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“O God, O Universe, O Nature, Turn our dark night into Dawn” - MORḠ-E SAḤAR (Bird of Dawn)
I offer this, one of the most beautiful of Persian poems, to honour and celebrate the life of Ostad (Master) Mohammad Reza Shajarian who embodied the timeless beauty of Persian music.
Ostad Mohammad Reza Shajarian (1940-2020)
He taught us that ‘Humanity is the aim of all arts’ . May he rest in Peace.
هرگز نمیرد آنکه دلش زنده شد به عشق
‘He whose heart has been revived by love will never die.
Our eternity has been written in the record of the world’- Hafez
The passing of Mohammad Reza Shajarian is a monumental loss for all Iranians, as well as all the Persian speakers everywhere in the world.
His voice will always be a reminder of our land of birth, our identity,
the timeless and precious beauty of persian poetry, mysticism and everlasting wonder. (Kamran Mofid)- Photo:Balatarin
‘In a year filled with exceptional challenges and bad tidings, the news of Mohammad Reza Shajarian’s passing is especially devastating. Known simply as "Ostad," Shajarian was more than a legendary Iranian singer. His iconic voice became the cry of a nation in its struggle for justice, which has spanned for over a century.
The outpouring of grief and emotions from Iranians the world over is a testament to his unparalleled genius and the weight of his impact on Iranian society, culture, and politics. Born in Mashhad in 1940, Shajarian was trained in Quranic recitation and later in the classical singing of Persian poetry. Despite his traditional style of music in an era of the growing popularity of pop music, Shajarian eventually rose to become perhaps the greatest Iranian vocalist and most beloved artist of Iran.
Reciting the poetry of Ferdowsi, Hafez and Rumi in his dulcet yet powerful voice, Shajarian fused the varied threads of Iran’s rich cultural tapestry and complex identity into a symbol of the nation that Iranians of all stripes could admire and feel connected. Both before and after the revolution of 1979, his songs often called for justice, engendered pride, and a longing for better days ahead.
Known globally for his incredible voice, Shajarian was revered by Iranians of all ages, many of which grew up with his voice. He was not just a musician. His social, political, and cultural impacts on Iranian society are inseparable from his artistic accomplishments. While Iranians have faced innumerable difficulties over many decades, Shajarian’s voice remained a rare constant that brought Iranians together, quite literally to sing in unity. In times of despair, his song reminded us to stay hopeful for the coming of the dawn.’- Excerpts from the NIAC’s Statement
MORḠ-E SAḤAR (Bird of Dawn)
Photo: Pinterest
This is the poem by the Iranian poet Mohammad-Taqi Bahar, and
famously sung by Mohammad Reza Shajarian.
“O God, O universe, O nature
Turn our dark night into dawn…..
Now is spring, flowers have bloomed
Clouds in my eyes are filled with dew
This cage, like my heart,
Is narrow and dark
Oh fiery sigh! start a flame in this cage!”
And with a breath, set fire to the battlefield
Of the mass of this earth
The cruelty of tyrants and the injustice of hunter
Have broken my nest to the winds”
“O Morning bird, mourn!
O Morning bird, mourn!
Further renew my pain
with a burning sigh break this cage and overturn it
Wing-tied nightingale, leave the corner of this cage
Compose the song of freedom for humanity.’- Read the entire poem HERE
......
Shajarian Concert for Bam - HamNava ba Bam
‘Mohammad Reza Shajarian (Persian: محمد رضا شجريان) (born September 23, 1940 in Mashhad, Iran) is a Persian traditional singer and undisputed Master (Ostad) of Persian music. Shajarian is one of the most well known Iranian artists and probably the greatest singer in the history of the recorded Persian traditional music.Shajarian's all-star group consists of Hossein Alizadeh, (the tar virtuoso) Kayhan Kalhor on kamancheh and Shajarian's son, Homayun (on Tombak),who is also a vocalist in the group. Shajarian has always criticized the Iranian cultural officials for creating a bureaucracy that prevents his group from performing in Iran. After the Bam earthquake, he performed a fantastic concert in Vahdat Hall in Tehran called " Hamnava ba Bam ". About 3000 people were in that concert. They were very sad for that big disaster and at the same time happy to see their own artist in Iran. Here on Iran Info we show the concert for the public.’ - www.iraninfo.dk
Watch this fascinating and timeless concert HERE
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Photo::Pinterest
Pope Francis Denounces Endless Growth and Humanity's Assault on Nature*
"Climate restoration is of utmost importance, since we are in the midst of a climate emergency."
