learning lessons

As a young child growing up, I would listen to famous classical singers of my parents’ generation such as Hayedeh and Mahasti. Mind you, this was not my choice. My mother loved (and continues to love) classical music and the depth of their songs, their voices. So what seemed like every day, we would listen [...]

norooz

It is this time of the year again; I feel the nature’s longing for spring, I feel its heart beat for spring, its open arms to welcome spring as the trees, flowers, and every living creature (on the northern hemisphere) show their excitement for the New Year and are once again filled with life, waiting [...]

reading & rushdie

A few weeks ago I heard a lecture by the world renown author, Salman Rushdie. A man whose mere mention evokes controversy and emotion for many. Even my mother asked me, “Why do you want to hear what he has to say?” But I thought, what good has my education and upbringing done for me [...]

my culture, your culture

I came across this quote today by the Bengali poet, Rabindranath Tagore. Such powerful words and yet such a simple message about culture. 
 
“Whatever we understand and enjoy in human products instantly becomes ours, wherever they might have their origin.
I am proud of my humanity when I acknowledge the poets and artists of other countries as [...]

reuniting love

They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, but is it true even after 35 years? 
Yesterday there was an article on BBC about a man named Kashmir Singh who was released from a Pakistani jail after 35 years and reunited with his wife and children in India.  It was a Human Rights Minister in Pakistan named Ansar [...]

freedom

Last week the Pakistani government denied access to YouTube for a short period because some of the content was deemed offensive.  According to the BBC article, reports said the content included religious cartoons that already caused worldwide outrage.  Once those questionable videos were removed, YouTube was back up in Pakistan.  But regardless of one’s opinion, it brings [...]

rageh inside iran

With a third round of UN sanctions recently being imposed on Iran over its nuclear program, I thought this would be a fitting time to share one of my favorite documentaries, Rageh Inside Iran. Unlike most documentaries on Iran that have journalists enter the worst rural and urban parts of the country to implicitly show [...]

khastegari music video

I thought I would post a music video that has a funny take on a “khastegari” mentioned in Shideh’s post. Unfortunately, while the lyrics are in Farsi, I think the video itself will give our non-Farsi speaking readers a visual image of this tradition. It is by a young band – the Abjeez – [...]

khaastegar

It was a cold day in late February, a Friday afternoon busy with homework and exams during high school.  My aunt had a “khaastegar” (translated to a suitor) that night!  Well, in Iran like many other countries, when a man is introduced to a girl or her family (either independently or through family or friends) and [...]

deeper the roots

A few days ago I went into a Starbucks to get something hot to drink and do some studying.  As I sat down with my hot water with pear & ginger teabag (it shouldn’t deserve to be called ‘tea’) at a small table next to a window, I glanced around the store.  Every store is [...]

smell

Traffic in Tehran, Iran by tehranshake
I was walking home from work today and I could not help but notice an incredibly wonderful but indescribable city smell that reminds me so much of Iran. Becoming nostalgic about this smell has, for better or worse, become a habit of mine. It was in college when I first [...]