed to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and recommendations were made for incorporating additional data.

Conclusion

The geographical names (toponyms) of Boysun district are closely linked to the region’s natural and geographical conditions, historical development, ethnic composition, and the worldview shaped by the local population over centuries. Place names in the area have emerged based on mountain relief, water sources, flora and fauna, historical figures, tribal names, and legends.

The study demonstrates that alongside toponymy, oronymy and micronymy are also actively used in Boysun district, and their significant role in the development of Uzbek onomastics has been substantiated. These names serve as important sources for preserving national and cultural heritage, traditional lifestyles, and historical memory. Therefore, the study of geographical names in Boysun district is of great importance not only for linguistics, but also for history, ethnography, and geography. The results of this research are considered to have significant scientific and practical value in enriching Uzbek onomastics and transmitting place-name heritage to future generations.

References

1.   Турсунов С. Сурхондарё вилояти топонимлари. – Тошкент: Алишер Навоий номидаги Ўзбекистон Миллий кутубхонаси нашриёти, 2008. – Б. 33.

2.     https://uz.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boysun
3.     Ayniy Sadriddin. Asarlar, 4-jild, Toshkent, 1965 yil,

4.    Umarov I. va boshqalar. Surxon vohasida…, 2014
5.      Tursunov S. “Surxondaryo viloyati toponimlari”. T. 2008-y
6.      S.N.Tursunov, Q.Rashidov. “Boysun”. Boysun. 2011-y. 

 7.   Бегматов Э. Жой номлари – маьнавият кўзгyси. – Тошкент: Маьнавият, 1998. – Б. 66.

8. Бегимов О.Т. Аминова З.П. Оронимы, образованные из монгольских словарных эдиниц // Молодой учёный. Я международный научный журнал. №.11(115)/2016/. – C. 1660.

9.     Qoraеv S. Ko‘rsatilgan asar. –B. 6-23; 190-197.