KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

On April 12, the Faculty of Philology hosted Hambardzum (Hambik) Martirosian, a prominent Diaspora intellectual.

When introducing the guest, Suren Danielyan, Head of the Chair of New and Contemporary Armenian Literature and Teaching Methods at Armenian State Pedagogical University, said Hambardzum Martirosian is “a faithful traveler of the continuous path of Western Armenian literary culture, particularly of the poetic community, who began his journey from Sebastia, the birthplace of writer Daniel Varoujan.”

The professor presented the literary path of the Diaspora figure, the fatal episodes of his life and his efforts to preserve the Armenian identity.
Ironically, at the age of five, Hambardzum Martirosian lost his homeland and joined many of his compatriots in exile, moving from one country to another. But his primary goal was to serve his homeland in every possible way.

The poet confessed that he began to speak Turkish but was able to overcome the difficulty and was baptized in the Church of the Holy Trinity.
“It is very difficult to work as a teacher or a journalist in the Diaspora: we are like a boatman who goes opposite the current,” Hambardzum Martirosian said “But we shall not become deserters because we should preserve our Armenian identity and language,” he continued.

In his speech, Mr. Martirosian stressed that ‘the beautiful, gorgeous and rich Western Armenian language is in decline today; we should take care of our Mother Tongue.’ He advised the students to devote themselves to teaching and never feel overwhelmed by difficulties.

The students asked the guest a number of questions and revealed the poet’s motto - to work and work, and the greatest achievement in his life – to set goals and succeed in endeavours.

Hambardzum Martirosian advised the students not to seek the greatest honors in teachers’ human-shaping mission. The attendees thanked the Diaspora figure for the visit and the patriotic lessons.