"The Story I Want to Tell…" - Told by Tigran KALAYDZHYAN

Tigran Kalaidjian's article is dedicated to the history of the Kalaidjian family — Cypriot Armenians whose lineage traces back to Adana, and who survived the deportation of 1915, rescue, forced assimilation under an alien guise, and subsequent return to Armenian identity in Cyprus.

Introduction and methodology

The material represents a personal testimony-memoir, built upon family legends passed down from generation to generation. The narrative spans the period from the late 19th century to the present day and draws upon the accounts of the author's father, grandfather, and aunt.

Key stages in the family's history

• The lineage's origin in Adana, where the family owned a house, a garden, and a confectionery business; their conversion to Protestantism under the influence of American missionaries in the late 19th century.
• The 1915 deportation: the march on foot toward Deir ez-Zor, the deaths and violence inflicted upon fellow travelers in the caravan, the adoption by great-grandfather Hakob of two orphaned girls.
• The family's rescue by a Kurdish elder in Aleppo: living under assumed names and tattoos, working as a gardener and coffee vendor until the war's end in 1918.
• The return to Adana, the attempt to reclaim property, and grandfather Ruben's participation in volunteer detachments of Armenian retribution during the chaos of Cilicia in 1918–1921.
• Emigration to Cyprus following the handover of Cilicia to the Kemalists in 1921, landing at Larnaca, and the acquisition of Nansen passports and Cypriot citizenship.

Establishment in the new country

Special attention is given to the grandfather's entrepreneurial and civic activity — from an unsuccessful confectionery venture to a successful textile trade that laid the foundation for the family business, which continues to operate throughout Cyprus to this day. His role as an intermediary between the Armenian, Greek, and Turkish communities is emphasized, as well as his active assistance to refugees during the Cyprus crisis of 1974.

Preservation of memory and identity

The author describes the grandfather's return to the Armenian Apostolic Church under the influence of his wife, Marie Nahapetian, the prohibition of the Turkish language at home, the upbringing of the children in the Armenian spirit, and the formation of an Armenian quarter in Larnaca. The symbolic significance is noted of the grandfather's last words ("Turkish barbarians") and the father's last word ("Adana") before death, as expressions of enduring trauma and remembrance of the Genocide.

Conclusion

The article's central conclusion is that the history of the Kalaidjian family demonstrates the mechanism by which national memory and identity are transmitted across several generations, despite mixed marriages, forced assimilation, and geographic dispersion, and serves as an example of the preservation of the Armenian spirit and the tradition of philanthropy in the diaspora.