Remembering Moushegh Ishkhan
Friday, April 5th, 2013
Moushegh Ishkhan
The following is an excerpt from a book published in 2009 in Los
Angeles, written by Yervant Babayan, about prominent Armenian writers
and community leaders. The book titled `They Should Not Be Forgotten’
is currently being translated to English to be accessible to the new
generation. Yervant Babayan is 99 years old. He is a writer and
educator living in Los Angeles.
Moushegh Ishkhan (Jenderejian)
Born in Sivri Hisar’a state of Ankara’in 1913, Moushegh Ishkhan is
exiled with his family in 1915. After moving from one place to
another, he settles in Damascus. Following his graduation from the
local elementary school, he leaves for Cyprus. He completes two years
of study at the Melkonian Educational Institute, where he is a student
of Hagop Oshagan. He moves to Beirut in 1930, and graduates in 1935
from the Nshan Palandjian College, where he teaches for three years.
Ishkhan takes literature and pedagogy courses in Belgium from
1938-1940, after which he returns to Beirut. He works as a lecturer in
literature at the Palandjian College until his retirement. At one
point, he simultaneously serves as editor of both the daily and weekly
editions of Aztag. Moushegh Ishkhan passed away in 1990.
As a poet, prose writer, dramatist, and teacher, he has penned 17
books: The Song of the Homes; The Fire; Armenia; Life and Dreams; For
Bread and Light; Three Great Armenians; For Bread and Love; Greetings,
Fatherland; Golden Autumn; Affliction; It Is So Difficult to Die; The
Wait; The Man from the Refrigerator; Plays; My Teachers; Sunset;
Twilight Under the Shelling; Modern Armenian Literature (three-volume
textbook); and
Farewell, Childhood
With this book, Moushegh Ishkhan seeks to revisit his miserable
childhood, one overwhelmed by the burden of deprivation and horror
experienced during an itinerant existence, as his family moved from
one country to another, from one city to the next.
Like an expert psychologist, Ishkhan examines the painful
recollections of his youth. The most heart-wrenching of these is his
mother’s outpouring of grief at his father’s gravesite.
Author Yervand Babayan
At the end of World War I, the survivors of the Genocide return to
their ancestral cities with great hopes. Ishkhan’s family, along with
others, returns to Sivri Hisar and settles in a meager house. Their
splendid, two-story residence is now inhabited by a Turkish military
doctor.
Sometimes they go to church to pray. The young Moushegh says his own
special prayer: `Dear heavenly Father, protect us. Please don’t allow
the Turks to find out where we’re hiding. Save us from deportation.
Amen.’
When his father dies, Ishkhan considers his paternal uncle to be his
father and his wife becomes his mother. Because Ishkhan’s biological
mother has gone to Jerusalem, she is known as his `haji’ (pilgrim)
mother.
The survivors speak only about the deportations. They tell of the
starvation, the horrifying Turkish criminals, the massacres. This is
all that Moushegh ever hears. His inner world is filled with `deathly
phantasms.’ Terrifying visions torment him at night.
His father wants to teach him how to read Armenian. He resists,
maintaining that he is incapable of learning. Father and Mother
insist. Moushegh is upset and begins to cry. It is obvious that, in
this condition, he can’t learn anything. However, he cheers up when
Father brings him a colorful book. `Curiosity,’ he says, `conquers
fear.’
Suddenly everything changes. More Turkish soldiers arrive, and the
relative tranquility is disrupted. The Turks are infuriated by the
triumph of the Greeks, and the Armenians are gripped with dread. One
night, the remaining men’including Father’are taken, God knows where.
Everything changes once again. The Greeks occupy the city. Moushegh
recalls Father’s words: `The Greeks will win only if the British want
it.’ The Armenians, especially the children, are happy. They see
automobiles for the very first time. What an exciting novelty! Steam
issues forth from the front of the vehicle. `It’s going to explode!’
someone exclaims. Mother suddenly carries him away. Although he says
nothing, Moushegh’s pride is hurt. The other novelty introduced by the
Greeks is chocolate. When Mother brings some home from the market and
passes it out to them, they consume it eagerly. Moushegh notices that
the piece of chocolate given to him is bigger than the rest. `I wasn’t
dissatisfied, of course, but I felt an inexplicable uneasiness in
light of the injustice meted out to my sister and brother,’ writes
Moushegh.
Unfortunately, the Armenians aren’t happy for long. It is said that
the Greeks have been defeated and have begun to withdraw. Haste and
alarm’the Armenians despair. The only solution is to flee. The
decision is made and, with innumerable difficulties, they reach Bursa.
Bursa has several silk mills. Moushegh’s `haji’ mother and his cousin
find work in one of the silk factories. Bursa is also known for its
mineral springs. Moushegh frequently suffers from anuria, or urine
retention. Mother takes him to the springs, in an effort to cure him.
