Hrant Dink, in 1954, born by an Armenian father and mother and later all migrated to Bolis, had 2 younger brothers, the middle is Khosrov, and the youngest is the 4 years old Yervant.
One day, his mother, grabbing Hrant's hand, comes to the Gedik Pasha Armenian Evangelical Church to ask us to accept her son in Camp Armen (Badanegan Doon).
I told the mother, that our purpose is to accept a student from Anatolia, you are already saved from that place, here there's a school too, also a church, and an orphanage for boys and girls. If you are not able to pay, a contributer will be found and the boy will be accepted in a school. "This boy's son is Armenian Evangelical, you must accept him", she said. I told her that our purpose is not gathering of the Evangelicals, these boys are all Armenian, we even have Catholic and Assyrian boys. The Apostolic, the Catholic and the Evangelical are also Armenian. We do not discriminate and we do not take sides.
Hrant's mother, one day, brought her husband, and said, "this is the boy's father, but he is a drunkard, and does not take care of the house." Again, I refused. One day, one of our cousins, tells my mother, "Akhhh, sister Anoush, please tell Hrant that on our street there's a family with 3 sons, the father does not take care of them, and the mother has kept them out." And I, who didn't want to take any of them, accepted the three of them, and kept them in our care for 8 years. They received their education in the school, and I, every morning after school, used to narrate about our condemned people.
They grew up as Armenians, all of them, but Hrant Dink turned out different, brave and tall, he founded Agos Newspaper, in Turkish, so that the Turkish journalists would be able to read Agos too, in which the history of the Armenians would be published. This is not a lovable move for the Turks, specially for the government.
Badanegan Doun and Camp Armen, Hrant Guzelian
*Translation by R. Chil.
Related Posts: (1), (2), (3)
One day, his mother, grabbing Hrant's hand, comes to the Gedik Pasha Armenian Evangelical Church to ask us to accept her son in Camp Armen (Badanegan Doon).
I told the mother, that our purpose is to accept a student from Anatolia, you are already saved from that place, here there's a school too, also a church, and an orphanage for boys and girls. If you are not able to pay, a contributer will be found and the boy will be accepted in a school. "This boy's son is Armenian Evangelical, you must accept him", she said. I told her that our purpose is not gathering of the Evangelicals, these boys are all Armenian, we even have Catholic and Assyrian boys. The Apostolic, the Catholic and the Evangelical are also Armenian. We do not discriminate and we do not take sides.
Hrant's mother, one day, brought her husband, and said, "this is the boy's father, but he is a drunkard, and does not take care of the house." Again, I refused. One day, one of our cousins, tells my mother, "Akhhh, sister Anoush, please tell Hrant that on our street there's a family with 3 sons, the father does not take care of them, and the mother has kept them out." And I, who didn't want to take any of them, accepted the three of them, and kept them in our care for 8 years. They received their education in the school, and I, every morning after school, used to narrate about our condemned people.
They grew up as Armenians, all of them, but Hrant Dink turned out different, brave and tall, he founded Agos Newspaper, in Turkish, so that the Turkish journalists would be able to read Agos too, in which the history of the Armenians would be published. This is not a lovable move for the Turks, specially for the government.
Badanegan Doun and Camp Armen, Hrant Guzelian
*Translation by R. Chil.
Related Posts: (1), (2), (3)
