Bahodir Barotov, poem and bio.
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BAHODIR BAROTOV
Bahodir Barotov was born in 1979 in the village of Kushkak, Boysun district. In 1996, he graduated from Secondary School No. 7 of Boysun district. From 1996 to 2000, he studied at the Faculty of Philology of Termez State University, specializing in Tajik language and literature.
To date, Bahodir Barotov has published a number of popular scientific works, including “An Essay on the History of Kuchkak” (Termez, 2006), “Dear People of Boysun” (Tashkent, 2011), “Kuchkak: A Treasury of Folk Culture” (Tashkent, 2014), and the novella “The Wealth of Amir Olimkhan” (Tashkent, 2015). His first poetry collection, titled “The Fragrance of Words” (edited and introduced by Jafar Muhammadi Termizi), was published in Tashkent in 2016. In addition, a number of his journalistic and scientific articles have been published in Uzbek and Tajik in the national press.
Since 2018, he has been a member of the Union of Craftsmen and Calligraphers of Uzbekistan. Bahodir Barotov Boysuniy is also an active member of the international literary foundation “Sabzmanish” (Iran).
Selections of his poetry have appeared in newspapers and collective collections such as “Sarvoda-i Surkhon” (Tashkent: Tamaddun, 2011), “Donishnoma – A Tazkira of Tajik Poets of Uzbekistan from the 20th to the Early 21st Century” (Dushanbe: Donish, 2023), and “The Literary School of Jafar Muhammadi Termizi” (Tashkent: ILM-ZIYO-NUR, 2024), as well as in the electronic weekly “Sabzmanish” (Iran). His poetry and biographical details have also been included in the book “Ghazal Writers of Sabzmanish.”
A collection of his poems titled “From Zarafshan to Surkhan” was published in Dushanbe in 2025 (ER-graf). His Uzbek poems were included in the collection “Kongil Bitiklari” (Tashkent: Ganjina, 2023).
Bahodir Barotov’s poems have been translated into Greek, Albanian, Arabic, English, and Russian. His works are also available in various online publications.
HOW LONG?
How long shall this heedlessness remain - that we become disgraced,
Humble and ashamed in the eyes of the base?
Through disrespect, the eyes of envy are opened,
They laugh at us - why should we become so wretched?
They point their fingers at us in reproach,
And in their sight, we seem like ignorant fools.
Our enduring nation will find its worth
If we become true servants of God and the Prophet.
How long shall we all chase greed and desire,
And from heedlessness turn into the lost and confused?
Let us appear worthy in the eyes of the world,
If we become seekers on the path of knowledge and skill.
At the height of the heavens like stars and the radiant full moon,
Let us become the sun of the sky, a shining light.
THE FUTURE IS OURS
Let us laugh together - the world is beautiful,
Bright hearts are the sun of tomorrow.
From exile and sorrow, we create our voice,
With love and hope, we rush toward the future!
O heart, sing! O heart, smile!
Hand in hand, heart to heart, united!
The future is ours,
The sun shines within our sight!
Wherever we are, we are one voice,
Companions of joy, lovers of dreams.
Borders and distances are far from our hearts,
Our voice is a message of light!
O heart, sing! O heart, smile!
Hand in hand, heart to heart, united!
The future is ours,
The sun shines within our sight!
Përgatiti për botim Angela Kosta
