Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Lectures in the new community center

During the course of the morning, the community center in Tangra was inaugurated with a series of lectures by scholars.

Opening remarks were by the community leader Mr. Soukias who spoke about the redevelopment of the Armenian-Indian community.

Following was the first lecture entitled “Armenian Church in India: Restoration and Renovation Programme” and was delivered in Armenian by Father Oshagan Gulgulian. He showed slides of pictures of pre and post renovation in various cities taken in 2005 and later.

Fr Gulgulian noted that these buildings are part of the Indian heritage as well as the Armenian one. A total of 8 churches exist in India, 5 of them in West Bengal. I approached Fr Gulgulian to ask him for a paper copy and he said he is close to publishing a book about the region’s churches.

After a community of 40,000 in India there is only 150 or so plus the students. The community is always hoping for visitors and that some of the students of the college stay after graduation.

The second speaker was Prof Richard Hovanissian of UCLA who spoke about the concept of Armenian communities of the diasporan and the homeland. His first visit to India was 50 years; he had noticed that there was a strong link between India, and other eastern diasporan communities and New Julfa (homeland).

Important personalities in Madras: Joseph Emin (check out his autobiography in English circa 1782) and Movses Baghramian, Shahamir Shahamirian (a tailor who established a printing press and published a book entitled Nor Dedrag vor gochi godorag and another book Nor Dedrag vor gochi nshavag) and Fr. Shmavon. Ideas that emerged from this group included some very avant-guarde ones, such as national education, separation of church and state, equality, an Armenian Parliament named DOUN, in a democratic constitutional Armenia.

While Madras was concerned with a future liberated Armenia, Calcutta believed more in permanency in India: two schools were built for women, plus the College; there were several newspapers. The community believed in individual liberation and then collected liberation of the Armenian people.

After the lecture, Prof Hovanissian graciously presented copies of all his books to the College’s wardens.

Dr. Omar Khalili of MIT’s Aga Khan program for Islamic architecture presented his paper Places of Piety and Eternal Rest: Armenian Churches and cemeteries in India. He spoke in detail about the architecture of the Armenian churches in India.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Soukias added that the community participates in many ways in Indian life. For example, after the tsunami a few years ago, and after the NGOs had left, Calcutta had 140 orphans and the Armenian community took care of them. They’ve also participated in the creation of a school in the slums, sponsored programs to help the disinfrenchised and a hostel that saves children from forced labor camps. The Armenian community has helped build the first trauma center in the region as well as a children’s HIV hospital in East India.

Tuesday afternoon, we visited the smaller St Gregory’s church where I found out they have a visiting doctor. I consulted him regarding my cold and got a prescription which cost me $3.00 to fill. I slept much better at night.

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