The doyen of Bulgarian journalism, Petko Bocharov, wrote a book about his unique, rich and tumultuous life in three Bulgarias. He was born on February 19, 1919 in the family of a Sofia lawyer. He graduated from the American College and enrolled in law school. During the Second World War he served in Macedonia. "It never crossed my mind that I would become a journalist. I saw myself more in the academic career - teacher, professor… The war changed everything. I was mobilized, I served in Skopje, in the end September 9 turned my life upside down," says Bocharov.
His attempt to become a lawyer in the early years of communism failed because, trying to save his brother from a fabricated prosecution for speculating, he bribed a corrupt investigator who was, however, at the center of a corruption investigation and along with him, Petko Bocharov "burned" with a year in prison. After serving his sentence, he worked on construction sites, then passed the exam for an English translator at BTA and was assigned to the "International Information" department. Despite enough "black dots" in his biography, he went through all the steps - translator, editor, head of department, and even deputy editor-in-chief.
“I wish this suffering fatherland of mine not only to get rid of the idiots who only get it into trouble. I wish the fatherland gets what it deserves," Bocharov said on his 95th birthday
"I dream of moving from there without pain, because I really hate pain, and I hope it will happen," journalist Petko Bocharov, who turned 96 on February 19 this year, told My Clinic specially.
Hello, Mr. Bocharov! How are you feeling, have you recovered from the flu you had recently?
- Thanks, I'm almost fine. I recovered after something like the flu came down on me. I also drank an antibiotic, which did not help me at all. I was sick for two weeks, now I have a bad cough that I can't get rid of. I feel like it's some kind of worm lodged somewhere around my vocal cords and nothing can dislodge it. You can hear me speaking hoarsely… What does my wife do for me - she brews herbs, gives me some pills in a small cup. I drink them without asking what they are…
How does one become a centenarian in our time? 96 is out of reach for many people…
- I don't know, I have no explanation! This is not something that someone can tell you a recipe for: You drink something in the morning before eating and you get 96! Longevity is very individual and depends on the Lord - I have convinced myself of this. You won't believe it, but I have met death, I got away with it, God had mercy on me. I dream of moving from there without pain, because I hate pain so much, and I hope it happens.
Have you changed your lifestyle over the years? What have you been avoiding?
- I have never avoided anything, nor deprived myself of anything, nor used any recipes. I ate what I felt like, I drank what I felt like, but I never exceeded a normal portion. Because there are people who
when they start eating, they don't know their strength and measure -
until they turn into pigs. This has never happened to me. For example, if I eat a small steak, further, even if you offer me a pheasant, with its beautiful plumage together, I will say that I have already had my fill. From what has been said so far, it follows that I have nothing to contribute to my 96 years, unfinished of course. I believe that nature has kept me within the framework of a he althy life in all its aspects.
Did work keep you fit?
- Probably yes! Even now, when I should be retiring already, I can't. It comes to me, I sit down at the computer to write something, but at the same moment I tell myself that there is no point in doing it.
What do you remember about your parents, how did they live?
- I am very angry now that I did not pay attention to how my parents lived. I am very sad that I cannot go back and tell how we lived. We led a completely normal life. Both my brother and I, after the end of junior high school, 14 years old, went to study at the American College, we left home, there was a boarding house there. And I don't remember anything special - we matured as men, that's it.
What happened to your house?
- On January 10, 1944, it was destroyed by a bomb that fell directly from above. That's where my family's saga of homelessness began. My father was born in 1882, died in 1947 after a stroke. My mother lived a little longer, she was a very devout Christian, she took the change in our lives more easily, as well as my father's death.
Have you had a more serious he alth problem over the years?
- I also went through prison, I was kept in a coal mine, I dug coal with a pickaxe.
I've been through great adversity, including he alth,
but because I was always optimistic about everything, I came alive. Now it's easy to say that I have endured, but I really mustered the strength to protect my life and he alth.
Is there a chance for he alth care in our country to change for the better?
- It depends only on the good will of the rulers. For now, nothing changes, but I am sure that Bulgaria will become a good place to live. At the moment, our country has set foot on a track that leads to a bright future. I say it with all my responsibility - we will be he althy, good, happy, the sick will be few.
Who cares about you?
- My beloved woman, my wife Dorcheto. Now that it's cold, I try not to go out because I get sick very easily. I don't think I need to forcefully catch a cold. Viruses and bacteria are everywhere, no matter where I go. At home it's cozy, warm, my loved ones are around me, I don't think about diseases.
What do you not want to date, even at this age?
- Not to date scoundrels! I am most annoyed by such people. As well as from meanness and hypocrisy, to hide your true opinion with lofty words, because you cannot hide it with simple words. I'm an optimist, I think good will prevail.
Where did the Bulgarian lose his dignity, his sense of responsibility towards his home, family, and he alth?
- In the transformation of our country, in our dependence on others. But I really want us to stop saying that Bulgaria is the poorest country. It is not true, we should stop "bragging" about it. Poor means not having, and Bulgaria has such riches that a Bedouin from the Arabian desert will not believe that we have at our disposal. We live in paradise! But, unfortunately, we don't deserve it.
I'm reading about the "wood mafia". These floods come from the cut forests, there is no one to stop them - they are he althy, they do what they want, there is no one to punish them.
I want to wish your readers a very sober mind, be he althy, reach my age and surpass it. Unfortunately, as strange as it may sound to you, we are talking at one of the fateful moments for Bulgaria.
