Why Should Martyr Fakhrizadeh Not Be Known Only as a 'Nuclear Scientist'?

The author of the book 'Father of the Nuclear Program,' emphasizing that Martyr Fakhrizadeh can be known beyond the title of nuclear scientist, said: The path of this martyr's effort and perseverance can serve as an attainable model for teenagers.

Zahra Eskandari, Ambassador of Arjan Culture and Literature Group: Heroism does not always happen on the battlefield; Sometimes in laboratories, libraries and years of trying to solve a scientific problem is formed. The book "Nuclear Father" written by Zahra Abdi and illustrated by Saeed Shams, published by Kitabak Publishing House, narrates short sections of the life of martyr Mohsen Fakhrizadeh for teenage audiences. A scientist whose progress started from childhood curiosity, study and interest in discovering the unknown and reached scientific and research activities.

The narrative of the life of scientists becomes more effective for teenagers when instead of focusing only on the final achievements, it also shows the path to reach them; A path that starts with questioning and learning and continues with perseverance, determination and overcoming difficulties. In the meantime, dealing with the human aspects of Shahid Fakhrizadeh's personality, from his relationship with his family and children to paying attention to people's issues, can create a more tangible image of him for the new generation.

In the book "Nuclear Father", experiences such as trying to produce a vaccine and a corona diagnosis kit also provide an opportunity to clarify the concept of scientific service and the role of knowledge in responding to the needs of society for teenagers. These narratives emphasize the fact that heroism is not limited to being on the battlefield and scientists can also be effective in the progress of the country with their science and efforts.

In this context, we have discussed with Zahra Abdi, the author of the book "Nuclear Father", about how to narrate the life of Shahid Fakhrizadeh for teenagers, the importance of showing the path of progress and the capacity of this book to introduce scientific models to the new generation.

* In "Nuclear Father" you have tried to transfer the heroism from the battlefield to the laboratory and scientific space. Why did you think today's teenager needs to face such a model to understand the concept of heroism?

Adolescents should come to the knowledge and awareness that being a hero does not only mean holding a gun and fighting and standing against enemies on the battlefield. A scientist can also do something great for his country with his knowledge, effort and will and stand tall against the enemies who don't want Iran to grow. In fact, the main weapon of a scientist is his knowledge, which also leads to scaring the enemies. Enemies who want Iran to stay behind and not reach the heights of progress.

In the book "Nuclear Father", I tried to show today's teenagers that the path to becoming a hero can start from childhood with simple things like asking questions, studying, experiencing, discovering and solving problems. Shahid Fakhrizadeh was interested in discovery and experiment since his childhood and the same spirit later spread in his scientific path.

I wanted the teenager to see that to be effective, it is not necessary to be present on the battlefield; Sometimes a small interest, a simple question and constant effort can be the beginning of a great path, and sometimes with the weapon of knowledge and ability, you can be present in this field and do important things.

* In a part of the book, the project to produce a vaccine and corona diagnosis kit is narrated as a continuation of Fakhrizadeh's scientific path. Why did you go for an experience that is directly related to a concrete and everyday issue like Corona to introduce a nuclear scientist to a teenager?

Corona was a bitter experience with which the teenager was directly involved in life; An issue that took the lives of some. When people were supposed to get vaccinated to be protected against this virus; At first, the vaccines that entered Iran were not Iranian. Little by little, people who were technical and had expertise succeeded in producing an Iranian vaccine with their round-the-clock efforts, of which Shahid Fakhrizadeh was one of them.

Even in spite of some limitations that sometimes occurred; He did not give up his goal and was able to produce an Iranian vaccine with his expert team. In fact, "we can't" had no meaning for the martyred scientist.

If I had emphasized only the parts of the degree, laboratory and specialized projects in these narratives, then the teenager would not have been able to connect with the book. So it was possible that he would distance himself from the character of the martyr and the main goal of the book would not be realized.

When the audience sees that this scientist, using his knowledge and abilities, with effort and perseverance to save people's lives and health, produced a vaccine and made corona diagnosis kits, the concept of scientific service becomes more concrete for him. So, by reading this book, teenagers should come to the conclusion that science and knowledge is not just about getting a university degree; Rather, it is more than a degree and he can be a part of the country's progress in the future.

On the other hand, it was important to me that the concept of self-belief, independence, being able to argue, and everything must be produced and built inside must be portrayed; Because these very important things were part of the martyr's goals. He believed that we have many capacities inside the country, in various fields, including medicine, technology, etc., and all of them should be used efficiently.

Next, another important point was to let the audience know that the enemies assassinated someone and made him testify that he always tried throughout his life and wanted Iran to be independent in all fields.

* In the narrative of this section, there is a key sentence: "If there is a will, they can definitely do something." In reconstructing Fakhrizadeh's character, did you try to turn "will" into a character trait, or is this sentence more of an educational message for the teenage audience?

I tried more to show willpower as a part of the martyr's own personality, rather than just a didactic message. Usually, messages don't stay in the mind; But when the teenager sees this will in the character of the martyr, that's when he will reach the main concept of will and will definitely implement it in his life.

If we see this feature in the character's behavior and choices, it is more effective than if we only advise the teenager at the end of the story. In this case, the work becomes a slogan and has no effect on the audience.

