Jahanshah Javid
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Bragging about my bro
26-Jul-2008
My brother Jamshid Ghajar (we have the same mother, different fathers) called me last week. The phone rang, I didn't pick it up as is usually the case and his voice went on the answering machine: "Hey... Jan-Sha... It's Jamshid... Are you there?"
I picked up the phone as soon as I heard his name. I hadn't spoken to him for more than a year. My fault, basically. Not only do I refuse to call people (loving relatives and friends included) I actively avoid them. Part of the reason why I answered the phone was that I thought maybe he's become a father. As a handsome, successful neurosurgeon, he was one of the most eligible bachelors in New York. Then two years ago he finally got married at age 54 (he looks and acts 20 years younger :o)
"So are you a father now?"
He laughs. "No... not yet!"
Well, I guarantee you he's going to have a kid very soon. He and his lovely wife are very ready to raise a family.
I thought maybe Jamshid's in town to follow up on his brain research at UC Berkeley [see: The predictive brain state: timing deficiency in traumatic brain injury?]. No... he wanted to talk to me about an article in iranian.com that had stirred some trouble. I listened and agreed with most things he said, namely the problem with anonymous writers and those who use false names. But I said in the end, the authors identity is less important than what they have to say.
Before the call was over I asked Jamshid about any new projects he may be involved with. One is his Brain Trauma Foundation which has been hired by the US Defense Department to create a device that would evaluate a soldier's brain injuries in seconds. [See: Article in Wall Street Journal Health Blog].
While I was looking for a recent photo of Jamshid on google to make him "Iranian of the day", I found his 1996 interview on Charlie Rose along with the New Yorker author who did a feature on him [see: Life Saver]:
| Recently by Jahanshah Javid | Comments | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Hooman Samani: The Kissinger | 4 | Aug 31, 2012 |
| Eric Bakhtiari: San Francisco 49er | 6 | Aug 26, 2012 |
| You can help | 16 | Aug 23, 2012 |
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JJ, imrooz sobh ba baradaram
by kofri (not verified) on Wed Jul 30, 2008 04:22 AM PDTJJ, imrooz sobh ba baradaram keh az iran amadeh dareem bragging to ro mikhonim va bingo do zarim oftad keh jaryan Omid Hast chi hast!! man ham koli ba comment omid hast hal kardam!! mokh maro to yeki kar gerefti!!! akhavi miporseh in ketab ha tarjomeh shodan be farsi?
By the way ...
by just curious (not verified) on Tue Jul 29, 2008 11:39 AM PDT" ... he wanted to talk to me about an article in iranian.com that had stirred some trouble."
Which article was Dr Ghajar talking about? Or do we have to mind our own business :o) ?
My dear Critic
by Souri on Mon Jul 28, 2008 07:46 PM PDTYou are so kind to me that make in bandeyeh haghir kheili sharmandeh...!
I'm so intimidated that I regret why I had opened that mouth !!! although as you know me, intimidation does not work with me so often..
Regarding your "little discussion"...
My belief is, nothing but the physical aspect of a person, is inherited. Although there's two different school among the psychologist, but I take the one which says : Intelligence, sentiment, personality ...etc are not genetic.
Going back to the subject : "Blue brothers: yes absolutely :O)" but "Blue blood" : I don't agree...
Overall, all you said was very right and informative, and I agree with all
(me being a Princess...wow !! first time in my life) but, don't agree just with the end :
The words like "esaalat" and "nobility"...never sound good in my ear ! I know, I know...got an unresolved issue :D)
Nevertheless, I must say again, I like you and your writhing a much.
JJ, ba sepas. I didn't get
by kofri (not verified) on Mon Jul 28, 2008 03:30 PM PDTJJ, ba sepas. I didn't get the omid hast part!! Omid be inkeh keh yeki chizi begeh va to khandat begereh?!! Take care
Critic, man ham chon ehtebah
by kofri (not verified) on Mon Jul 28, 2008 03:26 PM PDTCritic, man ham chon ehtebah nakardi va "incomplete" bood neveshtam keh "eshteb" kardi!! My two cents Please do your best to be perfect!! mageh chi moon kamtar az in cheshm aabi hast?? tazeh man fekr kardam keh man zood kofram dar miyad!!! Cheers.
Something worth bragging about
by Anonymous-today (not verified) on Mon Jul 28, 2008 12:01 PM PDTJJ's grandfather had 17 kids with two wives, had about half dozen careers and lived to be 99-years-old. Now that's somthing to brag about. How'd you like to compare yourself against that measuring stick, JJ?
