Updated: October 10, 2020 3:58:13 pm
A meeting in Yerevan, Armenia, on September 27 to recruit military volunteers. (Photo: Reuters)
Varos Boyajyan’s family waits with the mobile phone nearby, hoping to hear from the eldest son of the family, who has been sent to Nagorno-Karabakh since fighting began two weeks ago between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Eight days ago, 24-year-old Boyajyan, who spent his formative years in Calcutta, went to the local military office in Yerevan to volunteer in the Armenian army, so he could do something for his country just like his older brother.
The latest clashes between the two countries over the disputed region have led dozens of Armenian army reservists and volunteers in their 20s to 60s to wait in long lines in front of army offices to sign up for the deployment, and those who have been selected get on the buses. headed towards the Nagorno-Karabakh border.
“My brother was enjoying life in Armenia. Suddenly this situation happened, ”he says. “He woke up one morning and said he was going (to the army). My parents were surprised, but he put on his clothes and left. “
Boyajyan’s brother went to register on the third day of combat and was immediately enlisted for active duty. “Call once a day. Today he called and said he was fine. But we can see the situation for ourselves. “Boyajyan had completed his mandatory 24-month military service in July last year and, by law, he can only volunteer to serve in the military since he was recently discharged.” waiting for orders to join me. “
The entrance to the 199 year old Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy in Kolkata. (Express photo: Neha Banka)
Boyajyan studied at the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy in Kolkata, one of the most important centers of primary education for the Armenian diaspora. He completed his secondary education at La Martiniere in the city, another institution that many Armenians turn to for their final school years. In 2017, immediately after his return to Yerevan from Calcutta, Boyajyan joined the army.
The first presence of Armenians in India dates back to the late 8th century and over the years assimilation led to the development of a unique Indian Armenian community. Although this community was primarily focused on Kolkata for centuries, over the past three decades, their numbers have declined, with many moving to Armenia, the US, Australia, and the UK. Today, the Armenian College in Kolkata is one of the most important centers for primary education for the Armenian diaspora and the approximately 200 students who are enrolled in the institution, along with the Armenian church of the city, are preserving the heritage, the traditions and culture of the community.
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“Everyone must defend their homeland. If I don’t defend my country, who will? I’m just defending my brothers and sisters, there is no other explanation, ”he says.
This latest confrontation has been the worst since the 1991-1994 war that killed an estimated 30,000 people and ended with a ceasefire that has been violated several times. On October 10, however, the two sides agreed to a ceasefire.
Armenians enroll in the army in Yerevan, following the clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. (Photo credit: Reuters)
In Etchmiadzin, about 18 km west of Yerevan, 21-year-old Tigran Hovsepyan registered on September 27 along with his brothers, the eldest having already been sent to the borders. “It is our sacred duty to protect our land and our history. I am ready to give my life for this country, for Artsakh, for the Armenian people ”.
Hovsepyan has also lived in Calcutta for nearly a decade, studying at the Armenian College and enlisting for mandatory military service shortly after his return from India. “I stayed one more year in the military to serve,” he explains, describing the noncombatant roles he assumed during his last year of service.
An undated photograph of Tigran Hovsepyan in Kolkata when he was a student at the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy. (Photo credit: Tigran Hovsepyan)
The recent fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh has shocked not only people in Armenia, but even those in the diaspora. “The nationalism surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh is deeply rooted in Armenia. The first three presidents of mainland Armenia originate there. Nagorno-Karabakh provokes Armenian nationalism, patriotism and brotherhood. Even women are signing up for enrollment, ”says Achal Malhotra, who served as the Indian Ambassador to Armenia and Georgia between 2009 and 2012.
Armenia’s population is roughly 3 million, but the diaspora may be twice that number, if not more. If the youth of Armenia have chosen to go to the front, the diaspora has been fighting online, using social media platforms to raise awareness of the conflict in the South Caucasus and contributing to fundraising efforts. Hashtags like #ArtsakhStrong, #StopAzerbaijaniAgression, and #WeWillWin have been trending for days.
Not everyone has or can register to pick up the guns, explains Karen Mkrtchyan, a member of Bright Armenia, a political party founded in 2015. When she returned to Armenia sometime in 2016 after living and studying in India for almost a decade , Mkrtchyan found he was unable to enlist for mandatory military service due to vision problems.
