Yesterday I had a conversation with a dear friend of mine who shared her experiences of meeting one of her relatives who had come from Iran for a reunion with their family. Her relative had recounted some of the stories of hardship, suffering and persecution that the Baha’is had endured in prison. I came away feeling deeply moved by the strength, courage and attitude through all they have endured. Their steadfastness in their beliefs and their faith are such wonderful examples of courage and sacrifice.

So last night I felt very inspired to write a song about the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran. Writing lyrics doesn’t come easily to me, but for some reason, the words flowed quickly and some of them were truly inspired! When it came to singing the vocals for the demo, I was overcome with emotion halfway through the song as it was a reminder of the suffering my own family has endured in Iran. My grandparents were also imprisoned for being Baha’is and on many occasions were pressured to recant their faith. They were steadfast and were fortunate that they were finally released after several years in prison. My great uncle suffered a different fate - he was tortured, blinded in one eye, beaten and finally martyred for his beliefs.

Sadly, this pattern of persecution still continues. Just a few months ago 7 Baha’i leaders were suddenly taken captive and imprisoned in the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, yet another part of the on-going campaign to attempt to eliminate the Baha’i community. Their current condition is unknown.

I plan to dedicate this new song to all those in Iran who have suffered and are suffering as a result of such persecution. The current draft of the chorus goes:

“Why do you think you can stop the world from knowing, prevent the truth from showing? You can’t block the sun from shining.” I’m very excited about how the song is developing.

I am attaching a moving video that was made by The Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights regarding the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran.

I’ve been married for thirteen years and I often try to remind myself of how precious married life is. It is easy to take it for granted sometimes as we see with so many marriages that fall apart everywhere. Getting divorced these days has become so common that it is hardly given a second thought anymore. Often people enter into marriage without much consideration and split up on a whim!

About a year ago, Tarry, my husband and I were asked to give a talk on ‘Enriching Marriage and Family Life’ to a large gathering. We felt very humbled by this task and weren’t really sure what to share especially to an audience where some of our friends were married far longer than we were. So we decided to create a booklet of quotations with questions. We divided everyone into smaller groups so they could have discussions focused around the theme of marriage. It turned out to be very useful, enjoyable and enlightening for many of those who attended.

I am attaching the booklet we made in case you would like to use it or share it with your friends. At the end of it, we have included some fun questions for couples to ask one another. Enjoy!

Marriage Booklet

I also look forward to sharing my new CD on the theme of love which I plan to release in January 2009! You can read more about it here.

Thought of the Day: “The true marriage… is this, that husband and wife should be united both physically and spiritually, that they may ever improve the spiritual life of each other, and may enjoy everlasting unity….” -Abdu’l-Baha

I am delighted to start sharing some private performances of my music with you. A few weeks ago we recorded a video: ‘Whither can a lover go’. It is one of my favorite pieces from the first CD, ‘Melodies of the Nightingale’, which I collaborated on with Michele Brown-Ramirez and Fiona Doomun-Rouhani. I plan to share more videos featuring old and new material in the future.

Recently a new friend asked “Elika, I’m interested to know how your path in music came about… was it always music for you?” 

I began playing the piano from the age of five.  My mother was a piano teacher so I was always surrounded by music while growing up.  As a young child I enjoyed learning to play, but at around age twelve I had an overly strict teacher who made going to class a terror and a torture! I still remember walking into her class one week when she was playing a beautiful piano piece.  I asked her if I could learn it and she coldly replied that it was too difficult for me to play.  However, her discouragement had the effect of making me want to prove her wrong – so I found the notes for the piece and learned it.  At the time I simply wanted to show her that I could do it, but now in retrospect I see how it was a valuable learning experience which taught me that “any stumbling block can be turned into a stepping stone”.

In college, a close friend, Michele Brown, encouraged me to continue playing the piano and that’s when I began setting the Baha’i Writings to music.  We performed mostly for our friends and the community at UC Davis.  Later, after I transferred to UC Berkeley, I met another dear friend and talented musician, Fiona Doomun-Rouhani.  We performed together for a couple of years and many of our friends encouraged us to record a CD.  In 1996 the three of us collaborated and finally recorded ‘Melodies of the Nightingale’.

After my son was born in 1997, I started composing pieces for children, youth and family, and in 2001 “Melodies of the Nightingale for the family’ was released. 

Since then I have continuously been working on new compositions and am ecstatic that ‘Fire and Gold’ was just released. Music is my passion and I feel so blessed that it has developed into a career. 

