TALISH REVIVING

Azat Artsakh–Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
14-04-2004

On April 14, 1994 our azatamartiks managed to liberate the village
from the Azerbaijani aggressors. And although no traces of life had
remained of the former Talish, the morale of the people of Talish was
not broken. They found power inside themselves to return to their
home, rebuild it, and as they themselves say, “our home must stand
more firmly on our land”. “When we returned, we found the village
burnt, ruined and plundered. The Turks had not left behind anything of
use, either plundered or destroyed. As there are Azerbaijani villages
in the adjacent area of the village, it was easier for the aggressors
to plunder the village; they burnt what remainedâ=80¦,” say the people
whofirst stepped in Talish after the liberation. The first inhabitants
returned on June 3 ofthe same year (in the villages situated between
Martakert and Talish there was no peaceful population). They were 12,
including the mayor of the village Vilen Petrossian. According to him,
the first returnees were followed by another 13 people. “We formed a
building brigade of 25 people, with the help of lieutenant-general
Manvel Grigorian brought necessary building materials from the Turkish
villages and started the reconstruction works,” says the mayor of
Talish. One of the first steps of the few inhabitants was the common
canteen as allthe returnees as one family lived in one building as
long as the reconstruction of the ruined villages was finished. The
first 4 houses were built by the end of 1994. The priority after the
liberation was the resettlement of the village, which continues to
remain an urgent problem. Presently 150 families live in the village,
all in all 536 inhabitants, of which half are pensioners, 72
schoolchildren, 64 are children under school age. The mayor mentions
with pity that although at the beginning there was an inflow of
returnees, in the course of years it decreased and even there is
emigration caused by unemployment. In the village mainly the teachers
are provided with jobs but many of them do not have a corresponding
training. This, however, does not hinder these people who have
experienced so many hardships to instill patriotism, kindness in their
pupils, to make them ideologically healthy people. A greater part of
the population is occupied in farming. According to the mayor,
although today there is no collective farming system and each is the
owner of their land, there are common problems in the case of solution
of which only each will be able to develop their own business, be it
production of agricultural products or other. Of these problems is
water supply. Now, according to the mayor, work is done in their
direction and the problem of water will be solved within the coming
three years. According to the inhabitants of the village, there is an
inflow of the youth to the village when there are construction
works. Construction works were stopped in 2000, this year they were
resumed. 50 million drams were provided from the state budget for
building. 12 houses will be built, whereas 49 families need
homes. This year the Armenian Relief Society will build a nursery
school in the village. Talish is reviving step by step. And the
revival of each settlement is the revival of Artsakh.

CHRISTINE MNACAKANIAN.
14-04-2004