Photo:GreenPolicy360
‘Pope Francis on Tuesday (1 September 2020) railed against humanity's exploitation of natural resources and pursuit of endless growth as he urged people across the world to act with the urgency young people worldwide have demanded to protect the Earth and build back better from the coronavirus pandemic.
The pope's call came in a written message to mark the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and in which he urged people to view the "disintegration of biodiversity, spiraling climate disasters, and unjust impact of the current pandemic on the poor and vulnerable" as "a wakeup call in the face of our rampant greed and consumption."
"Our constant demand for growth and an endless cycle of production and consumption are exhausting the natural world," he said. "Forests are leached, topsoil erodes, fields fail, deserts advance, seas acidify, and storms intensify. Creation is groaning!"
Francis framed the Covid-19 crisis as having "given us a chance to develop new ways of living" and "brought us to a crossroads" at which societies can choose "to end our superfluous and destructive goals and activities, and to cultivate values, connections, and activities that are life-giving."
In addition to reiterating his call for debt cancellation for poor countries, the pope said the post-pandemic recovery packages being crafted by lawmakers "must be regeneration packages."
"Policy, legislation, and investment must be focused on the common good and guarantee that global social and environmental goals are met," he said.
The pope stressed the need to meet the Paris climate accord goals to stave off "catastrophic" impacts of the planet's heating. "Climate restoration is of utmost importance, since we are in the midst of a climate emergency. We are running out of time, as our children and young people have reminded us," he added.
He further called on leaders to work "to stem the alarming rate of biodiversity loss" and expressed hope the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity—set for next May in Kunming, China—could be "a turning point in restoring the Earth to be a home of life in abundance."
The new message also called for strengthened regulation of "the activities of extractive companies" to "ensure access to justice for those affected," especially Indigenous communities.
Young climate activists and those "on the frontlines in responding to the ecological crisis," drew praise from Francis. "They are calling for a Jubilee for the Earth and a new beginning, aware that 'things can change,'" he said.- *First published HERE
Pope Francis’ words kick off the “Season of Creation,” a month-long ecumenical effort to raise awareness on the state of the world’s environment. This year, the theme is “Jubilee of the Earth” to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
Photo:Sowing Hope for the Planet
Pope Francis’ Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
Season of Creation
‘God has given us this amazing world and has asked us to be attentive stewards of it.’
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Pope Francis calls for politics to rediscover its vocation and to work for the common good
Pope Francis released a new encyclical in Assisi on October 3 for the Feast of St. Francis. The title, “Fratelli Tutti,” can be translated as “Brothers and Sisters, All.” It highlights the theme of friendship and kinship, calling for peace and harmony among all peoples, religions, and nations.
In an article in the National Catholic Reporter by JOSHUA J. MCELWEE, it is noted that: ‘Pope's post-COVID encyclical envisions a less populist, less capitalist world, laying out a comprehensive vision for how the world should change after the coronavirus pandemic. Pope Francis imagines societies that are more caring, more focused on helping those in need and fundamentally less attached to the principles of market capitalism.’
I firmly believe that, given the current global circumstances, this new encyclical will have widespread influence around the world, as has Laudato Si' (Praise Be!: On Care for our Common Home) issued by the Pope in 2015.
FRATELLI TUTTI, Pope Francis’ third encyclical, which was published on 4 October 2020, urges all people of goodwill to recognize the equal dignity of every person and to work together to build a world where people love and care for one another as brothers and sisters.
The pope is challenging us to overcome individualism in our culture and to serve our neighbors in love, and seeking a society of justice, mercy, and compassion.
ENCYCLICAL LETTER
OF THE HOLY FATHER
FRANCIS
ON THE FRATERNITY AND SOCIAL FRIENDSHIP
'Given in Assisi, at the tomb of Saint Francis, on 3 October, Vigil of the Feast of the Saint,
in the year 2020, the eighth of my Pontificate.'
