 One in a million
What you, Sousan, meant to us
By Nazaneen Ashrafi and Nahal Rose Lalefar
May 18, 2004
iranian.com
Sousan, you were, are, and always will be one in a million. With
an
effortless hand, you reached across generations and touched so
many of us.
Our grandmothers respected you, our mothers loved you and sang
to your
poetic words, and we adored you because you embraced the Iranian
spirit.
I, Nahal Rose, saw you perform for the first and only time in
a private
concert for a small gathering of people in December of 2002.
A small,
delicate woman you were, dressed in shimmering black, with a
small napkin in
your hand and a lovely smile on your face. You gently tapped
the microphone
with three fingers from your right hand in your true trademark
fashion and
you delighted us with your quick wit. Most importantly, you got
us to all
get up and dance. One man even got up to serenade you because
he adored you
so much.
Having never met you prior to that evening, I could
not help but
feel a sense of warmth towards you, the same warmth that
I felt towards my
beloved grandmother. I could not explain it, but I suddenly
felt like I had
known you all my life. That was one of the most unforgettable
evenings of my
life.
I, Nazaneen, grew up listening to your ever so famous song, "Dooset
Daaram",
playing out of our stereo or listening to my mom sing your songs
at family
gatherings. Although I am 23 and have lived outside of Iran for
the past 20
years, your love for our Iran was a common emotion that we both
shared. Why
is that we Iranians only remember, recognize and admire an individual
after
he or she has left us? As my mother best puts it, we are "mordeh
parast."
Very sad, but at times, undeniably true. Here was a woman who
I truly
believe was one of our most talented artists and a great humanitarian,
but
still didn't get the recognition that she so deserved. You never
forgot
where you came from nor did you forget about our people and the
struggles
that they encounter day by day. It is one thing to notice, but
another thing
to do something about the situation. This is what I believe set
you apart
from so many of the other Iranian artists out there. You didn't
just talk
about the struggles that our people endured, you did your best
to help out
as much as you could.
Now, you are gone. And the way in which you
left us, breaks our hearts. You
deserved better than what we, the Iranian people, your fellow
singers, and
particularly the Iranian media, gave you. For someone who had
so unselfishly
given the clothes off her back to others in need, and who had
remained so
humble and gracious, you should have been surrounded by the friends
and fans
that knew what great things you had to offer.
The media's tributes
were, in
most part, pathetic and lame. The offers of support given by
the few Iranian
singers were insincere and too little too late. They all pale
in comparison
to you, Sousan. All of their "I miss Iran so much, I die for
Iran, hope to
sing for you in Iran one day" speeches will never match your
true love for
our homeland. Your emotions were real and you expressed them with
such
dignity and grace. You did not follow the crowd. You were an independent
woman who, knowing only 3 words in English, came and went as she
pleased.
We love who you were, what you represented and most importantly
you, Sousan,
and we will make sure that you will never be forgotten. You will
never be
alone again. May is Mamnoon
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One in a million