"AZDARAR" MONTHLY PUBLISHED AGAIN IN CALCUTTA AFTER LONG INTERRUPTION

Noyan Tapan
April 19, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The presentation of
the Azdarar monthly’s first issue, which was released in Calcutta on
December 24, 2007 after over a two-century interruption, took place
at the National Library of Armenia on April 18.

The chairman of the Union of Writers of Armenia Levon Ananian called
the republication of the monthly a heroic deed, while the intitiative
of Azdarar’s editor Martin Sargsian, who committed himself to this
cause, overcoming financial and moral difficulties was called a
patriotic and sacrid action.

"Diasporan Armenians are now becoming estranged: our compatriots in
other countries speak Persian, Arabic, Indian… Wherever they go,
Armenians should carry with then their school, church and newspaper,
which play a significant role in the life of their colony," editor
M. Sargsian said.

According to him, being aware of the newspaper’s importance for Indian
Armenians, they undertook republication of this monthly. Materials
are mainly obtained through local intellectuals, devoted and gifted
Armenians, as well as from the Internet. "We received 423 letters in
a month, which allowed us to print the second issue too," he said.

The new monthly retains the philosophical and historical orientation
of Azdarar first released on October 16, 1794 in Madras. According to
the editor, the only difference is that although we have independent
homeland and statehood now, new tasks have arisen with time, even
though they are somewhat consistent with the philosophy of Azdarar’s
founder Harutyun Shmavonian: to act in the name of strengthening the
statehood and preserving the national identity.

The monthly is published in Armenian and English and mostly discusses
problems of Indian Armenians. New Azdarar also contains articles
about Javakhk and the Artsakh freedom war.

After a two-century interval, in 1956 John Ananian published Azdarar
in English as a bulletin for 6 years but it was not successful. Later
Mesrop Taghidian’s made another attempt which was not crowned with
success either.

The montly’s current circulation is 1,000 which has a tendency to grow.