There is such a profession - to defend the Motherland. Perhaps the only one that does not have an age limit. During the years of the Great Patriotic War, not only young people, but also many old people who had long been removed from the military and labor registers, did not stay away from the national struggle. One of them was grandfather Talash - a legendary man, a national hero, familiar to each of us from school, from the story of Yakub Kolas "Drygva".
Vasily Isaakovich Talash was born on December 25, 1844 in the village of Belka, Petrikovsky district, Gomel region, in a poor peasant family. His father worked all his life on the land, bent his back, but never got rich. He could not even allocate an allotment of land to his son after his marriage, so Vasily was forced to go to the primaki in the neighboring village of Novoselki. The Polish occupation dashed the hope for a better life. The invaders mocked and robbed the peasants. The more conscious of the inhabitants began to protest, unite, and rise to fight. One of the first on this path was a peasant from the village of Novoselki Vasily Talash. He understood that he needed to take up arms in order to save not only his property, but also his dignity, his homeland.
Before the arrival of the Poles, a detachment of Red Guards stood in the village, the commander of which was quartered with Vasily Talash. He often sent Vasily to the enemy's camp for information. The commander passed everything that Poleshuk had to learn about to Petrikov, where the main forces of the Red Army were stationed. With the help of the Red Guards, a partisan detachment was organized. Talash was unanimously elected commander.
In addition to direct participation in military operations, Vasily Isaakovich carried out important assignments from the command of the Red Army to distribute underground literature behind the front line and among Polish soldiers. Talash knew the left bank of the Pripyat well, the location of settlements and repeatedly went on reconnaissance in Novoselki, Kuritichi and Petrikov. Several times he was captured by the Poles, and only thanks to his natural quick wits and cunning he found himself free.
The first military operation to free his native village from the Poles was carried out successfully. The detachment, on its own, drove the White Poles out of Novoselki, thereby providing valuable assistance to the advancing Soviet troops.
In 1920, the detachment joined one of the units of the Red Army. Talash could not serve for health reasons (he suffered typhus) and returned to his native village.
Poverty and hunger prevailed in the surrounding villages. The authoritative grandfather Talash was elected chairman of the Novoselkovsky village council. At that time he was already 77 years old. New worries fell on his shoulders, but he energetically got down to business, became a delegate to the VIII Congress of Soviets of the Petrikov Volost, where the issues of the restoration of the village were discussed. Vasily Isaakovich helped his fellow countrymen to build a new life, found ways out of the most difficult situations. In a short time, I bought grain for sowing, with its help the fire victims were given a forest free of charge in order to rebuild the burned houses. Grandfather Talash was a member of the commission for drawing up a plan for the development of animal husbandry and poultry farming in the region. He did a lot to open and then expand ship repair shops in Petrikov, schools, and a medical center.
The Belarusian government highly appreciated the heroic deeds of the Polissya nugget. Here is an extract from the decree of the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the BSSR dated February 6, 1928: "For the accomplishment of the feat, to award the Order of the Red Banner of Labor to Talash Vasily Isaakovich, a peasant of the village of Belka, Petrikovsky district, Mozyr district." This award was rare and significant at that time.
The Polesie peasant came to Minsk twice to meet with Yakub Kolas. It was at that time that the story "Drygva" came out of print. Grandfather Talash carefully read and reread the work. Among the heroes, he recognized comrades in arms, despite the fact that the names were changed.
The first meeting of Talash with Yakub Kolas took place in Minsk, after reading the story, Talash's grandfather decided to personally meet the writer. Yakub Kolas was at that time vice-president of the Academy of Sciences, and then one day the door of his office opened, grandfather Talash appeared on the threshold. The writer received the guest cordially, showed him Minsk, invited him to his home. In general, Vasily Talash was pleased with the work of art about himself. However, he also made some comments during their first meeting. Talash especially insisted that he had escaped from the five Polish soldiers who had detained him in the forest, and not from three, as it was written in the story. And Kolas, in the next reprint of the book, made an amendment.
In 1939, Talash and Kolas met for the second time. When the opera “In the Pushchas of Polesie” was staged at the Minsk Opera and Ballet Theater, Yakub Kolas brought Vasily Isaakovich to one of the rehearsals and carefully sat him down in an easy chair. Grandfather Talash was very surprised that his actor sings all the time. The director of the play had to explain to him the essence of the opera genre. Talash, as they say, got a taste and willingly attended subsequent rehearsals. He especially liked the aria "I love freedom …". Talash also helped in creating one of the scenery for the play - a partisan forest. The artist had made dozens of sketches before, but everything was not right. When the drawings were shown to Talash, he suggested: "And here, in a clearing, lay a huge felled oak tree." Without knowing it, he helped the artist create the necessary decoration.
When the Great Patriotic War began, Vasily Talash was almost 100 years old. Vasily Isaakovich experienced the attack of the German fascist invaders very hard. He was still physically relatively strong, vigorous, mobile. It was felt that the misfortune that befell the people greatly agitated them, responded with pain in the heart. The life of grandfather Talash became especially unbearable with the arrival of enemies in Novoselki. And he again took up his weapon and went to the partisans. He asked for battle, but the detachment took care of this unique person, whose name alone was already a weapon against the enemy. Talash was well aware of the secrets of the local relief, which the partisans used during battles and blockades. He even drew up an operational-strategic map of the placement of enemy fortifications in the garrisons, which he reconnoitered while searching for partisans. The rumor that Vasily Isaakovich was fighting in the ranks of the people's avengers spread throughout all formations and caused a surge of new strength, a desire to see him in their troops.
