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The Hindu: truth of genocide is continually denied

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  • The Hindu: truth of genocide is continually denied

    The Hindu: truth of genocide is continually denied

    December 23, 2012 - 15:55 AMT

    PanARMENIAN.Net - Historical memories, genocide, fundamentalism - it
    all comes together in John Balian's Gray Wolves And White Doves novel,
    which started selling in Bangalore, India, earlier this month.
    The novel documents a personal account, the journey of a young boy
    into adulthood in a tumultuous setting and how he overcomes the odds.
    The inspiring story is uplifting despite the horrific things the
    protagonist witnesses as a 16-year-old. The book takes place in the
    60s and 70s, almost 50 years after the Armenian Genocide and the boy
    in the story is exposed to this history through his uncle. It is the
    memories of this history that Balian has woven into his narrative; the
    truth of a genocide that is continually denied and till date remains
    unresolved, Catherine Rhea Roy says in her `Clamoring for Truth'
    article published by The Hindu.
    John Balian was accompanied by a panel - Jahnvi Barua, Harish Bijoor
    and C.V. Ranganathan, who took turns to ask him questions and probe
    further to uncover a firsthand account. When Bijoor asked him about
    the resilience that Balian's protagonist displays, the author said,
    `The resilience is not unique to this one individual; besides, I
    cannot say I was unscathed. Writing this book was a moment of
    liberation.'
    `The beauty of the human spirit comes through in the book. And the
    beauty of his writing, it is so lyrical you can almost visualize the
    sun-kissed beach and the mountains hemming it in,' Jahnvi began
    poetically and after a dramatic pause she asked, `What really happened
    in 1915?'
    `It was a pre-planned, well organized and well executed plan of
    extermination. Young Turks were sent word to deport all Armenians in
    the region. They arrested all the intelligentsia, church leaders,
    writers, sent them away to the interiors and killed them. About
    500,000 Armenians survived and lived as refugees across the world,'
    answered Balian.
    He continued to talk about the Bedouins in the desert who were the
    true heroes of the time, `The Bedouins of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon - it
    was their kindness. They gave the Armenians a home and invited them
    into their large communities.'
    The book narrates a history that is largely unknown but Balian is not
    worried about the reception of his book in Turkey. `Things are
    changing in Turkey,' assures Balian, `Orhan Pamuk was banned because
    he used the phrase `Armenian Genocide' but intellectuals and
    historians are coming forward and urging people to speak; people are
    clamoring for the truth. This is probably the most important issue for
    the Armenian diaspora and has been since 1975. Before, the Armenian
    population was still in a state of shock and shame. This was not a
    history they wanted to discuss or pass on to the next generation.'
    `The new generation was urged to forget their language and customs and
    it was like that for over 50 years till the younger generation
    revolted and wanted to recognize and be proud of their heritage. The
    past is never the past, it stays with us. How do you live where it
    doesn't consume you; live with it in your life and still look to the
    future? You should never forget, but forgive the past - but you cannot
    forgive unless the Turkish government seeks forgiveness and until then
    the bitterness remains and festers,' the article says.

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