Memoirs of Iranian songstress Pari Zanganeh published

“Beyond Darkness,” the memoirs written by the prominent Iranian vocalist Pari Zanganeh, was unveiled during a ceremony on Tuesday.
Known as Pari Zanganeh, Iranian opera singer Parirokh Shahyalani lost her sight in 1972 in a car accident and later on after her blindness, recorded her memories in the book.
The ceremony was held by Bokhara Literary Bimonthly at the magazine’s office on April 9. During the ceremony the editor-in-chief of the bimonthly Ali Dehbashi, referring to Zanganeh’s car accident in 1972 during which she lost her sight, said that she did not become despondent after the event.

She proved that being blind or having any other physical disability would not hamper a human being’s activities and his or her creativity, Dehbashi mentioned.

He mentioned Zanganeh’s world-wide achievements in traditional Persian music and also expressed appreciation for her achievements in the methodical restoration of Iran’s regional and folk songs.

“The most powerful personal motivation for writing my memoirs in this book following my blindness is to acquaint Iranians with the world of the blind and their problems,” Zanganeh mentioned during the event.

She went on to say that she has confronted many problems after that accident since she always wanted to prove that she is the same person as before the accident and she has not changed.

“I do not intend to say that the car accident and my blindness was a tragic event in my life. On the contrary, I want to say that I have been more hopeful than before and have actually enjoyed talking about it,” she said.

There are many active NGOs for blind people in Iran that hold several educational classes for them but unfortunately, the blind people’s rights are not protected with the urbanization of Iranian cities, she lamented.

Born in 1939 in Kermanshah, Zanganeh learned to sing from Samin Baghtcheban and she became a soprano singer. Afterwards, she traveled to Italy to continue her music education. Although she lost her sight in an accident in 1972, she completed her education in the field of operatic music.

She has performed pieces composed by many renowned musicians, including Morteza Hananeh, Faramarz Paivar, Fereydun Shahbazian and Majid Enetzami.