A naked girl standing at the edge of the pool captures the attention
of our pubescent youth. Embarrassed, he avoids looking at her nude
body, especially at her shivering breasts. But he senses that it is
difficult not to stare. Mother leaves him in her care. Regarding this
he says: `We are together for two or three days now, and she is the
one who carries me out of the water to hand me to Mother. At night I
secretly pray that I won’t pass my stones so that the Turkish girl and
I may continue to descend into the pool of happiness for a long time.’
A year after their arrival in Bursa, worrisome news begins to
circulate. Mustafa Kemal advances, and the Greeks withdraw. Bursa is
in danger. It is necessary to leave as soon as possible. Armenians
arrive in trucks at one of the gulfs of Marmara. Everyone is sad, but
Moushegh is happy: he sees the sea for the first time.
Everyone gathers upon the wharf, rushing to board the steamship docked
nearby. There is pushing and shoving, confusion and disorder. Some,
like Moushegh’s family, don’t attempt to join the crowd. They move
away and situate themselves in some abandoned wagons. In the morning,
they are distressed to learn that the wharf’s pier has collapsed and
many have drowned. A few days later, a ship arrives and transports
them to Istanbul.
Through a special arrangement, they settle in an old school. They are
happy because there is no danger of deportation or massacre. However,
serious challenges exist. In particular, the danger of Mustafa Kemal
looms. It is said that on any given day he can capture Istanbul. In
order to avoid new troubles, the Armenians begin to depart. They leave
for Greece, Bulgaria, and other countries. Moushegh and his family go
to Damascus. A few years later, the family is split apart. Moushegh’s
biological grandmother and uncle propose, in successive letters, that
they come to live with them in Greece. Mother agrees to `haji’
mother’s relocation along with Moushegh’s younger brother and sister.
However, Moushegh will remain with Mother, naturally, since he has
already been officially registered with the government as her child.
They depart, bidding their loved ones farewell with affectionate yet
anguished kisses.
This sad separation is followed by a happy reunion. Moushegh Ishkhan
writes: `It took thirty-seven long years for the `gates of hope’ to
open. I had the good fortune to visit Yerevan in 1962 and to embrace
my `haji’ mother, sister, and brother there.’
Education
Istanbul. Along with refugee children who share his fate, Moushegh
begins to attend the Ortakiugh school. Only he recognizes the Armenian
alphabet.
`I’m not a bad boy,’ he writes. `My sickly constitution undoubtedly
prevents me from doing anything evil¦.Regarding laziness, why conceal
my sin? I’m afraid that I’m a bit lazy. When Father would teach me the
alphabet, I would pretend to have a stomach ache.’
There are events that unexpectedly reveal hidden talents. This is what
happens to Moushegh during geography class. When he names the various
places that the refugees have been as he describes their sufferings,
the local boys listen with astonishment. His teacher, interested in
and moved by his story, praises him. `The local boys’ dumbfounded
curiosity makes me happy,’ he writes. `Not only have I overcome my
usual timidity, but I feel like the hero of a famous epic novel as
well.’ Moushegh’s self-confidence is further bolstered during religion
class. He, only he, answers the teacher’s questions. Father has
recounted all of the biblical episodes to him. In response to the
question, `What did Moses give the Jews when he came down from the
mountain?’ he immediately replies: `the testament of the Ten
Commandments.’ In response to a second question, `What is the
difference between the Jews who leave Egypt and the Armenian
refugees?’ After thinking for a moment, he states: `The Jews go to
their land; we go elsewhere.’
Damascus. Moushegh is nine; his sister is six. His brother is very
young. They attend the Catholic Sisters’ Arabic school. Arabic is the
primary language, but French is also taught. Arabic is a difficult
language to learn. After suffering for a month, he finds the means of
success. With the help of others, he writes his lesson using Armenian
letters, memorizes it overnight, and earns his teacher’s praise the
next day: `Afik yah waled’ (`Well done, boy’). However, he isn’t
happy. The environment is strange, and so sad that `my childhood died
from day to day, pale and exhausted.’
The second school that he attends is the Franco-ArmÑ?nienne school. All
of the students are Armenian, but they speak Turkish. The teachers are
Armenian, too. The principal is a Jesuit priest who preaches
Catholicism. The teachers’ struggle against Turkish fails. Here is
Moushegh’s evaluation: `At the Franco-ArmÑ?nienne school, I forgot the
Arabic that I had learned at the Sisters’ school, my Arabic improved,
I learned the Armenian grammatical cases quite well, and I struggled
endlessly to learn French.’
