Flight of the Bee (Parvaz-e Zanbur)

The Flight of the Bee

Muhammadjon Shodi Mastura Ortik

Taghoymurod Rozik Fakhriddin Fakhiddin

- Hello - Hello

Fakhriddin, don't forget...

- Hi, are you doing fine? - How are you doing, Sir?

Hey Sir, I put the radio here, is it okay?

It's okay. How's everything?

- Great! - How's your health?

- Like a good old cock! - Yes. Let it be like that!

- Good morning. - Hello...

Have a look and see if some letter has arrived? Go...

Moscow! Moscow! Madam, connect me with Moscow!

Norkuzi, damn it, she's made one more son!

- Sir, hey Sir! - Three and a half kilos.

Fifty-two... two... no brother. Why do you need money?

Come yourself! Do you understand?

- Is there a letter for us? - That's it.

Come on, give me a letter, uncle.

There's nothing. My dear lady, please connect me once more with Moscow!

No dad, there wasn't any letter.

- Did you see the postman himself? - Yeah.

Don't joke in the classroom. Son, don't fight with your friends, do you hear me?

- Okay, Dad. - Go!

- Good morning. - Hello...

Good morning, children!

Good morning Mister headmaster!

Okay, sit down.

Well, who's turn is it today?

- Sarvinoz! - No, it's not Sarvinoz, it's Muhiba.

Is everyday present, Muhiba dear?

Sharofat's mother is sick. Azamjon went to see his uncle.

Now, let's check your notebooks.

Okay, let's see...

What was the homework? That's very good.

Good. Let's see yours.

You've been able to do it.

As you do harder, shall you get more.

Let me see my son.

You didn't listen to me at yesterday.

Do you understand?

I taught you twice yesterday.

Look at this D... How about you?

And next, you...

What should I do with Ahmadkhon?

Should I send him away? No! In that case why don't you learn?

Ahmadkhon, nowadays an illiterate man

can earn the money.

This is your last warning. If you give a heck of what I say one more time, I'll send you away.

Look at his notebook's shape?

Aren't you ashamed? I'll check tomorrow again.

Let's start with you... well, that's much better.

Children, did everybody read about the ant?

Yes!

Well, who's going to read the story?

Me! Me! Me, headmaster! I'll read! I'll read!

Raise your hands, only!

You read, Ahmadkhon.

Ahmadkhon, come to the blackboard and read out loud, dear.

Everybody listen to him.

Start from the beginning.

Keep silent and pay attention.

The anty...

coms in dillage... and noks...

Silence, children.

U... ka...

Listen, we already learned the syllables. We were saying that

there were small and big,

black and yellow ants,

and they all used to be neighbors in the village.

- May I come in? - And ant...

- When is your biology class? - After this class.

After, let's have the kids sing 'giszh, gizh' to my bull.

All right we'll go, we'll go.

- Listen to me. - The animal's not doing it.

The... ant, you see? It's very easy.

Ahmadkhon can't even separate syllables

and pronounce the letter 'r'.

Well, children, I am going for you a few words with the letter 'r'.

All of you write these words neatly in your notebooks.

Ahmadkhon, go sit down.

Most of you can't and pronounce the letter 'r'.

Ar-ra...

Bar-ra,

- dar-ra... - Take it, don't be angry, pall.

All these words will be your reading homework, and you'll repeat the

Exercise everyday.

Come on... pronouns the letter 'r'.

R-r-r...

You see, she can't pronounce it,

let's repeat it all together again.

Khar-ar-ar...

Ar-ra... Bar-ra... Bar-ra... da-ra...

Very good, my children! Very good.

This class... We'll see... one minute.

Good morning.

Is the national anthem ready?

Ah... we're in class, can't it wait for a little while?

Visitors have come from far away, they don't have any time.

It's for a radio program.

We know the subject, but not the music.

- Have them sing whatever you know. - Give it to me.

- Good morning, children! - Good morning.

Sit down, all of you.

Children, we're going to sing our national anthem for a radio program.

If you sing well, they will record our voices.

Let's begin: One, Two. Three...

