The meeting of the descendants of the virgin landers took place at Lake Bagryazh in the Zainsk district.

      At the picturesque Lake Bagryazh in the Zainsk region, for the second consecutive year, the children and grandchildren of those who cultivated the virgin lands in Kazakhstan in the mid-20th century gather together. The organizers of the meeting were Alexander and Irina Maksimov. Their parents and grandparents once settled in the Kostanay region, working as mechanizers, combine operators, at grain elevators, and in sheep shearing — their selfless labor transformed once wild steppes into fertile fields, they married and raised children. Over time, many returned to their homeland, but the memory of those years remains forever. The gathering included not only residents of Zainsk but also guests from Naberezhnye Chelny, Kirov, and nearby villages. The attendees reminisced about their relatives, went boating, and drank tea at a common table, sharing family stories.

      Especially touching was the story shared by Alexandra Abdulaeva, who fondly recalled life in the Semiozerny district, in the village of Karagansai. "I remember, people lived in harmony and did not divide themselves by nationalities. And there were many, as people came to the virgin lands from all the republics of the vast Union," she said. "If you look at just our street, there lived representatives of Kazakhs, Russians, Tatars, Germans, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Bashkirs, Poles, Caucasians, and many others. Most of them were first-time cultivators, and in pre-perestroika times, this title was honorable. Among them were our parents, our relatives." She shared memories of her mother: "In 1961, my mother, Tatyana Busova, was left a widow with children, but relatives took us to the virgin lands in Kazakhstan. There, in the Semiozerny district, my mother was kindly accepted, given a house and a cow so that we wouldn’t go hungry. She worked at the grain elevator, sheep shearing, and cleaned floors in schools and clubs to raise us, six children. She was awarded the Motherhood and Labor Veteran medals, and after returning to Zainsk, she received the title of rear worker." These words became the leitmotif of the meeting, reminding everyone that the virgin lands were not just a construction site, but a significant human life where friendship and labor proved stronger than time and distance. Meetings at Lake Bagryazh are already becoming a good tradition, preserving the connection between generations.

      Photo by the author

      Roza Ilaltdinova

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      The meeting of the descendants of the virgin land workers took place at Lake Bagryazh in the Zainsk region. At the picturesque Lake Bagryazh in the Zainsk region, for the second consecutive year, the children and grandchildren of those who cultivated the virgin lands in Kazakhstan in the mid-20th century gather together. The organizers of the meeting were Alexander and Irina Maksimov. 13:22 04.08.2026 Zainsk-inform - Zainsk

      The meeting of the descendants of the virgin land workers took place at Lake Bagryazh in the Zainsk region. At the picturesque Lake Bagryazh in the Zainsk region, for the second consecutive year, the children and grandchildren of those who cultivated the virgin lands in Kazakhstan in the mid-20th century gather together. The organizers of the meeting were Alexander and Irina Maksimov. 12:47 04.08.2026 News of Zainsk - Zainsk