Mr. Sevag Ghazarian's meeting with the students
On March 26, 2024, the students of the Armenian Catholic Mesrobian High School experienced moments filled with the spirit of the famous Armenian poet Barouyr Sevag’s poetic legacy, brought by the poet's grandson, Mr. Sevag Ghazarian, who is in Beirut in the occasion of the ceremony dedicated to the 100th anniversary of his grandfather's birth and to the presentation of his 100 poems on that occasion, upon the invitation and organization of the Vahe Setian publishing house of the Hamazkayin cultural and educational association and the Hamazkayin branch specialized in writing and literature in Lebanon.
Mr. Ghazarian visited Mesrobian accompanied by his wife, the distinguished local actor and director Tavit Hagopian and the director of the Vahe Setian publishing house, Mr. Hagop Havatian.
In her opening speech, Mrs. Serpoug Jenanian, Armenian language teacher of the secondary school at Mesrobian, noted that the students are fortunate to meet this exceptional guest, Mr. Sevag Ghazarian, who is a legitimate descendant of one of the giants of modern Armenian literature and keeps his lighted torch for the illumination of minds and hearts. Mrs. Jenanian presented brief biographies of Barouyr Sevag and of Mr. Sevag Ghazarian who is dedicated to the preservation and study of the poet’s heritage, highlighting the contribution of each of them in poetry and philology, respectively.
The ceremony had an artistic sequence in which students presented pleasing performances: Mary Ekmekjian (recitation), Nayiri Arnelian (duduk) and Serly Moughalian (piano).
The special guest of the day, Mr. Sevag Ghazarian, conveyed his heart's message, noting that it was his greatest satisfaction to visit once again the Armenian Catholic Mesrobian High School, which he had visited for the first time in 2016. He spoke with genuine admiration about the progress that the school has recorded over the years. Answering the students' questions, Mr. Ghazarian spoke about Barouyr Sevag’s difficult path, from his childhood to adulthood, and the issues he had faced during his creative work under the Soviet regime. Then the guest listed many messages from Barouyr Sevag’s poetry which remain resounding and relevant especially for the youth.
Upon the request of Mesrobian's Principal, Mr. Tavit Hagopian recited an excerpt from the great poet, conveying to the audience the authentic spirit and soul of Barouyr Sevag’s poetry.
Mesrobian’s Principal, Mr. Gregoire Kaloust, thanked the guests and the organizers of the visit for holding this important meeting. He noted the necessity of organizing such events in the Armenian community of Lebanon, especially for building the artistic taste of the new generation. The Principal said that the school, which is celebrating the 85th anniversary of its foundation this year, attaches particular importance to familiarizing the students with Armenian and foreign quality literature, and this meeting really served that goal. Mr. Kaloust presented a souvenir bearing Mesrobian’s symbol to Mr. Ghazarian on the occasion of his visit to the school.
After the meeting, the guests toured several departments of the school.
On this occasion, Mesrobian's students received copies of Barouyr Sevag’s ‘100 Poems’ volume, published on the occasion of the poet's 100th anniversary by Vahe Setian publishing house in Beirut.