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GLENDALE'S BERJ BOOKSTORE: ONE MAP'S HISTORY
hetq
11:47, July 23, 2012
By Nelli Shoushi Martirosyan
I buy almost all my gifts and Armenian postcards from Berj Books
located in Glendale, California.
Berj, the owner, always welcomes me to the store and listens to
my stories related to the liberated Artsakh territories with rapt
interest.
When I enter the bookstore, I'm like a small child trying to pick my
favourite knick-knacks. There are so many adorned with the Armenian
tricolor, the national emblem or the Armenian ABC's.
But there's one item in the store that really irritates me. It's a
map of Armenia showing the wrong borders of Artsakh. It taped to the
wall for all to see. When I say Armenia, I'm talking about the two
Armenian states - the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh.
I get the most satisfaction when I point out the inaccuracy of the
map and other customers there agree with my observation. They agree
that it's totally unacceptable to leave out large swaths of liberated
regions from the map.
It's an injustice to forget the thousands who gave their lives for
bequeathing us a much larger Armenia than we had a mere twenty years
ago. Have we forgotten so much in the course of twenty years?
A few weeks ago I visited the bookstore to make another round of
purchases. Upon entering, my eyes automatically went to the wall
showing the map I disliked so much. I was in for a pleasant surprise.
Berj had received a batch of ten incorrect maps from Beirut. He took
one of them and affixed it to the wall where the old map had been
and drew a number of lines in an attempt to connect the liberated
territories to Armenia.
Naturally, these lines didn't point out Aknan, the place where Monte
Melkonian fell to his death. Never fear, I'll add a line showing this.
Suffice it to say I was elated that my two years of complaining had
finally broke the ice, People who look and the redesigned map will
ponder what these lines actually signify.
I promised Berj that I would present him with a correct map and he
said it would be affixed near the window of the store. It would be
visible to all, even when the store is closed.
I had the honor to spend all of April, 2011, in the Kashatagh district
of the liberated territories. The goal of my visits was to conduct
research about the local population for the Hayrenaser organization. I
also spent two days in the Shahoumyan (Karvatchar) region.
According to the incorrect maps, only showing the old Nagorno-Karabakh
Autonomous Region (NKAR), I had spent a month in Azerbaijani
territory. Kashatagh and Shahoumyan were never part of the NKAR that
existed during the Soviet era.
I urge everyone not to tolerate incorrect maps. A nation that dreams
about historic Armenia must stand as master over all portions of
liberated historic Armenia.
This is the least we can do to honor our fallen heroes and their
families and the people now living on those lands and making them
flourish.
(The author is the co-founder Hayrenaser organization and the article
is part of a public awareness campaign about the liberated territories)
From: Baghdasarian
hetq
11:47, July 23, 2012
By Nelli Shoushi Martirosyan
I buy almost all my gifts and Armenian postcards from Berj Books
located in Glendale, California.
Berj, the owner, always welcomes me to the store and listens to
my stories related to the liberated Artsakh territories with rapt
interest.
When I enter the bookstore, I'm like a small child trying to pick my
favourite knick-knacks. There are so many adorned with the Armenian
tricolor, the national emblem or the Armenian ABC's.
But there's one item in the store that really irritates me. It's a
map of Armenia showing the wrong borders of Artsakh. It taped to the
wall for all to see. When I say Armenia, I'm talking about the two
Armenian states - the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh.
I get the most satisfaction when I point out the inaccuracy of the
map and other customers there agree with my observation. They agree
that it's totally unacceptable to leave out large swaths of liberated
regions from the map.
It's an injustice to forget the thousands who gave their lives for
bequeathing us a much larger Armenia than we had a mere twenty years
ago. Have we forgotten so much in the course of twenty years?
A few weeks ago I visited the bookstore to make another round of
purchases. Upon entering, my eyes automatically went to the wall
showing the map I disliked so much. I was in for a pleasant surprise.
Berj had received a batch of ten incorrect maps from Beirut. He took
one of them and affixed it to the wall where the old map had been
and drew a number of lines in an attempt to connect the liberated
territories to Armenia.
Naturally, these lines didn't point out Aknan, the place where Monte
Melkonian fell to his death. Never fear, I'll add a line showing this.
Suffice it to say I was elated that my two years of complaining had
finally broke the ice, People who look and the redesigned map will
ponder what these lines actually signify.
I promised Berj that I would present him with a correct map and he
said it would be affixed near the window of the store. It would be
visible to all, even when the store is closed.
I had the honor to spend all of April, 2011, in the Kashatagh district
of the liberated territories. The goal of my visits was to conduct
research about the local population for the Hayrenaser organization. I
also spent two days in the Shahoumyan (Karvatchar) region.
According to the incorrect maps, only showing the old Nagorno-Karabakh
Autonomous Region (NKAR), I had spent a month in Azerbaijani
territory. Kashatagh and Shahoumyan were never part of the NKAR that
existed during the Soviet era.
I urge everyone not to tolerate incorrect maps. A nation that dreams
about historic Armenia must stand as master over all portions of
liberated historic Armenia.
This is the least we can do to honor our fallen heroes and their
families and the people now living on those lands and making them
flourish.
(The author is the co-founder Hayrenaser organization and the article
is part of a public awareness campaign about the liberated territories)
From: Baghdasarian