An Evening To Remember For A Long Time

By Yeghishe Hajakian, New Jersey, 14 August 2012

July 20, 2012 was meaningful to this writer due the fact that we were witnessing a representative of the younger generation delivering a speech concerning the Armenian Diaspora, the formation of many communities in the Middle East and Europe subsequent to the Genocide and the preparation of leadership and the efforts of survival as a community.

We DID succeed in implementing this heroic task, we DID survive and we DID thrive as Armenians constantly remembering that we do have a fatherland called Armenia, always loving it, caring about it under any condition and any circumstance.

By Yeghishe Hajakian, New Jersey, 14 August 2012

July 20, 2012 was meaningful to this writer due the fact that we were witnessing a representative of the younger generation delivering a speech concerning the Armenian Diaspora, the formation of many communities in the Middle East and Europe subsequent to the Genocide and the preparation of leadership and the efforts of survival as a community.

We DID succeed in implementing this heroic task, we DID survive and we DID thrive as Armenians constantly remembering that we do have a fatherland called Armenia, always loving it, caring about it under any condition and any circumstance.

Why is this phenomenon of utmost importance to us?  The land that was there in the Caucasus has always been a magnet attracting Armenians from every corner of our planet for over 4000 years.  Our language, our church and our culture was originated on this land and summoned us like a lighthouse from all over the world.  I do not care who the king has been, who the president has been, what party has dominated on the land of Armenia, it was there as a symbol of a nation called Armenians throughout the ages.  Loving our fatherland has always been without any conditions.  Without any regard to who is governing it.

Recently though I came across a book written for the young generation by a member of a certain Armenian political faction whereby 1918 and 1992 were mentioned as the only two dates that we had governments in the twentieth century.  A whole period of 70 years in between was effaced from the history of Armenia.  Soviet Armenia did not exist between 1922 to 1992 !!!!!

The speaker I refer to is Baydzig Kalayjian, the Editor of the Armenian Daily Newspaper, Zartonk, in Beirut, Lebanon.  A person who has replaced my beloved high school teacher Kersam Aharonian from the days of yore.  A lady truly deserving the seat of Kersam with the dedication she has manifested for the last five years of the publication of this newspaper.

Baydzig  belongs to a generation of diaspora Armenians who is still idealistic vis a vis our community’s future and the visibility of our culture of the face of this planet.  Hence her unswerving belief of disseminating it through the pages of Zartonk in the very language that was created and developed.

Garbis Kazanjian of the Armenian Radio Hour of New Jersey has been contributing articles to Zartonk recently on a regular basis.  Knowing his political background, I asked him once how on earth he has been contributing articles to as so-called opposite party’s organ.  Answer?

Baydzig is so convincing, devoted to Armenia, Armenian issues, Armenian nation and she has such a charming personality that he just could not refuse her request of contributing articles in Zartonk.

That’s what she did on Friday the 20th of July, 2012.  She charmed her audience and she truly moved them to such an extent that there were many monetary donations to Zartonk along with a lot of admiration toward the work she has been doing.