Arkady Arzumanian finds it hard to say exactly which generation of the Arzumanyans living in Togh community he actually belongs to. However, he knows the history and victories of Togh very well. “Togh is a unique and heroic village with recorded heroic acts dating back as far as the 10 th century, when the nomad Bugha failed to conquer it even after having attacked the village 48 times with his troops of 40,000 men. Arkady Arzumanyan is 72 years old. He has left the village only for a short time; for studies.

Since 1958 he has been responsible for the village club . Azeries had tore down the dome of the village church and turned it into a club. Every evening the youth got together there. “I used to organize different parties for them; song, dance, theatre and cinema were a constant part of our lives. Today, the youth don't care for cultural life, nor do they fall in love and make families ”, Arkady Arzumanyan complains.

Along with drinking and irrigation water problems, he is concerned with reopening the club. “There is no place for our the youth to meet. Reopening the club is as important for the village as job creation. We will lose our lands if new families don't emerge to expand the population of the village”.

Unlike most others, Arkady Arzumanyan is not as excited with the recently opened water world in the village. “I am not opposed to the water world but it would have been better to set up a plant to provide people with jobs. It will be difficult to enjoy the water world when you are unemployed. We need a school and a hospital, not a water world. Instead of building the water world our authorities would better prevent the emigration and take measures for immigration”, he says.

Arkady Arzumanyan had two sons, but his elder son died during the war. His younger son Virab is 35. He is married and has two daughters. He lives with his parents in Togh but all his classmates have left the village. “After the war all my friends left for Russia as they had no job here. All of them were true patriots. They stayed in Togh till the end of the war. But the conditions forced them to leave their homeland. I'm sure they will come back if they know that they will find jobs in the village”.

He is the Mathematics and physics teacher at the village school. His salary is not enough to support the family, but he is not going to leave the homeland as his friends did. He is also engaged in farming and cattle breeding. “I have lost my brother and many friends for this land. We need to cultivate this land and to build homes on it. I will never leave my homeland. Social conditions can't keep us from starting a family”. The Arzumanyans do not wait for a better life to enlarge their family. Very soon their third child will be born; “ I have two daughters and now I want a son. Many men died during the war…”, says Virab.

Varduhi, Virab's wife is also a teacher. She works at Togh kindergarten. It's all the same for her if the babay is a boy or girl. “It's God's gift, I will be happy in any case. If it is not a boy we'll have the fourth child”.

Gayane is the eldest grandchild of the Arzumanyan family and their pride. She is six. This year, she will go to school. She has already finished the first class of Togh music school with excellent grades. “I am very proud of my grandchild. It is Gayane who will promote the culture in Togh”, says Arkady. He mentioned that Gayane plays the piano at home only for her family and the best guests.

The Cultural Center was destroyed during the war. Thanks to the efforts of Susanna Balayan, Togh now has a music school with 30 pupils. There are no specialists in the village, so Susanna invites them from Stepanakert twice a week. “She is not from Togh. She was not born in our village. However, she has been in Togh since the very beginning of our freedom fight. She has even participated in the war”, remembers Arkady. Susanna is not a guest. People discuss all the cultural issues with her. Sometimes they gather at the Arzumanyans' to talk and reminisce.

The people of Togh get furious when they hear talk about giving back the liberated lands. Agitated, Arkady bellow: “Those who speak about returning these lands should think about our victims of the war. What will they feel visiting the graves of those fallen heros. Almost every home in Karabakh has a photo of a martyr. How can I look at my son's picture when I think about returning our lands. I call out to all those who even speak about it, to think of their loved ones who gave their lives to liberate these lands”.

Translated by Armine Ghazaryan, Karine Miletbashyan