CHENNAI’S LAST ARMENIAN NOW AT HOME IN BANGALORE
Prashanth G N & Ajitha Karthikeyan
Times of India
hennais_last_Armenian_now_at_home_in_Bangalore/art icleshow/3881996.cms
Dec 24 2008
India
BANGALORE/CHENNAI: He is a priest and works in an international
call centre. He is the last Armenian who lived in Chennai and he
has now made Bangalore his home. Michael Stephen’s story is also
the fascinating story of the Armenian community in India which is
preparing to celebrate Christmas not on December 25, but on January 6.
Stephen, who lives and works in Bangalore along with three other
Armenian families, explains the unusual date of celebration: "We
Armenians are Eastern Orthodox Christians. We follow the old system of
celebrations. It was in 325 AD that December 25 was marked as the day
of Christmas. But our community goes much earlier than that date and we
used to celebrate Christmas on January 6 before 325 AD. We follow that
to this day. In fact, Orthodox Russians celebrate it on January 7."
Stephen plans to meet the other three Armenian families living in
Bangalore to exchange greetings for Christmas. "We will have our
cuisine which will be barbecued stuff along with non-fried food. In
all, we may be around 12 to 14 people in Bangalore fewer than the
Jewish community."
Stephen also plans to visit Chennai for Christmas to toll the bells in
the Armenian Church located in the northern part of the city. "I lived
there for 10 years and now I am here. I was a priest at the church
(Church of Virgin Mary) and I happened to be the last Armenian in
Chennai before I moved here. So it’s a sense of wanting to go back."
It will be a happy homecoming for Stephen as the 236-year-old church
is getting a facelift, thanks to an initiative by the small Armenian
community settled in Kolkata. A team of 60 artisans from West Bengal
had been sent by the Kolkata congregation to renovate the dilapidated
church without distorting its architecture.
The church stands under the shade of a huge mango tree near Parry’s
Corner. The silence is broken only on Sundays at 9.30 am when an
Anglo-Indian caretaker, T Alexander, tolls the church bells; the
regular service stopped decades ago.
About 350 Armenians, including Rev Haruthian Shmavonian who brought
out the world’s first Armenian journal that was published in the city
in 1794, have been laid to rest in the vicinity of the church.
Stephen says the first Armenians came to India in the seventh century
and permanent settlement began in 1586. They came by sea as traders
and merchants.
"Most of us settled in the coastal cities. You’ll find a lot of us in
Kolkata though we are down to just four in Mumbai. There were many in
Madras though none now. Interestingly many Armenians worked in Tipu
Sultan’s court in Mysore as interpreters for which they were allowed
to trade. There are just 120 Armenians in India."
Stephen’s greatgrandfather came in 1902. He was the only major general
in the Indian army he died in 1991. "A foundation stone that he laid
is still seen at the 515 Army base close to M G Road."
While Stephen lives here, many of his friends and community members
live in Kolkata. "We have an Armenian street in Kolkata and Chennai,
even in Singapore. There are 10 Armenians in Singapore. The Armenians
also owned the Grand Oberoi in Kolkata and about 20 buildings in
Chennai. Now we maintain schools which have Armenian and Iranian
students and our own churches in Kolkata and Chennai."
Stephen says most Armenians in Bangalore and other cities are over
45 years of age. "We are the third generation and not many young are
around. We’ve integrated with the communities here. I speak a bit of
Kannada, Tamil and, of course, Armenian. And I love idlis."