Melody in Strife

Iranian musician Sasan Bazmir distinctly remembers the Gulf War of 1990-91. The national crisismade his father detest music so much that Sasan had to play it clandestinely for four years. “He asked me to leave the house if I wanted to pursue music,as the situation back then was horrifying,” recalls Bazmir,who is set to perform at the Namdev Auditorium,University of Pune,on September 27. “Persuading my father was a tough task,” he adds.

Bazmir reminisces fondly about his “thrilling experiences” during the national upheaval. “Music came to me as a morsel of food does to the hungry. A little stealthy practise made me happy. The situation was such that bombing was carried out almost everywhere and music of any kind was forbidden. My mother was always on her toes. I wish I could play more back then,probably silently. People looked down upon me as they thought I was all joyful during times of pain. But when my father realised that I play the setar,which is a traditional Iranian instrument,he regretted for not having supported me,” he recalls. Since then,the musician has never looked back. He trained under the guidance of Daryoush Pirniakan,one of Iran’s most famous musicians. He picked up the traditional instrument,which is similar to the Indian sitar and is made of walnut wood. Apart from composing music for two documentaries,Bazmir has worked for five Iranian movies,including,Dance With the Moon and Run From The Zoo. He is ready with his seventh album,which is due for release at the hands of sitarist maestro Ustad Usman Khan. The musician is tying up with sitarist Vidur Mahajan and Ustad Usman Khan for future performances.

Bazmir not only plays with notes but also pens down poems. A doctorate student of English at the University of Pune,Bazmir already has two publications in his kitty titled,Gambler and Wooden Guard,both anthologies of poems. “Creativity is common in all forms of art,be it painting,music,dance or poetry. For me poetry is language-specific,while music has a wider and a more universal approach. It has no language.”