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Armenian Graves of the City of Surat Spotlighted at Surat Science
Museum Exhibition
http://hetq.am/eng/news/20881/armenian-graves-of-the-city-of-surat-spotlighted-at-surat-science-museum-exhibition.html
22:26, November 24, 2012
In India, as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Week 19-25 November,
the Surat Science Museum holds an exhibition that spotlights the
Armenian graves of the city of Surat. The exhibition has already
caught the attention of the local residents who attended. The
exhibition, run by the Surat Science Museum has a photo gallery of the
Armenian graves with the English translations beside them.
Until recently the Armenian graves were only ever seen with their
Armenian script. Had it not been for a `pure chance' moment, it is
unlikely the exhibition would ever have taken place. Photographs of
the graves were posted by Arpine Gyulinyan to the Indo-Armenian
Friendship NGO Facebook page and were spotted by Liz Chater, a
UK-based family history researcher.
Liz then contacted Arpine. Liz and Arpine started regular
communications and Arpine introduced Liz to Sanjay Choksi the
photographer who took the pictures. This heralded the start of a story
of collaboration and co-operation spanning three continents. Liz says:
"In a way without Indo-Armenian Friendship NGO Facebook page it
wouldn't have happened. Sanjay Choksi and Piyush Dalal (Arpine's
husband) took the photos, Arpine posted them to IAF Facebook page, and
I happened to see them. I asked if I would be allowed to post the
photographs of the graves on my website and said that I would try to
get the English translations of them.
A few months passed and with the help from the fantastically
knowledgeable historians Professor Sebouh Aslanian and Father Krikor
Maksoudian from the USA the translations began to take shape. This
truly international story of working together and co-operation would
not have brought such lime-light onto the Armenian graves of Surat. We
have all played a part and now the grave photographs and the
transcriptions form part of the Surat Science Centre Heritage
Programme this week."
Although the exhibition ends on November 25, the photographs and
English translations can be permanently found on Liz Chater's website
chater-genealogy.com.
Liz Chater has been researching the Armenians in India for the last 12
years. Seven years ago, Liz decided to start an ambitious project to
photograph and transcribe all the Armenian graves in India and to make
that information available to other interested researchers. Following
many trips to India she was able to place hundreds of pictures of the
Armenian graves onto her website.
Furthermore, Liz has recently self-published a book on Armenian graves
in Dhaka entitled: `Armenian Graves, Inscriptions and Memorials in
India - DACCA 1722-1977' in which the English translations from
classical Armenian have, for the very first time been made publically
available by her. She was kindly assisted with this project by Very
Reverend Father Krikor Maksoudian of Arlington, Massachusetts who
translated the classical Armenian script and who is also actively
translating the Armenian graves at Surat for her.
The Armenian graves at Surat have never previously been fully
translated into English and doing so, and bringing these translations
to the internet will enable other family history researchers and
historians access to what has been, up until now, `locked' history.
Liz Chater's genealogical database has over 10,000 Armenians who once
lived, worked and died in Asia and it is hoped that she will be able
to get this information published.
Museum Exhibition
http://hetq.am/eng/news/20881/armenian-graves-of-the-city-of-surat-spotlighted-at-surat-science-museum-exhibition.html
22:26, November 24, 2012
In India, as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Week 19-25 November,
the Surat Science Museum holds an exhibition that spotlights the
Armenian graves of the city of Surat. The exhibition has already
caught the attention of the local residents who attended. The
exhibition, run by the Surat Science Museum has a photo gallery of the
Armenian graves with the English translations beside them.
Until recently the Armenian graves were only ever seen with their
Armenian script. Had it not been for a `pure chance' moment, it is
unlikely the exhibition would ever have taken place. Photographs of
the graves were posted by Arpine Gyulinyan to the Indo-Armenian
Friendship NGO Facebook page and were spotted by Liz Chater, a
UK-based family history researcher.
Liz then contacted Arpine. Liz and Arpine started regular
communications and Arpine introduced Liz to Sanjay Choksi the
photographer who took the pictures. This heralded the start of a story
of collaboration and co-operation spanning three continents. Liz says:
"In a way without Indo-Armenian Friendship NGO Facebook page it
wouldn't have happened. Sanjay Choksi and Piyush Dalal (Arpine's
husband) took the photos, Arpine posted them to IAF Facebook page, and
I happened to see them. I asked if I would be allowed to post the
photographs of the graves on my website and said that I would try to
get the English translations of them.
A few months passed and with the help from the fantastically
knowledgeable historians Professor Sebouh Aslanian and Father Krikor
Maksoudian from the USA the translations began to take shape. This
truly international story of working together and co-operation would
not have brought such lime-light onto the Armenian graves of Surat. We
have all played a part and now the grave photographs and the
transcriptions form part of the Surat Science Centre Heritage
Programme this week."
Although the exhibition ends on November 25, the photographs and
English translations can be permanently found on Liz Chater's website
chater-genealogy.com.
Liz Chater has been researching the Armenians in India for the last 12
years. Seven years ago, Liz decided to start an ambitious project to
photograph and transcribe all the Armenian graves in India and to make
that information available to other interested researchers. Following
many trips to India she was able to place hundreds of pictures of the
Armenian graves onto her website.
Furthermore, Liz has recently self-published a book on Armenian graves
in Dhaka entitled: `Armenian Graves, Inscriptions and Memorials in
India - DACCA 1722-1977' in which the English translations from
classical Armenian have, for the very first time been made publically
available by her. She was kindly assisted with this project by Very
Reverend Father Krikor Maksoudian of Arlington, Massachusetts who
translated the classical Armenian script and who is also actively
translating the Armenian graves at Surat for her.
The Armenian graves at Surat have never previously been fully
translated into English and doing so, and bringing these translations
to the internet will enable other family history researchers and
historians access to what has been, up until now, `locked' history.
Liz Chater's genealogical database has over 10,000 Armenians who once
lived, worked and died in Asia and it is hoped that she will be able
to get this information published.