Political activities of railway workers in Arak
Translated by M. B. Khoshnevisan
2023-6-15
I started taking the leaflets, and their distribution and reproduction in Dey of 1356 (December 1977) when an insulting article was written about the Imam. When I [Mohammed Javad Gerami] and other railway workers were at work and commuting to Qom by train, we took the leaflets from the offices of Mr. Pasandideh, the brother of Imam Khomeini, Ayatollah Golpayegani and Ayatollah Shariatmadari, brought them to Arak, and then reproduced and distributed them. I got most of the leaflets from railway employees like Mr. Eshraqi and Mr. Hussain Badi. When I arrived in Qom by train, I told them, "What's up?"
Then, they brought the leaflets quickly, giving to me
The railway workers were active and delivered the leaflets all over Iran. They were good trustees. The leaflets that were given to the locomotive drivers and the heads of the train were distributed by them without anyone knowing. My colleagues in Arak Railway who participated in these activities with me were few in number, including Mr. Ashtian, Mr. Pourmajid and Haj Moslehi. Mr. Pourmajid was an old man who was very active. I also took the leaflets to my home. My brothers and sisters took the leaflets with them and distributed them in the neighborhoods, schools, mosques and other places.
They were less suspicious of us for distributing leaflets because our work did not have a specific hour, we had to get ready and move immediately until the summons officer came to us, that is, we were always on the move. This had become routine for the guards. When we showed our ID card, they had nothing to do with us anymore. Since the railway employees were mostly dealing with trains, there were few office employees, so there was no strike in the railways. On the other hand, the director of the railway was one of the owners of Sarband, a member of the Rastakhiz Party and a very good man. He was against the strikes and was not willing to shut it down.
Source: Islamic Revolution in Arak as narrated by people, V. 3, interview and compilation by Maryam Hajizadeh and Sareh Mashadi Miqani, Andisheh Sadeq, pp. 124- 125.
Number of Visits: 2531
The latest
- 100 Questions/28
- The 373rd Night of Memories – Part 6
- Memories of Farshid Eskandari
- Authenticating Oral History: From Possibility to Necessity
- Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 28
- An Interview with Members of an Iraqi Mawkib Present at the Gatherings in Tehran
- Memoirs of Manizheh Lashkari
- The 373rd Night of Memories – Part 5
Most visited
- The 373rd Night of Memories – Part 5
- An Interview with Members of an Iraqi Mawkib Present at the Gatherings in Tehran
- 100 Questions/27
- Memoirs of Manizheh Lashkari
- Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 27
- Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 28
- The 373rd Night of Memories – Part 6
- Memories of Farshid Eskandari
The Editor's Missing Place on the “Deck”
The book From Deck to Heaven offers a relatively fresh approach to examining the role of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Navy (AJA) during the eight years of the Sacred Defense, published under the “Oral History of the Islamic Revolution” series. To compile this book, the esteemed author has utilized documentary research (referring to relevant archival centers and selecting documents) and field research ...An Exceptional Haft‑Seen Table
I wanted to celebrate the new year with my family. Together with two relief workers I boarded buses designated for transporting the wounded to Choubideh and received our mission orders. We waited for a helicopter to take us to Bandar Imam Khomeini. I was stationed near the helicopter’s touchdown zone and was slight in build. As the helicopter was about to land, I could not steady myself; the breeze generated by the rotor blades lifted me off the ground.Spring under the shadow of war
Composing the Spring special for the new year in the past years was mostly along with hope, nature’s rebirth and the promise of renewal of life. Spring has always been a reminder for returning of life and peace after the Winters’ cold. This year though, another atmosphere has settled over our land in the last days of Esfand (March).Excerpt from the Memoirs of Mohammad-Hadi Ardebilli
I registered for Konkour (university entrance exam), following the conclusion of high school. I was accepted into Tehran’s polytechnic (Amirkabir) university and began to study chemical and petrochemical engineering. There was a building named Jordan in the faculty in which religious students had prepared a small room as a house of prayer and did the noon and afternoon prayers in there.
