Louise

I am reading "The Cursed Years " by Yervant Odian. It is in English, and has not yet been published in French, but I was so eager to read it, because an Armenian from Istanbul wrote to me that Yervant Odian had met my grandfather and his family during the deportation. I thought that would give me some information about them, but he only saw them twice and writes: I met Misag effendi and his wife and three children (my father was the eldest, he was 14 or 15 years old). I was a little disappointed. But after, I read in my father'diary that when he was in Getronagan in Constantinople, he had a school friend named Hagop whose benefactor was Yervant Odian. I remembered when Odian was in an orphanage he wanted to adopt one of the children, all wanted to be his godson, he choosed Hagop. After the war, Hagop went to getronagan too, Y. Odian had given a room to him, and my father when he came back too late to the orphanage, used to sleep in that room.

---------------------------------------- If you make tourism in Belgium/Bruxelles you will find "rue du Bailli ; Maison du Bailli... Louise

------------------------------------------------------ Thank you Arpa, that is very interesting. I have no problem with onions, my mother used to put in all meals But the problem with garlic is that it smells, and some people do not like it. My grandmother knew the virtues of all plants : camphor, mauve, and other ones. When they were deported in Bolovadine, in a village of Tatars, she saved the life of her children by treating the villagers, who gave her food.

I don't agree with you when you say that our parents were in slavery. They worked for themselves, they were reach, the Kurds dit not work, the Turks were jealous, that's why they wanted to eliminate all the Christians and take all their houses and gold, farms and everything, even their girls for them, and their boys to keep the sheeps. our grand-parents succeeded very well. Now if we go back to Turkey, the same thing will happen. As soon as we get wealth, they will take it for themselves and put us out.

-------------------------------- from Louise I spend all my life telling the truth about the genocide. If it had been recognized, I should have had another life, I should read other books listen other music, have other friends...

Mart ches tarna : My grand-mother told me this story : A man used to say to his son : tun hich mart ches ellar ». The boy went to school, worked, and became a big boss. He called his father to come to his office and see him. He said : you see, now I am a Man ! « Voch, mart ches ! Why ? said his son. – because if you were a man ; you would not ask your old father to come in your office, but you would have come to see me in my home. »

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I saw a film « Mère Arménie » by Maïté Jardin. All those Armenians did not want to go in another country. Armenia is beautiful, though so cold in winter, and poverty, they felt happy to be free. But my parents who had lost more than half of their family during the genocide, were happy to live in France. They would not like to be alone as Armenians, but we lived in a building which had been built for refugees, and as Willam Saroyan said : we had created a little Armenia. We were very poor but not unhappy. All the Armenians are now living in foreign countries, it is better than living in a country where we are discriminated. Look at the Armenians in Turkey, they don’t dare to talk, to tell their story even to their children.

about the name: balian . Bal in turkish means honey and the man who makes honey is called in French : apiculteur =beekeeper may Armenians have that name! Balian

---------------------------------------- yes in turkish "bilemek" means (in armenian) srél - in english: to sharpen a man who sharpens the knives for instance or a tool it is very useful in the country Louise

---------------------------------- Arpa, ther are many expresssions in french with the word 'cul' cul-de-sac means a dead end cul de poule means to have pursed lips a cul de jatte is a legless cripple and many others...

It was just a rumor. Because after WW2 i heard that Madagascar would be a refuge for the Jews.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another story, but i am sorry, it is in French . Le poisson qui développe la réflexion "Un Arménien se rend à Moscou par le train. Dans le compartiment, il se trouve assis en face d'un Juif. Vers midi, ils rabattent la tablette pour manger un morceau. L'Arménien qui s'est muni de quelques succulents Ichkhan dzouk fumés (le fameux poisson ichkhan)* emballés dans du papier, commence à manger délicatement, minutieusement, le premier poisson, sans laisser le moindre morceau de chair. Son compagnon de voyage le regarde du coup de l'oeil et finit par dire : "Ce poisson m'a l'air d'être très savoureux". "En effet, dit l'Arménien, très savoureux, et en plus il a la vertu de développer la réflexion." "Ah bon? dit son compagnon de voyage, je peux en avoir un morceau?" "Bien sûr, dit l'Arménien, je vends le filet 20 roubles." Son compagnon de voyage paie ce filet de poisson extraordinaire et le déguste. Le poisson est tellement bon qu'il redemande un deuxième filet. "C'est 20 roubles" dit l'Arménien. L'autre paie le prix et savoure son filet. Une fois qu'il a fini de le manger, il demande à l'Arménien : "Ce poisson-là, où est-ce qu'on en trouve?" "Dans tous les magasins de Yérévan, pour 1 rouble le kilo." "Quoi?! fait son compagnon de voyage juif, 1 rouble le kilo, et tu me le vends à 20 roubles le filet d'à peine 200 grammes?!" "Ah, tu vois? rétorque l'Arménien, tu commences déjà à réfléchir!" *(c'est le poisson qui est pêché dans le lac Sevan en Arménie)

-------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you, it is him, Asadour, I think he lives in London now. We say in French: "le monde est petit" ! (the world is small) Nil Agopoff wants to write to him about his experience in India. ADIC - Armenité, Diversité et Identité citoyenne Best thoughts Arpa

