The Persistence of Memory

 or

Willing the Past Century to the Future

For my future grandchildren who will witness great events. May they make them positive ones.

 

Today is yesterday’s tomorrow and tomorrow’s yesterday.

We live as links in the chain of history and unless we realize this, we could be forever chained by it.

Like every one of my generation living on this planet who is a descendant of Western Armenians, I am here and now because four people survived the Genocide of Armenians in 1915.  They were my grandparents.  Hovsep Attarian (Attar-Migiryan), Zohra Attarian (née Amirian), Vahan-Israel Pilikian,  Tefarik Pilikian (née Der-Arsenian).

Here is my family’s report card as a legacy of struggle for memory.  It is only a very dry and short summary that does not chronicle the hours, days, months, years and in-fact the whole lifetimes that were shaped by who we became as the result of the Genocide.  For the details, the reader will have to do the research in the labyrinths of history and in the minds of the living.

·         In April 1919, my great uncle, the famous Ottoman lawyer Levon (Remzi) Attar-Migiryan, was the prosecuting attorney on behalf of the plaintiffs, the Armenian population of the Yozgad-Boghazlyan province where over 80,000 Armenians were murdered.  This was during the famous Ottoman Military Tribunals which found the leaders of the Ottoman government of the time (who had already fled the country), guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.  They were sentenced to death in absentia. The governor of the Yozgad-Boghazlyan province, Mehmet Kemal Bey, was also found guilty of the same crimes and was executed by hanging.  To date, this is the only official record of any Turkish government legally recognizing the crime that the Ottoman government committed against its own citizens.

·         From 1918 and well into the late 1920s, my grandfather, Hovsep Attarian, like many survivors, helped find, rescue and reunite the remnants of his and his wife Zohra’s families.  Their descendants all over the world will be eternally grateful.

·         During WWII, my grandfather, Vahan-Israel Pilikian, endangering his own life, organized secret fundraisings in Iraq to help Soviet Armenia and subsequently personally carried the sums to the representative of the USSR in Iran.  The sums were used in the creation of the famous tank battalion called David of Sassoun Battalion (named after the legendary hero of the Armenian epic), which fought the Nazis all the way into Berlin.

·         In 1946, once again, my grandfather rose to the call of duty.  He was one of the key organizers on the Iraqi committee of repatriation into Armenia. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians immigrated into Armenia from all over the world, helping it keep the status of an individual USSR republic due to this repopulation, and essentially securing its independence in our times.

·         In 1957, my parents gave to their newborn son, to me, the middle name of Levon (Leon), after the same great and brave intellectual hero-lawyer, my father’s uncle.

·         In 1965, on the 50^th anniversary of the Genocide, my father, Alphonse Attarian (pen-name: Armen Tarian), published a critically-acclaimed book of short stories dedicated to the memory of our people.  It is called Away from the Anchor (Խարիսխէն Հեռու).  It contains a fictionalized account of his ancestral family in a remarkable short story called The Mulberry Tree (Թթենին).  In the same year, even as a child of 7 years, I walked with my parents in the great protest march to the Genocide Memorial chapel in Antelias, where the bones of the victims were gathered from the Syrian desert and came to their eternal resting place.

·         In the same year of 1965, on the occasion of the 50^th anniversary, my uncle, the poet Karnig Attarian, published his award-winning monumental epic, The Book of Pain and Restitution (Մատեան Ցաւի եւ Հատուցման). It remains a unique piece of modern Western Armenian poetry.  The public school no. 133 in Yerevan, Armenia, is named after him.

·         In April of 1975, on the 60^th anniversary, I was one of the young organizers of the great unity march of 100,000 to Martyrs’ Square in Beirut.  I walked with them all. It was the biggest ever demonstration that had ever took place in Lebanon to that date.

·         In 1980, on the 65^th anniversary, my father started working on his award-winning volume of three novellas, The Mountain and the Home (Լեռը եւ Տունը).  It was published 2 years later.

·         In April of 1985, on the 70^th anniversary, as a lonely Armenian living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, I took a solemn personal oath to always and forever defend human rights and fight injustice everywhere to the maximum of my ability.

·         In January 1990, my father passed away, leaving behind an unfinished novel, The President’s Shoes (Նախագահին Կօշիկները), and an unfinished book of short stories Two Seasons(Melodies)(Երկու Եղանակ) which he wanted to publish that year on the occasion of the 75^th anniversary. The books were published posthumously in 1991 by the editorial team which included my mother Arsinée Attarian (née Pilikian), my sister Hourik Attarian, my uncle Pierre Attarian, my “aunt” Hasmig Nadjarian, the great teacher/editor Jirayr Tanielian, the unique cultural icon Dr. Toros Toranian and the outstanding and great literary critic/editor Krikor Chahinian.  Both works remain seminal fictionalized examples of storytelling of the actual events of the lives of Genocide orphans and survivors.

