AURORA PRIZE

Jivan Gasparyan, an internationally renowned "master of the duduk," says that though there is grief in everyone’s heart, there is no need for lamentation. We need to continue living. “The wounds of the earth can be healed, but the wounds of the heart cannot,” he quotes the lines of a song he wrote. Through the melodies of his duduk, he presents the world with both the indelible wounds of the Armenians and their passion to live and create.

David Nalbandian is one of the greatest Argentinian tennis players of all time and one of the most exceptional athletes in the history of the sport. Born a winner, he ranked in third place in the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, remained in the top ten of the rankings for five consecutive seasons and showed an indisputable love for his country when defending Argentina’s blue-and-white jersey in the Davis Cup.

It all started in 1915. My grandfather, Kourken Handjian, was only eight years old when his father, chief of police in Erzinga (modern-day Erzincan in Eastern Turkey) was murdered at the beginning of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks. When mass deportations began, Kourken's family was told to leave their palatial home and join the others on a death march to Deir ez-Zor. The suffering and the unthinkable crimes he had to witness were permanently burned into Kourken's mind.

It was my grandmother and her family who escaped the Genocide, leaving their hometown of Bitlis. My grandmother's name was Hasmik Melkumyan (Avagyan). She was born in 1913 and was the seventh child in her family.

My Armenian heritage is the core of my essence. The Armenian language gave me a chance to understand who I am, what the world is to me, why I have to survive and what God is. I used to teach at the Saint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy and had my own acting and directing studio there. I have a clear theory of how we should educate our people to help them succeed.

Sylvia Unjian-Tataryan has been an active participant in a number of Armenian organizations since 2000. As a tour guide who accompanies all manner of dignitaries, presidents, philanthropists, cultural figures and ambassadors on their trips to Lebanon, she is rather an ambassador-at-large herself, not only for Lebanon, the country of her birth, but also for Armenia, the country of her heart.

Khatcher Menakian, my maternal grandfather, was a Genocide survivor. My grandfather remained lucid and alert until his death at age 98. His body may have been tired and weak, yet his mind remained sharp and inquisitive over the years.

To me, my Armenian heritage means the survival and perpetuation of the Western Armenian language through my constant use and practice. I am captivated by traditional music and dance, especially of Western Armenian origin, and that is why I have become a student and performer of Armenian dance. It’s my inspiration.

Vahan Kololian is the managing partner and founder of the Canada-based private equity investment firm TerraNova Partners LP, as well as a co-founder of the Mosaic Institute, a “think and do” tank promoting peace and conflict resolution all over the world. He would like to express his gratitude to kind strangers and countries that have been welcoming Armenians ever since 1915.

Ever since I was a child, I knew that being Armenian was part of my identity. Whenever I was lost, I would say things like “My name is Maral Necole Attallah, I am Armenian Orthodox, I live at…” My parents said I included the “Armenian Orthodox” part on my own.

Being Armenian is a huge part of my identity. I am a third generation Armenian, born from a line of Armenian Genocide survivors who have handed down a cross for me to carry, a reminder that as an Armenian descendant I must continue to thrive and maintain our rich Indo-European culture.

Every voice deserves to be heard and every story is worth telling. Here are five survival stories submitted by our users. More coming soon!

In 1915 my grandmother, Maria Ahanikovna Voskanian (born Stepanian), was only seven years old. Her father (my great grandfather, Ahanik Stepanian) managed to take his sick wife and three little daughters from the city of Kars to the south of Russia.

Both my grandmothers are survivors of the Armenian Genocide, as was my husband’s grandmother. All three women suffered from depression throughout their adult lives. Neither of my parents knew their grandparents.

My grandfather died before I was born, yet even today his spirit guides me and gives me strength. His account of the Genocide in his small town in Western Armenia is an amazing read.