Armenia’s 2024 peace time heroes

Vahe H Apelian

“The Hero of Our Times (2024)” was held at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex in Yerevan.

The event was attended by the President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan with his wife Anna Hakobyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan, the President of the Constitutional Court Arman Dilanyan, representatives of the legislative, executive, judicial, local self-government bodies and other officials.

“The Hero of Our Times” program was prepared by the Public Relations and Information Center of the Prime Minister’s Office of the Republic of Armenia. After paying due homage to the Aremnian armed forces and to those who were maytyred, 12+1 awards were presented. 

The Minister of Education, Science and Higher Education Zhanna Andreasyan welcomed the attendees. She emphasized that as the head of the state department in the field of education, she particularly notes the importance of education, science, in alleviating the needs of the country and in the burden over the government by providing opportunities for employment in Armenia, where there will be bread to stay.

The main award was presented to the 13^th recipient Armen Mardirosian, by the PM Nikol Pashinyan who made a speech and congratulated everyone on the occasion of the award ceremony.

The recording I watched, which covered the whole event from the beginning to the end was 2 hours and 13 minutes long and was enriched with music, and dance. Each award was presented by a different person, two of whom were the last year’s recepients. A few of the recepients were visibly emotional.

It was a pleasure for me to watch the program this year as well. It is a shame that Diaspora Armenian schools, and organizations for young and upcoming have not made a habit of presenting the recorded program of Armenia's peace time heroes to their students and their young members. A win-win endeavor. 

Attached are the 12+1 award winners in the order of their coming onto the stage to receive their awards after being introduced to the audience,  I screen shot. 

1.   Avetis Yeganyan and Gohar Tadevosyan - Ավետիս Եգանյան եւ Գոհար Թադեվոսյան - Founders of Avetis Arts & Crafts Store of leather goods.

 

2.    Mamikon and Ashot Mikayelyans - Մամիկոն եւ ԱշոտՄիքայելյաններ, sculpturing, metal art works. 

 

3.    Harutyun Arakelyan - Յարություն Առաքելեան, an award winning boxer who runs a boxing school for children. His boxing philosophy is to respect the opponent and have the opponent respect the person. 

 

4.   Arpine Ghukasyan - Արփինէ Ղուկասյան fashion designer and dress maker. 

 

5.   Edgar Abrahamyan - Էդգար Աբրահամյան – manufacture of flags and everythign related to flags. 

 

6.   Armen Avetyan and Tartevik Khachatryan - Արմեն Ավետյան եւ Տարթեվիկ խաչատրյան- engineers who run a school teaching robotics to children.

 

7.   Tigran Gyulumyan - Տիգրան Գյուլումյան – actor, director of open-air theater in rural Armenia.

 

8.   Karine Musikyan - Կարինե Սուսիկյան – A graduate of Yerevan State Conservatory after Komitas runs her own vocal studio teaching children Armenian folk song. Her students  performed during the ceremony singing a song from Sayat Nova.

 

9.   Tatevik Ghaltakhchyan - Տաթեւիկ Ղալթախչյան – Runs her own TEVQ art studio of hanhandmade jewelry and ceramics and teaches the young the art.

 

 

10.                  Ashot Safaryan - Աշոտ Սաֆարյան -After finishing his studies in Yerevan, he returned to his native village Vosgevan and founded IT OK teaching computer graphics to the local kids. 

11.                 Asya and Armen Grigoryans - Ասյա եւ Արմեն Գրիգորյաններ – A father and daughter team who design and manufacture children’s shoes.

12.                 Eric Hakhverdyan - Էրիկ Հախվերդյան runs an echo friendly organic gardening in his native village Pertavan.

13.                 Armen Martirosyan Արմեն Մարտիրոսյան – considers public health his mission and life's work. Through the «Children's Heathg Foundationn of Armenia», he founded he helps children with serious heath problemns receive treatment. 

Note: the video for those interested to watch. 

 

Armenia’s 2024 peace time heroes

Vahe H Apelian

“The Hero of Our Times (2024)” was held at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex in Yerevan.

The event was attended by the President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan with his wife Anna Hakobyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan, the President of the Constitutional Court Arman Dilanyan, representatives of the legislative, executive, judicial, local self-government bodies and other officials.

“The Hero of Our Times” program was prepared by the Public Relations and Information Center of the Prime Minister’s Office of the Republic of Armenia. After paying due homage to the Aremnian armed forces and to those who were maytyred, 12+1 awards were presented. 

