Within the capacious folds of the former Soviet Union, nestles a tiny landlocked nation, Armenia. Its most famous exports are its people. The Armenians themselves, would rather it had been their cognac, which they claim surpasses anything that the valleys of France could hope to yield. But they had little say in the matter, as one after the other - Assyrians, Romans, Persians, Arabs, Seljuks, Mongols and Turks - all had their turn at decimating the Armenians. Rather than linger around to debate the merits of wines, Armenians preferred to escape, scattering all over like windblown seed.But no genocides could kill their keen sense of enterprise and rugged good humour. Fine traders and staunch Christians, they landed in India sometime in the 17th century, and with their knowledge of Persian, ingratiated themselves with the Moghuls. Today the greatest concentration of Indian Armenians is in Calcutta, a city whose charms they enhanced by their presence. Chief among their contributions being great mansions, fine colleges and a bloodthirsty game of rugby.Mumbai attracted them as well but the only surviving evidence of their settlement in this city is the Armenian church, near Dalal Street. It stands on a little site that reveals itself only after some enthusiastic exploration, hidden as it is within the tightly knit commercial fabric of Fort.If you are familiar with Armenian history then the building that fronts the church, Ararat, is an important clue while locating the place. Most Armenians cherish the myth that they were the first people on earth. They believe they descended from Noah, whose ark was marooned on the summit of Mount Ararat after the great Flood, as recorded in the Old Testament. In their pining for their motherland, Ararat became a much-loved icon, stuff of poetry and legends.An old verse runs: "I am an Armenian, as old as Ararat. High as the hills I bear my head. My story is sad: Each century that passed brought grid tome. My sons throughout the whole world were scattered."However there is little that is noble about Mumbai's Ararat, it is just another faceless grey mid '60s edifice, one of whose floors is occupied by a lady who packs more spirit into her 80-year-old frame than the whole legendary scrummers Armenians do.After talking to Rosie Ekanayan, one can glimpse the kind of fierce cultural pride that makes the Armenian so unique. "We have no bishop, so Dr Aram Yeghiazarian, a retired dentist and senior member of the community held services until a few years ago. Now we are only four of us, but we do try our best to keep the faith," she says proudly.And even though only four Armenians remain in the city now, the church gleams and glows as if it were maintained by a much larger congregation. An enormous barrel-vaulted space, the church still has a large number of well polished pews, solemnly aligned to face a breathtaking oil painting of Christ at the altar. Plush velvet curtains and a dome over the altar, punctured with gilt stars, add to the opulent ambience. The whole interior is lit up by crystal chandeliers. However, one real find was a teakwood cupboard in the vestibule, which houses tattered Bibles. The Armenian alphabet has an elegant script, and it runs over these pages like a well thought out artistic composition, embellished here and there by illustrations.The back yard has a couple of paint-splattered tombstones, one of which dates back to 1778. The little sunlight that escapes the mammoth hulk of the Stock Exchange tower is caught by a chiku tree that marks the entrance to the church. There is also a trellis, that was used once to train grapevines.The Armenian poet Gevorg Emin explained its presence best: "If you are unacquainted which my nation, look at this vine . `tis all you have to do / It has survived many generations, gone through all my folk have suffered through / These gleaming clusters, moist with morning dew, gleam with the light of life, forever new. / Bitter yet sweet, Armenia's golden wine, / Bitter as pain, alive until our time, heady as hope, and sweet as faith / It flows . through every vein . like living flame, it glows."