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I looked for the meaning of your name but I did not find it. Mine is Sarian, which means yellow hair. But I am glad to not be a "blonde" as there are so many jokes about "blondes" in France. As if they were stupid.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I found my translation in French, if some one is interested: Témoignage du professeur, le Docteur Suniti Kumar Chatterji Transmis par Assadour Guzéllian Avant la Première Guerre Mondiale, j’étais étudiant aux Langues Orientales à la Sorbonne. L’un de mes professeurs était Antoine Meillet, célèbre orientaliste, de grande notoriété, spécialiste des langues arméniennes : moderne et classique, ainsi que de l’histoire et de la culture arméniennes. J’ai appris beaucoup par lui sur l’Arménie et les Arméniens. Je suis retourné en Inde avant le début de la Première Guerre Mondiale. Après la guerre, quelques soldats indiens qui avaient fait partie de l’armée britannique, avaient été faits prisonniers par les Turcs et détenus dans des camps turcs. Ces derniers revinrent chez eux, amenant avec eux de nombreux petits enfants. A nos questions : qui sont ces petits garçons et petites filles ? les soldats nous répondirent que c’étaient des Arméniens qui, durant la déportation, avaient été poussés à travers les fils de fer barbelés du camp par leurs mères qui savaient parfaitement que leurs chers petits allaient périr dans le désert avec elles ! Les soldats indiens gardèrent les enfants dans le camp, partagèrent leur nourriture avec eux et les protégèrent. Puis les soldats nous racontèrent les horribles récits des massacres d’Arméniens perpétrés par les Turcs. Ces descriptions étaient très émouvantes et me bouleversèrent profondément, dit le professeur Suniti Kuma Chatterji. Je me promis de faire quelque chose pour cette nation courageuse qui avait souffert tant de misères et subi un génocide. Lors du 25ème congrès international des Orientalistes auquel plus de 2000 intellectuels du monde entier ont assisté, j’ai présenté l’épopée de David de Sassoun. J’avais étudié les légendes et épopées de nombreuses nations mais pas trouvé un héros plus noble que David de Sassoun. -Professeur Chatterji, que sont devenus ces enfants arméniens ? - Ils ont grandi et ont été élevés dans des familles indiennes qui les ont adoptés. Plusieurs d’entre eux se sont mariés et ont eu des enfants. Le professeur Chatterji m’a présenté l’une de ces orphelines arméniennes, une femme de 47 ans, Sunita, aux grands yeux noirs et tristes. Elle ne se rappelait pas grand chose, sauf une vague image de sa mère en train de pleurer. Ses parents adoptifs étaient des gens généreux qui lui avaient donné tout leur amour en plus d’une grande instruction. Ils lui avaient précisé ses origines et lui avaient procuré des livres sur l’Arménie et les Arméniens. Sunita était mariée à un avocat indien, avait un fils et une fille qui avaient les mêmes yeux tristes arméniens. Quant à la quarantaine d’autres enfants, ils ont été dispersés à travers l’Inde et d’après le professeur Chatterji la plupart se sont mariés et ont eu des enfants. Assadour Guzélian , 15 avril 2004 – Londres Traduction Louise Kiffer

I had a testimony from Assadour Guzelian who lived in India and met a professor who told him about armenian children who had been deported to India. I do not remember well the circumstances.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ dear Arpa, you said "that other farting by Hitler". I can affirm that the sentance of Hitler is not a joke. It has been read during the trial of Hermann Goering, there were many people, journalists, translaters, and typewriters. Goering knew english, and he corrected when a translation is not right. That was on october 16, 1946. You can read all the details in Google. Here is what Hitler said to his officers on august 22, 1939. during his speech he said: [Citation de Hitler en allemand: discours du 22 /8/1939 Extrait:] "Wer redet heute noch von der Vernichtung der Armenier" (inhalt der Rede an die Oberbefehlshaber und Komm. Generale. Obersalzberg 22.8.39) His words have been certified, I have all the certificates.

Dear Ara Baliozian, I suppose you know the story of the lion who saw a donkey, that he wanted to eat. He sent his dog to fetch the donkey, telling him that he loved him and would like to be his friend. The dog went to the donkey and persuaded him that the lion loved him and would like to be his friend. The donkey went, but as soon as he saw that the lion opening a big mouth to eat him, he escaped. Then the lion sent his dog again, to persuade the donkey that he was wrong, that he did not want to make any harm to him. The donkey came back, and lion scratched his head, and said to the dog : What’s that, he has no brain ? And the dog replied : if he had a brain, would he come back to you ? That’s our story, we, Armenians. Why go back to the same traps ?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I recognize that "In the time of your life" is not as good as the famous "I'd like to see..." that I had tranlated too in French. But the writers do not always write masterpieces. Nor Plays. I read the book in armenian "Tebi Bitlis Saroyan hed", It was a wondeful trip, but he never talk about what happened in 1915-16. He was very happy indeed to meet all those people, who were very nice, and to see the place where his parents had lived.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ But "In the time of your life " is not the same quotation translated in armenweb. Thank you Nane

--------------------------------------------- Dear Arpa I am very glad to be able to reply to you again. The story of this family from diayarbekir is very interesting.They are mixed half armenien-half kurds. Like many Turks. It is well that they have remembered their ascendence. My father too had been adopted by an Arab, he staid some time in his house, he had a work to do, he learnt all the muslim prayers, but one day he went away, as he wanted to find his mother, and little brother and sister. He found them in Aleppo. and later on he managed to come to France. Who told you the story of that family ? May I translate it in French, I will change the names of course. Best thoughts Louise/Iskouhi/Sarian