The Minister of Education, Science and Higher Education Zhanna Andreasyan welcomed the attendees. She emphasized that as the head of the state department in the field of education, she particularly notes the importance of education, science, in alleviating the needs of the country and in opening new opportunities for employment in Armenia.

The main award was presented to the 13^th recipient Armen Mardirosian, by the PM Nikol Pashinyan who made a speech and congratulated everyone on the occasion of the award ceremony.

The recording I watched, which covered the whole event from the beginning to the end was 2 hours and 13 minutes long and was enriched with music, and dance. Each award was presented by a different person, two of whom were the last year’s recepients. A few of the recepients were visibly emotional.

It was a pleasure for me to watch the program this year as well. It is a shame that Diaspora Armenian schools, and organizations for young and upcoming have not made a habit of presening the recorded program to their student and their young members.  

Attached are the 12+1 award winners in the order of their coming onto the stage to receive their awards after being introduced to the audience.  I screen shot. 

1.   Avetis Yeganyan and Gohar Tadevosyan - Ավետիս Եգանյան եւ Գոհար Թադեվոսյան - Founders of Avetis Arts & Crafts Store of leather goods.

 

2.    Mamikon and Ashot Mikayelyans - Մամիկոն եւ ԱշոտՄիքայելյաններ, sculpturing, metal art works. 

 

3.    Harutyun Arakelyan - Յարություն Առաքելեան, an award winning boxer who runs a boxing school for children. His boxing philosophy is to respect the opponent and have the opponent respect the person. 

 

4.   Arpine Ghukasyan - Արփինէ Ղուկասյան fashion designer and dress maker. 

 

5.   Edgar Abrahamyan - Էդգար Աբրահամյան – manufacture of flags and everythign related to flags. 

 

6.   Armen Avetyan and Tartevik Khachatryan - Արմեն Ավետյան եւ Տարթեվիկ խաչատրյան- engineers who run a school teaching robotics to children.

 

7.   Tigran Gyulumyan - Տիգրան Գյուլումյան – actor, director of open-air theater in rural Armenia.

 

8.   Karine Musikyan - Կարինե Սուսիկյան – A graduate of Yerevan State Conservatory after Komitas runs her own vocal studio teaching children Armenian folk song. Her students  performed during the ceremony singing a song from Sayat Nova.

 

9.   Tatevik Ghaltakhchyan - Տաթեւիկ Ղալթախչյան – Runs her own TEVQ art studio of hanhandmade jewelry and ceramics and teaches the young the art.

 

 

10.                  Ashot Safaryan - Աշոտ Սաֆարյան -After finishing his studies in Yerevan, he returned to his native village Vosgevan and founded IT OK teaching computer graphics to the local kids. 

11.                 Asya and Armen Grigoryans - Ասյա եւ Արմեն Գրիգորյաններ – A father and daughter team who design and manufacture children’s shoes.

12.                 Eric Hakhverdyan - Էրիկ Հախվերդյան runs an echo friendly organic gardening in his native village Pertavan.

13.                 Armen Martirosyan Արմեն Մարտիրոսյան – considers public health his mission and life's work. Through the «Children's Heathg Foundationn of Armenia», he founded he helps children with serious heath problemns receive treatment. 

Note: the video for those interested to watch. 

 

 

How my generation was thought Armenian History

Simon Simonian’s history textbook was the standard history textbook for my generation, those of us who came of age in 1965, at the 50 the anniversary commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. I copied Levon Sharoyan’s recollection of Simonian's history textbook from his book about Simon Simonian I translated. Vahe H Apelian

“Many in the Diaspora remembers these textbooks that became the standard history textbooks in the Armenian schools not only in Lebanon and Syria but also in Cyprus, Greece, the United States, Argentina, Jerusalem, and Ethiopia.

Who knows how many generations made their connections to their illustrious history through these textbooks? How many generations molded their identity as Arenians throught these textbooks? Countless are those who came to know of David of Sassoun, Lion Mher, Dragon fighting Vahankn, our legendary partriarch Haig, Ara the Beautiful, the pagann gods that brought the dead to life by licking their wounds. King Baruyr, Dikran the Great, Ardashes the Conqueror, the imprisoned King Arshag, Moshegh Mamigonian on his white horse, King Vramshabouh, Viartan who was killed in the battle of Avararyr and the Pakradouni Kings who built Ani. Roupen, Levon who established sovereignty on the Taurus Mountains, and all the other heroes of our history.

