Hassan Faqihi is a renowned man of literature and the current Iranian generations know him well. He is also a famous musician and Iranians interested in music are quite familiar with him. In terms of music composition and performance, Hassan Faqihi has always remained committed to his basic beliefs and ideas.

His wife, Shirin Bahram Niakan, is also an active soul interested in music and plays the music instrument of Daf[1].

We have had an interview with Hassan Faqihi, first. Here is the text of this interview:

Q: We want to get more acquainted with you. Would you please tell us more about yourself?

A: My name is Hassan Faqihi. I was born in Tehran in 1962. I am greatly interested in literature. I am enthusiastically keen on modern Persian poetry and I usually compose modern poems. I have one son, Pouya, who is a university student.

Q: When was your first encounter with literature and literary activities?

A: When I was 12 years old, I became interested in literature and literary writings. At that time, I used to write good essays and compositions at school. That was my first encounter with literature. When I was 15 years old, the Islamic Revolution happened in Iran. Therefore, I wrote extensively about the people's uprisings and massive demonstrations in the streets on the eve of the victory of the Islamic Revolution. In other words, social developments influenced my writings to a great extent. In those years, I experienced my first encounters with literature. It was a really alluring and appealing encounter.

Q: On what kind of subjects are you mainly concentrating?

A: I have always searched for social subjects for my writings and compositions. I have endeavored to refrain from chanting mere slogans in my writings. I have always tried to scrutinize new phenomena and developments in my literary works. For instance, my writings and poems are, to a great extent, concerned with the emergence of the power of faith in mankind and the introduction of love in the heart of a disappointed individual.

Q: How did you create your first literary work?

A: My first literary work was a short story for children entitled "The Tree That Did Not Believe in the Spring Season." The main hero of my short story was a tree which could not realize the existing realities and had no belief in the freshness and green vegetation of the spring. However, the animals which were living in that forest guided by the "Uncle Bear" helped the tree get rid of its awkward laziness and embrace the spring.

Q: Would you please narrate one of the main memories of your life for our readers?

A: One of the sweetest events of my life was my acquaintance with my wife, Shirin, and my marriage with her.

Q: What was the cause of your physical disability? Were you physically disabled by birth?

A: My wife and I became physically disabled due to being afflicted with polio. So we were not physically disabled persons at the time f our birth.

Q: To what extent you are prone to accept the realities of your life, i.e. failures, disappointments, etc.?

A: I have divided the concept of acceptance in 2 sectors: first, acceptance because of my beliefs; and second, acceptance because of compulsion. Nevertheless, compulsion is more highlighted in our in the life of a disabled person. For instance, I had to climb 17 stairs when I went to the office. It was very difficult for me to climb all these nonstandard stairs. I usually became tired and had to rest in the middle of the staircase. When my colleagues saw me entangled in that harsh position, they were kind enough to help me climb those stairs.

Q: Who is the final authority in your house?

A: I have never been able to make a decision only by myself. I have always consulted with my wife to settle the issues of our common life and she has made rational decisions in order to patch up those issues.

Q: What are your final words in this interview?

A: I want to say that disabled people are visible individuals. Please believe us before we scream!

At the end of his interview, Mr. Faqihi read out his last piece of poem for us.

We have also had an interview with Shirin Bahram Niakan. Here is the text of this interview:

Q: Would you please introduce yourself?

A: As it was previously pointed out here, my name is Shirin Bahram Niakan. I have been born in 1966. I have always tried to provide a comfortable life for the family.

Q: I forgot to ask Mr. Faqihi about the date of your marriage. Would you please tell us when you got married?

A: I got acquainted with my wife in 1986. We fell in love soon and we got married in the same year. As my husband pointed out, we have a son, Pouya, who is a university student. Pouya was born in 1987.

Q: Mr. Faqihi said that his acquaintance with you has been a sweet experience in his life. He talked about his sweet experience in life. Would you please tell us about one of your bitter experiences in life?

A: Bitter experiences help us understand the value of our sweet moments in life. In the life of disabled individuals like us, for instance, when our coolers are getting out of service, we are required, in addition to the toleration of the hot weather, to go to the roof and repair the cooler. This is a bitter experience for disabled people, because it is quite difficult for us to go to the roof and repair the coolers. As another example of bitter experiences in our lives, I can refer to the time when lifts in our building are out of service. This means the closure of all our activities during the time that lifts are out of order.

Q: What is your feeling about your braces? Are you happy with them?

A: Upon the recommendation of my medical doctor, I have been using braces since the time I got 18 years old. At first, I was opposed to wearing braces. I told to my doctor that I prefer to undergo a surgery over wearing braces. However, he convinced me that even if I undergo any surgery, I have to wear braces. At the beginning, it was difficult to walk with braces; however, we got accustomed to each other gradually and we can go nowhere without each other.

Q: What is your husband's best characteristic?

A: His sense of humor is his best characteristics.

Q: What is your feeling when you play the musical instrument of Daf in your performances?

A: Playing a musical instrument gives you a particular feeling. In the past, the Daf was made of animal skins; however, they are nowadays made of other materials. When I play the Daf, I feel that I am talking to my audience. I feel that I am talking about love; and of proximities and distances among human beings.

Q: After marriage, what characteristic was added to the lives of Hassan Faqihi and Shirin?

A: When we were unmarried, each of us had his or her peculiar characteristics. After marriage, these peculiar characteristics were merged with each other. We are now one soul in two bodies. We love with each other and our behavior toward each other is based on heartfelt and genuine love.