Arsinée Khanjian
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Arsinée Khanjian and Atom Egoyan |
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Arsinée Khanjian and Atom Egoyan with their son Arshile |
While Arsinée tells her grandfather’s story, she insists that she isn’t capable of portraying it in full – she isn’t ready to do so. Her eyes fill with tears, as if she is caught in her ancestor’s story and can’t find a way out.
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Arsinée’s paternal grandmother Nvart with her son Hagop |
“It was a family of believers and the children attended church. Just five or six years ago my father (now 86) was forced to stop going to church in Montreal due to his age. Wherever he was, he attended church. He has a beautiful voice and his dream was to become an opera singer. In Lebanon, at the age of 40, he took opera classes to become an amateur singer. My father’s love of education was both a duty and a passion throughout his life. He would say – I will sell the shirt off my back for you to get a college education,” says Arsinée.
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Arsinée’s paternal grandparents and family, including her father, Jean (left) |
Arisdages tried to recreate the family he lost by renaming his children.
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Arsinée’s maternal grandparents Arisdages and Elmasd |
“I visited them with trepidation. My grandfather didn’t speak. He was always seated in his pajamas at the foot of his bed. He never moved. I would go close to him and stand next to him and he would place his hand on my head saying, “Abris, abris, medztsadz es” (“Brava, brava, you have grown up”). His gaze was fixed on a single point on the floor. That was the extent of his horizon. When I was really small he would apparently hold me and sing a song. But I don’t remember this and I don’t know what the song was,” Arsinée laments.
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Arsinée’s mother, Zabel, on her wedding day with her adoptive mother, Adele (right). Flower girls, Azadouhie and Ardemis (with hair bow), Arsinée’s aunts |
Arsinée promised her mother that when she completed her studies and made enough money, she would take her to Armenia. She wasn’t able to make good on that promise. Her mother fell ill and passed away; however, a small amount of her remains now rests in the historical homeland.
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A still from the Taviani brothers’ 2007 film “La Masseria Delle Allodole” (“The Lark Farm”), featuring Arsinée Khanjian (centrer right) |
Four generations and 100 years later, we had to return to Turkey and simply say that we are still here.
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