YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, ARMENPRESS. “Zartonk”: my story, my passion and my continuity. From 1968 to now, when I hear the word “Zartonk” (Awakening), I immediately remember the smell of the ink, paper, feel the smoky of the cigarette of my late director Nazaret Tobakian. I always keep alive this person’s memory.
I was very young when I had to leave the school and start working at “Zartonk” editorial office. Working at “Zartonk” was a great success for me. Initially, I was taking journalistic articles to the printing house. The atmosphere was very close, and my life completely changed here thanks to Nazaret. This very kind person once called my father and asked that I return to school. I started attending an evening school. Thanks to the financial and moral support of Nazaret Tobakian I both continued my studies and had a chance to continue my job at the daily which was the passion and love of my life.
In the 1970s when I was studying medical science in Bulgaria, one day I received one of the samples of “Zartonk”. Nazaret Tobakian’s editorial column was dedicated to me, to my activity at the daily and the Vahan Tekeyan center. I will never forget that issue of “Zartonk” and the words of Nazaret Tobakian.
Later I understood that becoming a doctor was not a right decision in my life and several years later, in fact, I returned to journalism. After graduating the faculty of political sciences in Rome I became writer and journalist.
Today I am proud to be the correspondent of ARMENPRESS news agency in Rome and I correspond on voluntary basis and with a great pleasure. I happy that I have a director like Aram Ananyan, I am proud that I continue keeping ties with my “Zartonk” and my new director Sevak Hakobyan. I love the Armenian people, their fight, I like this endless constant political and cultural commitment.
I hope God will give me many years to live and I will be able to continue and have a contribution to the Armenian Cause.
I don’t know why, but I remembered the words of renowned writer William Saroyan –Destroy Armenia! See if you can do it! Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia!
I’m not an ethnic Armenian, but I am an Armenian by choice and I am ready to be one of these two Armenains.
“Zartonk”: my story, my passion, my continuation.
Talal Khrais
Journalist
Foreign Affairs Officer at the Italian-Arabian “Assadakah” Center
Comments