But after the fighting started in Nagorno-Karabakh, he went to register with the local army office. “There is an organization that provides voluntary training and they have an understanding with the military so that you can serve after training. They train you for four days on handling weapons, etc. Mkrtchyan, declining to name the organization, citing national security. “You will be in the second or third line of defense, helping wounded soldiers or receiving rations. If you know how to drive, they will make you do it. “
Hovsepyan checks in with the local army office every day to ask when he can go to serve, but they have told him that no new recruits are needed for now. Mkrtchyan has received similar responses from his local army office in Yerevan. “Literally everyone has signed up to help, but at the moment they are not being accepted. On the first day, half of my friends left. Everyone is willing to contribute. We are in war mode ”.
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Armen Makarian, 32, has lived in India for most of his life, but his visits to Armenia have become more frequent in the past two years. For him now, the three-decade conflict is no longer distant. Hours after the fighting broke out in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia declared martial law and began a full military mobilization.
Cars stuck in traffic caused by clashes on the Yerevan-Goris-Stepanakert highway. (Photo credit: Hermine Balayan)
Makarian had just traveled from Calcutta to Yerevan in August when the fighting began. “In two days, the government said that this (conflict) was about our existence. It was a shock for everyone, ”he says. When the fighting last occurred in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2016, Makarian was in India, watching from afar. Now, witnessing the conflict unfold in person has had a more severe impact, he says.
“I was traveling from Yerevan to Sisian and the soldiers were digging the ground, building military posts on the road. I saw many ambulances, police cars and soldiers helping the wounded. Young boys, ages 18 to 19, were riding buses heading to the border. The police stopped us and verified our passports, ”he says. “This was the first time I saw something like this in my life.”
His wife had wanted to be with his family and Makarian had hired his cousin to help them drive from Yerevan to Sisian. “His father is on the border,” Makarian says, recalling the conversation they had during the car ride on the Yerevan-Meghri highway. “His father is almost 60 years old, but he did not want his young son to die. All older people are signing up for the military because they don’t want their children to die. “
In the middle of the interview, a siren sounds and Makarian abruptly ends the call. He returns the call minutes later, explaining that the siren was a test run. The family has been living like this, on the edge, since the fighting began. One morning, they woke up to find a government notice on their doorstep, with evacuation instructions if necessary. Makarian did not serve in the army and the military mobilization and the country on high alert has been an unusual experience for him. “I know at least people at the front. Ten is a great number. “
A government notice posted outside Armen Makarian’s home in Sisian, with instructions for evacuation. (Photo credit: Armen Makarian)
Sisian is a city located in southern Armenia and Makarian says that many of its residents, young and old, have signed up to volunteer in the military. “My wife asked why so many people from southern Armenia go (to the army). I said it’s because this is our home. If we don’t go, our children will. “
The sentiments of the Armenian diaspora have been nurtured in part due to generational displacement and the trauma that Armenians have experienced. Some Armenians have attributed this national identity to the Armenian genocide, even among diaspora people who have never lived in or visited the country.
A photo of Varos Boyajyan in northern Nagorno-Karabakh, where he served during his mandatory military service between 2017 and 2019 (Photo credit: Varos Boyajyan)
Although international travel has become a challenge due to the coronavirus outbreak, social media posts and sources indicate that many in the diaspora have wanted to travel to Armenia to fight and support their homeland. “It doesn’t matter where in the world the Armenians are. We will unite for our country. Even people who cannot register or travel are protesting against Azerbaijan in their own way. Nobody is forcing us, ”says Boyajyan. “What else can we do?”
An undated photograph of Tigran Hovsepyan in Martuni province, Nagorno-Karabakh, during his conscription. (Photo credit: Tigran Hovsepyan)
When Hovsepyan was recruited, he had served in the Martuni province in Nagorno-Karabakh. After the fighting began, he began searching for images and videos of the region where he had once served. “I am not able to recognize the place,” he says of the destruction. “If you allow me, I would like to go back there and serve.”
Deployment in Martuni province is difficult, but Hovsepyan says he still wants to return. “The Armenian army is a difficult place to be. But for me it was good. Armenian College has made me hard, ”he laughs.
People were expected to queue to defend their country; many Armenians say it is about their own existence. Makarian says: “This is not the first time we have survived this kind of thing. We have survived the genocide. If we lose, we will praise our soldiers. But of course we want to survive. “
“All parents fear for their children, but we are not going, they will come for our parents,” says Boyajyan.
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