Grannies
by Jahanshah Javid on Mon Jul 28, 2008 08:47 AM PDTHi Kofri, here are the books on my grandfather Abol Ghassem Bakhtiar and grandmother Helen Jeffreys.
***
Omid Hast, your comment made me laugh... damet garm :o)))
Nobility vs Aristocracy
by Critic (not verified) on Mon Jul 28, 2008 08:44 AM PDTIf all the Qajars were such beautiful souls like you and Dr Jamshid, who needed the Pahlavis :o)? (sorry Mr Kadivar, I am not trying to insult your favorite family!).
Using the Blue Brothers analogy was irresistibly amusing (you may remember the musical comedy called Blues Brothers from 1980 - I changed "Blues" to "Blue" and used it for JJ and Jamshid, just to be witty).
But in reality you are so right and so kind. I don't believe in the so called Blue Blood, which amounts to racism, and scientifically there is not such a concept. But allow me to open a little discussion here and invite commentators to comment.
I believe in Nobility. In Farsi we may call it "Essalat" or "Najeeb-zaadegi", though "essalat" has, in my opinion, a much wider meaning. In European cultures when they talk of nobility, they are invariably referring to blood line and family pedigree which is synonymous with Aristocracy. So for example, the late Princess Diana, though not a royal by blood line, was from the British Aristocracy (Nobility). In America, the nearest you may find to such a concept is in families like the Kennedys, the Rokefellers, the Gettys and now the Bushes! I am also sure that there are many Southern and New Englander families who have had a much longer established histories than the "celeb" families I namded above.
In our homeland of Iran, there has never been an aristocracy on par with the European traditions. Instead we have had our own style of aristocracy. Our aristocrats came from the tribal and land owning families like the Bakhtiaris and Qashqais and many large and small clans (or "eel" in Persian) as well as the local rulers or governors of the towns and provinces. To these you should add the families of the deposed kings and rulers as aristocrats. But unlike their European counterparts, our aristocrats did not a have an established and lasting tradition of having stately homes and castles, coats of arms, schooling their sons and home-tutoring their daughters and many more traditions that have been preserved by the Europeans to this day.
Nobility, however, is a different matter. You can be a Noble person without being an aristocrat. It has all to do with richness of the heart and generosity of the spirit. Many an aristocrat who is mean spirited and poor at heart. But a Noble person is neither poor at heart nor mean in spirit. This, in our tongue is called "essalat."
I believe that JJ and Jamshid are both Noble,"asseel", people as they have manifestly shown it in their public and professional lives.
And as for you Souri Khanom, you are Noble lady as well as a Princess. As the poet says:
Critic, eshteB kardi!
by kofri (not verified) on Mon Jul 28, 2008 05:22 AM PDTCritic, eshteB kardi! hardoshon khon bakhtiyari daran! zendeh baad haft langha o char langha! ghajara ham layegh daran va ham moft khor bana bar in doresteh keh begim: az fazel pedar to ra cheh hasel va khodam sakhtam keh az taghseer pedar mar ro cheh maghsoor!! Best wishes to you both!
p.s. JJ I would love to read your bakhtiyari grand pa's book. so far can't find it on line please advise. Thanks.
WOW!
by Omid Hast on Sun Jul 27, 2008 06:03 PM PDTOne brother is fixing brains and the other one is messing with our brains :O)
Dear Critic
by Souri on Sun Jul 27, 2008 05:10 PM PDTI said I like your critical view. Please forgive me for criticizing your critic !!! The "Blue Blood" has no meaning nowadays, specially for a smart intellectual like you, as I know you are. This is lightly impregnate to a "racism" view...and I'm sure you are not.
Just a friendly remark...
And by all, I'm not offended at all. I am related to the Ghajaar me too (by blood) but I am neither proud nor ashamed of it. I just don't care...!
I am sure he is proud of you too.
by Tahirih on Sun Jul 27, 2008 08:30 AM PDTHe is such an accomplished man ,but what you are doing is as important to us Iranians and humanity ( cultivating tolerance ,building unity and helping oppressed) as what he is doing for his patients . One brother is healing ailing bodies and the other one helps with broken souls.
God bless,
Tahirih
Both of you
by Monda on Sun Jul 27, 2008 07:56 AM PDTdeserve bragging in your own ways! That says a lot about your mom.
Brag on JJ. He needs to be
by asdf (not verified) on Sun Jul 27, 2008 01:46 AM PDTBrag on JJ. He needs to be brag abou everyday. You're lucky to have a broter like him. It is a true blessing. You should keep in touch with him more often.