In order to bring Shahid's character closer to the teenager, I tried to show different parts of his life in addition to his scientific achievements; From childhood and family to his relationship with children, wife, children, people and even his personal interests such as his interest in flowers and plants

An important feature such as will can be seen in different narrations of the book. For example, during his student days, when a problem troubled Shahid's mind, he would read so many books and pamphlets and look for answers until he reached a conclusion. Again, we see the same spirit in the narrative of the production; When faced with the problem of laboratory equipment, he did not give up and tried to find a solution.

So, when the audience sees the will and perseverance in the action of the character, it comes to the conclusion that many successes are formed and bear fruit from this strong will and not giving up on the goal. This can be a new beginning for a teenager who repeats to himself this sentence over and over again that with a strong will I can achieve all my goals and dreams and succeed.

* One of the dangers of narrating the life of scientists for teenagers is to transform the character into a set of positive traits such as "hardworking, intelligent and successful". How did you try to transform Fakhrizadeh from a completely ideal and distant character into a person that teenagers can relate to?

In order to bring Shahid's character closer to the teenager, I tried to show different parts of his life in addition to his scientific achievements; From his childhood and family to his relationship with his children, wife, children, people and even his personal interests such as his interest in flowers and plants.

If I want to give examples, for example, in these narratives, Shahid Fakhrizadeh talks to the children of his family about scientific questions and patiently answers them. In another part, he plays with his grandchildren and even suggests games himself and tries to make the atmosphere of the house happy. At home, when he sees that something like sweeping is necessary, he does it himself and does not give orders to anyone.

In these details, the teenager can see behind the title of a nuclear scientist and the mastermind of a human being; A person who plays with children despite his scientific status and responsibilities, pays attention to his family and those around him and does not neglect the simple tasks of life. The next point is that if someone had a problem, he would solve it, which shows how much he was a friend of people and cared about people, even in one of the narrations, it is said that he solved the problem of a sweeper.

In my opinion, his human face can make this great and prominent character more real for today's teenager so that he can have a direct connection with Shahid.

* The title "Nuclear Father" places the character in the position of a great and influential figure from the very beginning. Did you choose this title before the formation of the narrative and then build the stories around it, or did the narrative itself arrive at this title?

From the beginning, I was looking for a title for the book so that it would be comprehensive and include the character of Shahid. A title that can show the outstanding character of Shahid Fakhrizadeh and on the other hand has many deep meanings in his heart. I also think that no other title could take the place of "nuclear father".

The nuclear father had a meaning for me from the beginning, but in the formation of the narrative, I tried not to focus only on his scientific and research position. When I reviewed his life from childhood to his final years, I wanted the audience to know that reaching such a position did not happen all at once. The book begins with his childhood and curiosity; From the same scene when Mohsen sees the dragonfly and looks at it carefully and thinks about it. Then we come to making tools, studying, interest in physics, scientific activities and training students. Therefore, the title, for me, is not just a reference to a position or scientific success; Behind this title, there is a path that started from a curious child and reached an influential scientist.

Therefore, the teenager should know that behind these great successes there were many years of interest, hard work, learning and effort, and this made his name last forever.

* When we talk about the narrative of progress, it is not only the scientist himself or the scientific achievement that is the subject of the narrative; The person who narrates this path also becomes important. As the author of "Nuclear Father", how did you try to create a narrative from a scientific life so that the teenager not only sees "Fakhrizadeh succeeded", but also understands how he got to that point?

The most important thing was not to reduce his life to a few final successes. Therefore, I tried to depict this path for teenagers in different narratives of the book. For this reason, I started the narratives from childhood and came forward step by step so that the audience can see the path of character formation. For example, in childhood, we see his curiosity and accuracy; Later, in adolescence, being responsible and useful for the family; In his youth, a serious interest in physics and study; And later, scientific activity, training of young forces and efforts to produce knowledge and technology inside the country. In some parts of the book, I have even paid attention to the elite and talented young people in the Sepand research organization; That he gave them a field and used their abilities and was like a father to them.

He had a tireless spirit that always moved forward with trust in God. Nothing would make him stop short of his goal

In the heart of these narratives, the teenager can clearly see how success is formed and along what path. With these narratives, the audience comes to the conclusion that success is not a single point; Rather, it is the result of a series of choices, efforts, wills, experiences, night awakenings, etc.

* In the narrative of progress, the final result is usually seen more, but the path to reach that result is full of years of study, tests, errors, decisions and sometimes dead ends. In the life of Shahid Fakhrizadeh, which part of this "traveled path" was the most important for you to pass on to the teenager?

Persistence and not giving up trying was one of the most important parts of this path. In the book, I tried to show this issue with behavior. During his university days, when a question occupied his mind, he studied until he found the answer; Sometimes he even thought about mathematical problems in his sleep. Later, the same spirit continues in his big scientific projects. In the vaccine project, despite the problems and lack of equipment, it was a little difficult; But he didn't stop working and went through difficult and uneven paths to serve his people and prove that even with hardships and difficult paths, he can still achieve success and do great things.

He had a tireless spirit that always moved forward with trust in God. Nothing could make him stop short of his goal.

Even when his name went on the enemy's assassination list; He moved with strength again and realized that he was standing in the right place. I think this section is very important for teenagers, that success is not only related to talent; Interest, study, patience and continuing in times of difficulties also play a role in achieving results.

Our youth, our elites, scientists are always trying to move this collection forward with strength. Definitely, our teenagers will one day in the future be part of these scientists and scientific elites. From your point of view, why do we need "narrators" who can narrate the path to these achievements for the new generation more than the achievements themselves?