I was an elementar school student when my mother gifted me this sequel of Simonian’s Armenian history textbooks that were bound in a single volume. From the ifrst page, I remained attached to the large volume. I could read the sequel page by page and would be moved looking at those mysterious pictures. I would remain fascinated by the bravery of the Armenian kings.  

Simonian’s writing style was captivating. It was not a cut and dry history that Simonian narrated. He inspired and reinforced his adolescent readers’ Armenian identity.

Simon Simonian, "Armenian History" textbook
fifth grade.

At the very beginning of the first volume, Simon Simonian had placed a paragraph titled “The Reflection of the Armenian Student”, like a covenant of faith, it reads: 

“I am an Armenian. My fatherland,  Where my forefathers have lived and died  Is called Armenia. But I do not live in Armenia. I am away from it in exile. Above all, I will love my fatherland and I will not forget its name. I firmly believe that I will return there one day. To  hasten that day, I will always read about the  history of my brave ancestors. I will love my church and my fatherland and I will  feel proud to be called ARMENIAN. I have vowed to remain worthy to see Massis and Davros, Sipan and Nemrut; Puragan and Davros, Arax and Sevan; Etchmiadzin and Saint Garabed’  Gars and Garin; Van and Mush.”

What a structure for students to be prepared for and introduced to Armenian history.

In writing his history textbooks, Simonian had adopted a very practical and helpful method. He narrated a historical event with a pleasant and in an easy-to-read language. He then listed key words, which might be unfamiliar to the students by listing them under a header called “Explanatory Words”, with an explanation for each. He listed eight to ten questions related to the narration under “Questionnaire”. Header.  He then listed “Points for Elaboration” for the teacher to provide more details. At the end, he listed under “Sources”, references that could help teachers and anyone else interested to expand his or her knowledge about Armenian history. For example, when he narrated the period of the Arab invasion of Armenia, he listed the following sources at the end of the chapter: Sepeos, historian Ghevont, Tovma Ardzrouni, as ancient Armenian historians as well as books published in Venice and Vienna, including a source in French.

Let us be mindful that Simon Simonian was barely 25 to 26 years old when he prepared his series of history textbooks. "

 

Googling history

Vahe H Apelian

First and foremost, let me quote the following to justify my use of the verb google. According to Wikipedia, I quote, “the word "google" became a verb in 1998, when Google co-founder Larry Page used it in a mailing list message. The verb was popularized in 2002 when it was used on the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The term was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2006 and the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary in the same year.”

Googling history is surely an acceptable way of searching the history of a nation, especially that this year, 2024, is marked by the controversy over the designation of the Armenian history whether to call it “History of Armenia, Hayastani Badmoutyun” or “Armenian History – Hayots Badmoutyun”.   The PM Nikol Pashinyan’s preference is the former, not the latter.

The issue was not a passing one. Prof. Ara Sanjian entertained it. He is an Associate Professor of History and the Director of the Armenian Research Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. So did Dikran Jinbashian, who several years ago retired as the principal of the famed Nshan Palanjian Djemaran whose principal's seat has been occupied by luminaries such as Levon Shant, Simon Vratsian, Hratch Dasnabedian. Dikran Jinbashian acted as the principal after an active life-long dedication to Armenian causes.  

Google is the primary internet search engine I use as well. Driven by the controversy, I wondered whether it is American History or History of the United States of America. Thus I googled American History and to my surprise I was directed to the “History of United States” with the following notation: “American History” redirects here (i.e. “History of the United States”). For the history of the continents, see History of Americas.) 

I wondered, how about searching the history of  other nations. 

When I googled for French history, I was directed to "History of France". When I googled for German history, I was directed to the “History of Germany”. Similarly googling Syrian history led me to “History of Syria”, Lebanese history led me to “History of Lebanon”, Russian history led me to “History of Russia". Googling for European history led me to "History of Europe". But when I googled for Kurdish history, Google directed me to the “History of Kurds.” I imagine because the Kurds, unlike Armenians, do not have a state of their won.  

The message the global search behemoth sent is unambiguous. The history of a nation is the history of its state, unless that nation is stateless, such as the Kurds.

But it seems vocabulary has also evolved. When I googled Hayots Badmoutyun in Armenian letters, there came History of Armenia  - see the posting above - that “covers the topics related to history of the Republic of Armenia, as well as the Armenian people, the Armenian language, and the regions of Eurasia historically and geograhically considered Armenian. Wikipedia”. Googling Armenian history directed me as well to "History of Armenia". 

