Quote of the month

Ծնիլ, տքնիլ
Սառապի՜լ -
Ա՞յս է կեանքին
Վարձքը լոկ։

Ալեք Գլըճեան

ASA Inc Sponsors "Arthur Halvajian Memorial" Armenian Poetry Project Competition

Armenian Students' Association of America, Inc.

333 Atlantic Avenue

Warwick, Rhode Island 02888

Tel: (401) 461-6114

Web: www.asainc.org

E-mail: asa@asainc.org

PRESS RELEASE

October 22, 2012

Contact: Nathalie Yaghoobian

E-Mail: asa@asainc.org

ASA INC SPONSORS "ARTHUR HALVAJIAN MEMORIAL" ARMENIAN POETRY PROJECT

COMPETITION

WARWICK, RI---The Armenian Students Association, Inc. (ASA Inc.) announced

this month that it will once again be sponsoring the Armenian Poetry Project's

annual writing competition. This is the third year that the ASA Inc. has

sponsored the annual competition and the first year that it is naming its

sponsorship in memory of Arthur Halvajian, a longtime member and trustee of

the ASA Inc who passed away in 2010. The 2012 competition opened October

1st, the start of Armenian cultural heritage month, and the deadline for

submissions is December 1, 2012. Competition winners will be announced in

February 2013.

"We are pleased to continue our support of the Armenian Poetry Project

and it is only fitting that we name our sponsorship in honor of Arthur

Halvajian who first built our relationship with the Project," said

Brian Assadourian, Chairman of the ASA, Inc. Board of Trustees.

The Armenian Poetry Project, led by Lola Koundakjian, is a research and

documentation site of 19th to 21st Century Armenian poets and poetry.

Whether it is through its website/blog, Facebook, or iTunes presence -

which features podcasts of recited works - the Project brings together

writers from all walks of life across the world.

The competition is open to individuals with one or more parents with at least partial Armenian heritage. All residents of the United States and Canada are invited to submit their

work, in English or Armenian (preferred) for the third annual competition.

Entries should be e-mailed to ArmenianPoetryProject@gmail.com with the

subject heading "Halvajian ASA/APP Poetry competition".  Individuals may

only submit one poem for the competition.

The competition groups submissions into three categories; students (ages

12-17), college age (ages 18-22), and adult (ages 23 and older). A top

prize will be awarded for each of the categories in the amounts of US $50

(students), $100 (college age), and $250 (adult).

Each poem submitted for the competition must be accompanied by the author's

full name, age, home address/telephone number, school name, and sponsoring

teacher's telephone number.  Those in the college age category need not

include a sponsoring teacher. Those in the adult category need not include

school information.

You can learn more about the Armenian Poetry Project by visiting

http://armenian-poetry.blogspot.com.

The Armenian Students' Association of America, Inc. encourages educational

pursuits by Armenians in America and the raising of their intellectual

standards, provides financial assistance in the form of scholarships to

deserving Armenian students, develops fellowship among them, cultivates in

them the spirit of service in the public interest, and acquaints them and

the entire American community with Armenian culture.

Aram Saroyan: THE PICKPOCKET

delicately lifts a

wallet

from somebody’s in-

side

coat pocket.

The beat-up door to his

room half-

closed

in sunlight:

Money changes

hands one thief

to another

so the

first thief

can’t be

apprehended.

Visited

by a beautiful

woman,

he’s

oblivious,

preoccupied.

The idiot!

Stealing a woman’s

purse, he

puts a rolled-up

newspaper

under

her arm

to replicate

the push

of her purse.

                                                                   After Bresson

First issue of the first Armenian newspaper, “Azdarar” (October 16, 1794)

[excerpt from Armenian Prelacy's e-newsletter]
The small community of India, which was an offspring of the famous Armenian community of New Julfa (Nor Djugha), created in the early seventeenth century near Ispahan (Persia), went into history for two main reasons: the publication of the first draft of an Armenian Constitution (1773) and the birth of the first Armenian newspaper (1794). 
Father Harutiun Shmavonian (1750-1824) was born in the city of Shiraz, in Persia. He studied at the local school and learned Armenian and Persian language and literature. Years later, he was sent to Madras, in India, to become the priest of the local church. 