·         In 1991, my first son was born.  He was named Armen-Hrant, after both his grandfathers.

·         In 1993, my wife, Datevik Sumbulian, upon the initiative of the Armenian Medical Association of Quebec, fundraised and sent over 5000 battlefront first aid kits to the fighting men and women in the battle to free Artsakh.

·         In 1995, on the 80^th anniversary, I was a member of the joint organizing committee in Montreal representing the Armenian Catholic community.  I had also become a supporter of the Liberal Party of Canada and volunteered in its electoral campaign of 1993 (and every campaign since).

·         In 2000, on the 85^th anniversary, I was elected vice-chairman of the Montreal chapter of the AGBU.  Along with my board colleague Armen Bechakjian, and with the joint participation of all Montreal Armenian organizations, we started Montreal’s first genocide conferences, called the Distinguished Speakers on Genocide series, which lasted for 5 years.  The series introduced to Montrealers of all origins, such individuals like the great Canadian-Congolese journalist François Bugingo (the MC of the 100^th anniversary event), the late great Holocaust survivor and historian/researcher Dr. Kurt Jonassohn, and numerous others, both researchers and survivors of crimes against humanity from Guatemala, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Cambodia, Palestine, Kurdistan, and so on.  We all learnt a lot from them all.

·         The same year, I started working directly with the Liberal Party of Canada parliamentarians, specifically, the late great Senator Shirley Maheu, Senator Raymond Setlakwe, the Hon. Eleni Bakopanos, the Hon. Sarkis Assadourian and the Hon. Stéphane Dion on the dossier of the recognition of the Genocide of Armenians.  I was personally promised by Sen. Maheu that she would not rest until it is done.  I will recall and give important due credit to my other Liberal colleague, the able Mr. Jean-Phillippe Tashdjian who worked hard with Sen. Setlakwe and other Liberal parliamentarians as well to support this initiative.  All Canadian-Armenians contributed to this important milestone.

·         Simultaneously a partnership was started with the PBS station at Plattsburgh NY, Mountain Lake PBS.  Over the past 15 years, I worked diligently to bring serious documentaries about Armenian history, culture and the Genocide of Armenians to millions of viewers from Quebec City, to the Eastern Townships, from Montreal, all the way south to Albany NY.  These programs have been extremely successful in bringing this matter to the attention of the wider public, both in the US and Canada and helped push the agenda of recognition in Canada, first by the Liberal-dominated Senate in 2002, and then by the support of the opposition in a minority Liberal Parliament in 2004.

·         In 2005, on the 90^th anniversary of the Genocide, I was the MC at the final general public event. I was also elected the chairman of AGBU Montreal, which took a leadership role in the Canadian-Armenian community scene.  I started participating more actively in the Manuel Keusseyan Armenian Studies program as a lecturer, and gave several well-attended lectures about the history of our people and the period covering the Genocide, both in and outside Montreal and even in the US.

 

·         And it in the same year that I was contacted by the amazing couple, Sam and Sylva Simonian to help them realize their unique vision of a gift to the Armenian nation; the indescribable TUMO  Center.  I worked with them to define and refine the vision, to involve the right people and in 2011 the dream became an even more wonderful reality.

 

·         In late 2009 and throughout 2010, the year of the 95^th anniversary, I worked with my friends Dr. Dikran Abrahamian, J. Tutunjian and many others to establish a Canadian sub-committee of the NCWA (National Congress of Western Armenians), which is a UN-registered NGO and is the most serious international organization pursuing restitutions for the Genocide through legal means.  We have influenced its direction and mission, sent Canadian delegates to its various meetings and assmblies, organized local events with its leadership and have established a strong, serious and respected Canadian presence within its ranks.  The NWCA continues to work tirelessly to achieve its objectives.

·         In 2010, on the 95^th anniversary, my sister, Hourik Attarian, submitted her PhD dissertation to McGill University focusing on the theme of Genocide studies, memory and education.  She successfully defended her thesis a few months later in 2011.  She is now a genocide scholar and expert on the subject lecturing all over the world, but also specifically in Turkey itself.

·         In the same year, my son Armen H. Attarian, successfully organized with the AGBU and HMEM scouts, a unity youth march commemorating the Genocide in the streets of Montreal, culminating in a public rally at Phillip Square.  It was this march that has continued on every year since and was converted in the 100^th anniversary to the march of 10,000 to end genocides.  I was honored to be invited to speak at three of those rallies as President of the Policy Commission of the Liberal Party of Canada (QC).

·         Also in 2010, Armen was one of the organizers of the AGBU Montreal Armenia 2010 project.  They led a group of young men and women scouts to Armenia to build homes for earthquake victims.  It was a gruelling, backbreaking work, but emotionally extremely rewarding. Upon their return, they were awarded the highest recognition of Scouts Canada, the Annapurna Badge, which was bestowed upon them by the Governor General of Canada.

