The First Teacher

Author: Chingiz Aitmatov

Number of Pages:  119 Pages

Genre: Classic / Fiction/ Russian Literature /Historical Fiction

Rating: 5 stars

Summary:

Altynai, a teenage girl in a small Kirghiz village wanted to go to school to learn to read and write. Duishen, a young communist took on the responsibility to educate the children from poor families in his community and he became the original, The First Teacher’ in their lives.
He was responsible for transforming the lives of Altynai and instrumental in helping her grow into becoming a famous academic in her own right.

My Review:

I picked this book after about 14 years since I first read it. Read it for the first time when I was schooling and honestly, I did not understand the depth of this story. What I liked the most then was the way the author had described the surroundings. The school atop the hills, the little stream the kids had to cross to reach the school, and the poplar trees. The one part I remembered vividly was the poplar trees that stood there, a welcoming sight to anyone entering the village. 14 years later, reading this book feels nostalgic, and it had more than nature described in it.

Set in post-revolutionary Russia, the story revolves around a student, Altynai, and her teacher, Duishen. Altynai visits her village as the chief guest to open the new school building. Amidst the party, a young kid comes in to hand over letters to the host of the party. Upon hearing the name of the postman ‘Duishen’, Altynai’s behavior changes. She leaves the village immediately and writes a letter filled with regret to the narrator. The letter delves into her past as a student who was nurtured and educated by Duishen, her teacher.

The story had a detailed description about the rural lives in Soviet Russia. The difficulties and their ignorance. How oblivious they were towards the necessities of a country that was rising post-revolution.

 “In those days such words as ‘school’ and ‘teaching’ were novel and no one really knew what they meant,” writes Altynai.  The locals believed “reading’s for the well-to-do.”

One would be surprised at the amount of emotions a novella could awaken. The story was a reminder of love and compassion. ‘The First Teacher’ was a beautiful tale that talks about the goodness that prevailed in a society which went through a lot of tough times. The bond Altynai and Duishen shared was again a reminder of deep human relationships. The type of relationship where you’d give everything expecting nothing in return. I’d say, the story depicts love in its purest form.

When I first read this book, I picked it up because of the hype around it. Being a kid, I couldn’t understand why they would call it beautiful. But now, after years of being a student and a teacher, I was able to relate to the beautiful relationship Altynai and her first teacher shared. I’ve met teachers who ruined lives, but more than that, I’ve met teachers who believed in their students. This book, “The First Teacher,” will forever be a reminder of those teachers who built lives. The bond shared between a hardworking teacher and the students is universal. The story beautifully captures the essence of that bond.

“Good-bye teacher, good-bye, my first school, my childhood, good-bye, my first love…” 

A very short, yet a captivating story. A book that touched me to the core. A story that I’ll always remember. And since the day I read it, there was the quote I couldn’t forget.

“There will be winter, there will be cold, there will be snowstorms, but then there will be spring.. Again..”
― Chinghiz Aitmatov

Much Love,

Amna, xoxo