A tribute to Nezar Ali Sayadzada
(1966-20017)
It is with great sadness that I inform you all that my cousin Nezar Ali Sayadzada, son of Shay Morid Sayadzada and Lal Hatoon Hossainbor passed away prematurely soon after a heart surgery on 9 May 2017 at the age of 51 in his birthplace, the city of Gosht, Balochistn, Iran. He was a very warm, nice, quiet and honest person. He never tolerated injustice, despite the fact that he was a very shy and a nonconfrontational person. His late father and my father (who is still alive) were full blood brothers. My mother (also still alive) and his late mother were full blood sisters as well so we always felt like siblings. I spent the first 18 years of my life with him. Before going to school at the age of 6 we spent nearly all our days and nights together. He taught me how to ride a pushbike, later he taught me how to ride a motorbike. They both belonged to him. When we went to school in Gosht we always walked there and back together every day for 4 years. He was one grade ahead of me. We spent three years in Sarawan (Shastun) at the same middle school. He loved cooking and spicy food and Indian movies. We spent four years in Zahedan together studying at the same high school. We rented and shared a room. We also took pictures in the streets of Zahedan using a Polaroid camera to make a bit of money as our families could not fully afford to pay for our education. After finishing high school we went together to Pakistan, Afghanistan and then to the Soviet Union to study. Nazar Ali graduated from the Textile Institute in Ivanovo, Russia. He had good command of Russian. I remember how skillfully he used words and phrases. Sometimes I “stole” some of those words and phrases. We went to Europe (Belgium) together and after we returned to Russia he worked for a company headed by a Baloch friend of his for a few years. Finally, in 1997 he returned to his hometown Gosht.Last year he married his second wife; his first wife Malekatoon passed away a few years earlier. He is survived by his second wife Halima,and two children from his first wife Malehatoon; Marjan (girl, 12 years old) and Matin (boy, 7 years old). Some kind people and relatives, especially those who knew what a modest and decent human being he was, tried to help him. However, they were worried about the fact that he studied in the Soviet Union and that this might cause problems for him, although he was never interested in politics and had no political activities of any kind. He was very interested in astronomy – space and galaxies, and he read about them extensively whatever he could find. He actively followed new discoveries in this area. Also, he was interested in world events, mostly of a cultural nature. He read a lot in both Persian and Russian and listened to radio programs about the topics of his interests. Another act of kindness, showing his compassion for fellow human beings, was the fact that he gave lifts to strangers on his motorbike in Gosht and Sarawan. Unfortunately, despite the fact that Nazar tried everything he could to get his qualifications recognised in Iran, he was not successful. To do this he travelled to Tehran a few times. Poverty forced him to find casual/informal translation work, such as translating a small book from Russian into Persian for someone in Mashad. He travelled to Bushehr to find a job as a translator/interpreter but he personally complained to me that people were not interested in his expertise. Out of desperation that his qualifications were not recognised, and living in extreme poverty he tried to make a living by selling fruits in the streets of Sarawan. Instead of showing understanding and compassion, people made fun of him giving him the nickname “the foreign-educated engineer/translator potato seller”. He went into a deep depression. Later he opened a small shop but with the little money he had, he could not provide basic needs for his family. We do not value our decent human beings, we do not use their knowledge and expertise to make life better for everyone. After they pass away all we do is to regret. Let’s imagine how much Nazar could have contributed to the society as a highly qualified textile engineer and translator had we supported him? He was an excellent, hardworking student and spent 6 years at university to become a textile engineer. He graduated in 1992. During his student years, he was well known as a kind person who readily helped his fellow students when they needed him with their studies or otherwise. I do not remember a single time when someone complained about him or said something negative about him. He was deeply respected by everyone who knew him. He always made me laugh. He had a great sense of humour – I couldn’t live a day without his jokes. He spoke Balochi, Persian, Russian and Urdu and could do accents with all his languages. Being a linguist myself I admired him for that and sometimes paid him “bribes” so that he would speak different accents in different languages. He did this with in a particular artistic manner. I loved that. Thank you Nezar Ali-jan! His sweet memories are a real inspiration for me, and to all those who knew him to move on in life and honour his memory. You will always be in our hearts and never forgotten.
Amin Goshti ( امین گشتی ( سیدزاده
