Armenian College (Kolkata)

In the 1800s, Armenian merchants built churches and schools all over India. One such school was "The Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy", better known as "The Armenian College" in Kolkata.

The idea was conceived by Astvazatoor Mooradkhan (Astvatsatur Muradkhanyan) (died 29 September 1799). In his Will dated 30 July 1797 he left Rs.8000 towards the establishment of an Armenian School "for the education of the Armenian youth both rich and poor". Later, at a Meeting held on April 2, 1821, of the Calcutta Armenian Community held in the Armenian Church, Calcutta, attended by notable Armenians, including Sir Gregory Charles Paul, John Gregory Apcar (Bar-at-law) and Arathoon Stephen (founder of Grand Hotel, Calcutta) it was decided that an education institution be set up to educate the children of the Armenians of Calcutta. An application was made to the Calcutta High Court and the bequests by Astvatsatur Muradkhan and others were amalgamated with the huge donations made by the existing Armenian Merchant Princes such as the Apcars and others.

The Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy was first situated at 385 Old China Bazaar Street, Kolkata (Calcutta), near the Armenian Apostolic Church. For a number of years the School functioned from British Indian Street, (behind the Great Eastern Hotel. In 1884 the 56 Free School Street (now Mirza Ghalib Street)property was purchased and the school transferred to its current location. The College was first affiliated to the University of Calcutta in 1870, but since 1892 the College has been affiliated to the Board of Secondary Education, West Bengal.

Notable benefactors include:
*Astvazatoor Mooradkhan
*Manatzakan Vardan
*Apcar Family members
*Elias Minas
*George Manook
*Carapiet Arakiel of Penang
*Philip Catchick
*Hripsimah Eleazar Leembruggen (Limburggen).
* The Madras Education Funds

The so called "Davidian Girl's School" was started by the wealthy merchant and real-estate builder David Avetick David. In his will and agreement signed with the Official Trustee West Bengal, it was declared that the school to be managed under the Trust would be for students form India alone. The parents of a student wishing to admit their child into the Trust-School, must have been resident in India for more than three years before they applied for the admission of the child to the D.A.David School. While he was alive, the Late D.A.David, accepted boys and girls into his school (as there is no bar in the Trust to dis-allow boys from receiving their education in the school up to the age of 12. The "Davidian Girls School" is not a legal entity itself,the Trust is known by its own name as the Trusts of D.A. David and is managed even now by the Official Trustee West Bengal, with his office at No 1 Kiron Sankar Roy Rd. 10th Floor, Calcutta 700001, India.

Until the 1950s students were mostly from India. However, after independence, Armenians started to leave the country, and the College started inviting pupils from Iran and Iraq. The number of pupils peaked in 1961 and 1962 (206 and 204 respectively). By 1991 there were only 38 students almost all of them being Iranian nationals.

In 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenian children from the Republic of Armenia began to attend the College. In 1999 by an order of the Cacutta High Court the existing 1886 Scheme of the Armenian College and Philantophic Academy was amended and the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church at Etchmiadzin was appointed Administrator of the Armenian College (not the Davidian Girls School).The Apostolic Armenian Catholicos, under the order of the Calcutta High Court was ordered to manage the College in terms of the amended Scheme (Advocate General of Bengal Versus Arabella Vardon, Calcutta High Court 1886) which included appointing lay members to the Managing Committee of the College. The Armenian College under its new management disallows Indian Armenian children and only caters to children from families in Armenia to attend the college. The Calcutta Armenian Church, Calcutta is an independent Church. In the year 1996, the Church Committee (Haik Sookias, Chairman) decided to dis-affiliate from the Armenian Apostolic Church (H.Q. Yerevan)and applied to the Calcutta High Court for permission to do so, which permission was given by the Calcutta High Court. In 1999, the Church Committee, manipulated by Mrs. Sonia John, again applied to the High Court to affiliate with the Yerevan Armenian Apostolic Church, which permission was granted. The Armenian Apostolic Church (Yerevan) is solely concerned with the Calcutta Armenian Church, because this Church is endowed with huge funds and assets. There are other Armenian Churches all over India, whose fate dopes not interest the Yerevan Armenian Apostolic Church. In 2004 there were 118 students: 78 from Armenia, 35 from Iran, four Indian Armenians, and one is from Iraq. The College aims to have over 300 pupils by 2008.

Principals of the College include:
*Vahan Poladyan, an Armenian from Lebanon, 1952 to 1979 and 1982 to 1988; It is said that the late Vahan Poladian was murdered during a visit to Armenia. Though he was an Indian resident for more than 30 years his body was never returned to India, against the wishes of his only surviving brother and his remains were buried in Armenia. No one knows why this was done.

Since 2004, regular concerns about the financial management of the College and physical care of the children have been expressed. Between 2002 and 2005 no new students were sent to the College, because, the then College Management Committee, was concerned with changing the status of the Armenian College. On 4 November 2005 Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, issued a Pontifical Order releasing Mrs. Sonia John, the Manager of the College. It was Mrs. Sonia John who had motivated and engineered the amendment petition to the Calcutta High Court in 1999. By her actions she got an order to appoint the Armenian Apostolic Catholicos residing at Yerevan, as the Administrator of the College. When she fell out with the Catholicos of Etchmiadzin, she was un-ceremoniusly thrown out from the School and Father Oshagan Gulgulian was appointed Manager of the Armenian College. As per the amending order of Justice Sujit Sinha of the Calcutta High Court, the Armenian Apostolic Catholicos was to appoint a Committee to manage the Armenian College. Nothing of the sort has been done even after 7 years.

References

* [http://www.hetq.am/eng/society/0406-kalkata.html Armenian children are neglected in Calcutta]
* [http://www.hetq.am/eng/society/0407-kalkata.html Armenian children are neglected in Calcutta - 2]
* [http://www.hetq.am/eng/society/0408-calkutta.html Financial misappropriations at the Armenian College of Calcutta] http://calcutta-armenians.blog.co.uk/2005/10/01/the_vanishing_calcutta_armenians~211029http://www.calcutta-armenians.blog.co.uk/
* [http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/lizchater/kolkata_january_2008.htm An update of the progress and refurbishment at the Armenian College as at January 2008]

*Records of the Armenian College and the Armenian Church, Calcutta High Court, Calcutta, India.

External links

* [http://www.armeniancollege.in Armenian College (official school website)]
* [http://www.armeniancollege.org/cms/index.php Armenian College (official ex students website)]
* [http://menq.am/history/chap5_part02.htm The Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy (extract Ch 5 of Mesrovb Jacob Seth, History of the Armenians in India (1937)]
* [http://www.armeniapedia.org/ Armeniapedia]
* [http://www.armenianchurch.in Armenian Churches in India (official Church website)]