Armenian Genocide

On April 24, I was given to recite a poem for stage, and this is a first for me. The occasion – The Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide at Gorky Sadan. I recited the English translation of Siamanto’s poem, The Dance. This was the first time I had any association with the Armenians, though I have always been curious about the church and the school. My friend Kamal teaches at the Armenian school on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata, and it is she who put in my name for this piece. Two pretty students enacted the poem as I recited it from the wings of the stage. The poem depicts a ghastly scene during the genocide in 1915 where 20 young brides are beaten up, made to dance and then burnt to death, all this witnessed by a woman looking through a window. Thanks to Father Oshagan Gulgulian for giving me an idea about how the poem needed to be emoted. To this day, Armenian all over the world await justice hoping Turkey will apologize for the genocide of 1915.