Night of Poetry and Martyrdom; In Memory of ‘Rakhsha’ and ‘Bandi Sirjani’

According to the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) in Kerman, the commemoration ceremony for the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom of Martyrs Saffari and Arsalan was held on the evening of December 11th, on the anniversary of the mystical ascent of these two eternal companions, at the Kerman Culture and Art Hall. The event was held to honor the memory of the first martyred poets of the Sacred Defense, with a message from the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

Hossein Ishaqi, Director General of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Kerman Province, read the message of Seyyed Abbas Salehi, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom of these commanders of poetry and literature. He then explained the process of organizing the ceremony and the formation of the Kerman Province Cultural and Art Veterans Association.

The Governor of Kerman, the Deputy Director of Management Development and Resources of the Governor’s Office, the former Director General of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Kerman Province in the 1980s, the Director General of Public Libraries of Kerman Province, the Director General of the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults of Kerman Province, the respected families of Martyrs Saffari and Arsalan, and a group of managers, national and provincial poets attended the ceremony.

Hossein Arsalan and Mashallah Saffari are among the country’s first martyred poets whose memory is honored every year. This year, due to the 40th anniversary of their martyrdom, a special ceremony was prepared in Kerman by the efforts of the veterans of culture and art of Kerman Province, who were with the two martyrs when they were deployed to the front, in collaboration with the General Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Kerman Province.

The martyred teacher and poet, “Hossein Arsalan,” nicknamed “Rakhsha,” was born in Yazd in 1945. He moved to Rafsanjan for work in the Ministry of Education, and his services in this region are unforgettable.

Martyr “Mashallah Saffari,” nicknamed “Bandi Sirjani,” was born in Sirjan County in January 1947. In addition to his talent for poetry and improvisation, he was also a wrestler. In December 1985, a cultural group from the General Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Kerman Province, consisting of artists and poets from the province, was sent to visit the war zones. Martyrs Arsalan and Saffari were in this group and were together at all times.

Their one-week presence at the front encouraged them to stay longer. The group returned to Kerman after one week, but these two martyrs stayed with the goal of continuing poetry sessions for the combatants. As the narrators said at the ceremony, they yearned for martyrdom and finally, together, they were martyred on December 11, 1985, in the Hawr al-Azim area during an aerial bombardment by Iraqi Ba’athist forces.

Naser Musapour, one of the veterans of the General Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Kerman Province who was present in that caravan and tried to organize this ceremony along with Mohammad Heshmati and other veterans, said: “In 1984 and 1985, cultural and artistic centers of the counties had not yet been established, and except for Rafsanjan and Kerman cities, we did not have a poetry association. Therefore, Martyr Bandi traveled from Sirjan to Rafsanjan or Kerman to attend poetry sessions.”

He added: “Martyr Bandi was a talented poet and humorist who improvised poetry. He also had a gentle and humorous spirit.”

Hamid Niknafs, a poet, writer, and humorist, also pointed to his history of acquaintance with Martyr Saffari since 1982 in a recorded film, saying that all poetry associations in Kerman Province wanted Martyr Saffari to be their guest because he was a very powerful improvisational poet and a member of the association.

He added: “The martyrs became lasting and eternal, and they taught us how to live.”

These two poets were light and joined the light

Seyyed Ali Mirfazli, a poet from Kerman Province and the scientific secretary of the 20th International Fajr Poetry Festival, was the next guest who came to the stage and spoke about Martyr Arsalan, who had an influential role in nurturing the new generation of committed poets in Kerman.

He added: “These two poets had a strange bond; they were light and joined the light. Martyr Bandi Sirjani participated in weekly sessions in Rafsanjan out of passion for poetry.”

In this ceremony, Hossein Nili Ahmadabadi, Director General of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Kerman Province (during the years 1980-1989), also shared memories from that era and stated: “During the Sacred Defense, a group of 30 people, including eight poets, a number of theater activists, calligraphers, designers, and filmmakers, under the title of ‘Poetry and Literature and Art Caravan,’ were sent to the operational areas by the General Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Kerman Province.”

He added: “After the establishment of the Poetry and Literature and Art Caravan in Ahvaz and the headquarters of Division 41 Sarallah, Martyr Saffari invited the rest of the poets and held a poetry night and poetry reading ceremony with the presence of many combatants, and Haj Qasem humbly left the scene.”

The former Director General of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Kerman Province, recalling Sardar Soleimani’s words that “you must be a martyr to become a martyr,” said: “Haj Qasem did not want to be prominent or to be praised, but he accompanied the poets in the individual bunker and on the front line.”

He continued by recounting a memory of Martyr Saffari in Talaieh under heavy bombardment, saying: “Those days, the presence of artists on the fronts gave new morale to the combatants. Poetry, theater, and art, alongside faith, gave the bunkers the scent of humanity and faith.”

Mohammad Heshmati, a member of the Kerman Province Cultural and Art Veterans Association, also said: “I had the honor of being with friends from the beginning of the journey of the Karbala Pilgrimage Caravan from the General Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance until the last moment.”

He added: “I took some of the pictures shown at the front. These two martyrs had strong spirits and deep beliefs that influenced others.”

According to IBNA, the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom of Martyrs Saffari and Arsalan continued with honoring the respected families of these two martyrs, where the son of Martyr Saffari and the daughter of Martyr Arsalan were honored in the presence of the Governor of Kerman and a group of officials.

Poetry readings by “Hossein Esrafilil” and “Mostafa Mohaddethi Khorasani,” national poets, along with poetry readings by Seyyed Ali Mirfazli and Ali Heidari Zadeh, poets of Kerman Province, were among the other programs of this ceremony.

Also, Mohammad Heshmati, Hossein Nili, and Gholam Hossein Kushan narrated stories about the dispatch of the culture and art caravan from Kerman, arrival in Ahvaz, participation in the poetry night at the Mahdiyah of Division 41 Sarallah, departure to Hawr al-Azim area, and finally the martyrdom of the two poets.

This section of memories is a lesser-told corner of the role of artists and poets from Kerman during the Sacred Defense and their accompaniment with great commanders like Martyr Sardar Haj Qasem Soleimani; a lasting memory from the era of faith, sacrifice, and literature that, according to the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance in his message, connects hearts and generations.