ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF KOLKATA CELEBRATED RA INDEPENDENCE DAY

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.09.2009 15:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The 150-member Armenian community of Kolkata got
together to celebrate the independence day of Armenia (September 21)
over the weekend. After centuries of struggle first with the Ottoman
Empire and then with erstwhile USSR the Republic of Armenia finally
won independence in 1991.

Armenians came to Kolkata as traders more than 400 years ago. The
community flourished so much that they even started lending money to
East India Company. It is even said that the Battle of Plassey was
fought by the British with Armenian money. There was a time when the
number of Armenians in the city exceeded 30,000 but only 35 families
remain today.

The community’s new spiritual head in the country, Father Khoren
Hovhannisyan, has been planning grand celebrations with key members
for the past five months. His efforts have resulted in the revival
of Armenian Club that had been lying defunct for long. Hovhannisyan
also heads Armenian College, the only institution of its kind in the
city that caters to the needs of Armenian children sent here from
their own country.

Armenian Club at Queen’s Mansions was established in 1921 by racing
magnate J C Galstaun. As the community started dwindling with many
migrating to the US, Australia and Europe, interest in the club
waned. Though there are about 150 Armenians in the city, the club
has only 14 members, Times of India reported.