Photo: Catholic News Herald
‘Individualism {At the heart of the current global neoliberal socio economic and political model} does not make us more free, more equal, more fraternal. The mere sum of individual interests is not capable of generating a better world for the whole human family. Nor can it save us from the many ills that are now increasingly globalized. Radical individualism is a virus that is extremely difficult to eliminate, for it is clever. It makes us believe that everything consists in giving free rein to our own ambitions, as if by pursuing ever greater ambitions and creating safety nets we would somehow be serving the common good.’
The Pope tackles Covid pandemic and rising nationalism in third encyclical*
Pope Francis has warned against “myopic, extremist, resentful and aggressive nationalism” in some countries, and a “growing loss of the sense of history” in a major document outlining his view of the world.
Fratelli Tutti – the third encyclical, a pastoral letter addressed to the whole of the Catholic church, of his papacy – was published on Sunday, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, amid global uncertainty and anxiety over the Covid-19 pandemic and rising populism.
In the 45,000-word document, the pope urges nations to work towards a just and fraternal world based on common membership of the human family. He expands on familiar themes in his teachings, including opposition to war, the death penalty, slavery, trafficking, inequality and poverty; concerns about alienation, isolation and social media; and support for migrants fleeing violence and seeking a better life.
Pope Francis had begun writing the encyclical when the pandemic “unexpectedly erupted”. But, he says, the crisis has reinforced his belief that political and economic institutions must be reformed to address the needs of those most harmed by it. The global health emergency has demonstrated that “no one can face life in isolation” and that the “magic theories” of market capitalism have failed.
“Aside from the differing ways that various countries responded to the crisis, their inability to work together became quite evident,” Francis writes. “Anyone who thinks that the only lesson to be learned was the need to improve what we were already doing, or to refine existing systems and regulations, is denying reality.
“The fragility of world systems in the face of the pandemic has demonstrated that not everything can be resolved by market freedom. It is imperative to have a proactive economic policy directed at ‘promoting an economy that favours productive diversity and business creativity’ and makes it possible for jobs to be created, and not cut.”
Francis says a “certain regression” has taken place in today’s world. He notes the rise of “myopic, extremist, resentful and aggressive nationalism” in some countries, and “new forms of selfishness and a loss of the social sense”.
The leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics says “we are more alone than ever” in a world of “limitless consumerism” and “empty individualism” where there is a “growing loss of the sense of history” and a “kind of deconstructionism”.
“Hyperbole, extremism and polarisation” have become political tools in many countries, he writes, without “healthy debates” and long-term plans but rather “slick marketing techniques aimed at discrediting others”.
He notes that “we are growing ever more distant from one another” and that voices “raised in defence of the environment are silenced and ridiculed”.
Addressing digital culture, he criticises campaigns of “hatred and destruction” and says technology is removing people from reality. Fraternity depends on “authentic encounters”.
He writes: “Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travellers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.”
The Right Reverend Richard Moth, the bishop of Arundel and Brighton, said the encyclical was very consistent with previous teachings and messages, but had particular relevance now. “He is saying there are very clear risks to not learning the lessons of history,” he said.
Christine Allen, the director of the Catholic aid agency Cafod, said Pope Francis was “unflinching in his message”.
“Politics is failing the poor, and it is shameful that some political decisions that are made affect the poorest, plunging them further into poverty, suffering and despair,” she said, adding: “This is a message not just to Catholics, or people of other faiths, it is to everyone. It is a powerful voice amid the pandemic, growing inequality, conflict and racial unrest. Pope Francis’s message is clear: we cannot just switch on the reset button and go back to ‘normal’.”
The pope says his inspiration for the encyclical came from St Francis of Assisi and non-Catholics such as Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu and Mahatma Gandhi. Fratelli Tutti, he says, develops some of the themes of the Document on Human Fraternity that he signed with the grand imam of al-Azhar University, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, in Abu Dhabi last year.’
*This article by Harriet Sherwood was first published in The Guardian on 4 October 2020
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