Maria Lidzhigoryaeva, Return from Siberia in 1957

Abstract

Maria says that the first train with Kalmyks from Krasnoyarskiy krai arrived in Divnoe, Stavropol oblast, in 1957. There are no documents left today pertaining to this event. Maria, who was on that train herself, recalls that the journey took 17 days which she spent singing with the others. Among the passengers was the singer Ulan Barbaevna Lidzhieva who was sick. Everyone in the train tried to help her. At Divnoe station they were welcomed by the ensemble Tyulpan (Tulip). The arrivals were transported to Elista by car. In Elista Maria worked as a stonemason. She built houses, a post office, the Drama Theatre, the cinema Druzhba and many other buildings. In 1960 several builders from Kalmykia, including Maria, were invited to work on the construction of the Palace of Pioneers in Moscow. Maria worked in Moscow for a month.