Talash passed on his rich experience to the fighters, held meetings with residents of neighboring villages, distributed newspapers and leaflets, for which he was arrested by the invaders and imprisoned in Petrikovskaya prison. After his release, he collaborated with the Minsk underground regional committee of the CP (b) B.
Then it was decided to transfer Talash to Moscow, to the headquarters of the partisan movement, which was headed by Panteleimon Ponomarenko. At the beginning of 1943, grandfather Talash was transported to the mainland from a partisan airfield, which was located among forests and swamps on a small island Zyslav. There Vasily Isaakovich was given a warm welcome and was accommodated in the best hotel of that time - "Moscow". Grandfather was dressed in a new military uniform, but he forced it for no more than a week, and then hid it in a bag to take it as a gift to his grandchildren and sons.
In Moscow, Vasily Talash visited factories, factories, government agencies, military units, met with people of different professions, told them about the military exploits of the Belarusian partisans. He performed in front of soldiers who were sent to the front. In Moscow, Vasily Isaakovich was actively involved in providing Belarusian partisans with clothing, ammunition and food. At the same time, grandfather Talash met with Mikhail Kalinin with a petition to issue him a duplicate of the Order of the Red Banner, which the Nazis took away from him. His request was granted.
Leaflets with Talash's calls to fight the enemies were also distributed in the occupied territory of Belarus. The famous partisan did not escape the attention of the newspaper-poster "Let's break the fascist gadzina", where the portrait of Talash's grandfather was placed. The artist Ivan Akhremchik showed him courageous, thoughtful and focused. In the eyes of the old partisan, there is sadness for dear places, for the dear Pripyat.
Grandfather Talash also spoke on the radio. His fiery appeals reached the soldiers and partisans, found a lively response in the hearts of people. At the same time, Yakub Kolas arrived in Moscow for the All-Slavic Committee from Tashkent, where he was in evacuation. This meeting became the third in the history of relations between the famous writer and his famous grandfather Talash. She was filmed with a movie camera - Talash tells something to Kolas, he listens with a smile. This is not surprising - Vasily Isaakovich was a good storyteller, a colorful man with humor.
The third meeting of Kolas and Talash in Moscow, immortalized in the photograph, was the last. Kolas returned to Tashkent after the All-Slavic Committee, while Talash remained in Moscow. He returned to Belarus with the advancing units of the Red Army. Saying goodbye to grandfather Talash, Ponomarenko said: "If you need help, come to Minsk."
Talash returned to his native Novoselki and saw a grave picture there: people were starving, there was not a single horse in the whole village, not to mention cars and tractors. I had to take advantage of the invitation and go to Minsk for help. The honored partisan was given a horse, and was taken with him in a freight car to Gomel. Talash rode from Gomel on horseback, and strangers attacked him in the forest - they wanted to take away the horse. However, grandfather Talash gave battle to the attackers, and although at that time he was already a hundred years old, he again emerged victorious, having defended the black one.
This horse helped Talash and his fellow villagers to survive in the difficult post-war years, whom he never refused help. Grandfather Talash resisted for years until the last, got a job as a forester in the Petrikov forestry enterprise. He was very responsible in his work, he loved the forest, put things in order in it. But the years took their toll. On August 23, 1946, at the 103rd year of his life, Vasily Isaakovich died in Minsk during an operation.
Much has been done in Belarus to perpetuate the memory of the famous partisan. Streets in Minsk and Petrikov are named after him. In the center of Petrikov there is a small park with avenues of heroes, where a monument to Vasily Talash is erected. A sculptural and architectural complex is located on Yakub Kolas Square in Minsk. The figure of the writer Yakub Kolas and the sculptural group of his literary heroes, including grandfather Talash with his son, are immortalized in bronze. In 1989, in the native village of the famous partisan, the House-Museum of Talash's grandfather was opened. In 2012, a four-part feature film "Talash" was released based on the story "Drygva" by Yakub Kolas, written and directed by Sergei Shulga.
Many fiery lines were also dedicated to grandfather Talash by writers. Novikov-Priboy wrote a large front-line essay "A Hundred Years Partisan". Russian poet Alexei Surkov and Belarusian poet Mikhas Mashara dedicated their poems to Vasily Isaakovich.
Grandfather Talash
Dedicated to Belarusian partisans
Misty nights over Polesie, There is horror, rustling grass, German fascists sleep
In Talash's new hut.
The pine log house is dry as gunpowder, Evil fire is stronger than lead.
The sentries do not hear the rustle
Behind the fence and at the porch.
The flames brought down the gray dusk, A shadow darted away.
The officers will not tell
What they dreamed that night.
* * *
The stars are smoldering over the fields
The forest is dressed in a blue haze.
With partisan sons
An old grandfather lay in ambush.
Shots rang out in the night
Destroy enemy horsemen.
We heard ate on the way
Talash's angry voice.
On the way, where the forest and pasture, The corpses are laid out in a row.
What was there? Who will tell?
The dead don't speak.
Where the green forest rustles, Where the wheat pool turns yellow, Echelons on a dark night
We flew down the slope.
On a deserted half-station
The sentry lies in the dust.
Partisans enemy tanks
They set fire to the parking lot.
* * *
Past the oars, past the apiaries
The avenger walks - a gray-haired grandfather, Grandson Mihasik with a light shadow
Covering the trail of the grandfathers.
Through swamps, through ravines, Now in a dugout, then in a hut, With a young fighting step
Old grandfather Talash is walking.
Because of Pripyat and Sozh, Unyielding and formidable
Old people and youth
The avenger's footsteps are audible.
Grandfather Talash does not hunch his back, The flame beats from under the eyebrows
Into the battle for the native land
The grandfather calls his sons.
Alexey Surkov. ACTING ARMY
August 15, 1941, Izvestia, USSR *.
