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I lived under Mossadeq. Dr Muhammad Mossadeq (1881-1967) was a
European-educated aristocrat who had studied law in Switzerland. Since 1921
he had served as minister of justice, finance and foreign affairs, as well
as governor of Fars and Azerbaijan. He was famous for his opposition to Reza
Shah's dictatorship and for his liberal views, and was trusted by the public
for his independent nationalism. I first heard of him in 1951 and was very
much impressed by his nationalisation of Iranian oil and his idea (which I
heard on the radio) that "the Shah must reign not rule".
After leaving Elmieh School I worked for six months, between July and
December, in a chemist shop in Armanistan (the Armenian district of Tabriz).
I was by then about 13 or 14 years old. I remember it was one of the coldest
winters that I had ever experienced. Sometimes it was 10-20 degrees below
zero and the roads were cracked and covered by ice and snow. Mr Saadati, the
owner of the shop, used to send me to the drug wholesale bazaar or to other
chemist shops to collect the drugs which were required for his customers.
Inside my woollen gloves and socks my hands and feet would freeze and remain
numb for several hours. But I did not complain to Mr Saadati or the young
man who prepared the prescriptions because I did not want them to think of
me as a child; I wished to be regarded as an adult or a serious person who
wanted to learn.
My purpose in working in the chemist shop was to learn the names of the
drugs and which drug was suitable for particular diseases. I thought that it
would be a good idea to write the names of the drugs and diseases in a
little notebook and after a while, when I had learned a sufficient number,
then I could open my own clinic and serve the very poorest people.
The young man who worked in the chemist shop did not like to see me taking
notes and sometimes seemed rather nervous and anxious in case I learned his
job and took his place. He himself had learned this.
DrMuhammadMossadeq, 1951.
Profession through an apprenticeship, which he had begun at the age that
I was at the time. In order to avoid upsetting him I started to take my
notes during his absence. Most of the drugs had French names and so I
decided to attend private evening classes and learn French.
Mr Asmai was my French teacher. He held his classes next to his house. There
were few students in the class and Mr Asmai was a good teacher. He was a
rather amusing old man who spent a good deal of time talking about his son,
who was studying medicine at Tabriz University. He told us that his son was
top in everything and how polite and obliging a son he was. This made my
fellow students rather envious and they wished to be so popular with their
parents. In later years I had a friend called Dr Chaichi who used to live in
Amir Khiz (lzzat's district) and was a fellow student of my French teacher's
son. Once, as a matter of interest, I asked him about Dr Asmai and how good
a student he was. Dr Chaichi laughed and said nothing. Later on I insisted
on knowing the reason for his laughter when I had mentioned Dr Asmai. He
told me that he had been well known in the university as a fanatical
supporter of the Shah and a close friend of Haji Abulqasim Javan, the owner
of the largest carpet factory in Tabriz and again a sworn supporter of the
Shah and enemy of Pishavari and Mossadeq.
I had met this man through my father. In fact he respected my father because
he was the most skilled person in his profession and they had known each
other since childhood. I once asked my father how Mr Javan had acquired such
a big factory. My father answered, "I have known Mr Javan and his older
brother Ahmad since I was a child. When I had my small carpet factory Ahmad
used to sell potatoes at Gajil Gapisi (the South Gate in Tabriz) and his
brother Abulqasim was with him. Later on my friends and I helped Ahmad to
start making carpets. Ahmad worked hard and started the factory but
Abulqasim took over. Ahmad is a better person than his brother."
I sensed that my father disliked Abulqasim, not because he supported the
Shah but because he was arrogant both towards the public and his workers.
Once I heard that he had beaten a worker to death and evaCled justice by
bribing the police. The owner of the chemist shop had a brother called Mr
Karim, a pleasantlooking, tall man with sharp green eyes, who had a shop
opposite my father's office. Mr Karim and his father melted down brass
scraps which they then cast into objects such as water taps, |