Damascus’ third school is the Protestant one. Moushegh is a
fourth-grade student there. This school is unique for its morning
worship. Every morning one teacher, in turn, discusses a biblical
episode. Then they sing spiritual songs. In Moushegh’s opinion, the
best speaker is an Armenian teacher named Baron Boghos. He only
emphasizes patriotism. In a conservative school, Baron Boghos’
audacity is worthy of praise, according to Moushegh. Furthermore, he
manages to foster Moushegh’s love for reading by providing him with
books and encouraging him to write. Here is his opinion: `Baron Boghos
was one of those exceptional teachers to whom students connect with
unreserved adoration. A familial feeling had been created between us.’
At the year-end ceremony, the best students are awarded honor pins.
Moushegh receives one as well.
The following year, a young man is appointed principal. His
affectionate manner towards the students quickly makes him everyone’s
favorite. Soon thereafter they begin to criticize him. Yet the
criticism and slander do not undermine his authority. The cordial
principal-student relationship endures.
Near the end of May, he organizes a May 28th commemoration along with
a group of students. Tasks are assigned, and a program is prepared.
Moushegh is to recite a poem by Siamanto. Everyone at school is
excited about the upcoming event. Alas, the Board of Trustees cancels
it. As a result, the principal decides not to return the following
year. A group of disgruntled students decides to enroll at another
school.
A year later, Moushegh is a senior at Damascus’ National School. The
school is run by a senior teacher. One morning, he enters the
classroom accompanied by a man wearing a fez.
`Your Armenian teacher is poet Aris Shaklian. I wish you all success.’
After he leaves, whispers circulate in the classroom: `Who ever heard
of a poet with a fez?’ Moushegh and others are disappointed: `Based
upon the photos found in books, this man does not have a writer’s
appearance at all.’
However, this negative impression is rectified gradually. The
instructor’s teaching skill, his obvious efforts to be helpful, and
his gentle smile secure the students’ sympathy. He becomes a
well-respected and loved teacher. One day, Moushegh composes a poem
and submits it to the teacher as a composition. The next day, as the
teacher hands back the corrected compositions, he reads Moushegh’s
poem. After making a few comments, he adds that Moushegh has the
talent to write, and that he should develop this talent because he
could become a famous poet someday.
Moushegh writes about the poet-teacher Aris Shaklian: `It’s true. My
spelling didn’t improve, my analytical knowledge didn’t advance, but
from him I received the Holy Communion of fine literary arts.’ Later,
he adds: `Now Baron Shaklian was unveiling the miraculous world of
poetry before my dazzled eyes.’
Moushegh graduates with highest honors. He delivers the commencement
address and is awarded a prize.
Here is his conclusion regarding his graduation from elementary
school: `The edifice of my education is complete. Its lower floor was
built by the Catholics; its middle floor was constructed by the
Protestants; and its upper floor’more correctly, its dome’was raised
in the style of the Mother Church. Is it possible to imagine a more
cohesive and complete education than this?’
During those years, few elementary school graduates could afford to
continue their education. Many would enter a trade profession.
Moushegh decides to become a shoemaker. His first master, a rude man,
compels him to seek another master, and he finds one. A benevolent
man, his new master, Vartan, tries to help him. One day, after work,
Vartan takes Moushegh to the Progressivists’ Club. Moushegh enjoys
their company, and he goes to the Club often. He registers as a member
of the Youth Union, and he is put in charge of the library. Lectures
are sometimes held at the Club. Poet and educator Armen Anoush visits
the Club one day. Moushegh befriends him. On another occasion, Nigol
Aghpalian, Education Minister of the Republic of Armenia, is greeted
with great enthusiasm. A festival is organized in his honor, and a
program is prepared. Moushegh recites Siamanto’s `To: Idea.’ At the
conclusion of the event, he is introduced to the Minister as a
studious youth. There is talk about the college to be opened in Beirut
two years later. Two years later? Moushegh isn’t very excited by the
prospect of such a distant likelihood. He continues to work as a
shoemaker’s apprentice.
One evening, on his way home, he runs into his dear Armenian teacher,
Aris Shaklian. In response to his questions, he replies that he has
decided to become a shoemaker. `No, Moushegh my son, no, you weren’t
meant to be a tradesman,’ he says and proposes that he continue his
education at the Melkonian Educational Institute in Cyprus. He assures
Moushegh that, if he is willing to go, he will arrange it for him.
Moushegh thankfully accepts his teacher’s proposal and, after passing
the entrance exams, departs for Cyprus.
Here is his assessment of his meeting with his teacher: `This chance
meeting, in front of a coffeehouse on a Saturday evening, fatefully
determines my entire future. Instead of becoming a shoemaker, I become
an educator.’
The book’s conclusion: `My persecuted and exiled childhood comes to an
end here. Farewell, childhood.’