“I think fear is the hardest thing. In 1937, so many people were arrested. These people had siblings, parents, friends, but did anyone come out? Has anyone said a word? No, Tbilisi was silent. In my mother's memoirs, it is written that when they were transporting people by trucks, other people stood silently on the street, men took off their hats and bowed their heads silently. This fear is an indicator that you almost support what is happening”
“I learned more [about my father] from the community. When I met Gudiashvili , for example, when he heard who I was, he was excited and called his wife immediately. Dad probably had a lot of friends and I could see it everywhere. Father is with me all the time, since when I can't tell you, but I always think when I am alone with my thoughts. Why? For what reason? I have no answer...”
“I couldn't feel it, but my siblings went through a tough time. Givi graduated from the university with outstanding grades and Professor Namoradze wanted to let Givi work with him, but he was refused because of Givi’s family. In the end, professor did everything, involved everyone and still let him work at the state university. They were going to expel Eliko from the Medical University due to payment issues, and the famous surgeon [Kotsia Eristavi], who was a member of the commission, when he heard that Eliso was Shalva Kighuradze's daughter, paid off the debt himself. We found out about it later.”
“Mother returned in the days of the beginning of the war, barely making it from Moscow. She did not have the right to live and work in the city, so the Kurdianis took her to Sagarejo, settled her in their ancestral estate, took care of her and stood by her side. After some time they allowed her to return to the city. I was probably 6 years old and I was very surprised to see this woman come into the family. As I was told, I was feeling estranged for a long time. I couldn't understand that she was my mother, because until that time, my mother was my grandmother, my uncle was my father, only my grandfather was my grandfather. I did not disclose this particular information, but all children probably have this kind of perception. My mother tried very hard to make me call her mother. The first time I actually said "Мама Варя" [mother Varya in Russian], why in Russian, it is still unclear, but that's how our relationship started”
Nino Kighuradze was born on September 1, 1936. She was just 7 months old when her father, Shalva Kighuradze, was shot. In 2 months after this tragedy, the mother was also exiled.
At the time of her mother‘s return, Nino was only 6 years old, and she recalls that she was very surprised by the arrival of a strange woman in the house - the estrangement lasted for a long time. It was difficult for the child to perceive that this woman was her mother, because until then this role was filled by her grandmother. Finally, after some time, she was able to receive these news.
Nino Kighuradze, despite her family background, took part in the March 1956 demonstrations. She says that she defended Stalin as a Georgian and not as a leader. She also remembers that her mother lived in constant fear of re-exile: if she saw at least two people near the balcony, she would immediately hide Nino in the closet.
Nino mastered the profession of an archaeologist and later achieved great success in this field. She spent 17 years in the archaeological expedition of Bichvinta, became a doctor of historical sciences, authored 60 academic works, and was awarded the Order of Honor. She was working in Bichvinta when the conflict in Abkhazia started, and she had to return to Tbilisi through the North Caucasus. Nino still cooperates with the „Memorial“ society, although she considers the transfer of the history of repressions to the new generation to be a less important problem.
