Berkeley Days

Iranian graduates at University of California, Berkeley 1962-1970

They are mostly Alborz High School graduates. Mehrdad Etamad has compiled the collection.

Part 1:





Part 2:

20-Apr-2009
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Assumptions, assumptions,

by Mr. who (not verified) on

Assumptions, assumptions, and more assumptions...


Farah Rusta

جناب یساری

Farah Rusta


 

نه هر که چهره برافروخت دلبری داند       نه هر که آینه سازد سکندری داند نه هر که طرف کله کج نهاد و تند نشست       کلاه داری و آیین سروری داند تو بندگی چو گدایان به شرط مزد مکن       که دوست خود روش بنده پروری داند غلام همت آن رند عافیت سوزم       ه در گداصفتی کیمیاگری داند وفا و عهد نکو باشد ار بیاموزی       وگرنه هر که تو بینی ستمگری داند بباختم دل دیوانه و ندانستم       که آدمی بچه‌ای شیوه پری داند هزار نکته باریکتر ز مو این جاست       نه هر که سر بتراشد قلندری داند مدار نقطه بینش ز خال توست مرا       که قدر گوهر یک دانه جوهری داند به قد و چهره هر آن کس که شاه خوبان شد       جهان بگیرد اگر دادگستری داند ز شعر دلکش حافظ کسی بود آگاه       که لطف طبع و سخن گفتن دری داند

 

FR


Farah Rusta

جناب یساری

Farah Rusta


       

   

 

FR


Javad Yassari

Good idea!

by Javad Yassari on

ای بی خبر بکوش که صاحب خبر شوی
تا راهرو نباشی کی راهبر شوی
در مکتب حقایق پیش ادیب عشق
هان ای پسر بکوش که روزی پدر شوی
دست از مس وجود چو مردان ره بشوی
تا کیمیای عشق بیابی و زر شوی
خواب و خورت ز مرتبه ی خویش دور کرد
آنگه رسی بخویش که بی خواب و خور شوی
گر نور عشق حق به دل و جانت اوفتد
بالله کز آفتاب فلک خوبتر شوی
یکدم غریق بحر خدا شو گمان مبر
کز آب هفت بحر بیک موی تر شوی
از پای تا سرت همه نور خدا شود
در راه ذوالجلال چو بی پا و سر شوی
وجه خدا اگر شودت منظر نظر
زین پس شکی نماند که صاحب نظر شوی
بنیاد هستی تو زیر و زبر شود
در دل مدار هیچ که زیر و زبر شوی
گر در سرت هوای وصالست حافظا
باید که خاک درگه اهل هنر شوی


Farah Rusta

Mr Yassari, stick to poetry not politics

by Farah Rusta on

We all enjoyed your poetical contributions but let's keep it that way. 

 

FR


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To SFS: Their fight was with the Shah, not for Democracy

by My two cents (not verified) on

"Interestingly, we don't see their rallies against the lack of democracy in Iran, after the revolution. Is it because they believe the IRI has provided democracy for the Iranians? ..."

No dear, they simply don't care!

As far as I know, most of them fled Iran after they helped pave the way for the revolution and establishment of the Islamic theocracy.

They are far from their "confederation" days so to speak as they have completely settled down in their adopted countries, completely forgotten about Iran and their children being mostly born in the U.S. and Europe, hardly speak any Farsi or even know where Iran is.

It is as if they were only fighting the person of the Shah back then (maybe they did not like his nose!) and as if their mission was fully accomplished after they had helped establish the Islamic Republic dictatorship in Iran!!! Strangley enough, a lot of these fiery revolutionaries and the so called cream of the crop of the Iranian society, did not even have the "balls" to stay in Iran and enjoy the "fruits" of all those years of labor!


Darius Kadivar

Amazing Footage !

by Darius Kadivar on

Wonderful piece of History ! Thanks for Sharing ...

You should add this to your footage: Dinah Shore singing Persian in the 60's

 


Jahanshah Javid

Memories

by Jahanshah Javid on

Bless Mehrdad Etemad for putting these wonderful clips together. They preserve an important chapter of the Iranian-American story.


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Beautiful!

by Anonymous1 (not verified) on

I love these. I'm young but wish I was there back then. Our intelligent Iranians attending UC Berkeley and likely all of them excelled. Sounds like some shysters watching these are either jeolous or just blame everything on our Iranians that spent a lot of time in the US long before the revolution. These look like beautiful memories.

I just wish we had more of our Iranians united in the US as portrayed in these clips. We are the most educated and successful minority group in the US, but also the most dispersed and self haters. I wish we could all begin to recognize what we have in common, rather than how we differ. And what we have in common is the most important thing (more important than religion) ... we share a nationality/ethnicity. For this reason alone, we should be more united. I'll keep hoping.


Javad Yassari

Amazing comments!

by Javad Yassari on

How could you tell all that by watching these video clips?!!

From the video title, it's obvious the group in these videos were done with their education in the US between 1968 and 1970, 9 to 11 years before the revolution!  How do you know they all stayed in Berkeley and joined the Confederation of Iranian Students?!!  If they were students in 1962, they would have been pretty retarded to still be students in the late 1970's!  In fact those days very few students stayed in the US and in a university town after receiving their degrees, as a very promising career was waiting for each of them in Iran.  But we don't know any of that from just watching these home movies!

I think it was an interesting and nostalgic clip of a group of bright people, no matter what happened to them and to the rest of us.  That's what "nostalgia" means!


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Shame on you

by AbolhassanKhan (not verified) on

If you helped topple the Shah,and bring on the revolution, fine. But have at least the dignity to stand by your revolution. You have no business being abroad.
Go back and live in the place and system you helped to create.

I was living my life, and it wasn't that bad. I didn't play a role in that stupid revolution, and never wanted any part of it, but I am paying the price for it.

Bastards!


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Touching, but

by Reeseh (not verified) on

Very nostalgic and touching, but, good point, Farah. I do remember back in the 70's, Berkley was a major hub for Confederation Namak Nashnass ha, some of whom likely included the likes of these dudes.


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I agree with Farah Rusta

by SFS (not verified) on

I was at Berkeley during some of those years. I also visited UCB and other universities in London and Paris, for scientific meetings, before the revolution. Most of those students who were financed by the Pahlavi Foundation, the Iranian National Oil Company, or other government agencies, were active against the Shah and lack of democracy in Iran. They would feed the foreign media, by their actions and demonstrations against the Pahlavi.

After the revolution, majority of them stayed in foreign countries. And of those who went back to Iran, most returned, but a few were jailed or executed by the IRI. Interestingly, we don't see their rallies against the lack of democracy in Iran, after the revolution. Is it because they believe the IRI has provided democracy for the Iranians, or they are safeguarding their short visits to Iran?


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FR is right!

by saba3 (not verified) on

Some combination of what she says applies to all of us, regardless of generation. And yet... we didn't deserve what we got.

Thank you Ghormeh Sabzi and Mehrdad Etemad. I really appreciate this.


Farah Rusta

A bitter harvest

by Farah Rusta on

They were mostly Alborz High School graduates and they were mostly funded by the Pahlavi Foundation and they were mostly in the Confederation of Iranian Students and they were mostly in the front line of the revolutionary rallies and they are mostly American citizens now, living in the US and visiting Iran for a brief visit when they get bored with the American way of life.  

FR