Blue Brothers
by Critic (not verified) on Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:48 PM PDTDear Jahanshah,
You and Jamshid give a new meaning to the expression, Blue Brothers.
You both come from blue blood; you from a Bakhtiari noble line and Jamshid from the Ghajar nobility :o)
But the geneaology apart, which I guess comes from your Mom, both of you are committed to do good for the society in which you live. Again in both cases your good wills have surpassed the boundaries of your own society and has reached far away places in the US and across the globe.
Congratulations on Dr Ghajar's latest achievement and power to both of you. You and your brother make Iranians proud of their origin.
Wow!!! I had no idea
by Mazloom on Sat Jul 26, 2008 09:17 PM PDTI have read about him and his accomplishment before, but in my wildest dreams I could not have imagined that you two might be related. He has invented several neurosurgical devices which are now used world-wide. I believe one of them is gadget that regulates the pressure inside the brain to reduce trauma to the brain. He is without a doubt "The Iranian of the Day". He makes me proud to be Iranian in this country.
*****
I am wondering, what article was it that had stirred some trouble in iranian.com that he wanted to talk about it to his brother? I don't think JJ wanted to mention it, otherwise he would have! I am just wondering what it was that got the attention of such a brilliant man.
jj jan
by bajenaghe naghi on Sat Jul 26, 2008 08:15 PM PDTmaryam and me are very impressed with you and your bro. we both think you guys have some great genes. and we also are sure that if you listen to his friends you will find out that he too brags about you. maryam says she thinks brothers should talk to each other more often than just one time in a year.
Dear Jahanshah
by Ghaem Magham (not verified) on Sat Jul 26, 2008 06:28 PM PDTSeveral years ago, I watched a 'Nova' program on your brother. It showed how his method of piercing a needle into the skull of head-injured people reduces the pressure on their brain, and possibly save their lives.
Several weeks ago, I received a poem by our friend Shae'r that I felt may be suitable for a good man like your brother. I sent Shae'r an e-mail, and asked him if I could feature it, and he didn't object to that at all.
If you feel that it is appropriate, please go ahead and publish it:
Rising From The "Abyss" - Natural "Healing"
by Shaer
15-June-2008
From The Heave, Reminiscing Of The Trials Past ..
In All Its "Glory", Never Repeated Again ..
Each Instant, Gushing With The Fervor Of "Creation" ..
Momentarily "Astonishing", For A While Amazing ..
As Normal Is, And As Normal Was, For Ever More ..
Normal Will Be, It Always Is, Never Forget That ..
Call Me My Friend, Your Voice Ever Refreshing, Unto My "Ears" ..
Never "Tiresome", Always "Inspiring", Full Of "Joy"..
No "Helter-Skelter", All Certainty Here, Imbued With Destiny ..
Come Here My Darling, All Effusively Expressed, Yet Still Waiting ..
I Am Amused, Yet Quite Concerned, With Anxiety ..
Can The Force Of Life, Diminish Our Very "Existence", One Never Knows ..
For Heaven's Sake, Listen My Darling, Follow My "Path" ..
You Won't Be Misled, Your Heart’s Telling You, Follow My "Path" ..
You Know My "Spirit", Yet You Are Surrounded, With "Doubt" And "Suspicion" ..
Cast All Of That Aside O' Sweet, Listen to Your "Heart", Follow My "Path" ..
As I Wonder, Yet Mesmerized, By Your "Indecision" And "Waiting" ..
Saddle Up Your Horse O' Sweet, Get Serious, Follow My "Path" ..
Youth And Immaturity, Like A Chain Around Your Neck, "Hindering" Your Ways ..
Break Them Down O' Sweet, Be Determined, Follow My "Path" ..
We Have One Life To Live, Yet Your "Indecision", Completely "Wasting" It ..
Looking Here And There, Not Knowing What To Do, Follow My "Path" ..
Your "Sweetness" In Me, And Mine In You, All Through And Through ..
Cherish These Moments, No Hesitation Needed, Follow My "Path" ..
Our Romance, Though Not "Consummated", Yet Waiting Anxiously In The Wing ..
Your "Indecision" And "Doubt", Hindering All Efforts, Follow My "Path" ..
I See Your "Spirit", You Can Feel My "Heart", Yet Your Wondering "Mind" ..
Has Put A Stop To Our Love, Shame On It, Follow My "Path" ..
Come My Sweet, You Know My Voice, Listen "Intently" ..
