Radio Abadan and the Sad Story of Khorramshahr

Compiled by: Islamic Revolution Website
Translated by: Fazel Shirazd

2022-6-7

The comrades from the Khorramshahr Revolutionary Guards were very brave people. When Khorramshahr was occupied by the enemy, they sometimes went beyond the sight of the enemy to gather information and reconnaissance, and reached the farthest alleys and occupied neighborhoods. The information thus obtained from the situation of the invading forces and how they were stationed in the homes of the people of Khorramshahr and the equipment and communication of the occupying mercenaries with the command headquarters and logistics centers was necessary for the operation to be carried out later to liberate Khorramshahr from occupation. Strange things sometimes happened to them during such missions. For example, they sometimes sneezed or coughed in those dangerous situations, while Iraqi soldiers stood half a meter

Once, Gholamreza Rahbar took Seyyed Rasool Bahr al-Ulum[1] to the service of Ayatollah Jami to describe some of his memoirs from the reconnaissances he had made in Khorramshahr. A words of that meeting and the Prophet's memoirs was also recorded on a tape, which I do not know whether it is still available or it has been lost.

       With the occupation of the main parts of Khorramshahr, the forces of this city, which had fought with all their might to preserve each of the city's neighborhoods, were forced to retreat and settle in the Kutishikh area[2] located on the east coast of Karun. They were depressed for the first days and weeks, and oppression rained down from their faces, words, and looks; So I preferred not to stare into their eyes, because nothing could be hidden but sorrow in their deep gaze. I was friends and acquaintances with many of them. Some forces in Khorramshahr regularly came to the radio. We even had a program about Khorramshahr, which was prepared, written and narrated by the forces of the Khorramshahr Revolutionary Guards, and the main host of the program was Asghar Vahidi, the public relations officer of the Khorramshahr Revolutionary Guards.

      Perhaps no one understood the feeling of sorrow and homesickness of the forces of Khorramshahr as much as us, because we were under siege and each of our dear settlements might suffer the painful fate of Khorramshahr.

      We were friends. They were happy to be with their Abadanۥs friends and the forces of Abadan were happy to be with the forces of Khorramshahr. We knew our duty and we tried to make the children of Khorramshahr more motivated, hopeful and cheerful in any way, until we can liberate Khorramshahr hand in hand. One of the things that were done was that faithful, religious and committed artists from Tehran and other places tried to come to Abadan and perform programs for the forces of Khorramshahr and heal their deep spiritual wounds. Among these artists, Hesamuddin Saraj[3], who was 22 years old at the time came to Abadan for a few days with Hamid Shahangian, the then director of TV music. The two artists performed along with several others, and formed a choir from among the forces of the Khorramshahr Corps, which its responsibility was assigned to Asghar Vahidi.

       Their arrival was a good opportunity. We invited them to the National Oil Radio Studio, and I remember they sang two songs for the first time, which we recorded without accompaniment. The poem of one of the songs belonged to Ms. Sepideh Kashani, the late poet of the Revolution, who, on a trip to Khorramshahr, seeing the effects of oppression and loneliness, and at the same time the resistance and authority of the people of Khorramshahr, said:

«Red petals of tulips

In the streets of our city

It smells of martyrdom.

Example of My Mom's mourning

Not sing for mourning of my sister

Not hit on the chest and on the head

That sun will be raised

Bring good news from the judge.

Be like a flute in mourning

From bloody songs of tulips

Homeland become Nineveh"

The second hymn was also called "The city is a city of blood", as follows:

The city is a city of blood

The paw in the blood by enemy's angriness,

The house is bloody

Alley is bloody,

The house of eyes

The house of the heart

Both of are bloody.

We broadcast both songs many times on Radio Abadan, and later their more complete performances were broadcast on national radio and became famous throughout Iran.

An interesting memory I have of working with that group and recording their songs is that Saraj started singing with a big step:

"Red petals of tulips ..."

"It's very high," Mr. Shahangian said, "it is very high. It was very nice. It was on rhythm, but it was loud. You have to read at a lower step that has a stretching sound."

      Saraj's voice was recorded, but it was sleepy; because he had worked with the Khorramshahr Revolutionary Guards's choir until midnight. Then he went to the radio garden to open his voice. I told him it was dangerous here and they might shoot arrows or mortars. It is better to come inside the building.

      After the fall of Khorramshahr, the comrades predicted that Iraqis, intoxicated with victory and pride, might enter the city of Abadan. For this reason, some civilian forces went to the airport square, which was about twelve kilometers away from Khorramshahr, and dug trenches in the middle of the square and in the middle of the boulevard, preparing for a possible battle there.

      Since the occupation of Khorramshahr and the siege of Abadan, the Iraqis have broadcast on their radio and television programs the weather and temperature in the cities of Khorramshahr (as they call it "Mohammarah") and Abadan (as they call it "Ibadan"). Were announced; this means that these two cities are Iraqi cities, and this issue severely damages our pride.[4]