Zabel Joshi: Mumbai’s last surviving Armenian

PanARMENIAN.Net - iDiva.com published an article by Vasundara R, which tells about Zabel Joshi, the only Armenian living in the city of Mumbai and the trustee for the almost forgotten St. Peter’s Armenian Church. The article reads: Amidst the hustle and bustle of famous Dalal Street, home to the Bombay Stock Exchange lies a quiet and very old edifice, which stands still, almost forgotten. St.Peter's Armenian Church was built three centuries ago for a thriving community of Armenians in the Bombay of old. Today, the number of Armenians in Mumbai has dwindled to exactly one woman, and the church has no Armenian priest to conduct their services.

"There are no services for Armenians, though we use the church to do our prayers," says Zabel Joshi, the last surviving registered Armenian in the city.

The Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Government in Turkey in 1915 may seem like another world away and in a different time zone to Indians, but for Zabel Haykian, it has played a big part in establishing her roots.

"Due to the Genocide, our ancestors were forced to leave and settle in different parts of the world," she says. "I was raised in Beirut, which was considered the Paris of Middle East." Zabel had whirlwind romance in Beirut with Gujarati cloth merchant Kishore Joshi, who soon she married and moved to India.

Armenians first came to India via Kerala and established solid roots in Kolkata. Then they expanded to other parts of the country. Today, they are as much a part of India's mélange of cultures as anybody else. Kolkata still has a visible Armenian community of over 150 people. Mumbai's Armenian population migrated to other countries and Zabel now remains the sole registered Armenian in Mumbai and the trustee for the Church.

With no community to conduct services for and no priest to conduct the services either, St. Peter's stayed shut for a long time. But the ivory colored walls of the cathedral speak of cheerful tales, of a happy community that once got together for festivals, for Easter and for a Christmas that was celebrated twice.

"Things are very different now," says Zabel. "I am the only Armenian living in this city. Of course, my children have Armenian blood and I am proud to say that they speak the language, which is really the first step towards preserving anything that might not be around forever."