It Would Indeed Be A Shame, Your Not Responding, Follow My "Path" ..
I Kiss Your Hands, And Lick Your Lips, And Smell Your Hair ..
As We "Embrace", Tasting Our "Love", Follow My "Path" ..
Words Fall Short, In Describing, Our Passions As We "Embrace" ..
Yet Let Me Know Your Thoughts, Ponder Not Much Longer, Follow My "Path" ..
Be Of Good "Cheer", Hold These Words Close, Follow My "Instructions" ..
Follow Your "Instinct", Your Intuition "Paramount", Follow My "Path" ..
You Know Who You Are, I Am talking To You, Be Not So "Stubborn" ..
Embrace My Love O' Sweet, Respond To My "Passions", Follow My "Path" ..
I Am But A "Poet", Yet My Words Like A "Sword", Piercing Through Your Heart ..
Be Not So "Non-Chalant", Our Opportunity Missed, Follow My "Path" ..
Think On My Words, Listen To Your "Heart", Most Importantly Your "Spirit" ..
Telling You To "Respond", Casting Your Doubts Aside, Following My "Path" ..
I've Said, All Needed To Be Said, As A Man Should "Convey" ..
It's All Your Decision O' Sweet, Nothing I Can Do, Follow My "Path " ..
Love Is, And Love Was, And Love Will Always Be ..
Our Very "Bond" Together, Nothing Else O' Sweet , Follow My "Path" ..
Shae'r
Copyright ©2008 Shae'r
Great! now that you have a renowned Irani brain surgeon
by samsam1111 on Sat Jul 26, 2008 04:37 PM PDTbased in New York , UN should pass a resolution to have Ahmadinejad commited to Dr Ghajar on his next visit to UN to have his brain checked for trauma based dysfunction & helucination due to vibrations caused via earlier Ashura Ghameh zani on the head ...thx for the info..video doesn,t run properly.
Best wishes for Dr ghajar & family, & for Mr Javid to become an uncle soon!
JJ
by Kaveh Nouraee on Sat Jul 26, 2008 04:25 PM PDTYou have every right to brag about your brother.
The world needs more like him.
Brag, Agree, Brag Again!
by PedramMoallemian on Sat Jul 26, 2008 02:15 PM PDTObviously we are all greatly impressed by him and his accomplishments.
However, I couldn't let go at that without also pointing out that I agree with his point on accepted levels of privacy available to iranian.com contributors and readers.
My suggestion for protection of site owners from multiple issues involved and contributors that seem to be targetted often by what appears to be a limited but vocal group of readers, is to put a system in place where email addresses become required and can be verified (not a difficult script, available for free at multiple sources) before comments are accepted.
As for JJ being royalty, he lacks the olive skin that blue blood would have caused, so I believe him. :o)
Once again, congratulations to Jamshid Ghajar. And you can also brag about your brother JJ, as he has managed his own set of accomplishments, imho.
Pedram Moallemian, Los Angeles
BLUE BLOOD ? LOL ;0)
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Jul 26, 2008 01:42 PM PDTBravo for having such a brilliant family of surgeons, Journalists, writers, filmmakers.
And I thought you had no Royal Connections JJ ???
You will Always Astonish me !
;0)))
VIVE LES JAVID's
Prince
by Jahanshah Javid on Sat Jul 26, 2008 01:34 PM PDTYes Ben, Jamshid is a Ghajar through his father. I have no royal blood, only a name that beh royalty meegeh zekki!
Re:
by Ben Madadi on Sat Jul 26, 2008 01:10 PM PDTSo, you're some sort... of a prince too ;)
It's not bragging
by Niki Tehranchi on Sat Jul 26, 2008 01:03 PM PDTIt's well deserved admiration and respect, which I am sure we all felt when we read about this.
Damesh Garm!
by Khar on Sat Jul 26, 2008 12:48 PM PDTAnd more power to him. Perhaps you should invite him to blog or publish some of his work on your site to find out how the human brian works from a neurosurgeon point of view. God knows we all need it. :-)
very impressive
by IRANdokht on Sat Jul 26, 2008 12:47 PM PDTJJ jan
Thank you for introducing Dr Ghajar and his great accomplishments. Of course you should be bragging! Who wouldn't!!
What a great line of work and valuable research. With all the wars and violence in the world, it's nice to know there are beautiful people caring for the health and sanity of others.
IRANdokht
Your bro...
by ebi amirhosseini on Sat Jul 26, 2008 12:05 PM PDTis a priceless treasure .God bless him!.