After long meditations and preparations, Shmavonian founded a print shop of his own in 1789, the second Armenian printing house in Madras. His publications reflected his interest in books which were able to satisfy the requirements of the Armenian communities. For instance, he published textbooks, such as Baghdasar Dpir’s Grammar of the Mother Language; the translation of Porphyry of Tyre’s Introduction to Categories, and David the Invincible’s Book of Definitions. His collaborator and friend, Fr. Samuel Ghaytmaziants, wrote later: “He always wished the common benefit and the flourishing of the nation; he left aside the care of his family and children, lived in foreign lands, and worked to this effect.”

Shmavonian decided to publish a monthly newspaper. The Armenian community was ripe for such a project. Despite its small size, Armenian intellectuals in Calcutta and Madras were in touch with British and French traders and officials, and read European publications. The publications of the Armenian printing house of Nor Nakhichevan, in the northern Caucasus, were regularly sold in Madras. He was also encouraged by Archbishop Yeprem, who had arrived in India as legate of the Catholicate of Etchmiadzin.

Azdarar, unlike most of the press of the time, was not primarily coverage of commercial issues. The contents of the monthly were mostly cultural and historical. The print-run was 200 copies. 

Many Armenian merchants wrote to the monthly from Madras, Calcutta, Basra, and as far as China and the Philippines. The publication printed news from Yerevan and Shushi, in Karabagh. Most of the articles were written in Classical Armenian (krapar), but some appeared in a mix of classical and vulgar language, which reflected the dialect of New Julfa. 

Articles on political and patriotic issues were also included in the monthly, sometimes written by columnists who mostly signed with pseudonyms. 

Azdarar was published for eighteen months until it folded in March 1796 due to economic
difficulties. Father Shmavonian continued his activities in community life. He was active as a book publisher until 1817. He passed away in 1824, submerged in poverty.

PROTECTION OF WESTERN ARMENIAN

His Holiness Aram I presided over the meeting of the committee to protect the Western Armenian

language in Antelias on October 3. The recently appointed committee consists of 24 linguists from

Canada, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Portugal, Syria, Turkey, and the United States of

America. Initial proposals included:

1. To draw a final plan of action after receiving comments from specialists not represented on the

committee.

2. Compile a list of common mistakes in Western Armenian and propose correct versions.

3. Prepare a dictionary for new technical words and expressions.

4. Initiate and sustain the work in consultation with experienced specialists and experts, and listen

to all suggestions.

Interested linguists are invited to contact the secretary of the committee, Sarkis Guiragossian, by

writing to the following email address: edu@armenianorthodoxchurch.org.

Diana Der Hovanessian: WITHOUT YOU* I AM

a lute without strings
strings without knots
knots without pegs
pegs without holes
holes without ground
ground without seed
seed without rain
rain without skies
skies without wind
wind without direction
direction without home
home without hearth
hearth without fire
fire without fuel
fuel without air
air without sun
sun without light
light without dark
dark without sound
sound without melody
melody without words
words without heart
heart without hope
hope without song
song without lute


This poem has previously appeared in Ararat.


ԵՍ, ԱՌԱՆՑ ՔԵԶԻ՝
տաւիղ եմ առա՛նց լարի
լարեր՝ առա՛նց կապի
կապեր՝ առա՛նց սեպի
սեպեր՝ առա՛նց ծակի
ծակեր՝ առա՛նց հողի
հող՝ առա՛նց հունտի
հունտ՝ առա՛նց անձրեւի
անձրեւ՝ առա՛նց երկնքի
երկինք՝ առա՛նց հովի
հով՝ առա՛նց կողմի
կողմ՝ առա՛նց տունի
տուն՝ առա՛նց թոնիրի
թոնիր՝ առա՛նց հուրի
հուր՝ առանց փայտի
փայտ՝ առա՛նց օդի
օդ՝ առա՛նց արեւի
արեւ՝ առա՛նց լոյսի
լոյս՝ առա՛նց մութի
մութ՝ առա՛նց ձայնի
ձայն՝ առա՛նց մեղեդիի
մեղեդի՝ առա՛նց բառի
բառեր՝ առա՛՛նց սրտի
սիրտ՝ առա՛նց յոյսի
յոյս։ առա՛նց երգի
երգ՝ առա՛նց տաւիղի

…..Դիանա Տէր Յովհաննէսեան
Թարգմանեց՝ Թաթուլ Սոնենց