Əlirza Quluncu (Alirza Quluncu) - December 7, 2018
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| Dr. Shapur Ansari |
Shapur Ansari recounts the period of the Azerbaijan National Government [Part One]
Shapur Ansari, who briefly received education in Turkish during the period of the Azerbaijan National Government, which was established in December 1945, explains how this period influenced his personal development.
In a conversation with Voice of America, the well-known scholar and surgeon living in the United States shared memories of those days, which he considers a defining moment in his life.
"I was in part of second grade and part of third grade during the government of the Democratic Party. I was fortunate to experience that time. Not everyone gets that chance. Those days and experiences left an imprint on me,” Shapur Ansari says.
The renowned surgeon, who spent his childhood in Iran’s Azerbaijani city of Maragheh, recalls his early years as “proud and admired by everyone” but says he faced insults when he moved to Tehran for higher education:
“I was a very proud person. I was a top student. My family was proud of me. I never felt inferior. During the National Government period, I took great pleasure in our language…”
After the Iranian army attacked Azerbaijani cities in December 1946 and the national government was overthrown, the renowned surgeon recalls that “Turkish was banned, and students were forced to learn a foreign language.”
"They said this language is bad, bring your books and burn them. I am guilty too. I participated in burning the books. We brought our Turkish books and newspapers from home and burned them,” the southern scholar recalls.
He adds, “The Turkish language was banned, and we couldn't speak Turkish in class. They forced us to learn a foreign language. Farsi didn’t have the same essence. It felt artificial... like wearing someone else's clothes. At the time, I didn’t see it as an insult, but I wasn’t comfortable. My heart wanted to speak in Turkish... When I went to Tehran, I realized that wasn’t the end of it; they even looked down on me.”
Shapur Ansari describes the ridicule he faced in Tehran as a student because he couldn’t speak Farsi well:
“When I went to Tehran, I saw that they looked down on us. I would turn to the right, and they’d insult me; turn to the left, and they’d insult me. It got to the point where I became timid. I didn’t have the courage to open my mouth and say a word. I knew the answers [in class], but I was afraid they’d laugh as soon as I opened my mouth… They’d say ‘Torke’ and burst out laughing.”
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| Seyid Jafar Pishavari, the founder of the Azerbaijan National Government. |
The word "Torke," meaning "that Turk" or "a Turk" in Farsi, is an expression used in Tehran to mock Turks, in particular.
Shapur Ansari says, “I used to be the top student, and everyone would praise me, but I couldn’t endure this situation. I thought, ‘What’s wrong? What do I lack compared to them? They force me to speak their language, and I can’t. Why should this make me feel less?’”