INDO-ARMENIAN FRIENDSHIP NGO
Relationship Inspired
Armenia Day at Lancers International school
On the 26th of April 2019, the Lancers International School in Gurugram, India, in collaboration with the Indo-Armenian friendship NGO organized an event dedicated to Armenia.
The event was in the form of a project by the students of Lancers International School, during which they beautifully presented about every aspect of Armenia, ranging from Armenian history to Armenian literature, music, dance, religion, sports and cultural and national symbols. The stage was also decorated by pictures of famous Armenian personalities, many of them from the diaspora. One of the pupils even recited famous works of Armenian writer and poet Hovhannes Toumanyan in the Armenian language, while also giving their friends and teachers biographic details from the poet's life. Information on the lives of famous Armenian musicians Komitas and Aram Khachaturyan was also shared by the students. Some students made presentations about the historical presence of the Armenian community in India. The program also included a beautiful rendition of Armenian traditional dance “Uzundara” by IAF member Meline Melikyan, giving the students the opportunity to witness first-hand the beauty of Armenian traditional dance.
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Every year, the pupils of Lancers International school are expected to undertake a joint project, which provides an important opportunity for students aged 13-14 to collaborate and pursue a common topic. The aims of this project are to encourage and enable the pupils to participate in a sustained, self-directed inquiry within a global context, develop deeper understandings through in-depth investigation and demonstrate responsible action through, or as a result of, joint learning. Such projects also help young pupils to appreciate the process of learning and take pride in their accomplishments.
This year, with the suggestion of IAF member Lilit Harutyunyan, who is also the HOD of the Department of English Language and Literature, one of the groups had selected Armenia as their topic of research and advocacy.
Special guests of the event included His Excellency Mr Armen Martirosyan, Honourable Amb of Armenia to India and His Excellency Mr Achal Kumar Malhotra, former Ambassador of India to Armenia and Georgia. In his address to the teachers and students of the school, His Excellency Ambassador Martirosyan thanked the management of the school, as well as the teaching staff and the students for doing a wonderful job in presenting Armenia in detail as well as for touching upon the long-standing Indo-Armenian ties. Ambassador Martirosyan also offered the management of the school the opportunity to partner with a school in Armenia to undertake joint projects, organise visits and have a constructive exchange of expertise and knowledge.
His Excellency Ambassador Malhotra, in his turn, fondly remembered the years he spent in Armenia as the Ambassador of India and encouraged the students to carry forward their research on Armenia and continue exploring and learning about the beautiful country. He also introduced his recently published book titled “India-Armenia: So Far Yet So Close" which describes the history and culture of the countries, touches upon centuries-long relations and historical contacts up to the modern times. He also very generously donated 2 copies of his book to the school library so that the students can use it as a point of reference to form a further understanding of the topic they had selected.
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Mrs Ruzanna Ashughyan, Vice- President of Indo-Armenian Friendship NGO, in her address conveyed her appreciations to the management of the institution for hosting the event at the school and thanked Mrs Lilit Harutyunyan and her students for doing an excellent job in beautifully presenting Armenia in detail. She also gave a brief introduction of Indo-Armenian Friendship NGO and emphasized on the importance of building a people-to-people connection, in which young pupils and students can play a defining role.
As a sign of appreciation for their partnership and collaboration, Indo-Armenian Friendship NGO also presented the school with an Armenian flag as a token of friendship between the two institutions, expressing the hope that the Armenian tricolour will find a place among the flags of other countries proudly on display in the school.
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At the end of the event, Their Excellencies, IAF president Mr Rananjay Anand and Vice -President Ms Ruzanna Ashughyan also discussed various points for future cooperation between different schools in India and Armenia, during which Mr Anand highlighted the importance of such events, aimed at promoting the cultures of both countries and re-assured the commitment of Indo-Armenian Friendship NGO in finding new avenues of cooperation and partnership.
