Tehran U revisited

At the gates of University of Tehran


Finally I made it to university of Tehran after almost 3 decades of living in exile, self imposed maybe,but if you ask most people who left after "success" of February insurrection I don't know of one who'd tell you he or she was exiled by the government. we escaped one way or another thru horrific situation after June 20 1982 coup. leaving behind all belongings and loved ones to save our lives.We lost most of our comrades on a that dark day of June 20th of 1982 the day of infamous coup which toppled the last remnants of democratic and nationalist elements from the government.If captured you were imprisoned tortured and in many instances you'd be summarily shot, Which was the faith so many of our comrades.
University of Tehran after February insurrection had become hub nub of intellectual life. Imagine after 25 years of Shah, U.S sponsored dictatorship we were tasting freedom it was called spring of freedom and for first few months it really felt as if we had won, we had overthrown one of the most horrible dictatorships in middle east. The mere fact that books we never imagined being able to read without getting in trouble with security forces of Shah's infamous SAVAK, were now being sold by street vendors and revolutionary groups in the open, on the side walks was too young to really grasp the depth what just had happened but for folks like my dad who had experienced imprisonment, torture and degradation after 1953 CIA coup de ta all this was quite an achievement. We were too young and impatient with the process we thought everything is possible, youthful revolutionary optimism pushed us to demand all possible changes from women rights to workers demands for better working condition why stop there socialism now!
We were not aware how conditions were changing and how most of our expectations were turning in the direction far worse than what we could imagine.
As I get closer to university gates old memories conjure up. It feels like total take over nothing familiar only people moving, hustling to attain basic necessities of their existence at cheaper prices. Stores are filled with Chinese and Turkish junk at unbelievably high prices.
Wrong place to find solitude to reminisce those few months of happiness we all experienced. Here I feel hatred, melancholy, nostalgic of people and things that are far beyond my reach.