Oh, honored country of ours,

have us stand high in glory!

May the state and happiness you grant us be of no harm!

We've come from ancient times!

We stand in line,

we stand in line beneath your flag...

in line, long live our nation,

our independent Tajikistan!

Come on kids, faster, faster! In ancient times,

great and wise men were usually associated with extraordinary traits.

Alexander aimed to establish a great and lawful empire.

It is said that he even conquered this land.

Look at the top over there...

that one, on the top of those hills it said that a terrible battle took place.

In the battlefield, the hooves of cavaliers saw...

...the world go beneath them like the faces of slaves.

During the battle, Alexander's favorite horse, Butsefal, was killed by an arrow.

Look over there. Can you see the mounds on top of this hills?

On top of one of them, Alexander built a magnificent sarcophagus

and buried Butsefal's corpse together with all its jeweled outfit.

And then so that nobody find it,

his men built similar mounds on the top of all the hills.

It is said that every hundred years Butsefal's spirit raises

from its burial mound and treads along these very hills.

Whoever has the chance to see it, lives a happy fate sees his wishes and aims come true.

There are many other such tales...

Now I'm going to tell you another story. It's also about Alexander.

Before that however, let's go to that mound over there.

Let's run children. Be careful, be careful not to fall.

Run. Run. Fast children.

Slow down. Don't fall down, come this way.

Come on, get in a circle. Just don't be afraid, don't be afraid.

I'm going to tell you a story, just listen and pay attention.

Five thousand years ago, there used to be a high tower here.

Nowadays the only thing that's remained is this mound of rocks.

Every nation buries their dead in different ways.

Ancient Egyptians would build magnificent shrines for their dead.

Hindus for example, burn their dead and throw the corpse's ashes on the water.

We Muslims remit our dead to the earth.

But in ancient times we had other customs of burying our dead.

We used to lay the dead inside this tower.

In the tower, there used to be a deep pit.

Then crows and scavengers would come and eat the corpses.

You see children, they would eat the bodies in the pit.

It is said in the times of Alexander when a man turned old,

his children would bring him to the pit and throw him there alive.

Since the poor old man wouldn't be able to get out, he would die.

Alexander had a vizier, who really loved his dad.

When his dad became old, he was forced to take him to the pit.

When the vizier saw the bones in the pit,

he felt so sorry that he didn't throw his father into the pit.

His father also advised him saying: Don't throw me in my son,

I will still be of some use to you.

The vizier built a chest and hide the old man inside so that nobody be able to see him.

He then took the chest with him wherever he went.

Alexander's army one day came to waterless desolate wasteland.

Many, many of his men died of thirst.

The vizier's dad seeing the calamity from a hole of his chest said to his son:

Tomorrow morning at dawn put a bowl of honey on a visible place.

A bee will come and eat until it becomes thirty.

It will then start flying until the sun rises and by that time it will already be beside some water.

Tie a thread on the bee's small foot and follow it.

And that is how the soldiers found their salvation.

Alexander then ordered that

old men be respected and longer thrown into pits.

That was the tale, children.

Wake up, wake up, go, go...

It's enough. That's enough. We can't excite the bull.

- I'm sorry. - No, I'm sorry.

Let's go, let's go.

I'm so sorry for bothering you.

I'm going to send you the butchery.

Get dressed and bring it over here, my dear son.

Aunty, hey aunty, Look over there. He's staring again.

- Did you water the flowers? - No.

- Go and do it immediately. - All right.

What are you staring at? Don't you have a tongue to speak.

Humph? Couldn't you find another place for your toilet?

It's smelly all over now.

Hey! Your damned eyes.

What do you write so much?

What's the use of this writing of yours if it doesn't bring us a cent.

Look at your son, don't you feel sorry for him?

Your writing has turned us into beggars.

Everybody makes fun of us.

If we would be well off,

he wouldn't have built a toilet

in front of our noses.

It stinks so much

you can't go outside.

Did he stare at you again?

Tell Fakhriddin to give all last year's wheat to the cattle.

Sir, you had loaned us some onions, I've brought some back.