Categories: People

Vaghinak Byurat – “Boy, We Will Be Sent to Siberia Because of You”

In September 1947, another caravan of repatriates left Beirut. Our family consisting of seven people was provided with one room in the quarter of Yerevan called the Third Area (Yerrord Mas).

I started attending school. On the occasion of the November holidays, the school organized a matinee. During the matinee, the school director suddenly turned to me and said: “Can you sing or recite anything?”

My consent and entry to the stage happened very quickly. It was Charents who inspired me with the breath and soul of the fatherland. And from my mouth sounded Charents. Soon, I noticed that people were leaving the hall. “Am I really bad at reciting?” I thought.

By the end of my performance, half the hall was empty. I did not have time to worship the applause and go backstage as the director and the head teacher caught me and started beating me.

Grabbing my hair, they hit my head against the wall and hit me in the stomach. Gasping, I fell to the floor. “Boy, we will be sent to Siberia because of you!”

Vaghinak Byurat: “From the memories of my life”

Arshaluis Zurabyan

Vigen Avetisyan

Recent Posts

The Land of Kajants: Language, Kings, and Gods

Reconsidering the Language and Sacred Heritage of Urartu in Armenian Historical Thought For more than…

6 days ago

Hayasa-Azzi: A Powerful Armenian Kingdom of the Armenian Highlands

Among the earliest known states of the Armenian Highlands, few are as historically important as…

3 weeks ago

The Frescoes of Dadivank Monastery and the Misinterpretation of Heritage

The medieval monastery of Dadivank is one of the most important spiritual and artistic centers…

3 weeks ago

Armenian Orphan Girls in New York (1917): A Forgotten Act of Witness and Relief

In 1917, at the height of global upheaval during World War I, a small but…

4 weeks ago

The Armenian Genocide: State Crime, Mass Participation, and the Burden of Historical Responsibility

The Armenian Genocide (1915–1921 ...) was not an accident of war, nor a tragic byproduct…

1 month ago

The First Printed Armenian Bible (Amsterdam, 1666–1668)

Introduction The first printed edition of the Bible in the Armenian language stands as one…

1 month ago