HELEN ABADZI

Helen Abadzi was bοrn in Thessaloniki and graduated from the American College in the city in order to continue her study in the USA where she was awarded the titles of the doctor in Psychology and in  Educational Administration from the universities of Texas and Alampana respectively. With the completion of her study, she began and continues to work up to today as a senior evaluation officer in the World Bank, Washington D.C. 

Because of her profession and as a student of Indian languages and culture, Ampadzi traveled extensively in India and Bangladesh where she developed an intense interest for the Indo – Greek cultural relations and particularly for the history of Greek community in Bengal for which she became a pioneer in the effort to record and preserve its monuments. The interest of the Vice-President of the ELINEPA was focused also in the resemblances of the Greek and Indian songs of the decade of 60’s for that she recorded two musical CDs and published in collaboration with Manolis Tasoulas the book “Indoprepon Apokalipsi” (the Revelation of the Hindi-Style Songs in Greece).

Abadzi’s publications related to India are the following:

• “The Greek Cemetery of Kolkata“, ΙΝΔΙΚΑ, Αθήνα, 2020.
• “The Indian Cemetery of Salonica“, ΙΝΔΙΚΑ, Αθήνα, 2006.
•  Ινδοπρεπών Αποκάλυψη – Από την Ινδία του Εξωτισμού στη Λαϊκή Μούσα των Ελλήνων
• “Hindi Films of the 50s in Greece: The Latest Chapter of a Long Dialogue,” ΙΝΔΙΚΑ, Athens, 2004.
• “Glimpses of the Greek Community from the Dhaka University Gravestones,” ΙΝΔΙΚΑ, Athens, 2005. 
• “The Dhaka University Gravestones and the Greek Community,” Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, June 1995.
• “Σε τι μας χρειάζονται τα Αρχαία Ελληνικά και πως να τα Θυμόμαστε: Συγκρίσεις με την Ινδία και τις Γύρω Χώρες.” Φιλολογική, Έτος ΧΙΙ Νο. 49, Αthens 1994.
• “Hindi Films of the Fifties in Greece,” Yavanika No. 6. 1996, pp. 73-91.
• “Abadzi, H. An Indian Cemetery in Thessaloniki, Greece,” Yavanika No. 7. 1997.

 Musical Recordings:

• The Return of Mandubala: Songs from the Indian Cinema in 50s and 60s.
• The Song of Nargis: Songs from the Indian Cinema in 50s and 60s. 

Interview with Dr Helen Ambadzi