·         Also in 2010, I was one of the organizers of the commemoration event on Parliament Hill thanking Canadian Parliamentarians and the Canadian Government for their support and official recognition of the Genocide of Armenians.  I worked hard to secure the participation of many Liberal Party members at the event, in particular, the leader, Mr. Michael Ignatieff.
 

It is now 2015 and a century has gone by.  I have done many things this year as well.  For that, please go to HERE.

This is what we have done.  This is who we are because we are what we do.

And now, here I stand and declare that I am Viken Levon Attarian, a survivor.

I am and will continuously become a living story and memory.

And even when my time comes, I shall still be nothing but a story and memory.

LE RÊVE D'ICARE - ICARUS' DREAM

Le Rêve d'Icare - Icarus' Dream is a sculpture piece by the talented artist Yevkiné de Gréef.  It is a favorite of my life's most inspiring being, my wife, Datevik. She herself became a dream  on October 11, 2014. The sculpture symbolizes the themes in the poem. It has many fascinatingly unique features which are unlike the original myth. It depicts Icarus as a woman and it shows the dynamic transformation of her arm into a natural wing. The poem and the sculpture complement many mutual themes.  The poem is multi-layered in meaning.  To unlock all its secrets, you may wish to watch the film Wings of Desire by the great Wim Wenders.  The poem is also structured  as the lyrics of a song.  Its central theme is related to the origin of Datevik's name, which is the diminutive of Datev, the name of the legendary monastery of knowledge perched high on the mountains of Armenia.  Da-tev literally means to " Give Wing " in Armenian. According to its founding legend, as the final cross was being put on the cupola, the builder slipped and fell into the mountain chasm. As he fell, he prayed asking for wings; his wish was granted and he was saved.  The monastery was therefore called St. Datev, the "wing-giver".  The poem was originally written in English.  It was then rewritten from scratch  (not translated into) in Armenian.

You can learn more about Datevik through the brief biographical notes at the end of the Armenian version of the poem.

THE WING-GIVER

She comes in the night

        in silence tender,

She comes in your dreams,

         in beauty that’s slender

and gentle and kind and wise and loving.

She comes in the night, to give you the wings

        that raise you to the sky;

that make your heart and soul

       soar high.

She comes in the night

       when you can no longer think.

She comes in the night

       when you no longer have ink

to make your mind flow into words on paper.

She comes in the night

            and asks you to take her

to all the places you wanted to make her
              
            live in, while loving,

and love in, while living.

She comes in the night

          making your burdens as light

as petals of the flower

          she turns into with daylight.

She comes in the night

         to caress your brain,

She comes in the night

         to ease that pain

            that never stops gnawing;

that turns into tears
        
        that never stop flowing.

She comes in the night

        to give you her own wings,

to make you fly away

       when the sun springs

forth once again,

 Warming the land after the long cold rain

      which makes branches and leaves shiver;

        to deliver

            you away from the grave

               dampness.

Aah, the joy she brings 

        when she gives away, once again,

            her wings

to all those who dare cut away their strings

        to take off in flight.

 To chase away their darkness

       she comes in the night.

Not only to give wings,

      but because she is the light.

She comes

      In the night

                        … she comes.


                                                                                     *   *   *

Թեւընծան

Կու գայ ան մութին մէջ,

  Գեղութեամբ հեզասահ:

Երազով կու գայ ան,

  Բարութեամբ իր քնքուշ, սիրովն իր իմաստուն:

Թեւեր նուիրող՝ կու գայ մութին մէջ,

  Անոնցմով  որպէսզի

Սիրտը կամ թէ հոգին

  Բարձրանան անընդմէջ

    Միմիայն սաւառնի՜ն:

 Կու գայ ան մութին մէջ,

    Երբ միտքըդ է ծարաւ:

Կու գայ ան մութին մէջ,

   երբ գրիչդ է հարկաւ

    արդէն իսկ չորցած, անկարող

      հոսելու թուղթին վրայ, բառերով:

Կու գայ ան մութին մէջ

  խնդրելով,

Որ տանիս զինք այն տեղերն՝ ուր կ'ուզէիր

 հետն ապրիլ՝ սիրելով:

Որ տանիս զինք այն տեղերն՝ ուր կ'ուզէիր

 զինք սիրել՝ ապրելո'վ:

Կու գայ ան մութին մէջ

   Բեռերդ որ կրէ,

Որ փոխուին թերթերու փետրահիւս բուրաւէտ,

   Նման այն ծաղիկին

    որուն ի՜նք կը փոխուի

      շողին հետ արեւի:

Կու գայ ան մութին մէջ

     միտքերըդ շոյելու,

        Ցաւերըդ տանելու:

Այն ցաւերն անդադրում

    Որ կ'ուտեն քեզ հիմա,

Կը դառնան արտասուք

    Ե'ւ զեղում ե'ւ հոսք:

 Եւ ի՜նչ խօսք

    Որ կու գայ ան մութի'ն մէջ

     Ի'ր թեւերն իսկ տալու

Որ դո'ւն թռչիս, բարձրանա'ս,

 Արեւէն տաքութի'ւն եւ ո'յժ ստանաս,

Խոնաւ եւ ցուրտ գիշերուան անձրեւէն

     յետոյ, ջերմանա'ս:

 Տերեւներ ու շիւղեր դողացնող անձրեւէ'ն՝

    Հեռանա'ս:

Ա՜հ, ի՜նչ խինդ կը բերէ

   երբ կու տայ թեւերն ի'ր, բոլորին

     որ կ'երազեն թօթափել շղթաները

          կեանքին:

Մո'ւթը որ փախցնէ`

  Կու գայ ան մութի'ն մէջ

Ո'չ միայն թեւընծան

  Այլ ի'նքն իսկ լոյս, քեզի՝ պահապա'ն,

   Կեանքը'դ որ լուսցնէ:

Մութին մէջ

          Հիմա կու գայ... ա'ն:

Datevik, the beloved angel of both her families, was born in Beirut, Lebanon.

 

She was a graduate of the AGBU Tarouhi-Hagopian High School where she was an excellent student as well as an outstanding stage performer of music and poetry.  She was an active member of the AGBU Girl Guides for many years.

As a talented musician, she attended the Beirut Conservatory of Music in Violin Performance, as well as the École Normale de Musique in Paris. 

She attended Haigazian University in Beirut, where she studied the pure sciences and after her immigration to Canada she completed her studies and graduated from Concordia University with a double major in Biology and Chemistry. For several years afterwards she worked as a research biologist at the Lady Davis Institute.

In 1986, she decided to continue her studies in a professional healthcare field. She studied pharmacy at Université de Montréal and graduated in 1990. During her studies, she was an active board member of the UdeM Armenian Students’ Association and was elected its president.

After graduation, she successfully completed her licentiate examination for pharmacy practice all across Canada. Subsequently, she completed the residency requirements to become a clinical hospital pharmacist.  For many years, she was the chief oncology pharmacist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Westmount.

Datevik was modest in terms of publicising her achievements.  She always preferred doing the right thing rather than to talk about it.

For several years she was the exceptional biology laboratory researcher at the Lady Davis Institute of the Jewish General Hospital, where her work on androgen receptors was acknowledged and published in the Canadian Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology.

After becoming a hospital pharmacist and chief oncology pharmacist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, she was one of the three coauthors of the monumental 300-page guide Receuil d’Information Pharmaceutique en Oncologie, which, to this day, is the principal manual used for patient treatment in Quebec hospitals.

As a Canadian-Armenian healthcare professional she was an active member of the AMAQ (Association Médicale Arménienne du Québec), where she served on its board for several years in multiple roles and organized numerous fundraising activities. But mainly, she distinguished herself during the war of liberation of Artsakh, when she organised and procured thousands of battlefront medical first-aid kits to be delivered to the front lines.  The delivery was accomplished by her childhood friend Hagop Angaladian.  This action alone, likely saved the lives of hundreds if not thousands.

Because she could not give up her love of music, she regularly performed as a violinist in the Serenade chamber ensemble at several church locations on the island and on the South Shore.

In 2004, she became the owner of a Montreal institution, the oldest continuously operating drugstore on the island, which henceforth became known as the Sumbulian Pharmacy.  She ran it for ten years as an entrepreneur with amazing passion with her beloved sister Lucy.

She took care of the most diverse group of patients, from all walks of life and from the most different backgrounds; from the Orthodox Hasidim to the newly arrived students from France; from the old Greek families to the numerous Portuguese neighbours; from the Armenians of all across Montreal and its suburbs to the Italians and the loyal multi-generational Québecois patients.

She took care of them because she really cared.  Besides their health dossiers, she knew their lives, their concerns, their families.  She cried with them in their moments of sadness and she brought smiles to them when they needed it.  She always took the time to listen and was always really and genuinely concerned about them.

Because of her background, she had excellent diagnostic and clinical skills which she often used, but she mostly treated her patients with true love.  The patients treated her back with their own expressions of sincere gratitude, with food and sweets and drinks and gifts and letters and smiles and jokes and news of health improvement and phone calls from near and far, whether they were next door or on the other side of the planet.

Her greatest joy was her immediate family. She always gave selflessly, without a single concern about herself; never complaining and always optimistic in the darkest of times; always first to express joy at everyone’s achievements.

And she always smiled; that all-curing, all-disarming, all-charming, all-caring, all-cleansing, all-nurturing smile which no one else has and no one else ever will.