Sunday, May 14, 2006

The Amazing 8 Year Old Ariana

I was at an Iranian party with some friends last week. Amongst the guests were an Afghan family, with amazing passion and knowledge for the mother country, Iran. Most impressive was their 8 year old daughter, Ariana. There was something about this 8 year old which simply grabbed one's attention. She had all the usual mischief of an 8 year old that you would expect, yet there was an air of mental alertness, maturity and vast knowledge about her as well.
The 8 year old Ariana recited beautifully verses from the Book of Kings, our Iranian national book of epics, delighting every one with her eloquence and passion about Iran, but most amazing was the way she shined in a discussion that took place in the party. Two Kurdish cameramen were hired to film the party. One was from Iranian Kurdistan and the other from the Iraqi Kurdistan. The two Kurdish cameramen, seemed to have some aspirations for an independent Kurdistan.
"We want to have our own Kurdistan run by Kurds, and separate from Iran", one of them uttered. Before I or any one else tried to explain the futility of such nonsense, the 8 year old Ariana answered him "Well, we Afghans separated from Iran, many years ago. Look where we are now. Are we any better?"

The Kurdish pair shaken by the 8 year old's question, instead of answering it tried to confuse her with some historical mambo jumbo, "We had established our own repulic of Kurdistan, but the Persian chauvinist, Reza Shah, killed those who had set up this state."
Again Ariana, showing her amazing knowledge of Iranian history and culture answered:
"But Reza Shah was not Persian, he was half Mazandarani and half Azeri, and besides would not the most democratic ruler act as decisively as Reza Shah against an armed uprising that aspired to take away a part of Iran?"

Again instead of answering the question, the two tried to move on and said "The Persians have imposed their own rule on the rest of us." To which Arianna asked the simple question "How many years in the last 1400 years has Iran been ruled by the Persians?"

And again the two separatists didn't know how to answer the little 8 year old. Watching the little Ariana defend the integrity of Iran against the two brain washed individuals was such a joyful experience and it once again reminded me, as the late Dr. Bakhtiar used say, Iran Will Never Die.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Out of the mouths of babes......


An exceptional child

Aryamehr said...

WOW! God bless her. Thanks for sharing Azarmehr-jaan!

Winston said...

WoW.... This is really surprising