Tweet
THE MEMORIES ARE STARTING TO FADE, BUT THE PAIN REMAINS
Posted by Taleen Babayan
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/03/27/the-memories-are-starting-to-fade-but-the-pain-remains/
March 27, 2013
A vintage ornate silver frame encasing a black-and-white photo of
Perouz Kalusdian on her wedding day hangs on her bedroom wall at the
Armenian Home in Flushing, N.Y.
Perouz Kalusdian Young, fresh-faced, and draped in a wedding dress
reminiscent of old Hollywood glamour, she is holding a rich bouquet of
white roses, the lace and ribbon of the arrangement dripping down the
length of her dress and sheer veil, which travels down to the floor.
One could easily mistake the striking Kalusdian for a carefree
debutante on her wedding day. But the beauty of the Old World photo
masks the agony that she continues to carry to this day.
"It was very ugly," said Kalusdian, now 103 years old, her abundant
black hair muted to grey but her youthful spirit remaining intact. She
sits with her hands folded on her burgundy armchair, the sun peeking
through the window shades behind her. "I hate to talk about it. They
didn't want us to live our lives."
While she cannot recall every detail of her escape from her birthplace
of Harput to New York City when the Young Turk government waged a
full-scale genocide against the Armenians in 1915, there is a shade
of sorrow on her face that is undeniable. It is the same anguish that
has been shared by scores of other survivors around the world. While
Kalusdian was able to physically escape the genocide, she is still
haunted by the horrific images she witnessed at the tender age of six.
"They came and took my father and two uncles away," she said. "They
tied them up two by two and threw them over the bridge into the
Euphrates River."
For Charlotte Kechejian, 101, a fellow resident at the Armenian
Home, it has become increasingly difficult to retrieve memories of
her childhood. But she has not forgotten that her father was killed
during the onset of the genocide and that she was a victim of the
deportations, walking miles through the desert to escape persecution.
Charlotte Kechejian "I remember feeling so tired and hungry," she
said in a soft voice.
"My mother kept telling me to walk just a little more."
Kechejian arrived in New York as a 10-year-old with her mother,
who supported them as a seamstress. Kechejian earned her high school
diploma and worked at various department stores before getting married
and having three children.
Unlike millions of other Armenians, Kechejian was able to live a full
life, but not without leaving a piece of her heart in her birthplace
of Nikhda.
"I miss my father," she said shaking her head. "I miss him."
Kalusdian and Kechejian are 2 of the 4 genocide survivors currently
living in the Armenian Home, which once housed up to 21 survivors.
"I lost my grandparents in the genocide, so I never had any," said
Aggie Ellian, the executive director of the Armenian Home for the past
17 years. "To me, the survivors here are my parents, grandparents,
my children. They're our children."
The Armenian Home, nestled in a quiet street 10 miles outside
of Manhattan, was founded in 1948 by Sarah Sanossian and is an
Armenian-only, private, non-funded home for the elderly. Along with
Associate Director Jenny Akopyan and a caring and dedicated staff,
it provides around-the-clock care for residents in a culturally
rich setting, in particular those who survived the atrocities of
the genocide.
"The Armenian Genocide continues to be an 'alleged' genocide," said
Ellian. "But the survivors are still here to tell you it happened."
As the 100th anniversary of the genocide approaches, and the
opportunity to hear the survivors' stories in person is quickly
diminishing, it is the duty of the following generations to ensure
that the survivors' voices do not disappear, and that their brave
spirits are honored for years to come.
The 98th anniversary commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, sponsored
by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan, will be held in Times Square
(46th St. and Broadway) on Sun., April 21, from 2-4 p.m.
Posted by Taleen Babayan
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/03/27/the-memories-are-starting-to-fade-but-the-pain-remains/
March 27, 2013
A vintage ornate silver frame encasing a black-and-white photo of
Perouz Kalusdian on her wedding day hangs on her bedroom wall at the
Armenian Home in Flushing, N.Y.
Perouz Kalusdian Young, fresh-faced, and draped in a wedding dress
reminiscent of old Hollywood glamour, she is holding a rich bouquet of
white roses, the lace and ribbon of the arrangement dripping down the
length of her dress and sheer veil, which travels down to the floor.
One could easily mistake the striking Kalusdian for a carefree
debutante on her wedding day. But the beauty of the Old World photo
masks the agony that she continues to carry to this day.
"It was very ugly," said Kalusdian, now 103 years old, her abundant
black hair muted to grey but her youthful spirit remaining intact. She
sits with her hands folded on her burgundy armchair, the sun peeking
through the window shades behind her. "I hate to talk about it. They
didn't want us to live our lives."
While she cannot recall every detail of her escape from her birthplace
of Harput to New York City when the Young Turk government waged a
full-scale genocide against the Armenians in 1915, there is a shade
of sorrow on her face that is undeniable. It is the same anguish that
has been shared by scores of other survivors around the world. While
Kalusdian was able to physically escape the genocide, she is still
haunted by the horrific images she witnessed at the tender age of six.
"They came and took my father and two uncles away," she said. "They
tied them up two by two and threw them over the bridge into the
Euphrates River."
For Charlotte Kechejian, 101, a fellow resident at the Armenian
Home, it has become increasingly difficult to retrieve memories of
her childhood. But she has not forgotten that her father was killed
during the onset of the genocide and that she was a victim of the
deportations, walking miles through the desert to escape persecution.
Charlotte Kechejian "I remember feeling so tired and hungry," she
said in a soft voice.
"My mother kept telling me to walk just a little more."
Kechejian arrived in New York as a 10-year-old with her mother,
who supported them as a seamstress. Kechejian earned her high school
diploma and worked at various department stores before getting married
and having three children.
Unlike millions of other Armenians, Kechejian was able to live a full
life, but not without leaving a piece of her heart in her birthplace
of Nikhda.
"I miss my father," she said shaking her head. "I miss him."
Kalusdian and Kechejian are 2 of the 4 genocide survivors currently
living in the Armenian Home, which once housed up to 21 survivors.
"I lost my grandparents in the genocide, so I never had any," said
Aggie Ellian, the executive director of the Armenian Home for the past
17 years. "To me, the survivors here are my parents, grandparents,
my children. They're our children."
The Armenian Home, nestled in a quiet street 10 miles outside
of Manhattan, was founded in 1948 by Sarah Sanossian and is an
Armenian-only, private, non-funded home for the elderly. Along with
Associate Director Jenny Akopyan and a caring and dedicated staff,
it provides around-the-clock care for residents in a culturally
rich setting, in particular those who survived the atrocities of
the genocide.
"The Armenian Genocide continues to be an 'alleged' genocide," said
Ellian. "But the survivors are still here to tell you it happened."
As the 100th anniversary of the genocide approaches, and the
opportunity to hear the survivors' stories in person is quickly
diminishing, it is the duty of the following generations to ensure
that the survivors' voices do not disappear, and that their brave
spirits are honored for years to come.
The 98th anniversary commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, sponsored
by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan, will be held in Times Square
(46th St. and Broadway) on Sun., April 21, from 2-4 p.m.