Let me state that I was brought up with Hayots Badmoutyoun – Հայոց Պատմութիւն - Armenian History. Well beyond having Simon Simonian’s Hayots Badmoutyun as a textbook, I was fascinated by it during my childhood years as a source, not only of mere history, but a source of pride. In fact Simon Simonian’s Hayots Badmoutyun is geared to instill in the formative minds of the young Armenian students, a pride in the Armenian experience.

To each its own. I believe teaching the history of Armenia is very appropriate as a subject for the students in Armenia and as well as its citizens. Diaspora naturally is outside the State of Armenia. The term Armenian history may serve Diaspora better.

 In any event whether Armenian history should be taught as Hayots Badmoutyun, or it should be thought as History of Armenia is an academic matter. But and regrettably, it becomes ever so more evident to me that no matter what, the Armenian divisive political undertone, if not the entrenched mindset, will creep in brandishing a “holier than thou” attitude, advocating a term over the other for political expendiency .   

Simon Simonian Hayots Badmoutyoun textbook
Fifth Grade

 

Googling history

Vahe H Apelian

 

First and foremost, let me quote the following to justify my use of the verb google. According to Wikipedia, I quote, “the word "google" became a verb in 1998, when Google co-founder Larry Page used it in a mailing list message. The verb was popularized in 2002 when it was used on the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The term was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2006 and the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary in the same year.”

Googling history is surely an acceptable way for searching the history of a nation, especially that this year, 2024, is marked by the controversy over the designation of the Armenian history, whether to call it “History of Armenia, Hayastani Badmoutyun” or “Armenian History – Hayasdani Badmoutyoun”.   The PM Nikol Pashinyan’s preference is the latter, not the former.

The issue was not a passing one. Prof. Ara Sanjian entertained it. He is an Associate Professor of History and the Director of the Armenian Research Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. So did Dikran Jinbashian, who several years ago retired as the principal of the famed Nshan Palanjian Djemaran whose principals have been luminaries such as Levon Shant, Simon Vratsian, Hratch Dasnabedian. Dikran Jinbashian acted as its principal after an active life-long dedication to Armenian causes.  

Google is the primary internet search engine I use as well. Driven by the controversy, I wondered whether it is American History or History of the United States of America. Thus I googled American History and to my surprise I was directed to the “History of United States” with the following notation: “American History” redirects here (i.e. “History of the United States”). For the history of the continents, see History of Americas.) 

I wondered, about the search the history of other nations. 

When I googled for French history, I was directed to History of France. When I googled for German history, I was directed to the History of German. Similarly, googling Syrian history led me to History of Syria, Lebanese history led me to History of Lebanon, Russian history led me to History of Russia. Googling for European history led me to History of Europe but when I googled for Kurdish history, Google directed me to the History of Kurds. I imagine because the Kurds, unlike Armenians, do not have a state of their won.  

The message the global search behemoth sent is unambiguous. The history of a nation is the history of its state, unless that nation is stateless, such as the Kurds.

But it seems vocabulary has also evolved. When I googled Hayots Badmoutyun in Armenian letters, there came History of Armenia that “covers the topics related to history of the Republic of Armenia, as well as the Armenian people, the Armenian language, and the regions of Eurasia historically and geogrrahically considered Armenian. Wikipedia”. Googling Armenian history directed me to History of Armenia as well. 

Let me state that I was brought up with Hayots Badmoutyun – Հայոց Պատմութիւնղ՚. Well beyond having Simon Simonian’s Hayots Badmoutyun as a textbook, I was fascinated by it during my childhood years as it was a source, not only of mere history, but a source of pride. In fact Simon Simonian’s Hayots Badmoutyun is geared to install in the formative minds of the young Armenian student, a pride in the Armenian experience.

To each its own. I believe teaching the history of Armenia is very appropriate as a subject for the students in Armenia and as well as its citizens. Diaspora naturally is outside the State of Armenia, teaching as Armenian history may serve Diaspora better.

 In any event whether Armenian history should be taught as Hayots Badmoutyun, or it should be thought as History of Armenia, is an academic matter. Regrettably, it becomes ever so more evident to me that no matter what, the Armenian divisive political undertone if not the mindset will creep in brandishing a “holier than thou” attitude.   

Simon Simonian "Armenian History"