Syedyshev Oleg
Syedyshev Oleg

Humorous essays
Guestbook Contacts

Humorous Essays Based on students' memories

"All have died
except for those who are alive, and those whom we remember"Confucius

Essay 10. Ilgam and Otari

They were my two friends, two the brightest representatives of their people. As one says now: "persons of Caucasian nationality". But what kind of the persons! Both were original and handsome not only by their looks, but by the souls. They were very different, though recognizable.

Gasanov Ilgam Risa Ogly was thin, but slender and tall. His face was one of a classical Azerbaijanian. His eyes were dark, and nose... Ilgam could be both fierce and kind. He was born in Baku, and was very proud of it. When he was telling about his native city, his face was radiant. Like myself, Ilgam was enrolled in the institute ahead of time, so we were offered to work for a couple of weeks in September at the military department instead of going to a collective farm. At that moment we did not know what was "a collective farm" or "a military department", though had a hidden idea that the military department meant personal contacts with professors, which could be very useful in our future student life. By the way, all this proved useful to me in my fifth year, during a military assembly which lasted for a month. Though, about this later...

Teodoradze Otar Refikovitch came from Batumi. Even at that time, when he was a very young guy, characteristics of a mature man expressively showed in him. Otari was a man of few words, but every word was meaningful, he was self-restrained and as they say imposing. His face was manly, and he always had his moustache neatly cut and well-groomed. And his Eastern gesture, when Mussulmans press a hand to a forehead, a heart and a mouth, was elegant and liked by everybody.

Ilgam and Otari

Here is what I wanted to tell about. In the first year of the Medical Institute there is a required class of physical training. The students did not like it, but it was necessary to have a pass in it. Those who attended sports groups were guaranteed to receive it, like your most humble servant, for example. I used to do sambo under a supervision of a prominent athlete Kravchenko, and even was a champion of the institute in my weight category. But I will tell about it in a different story.

Ilgam and Otari just did not enroll in any sports groups. So when winter came, they had to do ten kilometers of cross-country skiing along a birch grove in Kirovskiy district, where they lived. I was a witness of a skiing start of the guys. Otar and Ilgam went out of the main building with armful of skis. After walking down the steps they immediately started putting on the skis. And if Otal was wearing a track-suit, then Ilgam was in a long light overcoat. So just imagine: a tall guy in the unbuttoned coat and on skis... This was worthy to be seen! Nevertheless, Ilgam made the first step and ... stepped with one ski on the tip of another one and broke it. Happy Ilgam brought the broken skis to the department, cherishing a hope that he would be sent away and not tortured. Alas, he was mistaken: the teacher reprimanded him and gave new skis. Otari was patently waiting at the entrance all that time. With great difficulties Ilgam again put on the skis, and the two athletes started to the birch grove, where there was a ski track. And there at the very first meters of the track happened something, because of what I started the story.

Otar (and you remember that one was from Batumi, and the other one from Baku. In both places snow is a rear thing, to put it mildly) moved fast ahead, and Ilgam barely moving his skis shouted at him: "Otari, you are flying like a bird, like a whirlwind. Do not leave me alone." Ilgam was trying to make a dash to catch Otari up and suddenly broke the second ski. That time Ilgam's ski was not replaced, but he still received a pass in PT.

july 4, 2011

© Copyright: Oleg Syedyshev, 2012
Publishing licence #21202091773

Translated by Viktoria Potykinato content ↑


Copyright © 2001-2024
oleg.syedyshev.name
All rights reserved