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| Friday March 27, 1970 - Sunday June 10, 2001 |
Re Exiled princess dies wealthy, lonely, and homesick for Iran, June 20.
As a fellow Iranian exile, I could not help but have tears in my eyes while reading this article about the life and tragic death of Princess Leila Pahlavi this past week.
Like the Princess, I, too, was just 9 years old in 1979 when the political tempest was beginning to brew in our native country.
At that time, my father was a high-ranking Iranian diplomat stationed in New Delhi, and thus, I remember with great detail the havoc that reigned in our family's life during those politically turbulent times.
Ultimately, after the Shah was overthrown and the Islamic regime put in place, my father had to resign his commission, and thus, we were forced to find a new home and start a new life.
First in France for several years and ultimately in Canada, which welcomed us with open arms. An opportunity, by the way, that I am still eternally grateful for today.
So now, 22 years have passed since the revolution, and like Princess Leila, I have a deep longing to return to see and visit my home country. I am certain there are millions of other Iranian exiles worldwide who may share this sentiment to some extent or another.
If Princess Leila's untimely passing was largely due to depression and homesickness as has been attested to in various media sources, then I am here to say that her pain is certainly not a singular one shared in isolation.
Dear Leila, there are many of us who deeply understand your sadness. There are many of us who truly empathize with that void you carried in your heart. I hope that wherever you are now, that somewhere, somehow you have found peace once again. Perhaps you are even reunited with your father, once again.
Goodbye sweet Princess, you will be missed.
Toronto