What is your passion?  

Thought of the Day:  ”A wondrous melody is wings for the spirit and maketh the soul to tremble with joy.” Abdu’l-Baha 

This is a photo of me in my producer’s studio in Vancouver listening to some recordings we made for ‘Fire and Gold’. 

A close friend of mine, Parviz Eshrati, passed away a week ago today.  He was truly a remarkable person.  His sole aim and desire was to transform and improve the lives of every person who crossed his path. He never missed an opportunity to guide and help those he met.  I know Parviz achieved his purpose in this world as so many of his friends can attest to the fact that he was the instrument to changing the quality of their lives. 

One of the pieces on my CD, ‘Fire and Gold’, is dedicated to him.  It is called ‘The Prison of Tihran’ (track no.14).  I chose it to be the last piece on the CD as it is one of the most special ones for me.  It was composed during one of our study classes that Parviz had facilitated and he had requested that we memorize certain passages.  I decided to set the passage to music and I played it for our group one evening.  That night left an unforgettable memory in my mind as the music seemed to give it a special spirit.

Parviz had cancer and in the last days of his life, he stayed in a hospice.  The nurse there couldn’t fathom why his room was always full of joy and laughter and she asked him what it was that made him so different from the other patients.  When asked Parviz would always say, it was the love and prayers of his friends all around the world.  Another time, a few weeks before his passing, a friend tried to convince Parviz that he could still survive the cancer.  Parviz replied that he had already bought his ticket and was on the plane looking forward to his trip, why would he want the pilot to say that the flight had been cancelled?!  Such was his understanding that there is no need to fear death for it is simply the end of one phase of life and the beginning of a much more glorious journey.

I know that his soul is rejoicing in the next world, for his life was full of pure love, dedication and service.  I and many others have learned from his loving example and we will miss him.  

Thought of the Day:  ”O Son of Spirit!  With the joyful tidings of light i hail thee: rejoice!  To the court of holiness I summon thee:  abide therein that thou mayest live in peace forevermore.  

Baha’u'llah 

I crave silence – especially during those times when I have the urge to create.  I have a passion for many types of the arts, but I find that the one that requires the longest period of silence is composing.  While it is challenging to describe how the creative process unfolds, I find that it is often the case that an intense and meaningful conversation will spark my inspiration.  Other times if I am in a pensive mood the melodies flow much more easily.  In the past friends have also requested that I set their favorite passage to music, and this is always a challenge and joy.  A few years ago, a dear friend’s father passed away so I set the ‘Prayer for the Departed’ to music to be sung at his memorial (this piece is included on ‘Fire and Gold’).  Another dear friend got married in our home and as a surprise I set to music a passage from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha’s on marriage and surprised her by singing it at her wedding.  I was so touched that both she and her husband were both in tears!    (My next project is to produce a marriage CD on which this track will be included).

These days the difficulty is finding the time to create.  My time is usually occupied with being the mother of two sweet children and other responsibilities so I feel it is so much harder to be a clear channel.  I am now trying to dedicate a few hours a week to just have silence so that I can enjoy and experience those moments of bliss when a melody is inspired.  

Thought of the Day:

“Through the power and charm of music the spirit of  man is uplifted.” 

Abdu’l-Baha 

Thank you all for your gracious comments on the Guestbook page.  We have now moved the guestbook page on the blog site so that I can now respond to you too!  Unfortunately in the process of doing that, we lost a few comments.  The CDs are on their way to different parts of the world and we’ll let you know once they’re available on CDBaby as that may be the easiest way to order.   If any of you would like to assist in the promotion and sales of ‘Fire and Gold’, please let me know and we can communicate directly. Thanks again! 

I am sitting on an island called Koh Samui, in the gulf of Thailand, watching the sunset with its layers of shimmering orange, gold, pink and purple cover the sky with its beauty. I am mesmerized by the vivid colors. The beauty of this creation is a sight one never tires of.

We are having a family reunion and members of my family have flown from different parts of the world.  It has been several years since most of us have come together and catching up with each other’s lives has been delightful.  We have been kayaking, riding motorbikes, taking walks along the beach, snorkeling, debating hot family topics and gazing at the immensity of the ocean.  This time together makes me appreciate the uniqueness of each person in my family.  Hoping you have a wonderful evening of celebration and a happy new year!

Thought of the Day:

 If love and agreement are manifest in a single family that family will advance, become illumined and spiritual… 

‘Abdu’l-Baha