ARMIASHKA, Kamar Katiba, and Mikayel Nalbandian

Vaհe H Apelian

 

I came across the word armiashka for the very first time well over half a century ago, in my youth, reading the famed novel Zartonk (Awakening) by Malkhas. The term must have made such an impression upon me that I never forgot it.  I do not remember how Malkhas spelled the word in Western Armenian. Recently I found out the word pop out on Levon Shirinyan’s Facebook page. It is there that I found out Առմեաշքա (Armiashka) is how the famed Armenian author Gamar Katiba / Kamar Katiba spelled it in the quote, posted by Levon Shirinyan. I posted it in translation above. However, the context of their uses is way different. 

First and foremost, the term armashkia is pivotal in the novel Zartonk, which has its start with two Armenian friends who settled in Tbilisi – I write from memory. One of them became a successful merchant and had a daughter named Sonya. The other carried on a modest life and had a daughter Yevgine, and a son named Vartan. But the two remained bosom friends as did their children. However, in time the children of these two best friends, grew up differently. Vartan became fired by the Armenian revolutionary movement, while Sonya carried the spoiled life of a rich merchant’s daughter having been accepted in high society. At one time, Sonya was accompanied by a Russian military officer to an event, while the Armenians were demonstrating. In the turmoil the dress Soya was wearing was minimally spoiled, to which her Russian officer company hurled at them the term, calling them the armashkia-s. The use of the term suddenly stirred strong emotions in Sonya in defense of her race. 

Following the incident, she wanted to find out about Vartan through his sister Yevgine. By then Vartan had assassinated a Russian officer, had attempted to cross the Arax River with other revolutionaries to assist the oppressed Armenians. But an accidental explosion had left him maimed and disfigured. From there on he adopted his nom-de-quere Levon, and emerged the leading revolutionary with his baptismal name and past completely forgotten. Sonya on the other hand, had a change of heart. She left her luxurious life became a care giver and engrossed herself in the service of her people. Sonya, at the very end of the novel, found out that Levon was her one time bosom friend Vartan and the two got married while the bells of the churches were heard ringing heralding the Independence of Armenia. Regretfully Levon shortly after succumbed to his wounds and passed away. 

No wonder Zartonk became a very popular reading for a few generations growing up in hub of the Armenian communities especially in the Middle East.

I asked Levon Shirinyan about the term armashkia. He said it is a Russian derogatory term hurled against Armenians. Obviously, the Armenians adopted the term as well and hurled it against those they thought did not support the Armenian cause. Kamar Katiba’s post made that pretty obvious.

Kamar Katiba (1830-1892 was the literary moniker of Raphael Patkanian According to Nischay Koushal, “Raphael Patkanian was a cherished Armenian poet whose stirring verses became a voice of patriotism and hope during a time of great turmoil for his people. Writing under the pen name “Kamar Katiba,” he captured the pain of exile, the longing for homeland, and the spirit of national awakening. Deeply affected by the plight of Armenians under Ottoman rule, his poems often resonated with emotional intensity and revolutionary zeal. A professor by profession, Patkanian believed in the transformative power of words and used poetry as both resistance and revival. His work not only inspired generations of Armenians to hold onto their cultural identity but also laid the foundation for modern Armenian national literature.”  

The gravesites of Raphael Patkanian and Mikael Nalbandyan
Courtesy Wikipedia

One of Kamar Katiba’s poems was turned into a patriotic song titled “The clouds went silent”. The song, an intense patriotic song was well-liked and heard at one time. Those interested to hear it may click the link “Three Tenors” below and hear Kevork Gagossian’s rendition of the famed song.

It turned out that Kamar Katiba and Mikayel Nalbandyan, for whom we owe our national anthem, Mer Hairenik, were classmates. Wikipedia claims that they were buried next to each other in Nakhichevan-on Don, also known as New Nachichevan (Nor-Nakhichevan). 

Link: "Three Tenors": Kevork Gagossian’s (Lerets Ambere):https://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2025/09/three-tenors.html