TEHRAN – Songwriter and musician Hamid Shahangian, best known for the anthem “Khomeini, Oh Imam!”, was honored on Sunday by the 38th Fajr Music Festival.

He received an award from Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili at Tehran’s Arasbaran Cultural Center.

Shahangian was also presented with a portrait of himself done by Ali Minai.

The honoring ceremony was held on the sidelines of the anthem competition, which has been organized at the festival for the first time.

Shahangian is famous for “Khomeini, Oh Imam!” that he composed in the winter of 1979. The anthem was performed by a choir as part of the programs arranged to welcome Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport on his return from exile on February 1, 1979.

After accepting his award, Shahangian recounted a story about his attempt to record one of his revolutionary anthems, which remained unsuccessful for security reasons in 1979. 

Shahangian recited verses from the anthem, which asks soldiers to join the revolutionaries.

“Let’s value the revolution,” he said in an address to the audience.

Esmaeili also thanked Shahangian and said, “His anthems recall the emotional and wonderful days and scenes.”

“The generations that came after the victory of the revolution were made aware of the ambiance of those days by the anthems composed by master Shahangian,” he added.

“Master Shahangian’s anthems are really beautiful and were performed frequently and will become eternal in the art history of the country,” he noted.

Earlier in July 2022, Shahangian was honored for his lifetime achievements in revolutionary music during the first edition of the Fajr National and International Anthem Festival.

The Fajr Music Festival is another part of the Ten-Day Dawn celebration, which is organized every year to mark the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

About 90 performances are scheduled to be held during the festival at seven halls, including Vahdat and Rudaki in Tehran.

Bands from Portugal, Russia, Hungary, India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Armenia and Serbia have also been invited to give performances during the event, which will end on Wednesday.

Photo: Songwriter Hamid Shahangian (R) receives a portrait of himself from Culture Minister Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili during the 38th Fajr Music Festival at Tehran’s Arasbaran Cultural Center on February 19, 2023. (Honaronline)

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