MUMBAI: The foreign exchange market on Friday threw up a set of developments that appear contradictory: the rupee fell to a new low, RBI took measures to ease borrowing conditions, and foreign exchange reserves jumped past $700 billion even though the central bank was selling dollars to support the
"These are palimpsests that combine art and science,” says taxonomist, curator and botanical historian Henry J. Noltie by way of explaining the paintings we are looking at. Created in the 18th and 19th centuries by Indian artists, these works were meant to record the abundance of flora and
Republic Day is more than just a holiday. It's a celebration of unity, tradition, and the vibrant spirit of India. This year, elevate your festive table with recipes that are as colourful as they are nourishing. From wholesome crepes and layered sandwiches to fresh cherry desserts, pecan snacks
Jan 24 (Reuters) - Norwegian Sander Eitrem shattered the men's 5,000 metres world record at the Speed Skating World Cup in Inzell, Germany, on Saturday, winning the event in five minutes 58.52 seconds and becoming the first to skate the distance in under six minutes
Before Beyoncé, before Cher, before Madonna, there was Googoosh. The 75-year-old Iranian megastar catapulted to stardom in Iran during the 1970s, only to be silenced by the Islamist regime that took power after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In 2000
Why Iranian pop legend Googoosh, once silenced by the Islamic Republic, has paused her singing
Before Beyoncé, before Cher, before Madonna, there was Googoosh.
The 75-year-old Iranian megastar catapulted to stardom in Iran during the 1970s, only to be silenced by the Islamist regime that took power after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In 2000, she was finally allowed to leave Iran to live in exile.
For Iranians – particularly those in the diaspora – Googoosh symbolises an era of cosmopolitanism in late-Pahlavi Iran, the period from the mid-1950s until 1979 when Iran's popular music, cinema, television and fashion embraced modernity and questioned social norms.
But as protests roil Iran and the nation's clerical leaders find their grip on power slipping, the “Voice of Iran,” as Googoosh is known, hasn't turned up the volume. Instead, she's found herself putting her farewell tour on pause.
“Everyone is waiting for my last concert in LA,” Googoosh told reporters in December 2025, “but … I am not going to sing until my country is rescued.”
Googoosh's refusal to sing is not a sign of hesitation but a conscious political gesture – one that draws its force from her singular position in Iran's cultural history.
Over the past several years, I've studied Googoosh's trajectory as a musical and cultural icon. For Iranians inside and outside the country, she's been a canvas onto which they've projected nostalgia for pre-revolutionary Iran, memories of rupture and loss, and fantasies of resistance.
Born Faegheh Atashin in 1950, Googoosh was raised in Tehran by Muslim Azeri parents who had fled Soviet Azerbaijan. Although civil authorities registered her under the Perso-Arabic name Faegheh, her stage name, “Googoosh” – actually a male Armenian name – endured.
She grew up onstage and onscreen. Her father, an acrobat, incorporated her into his act when she was just three years old; by the age of four, she was the family's primary breadwinner.
As she matured, Googoosh moved across music, cinema, fashion and dance, rising to prominence within a cultural landscape shaped by Western influences and aligned with the state's modernising ambitions. By the mid-1970s, she had become the most recognisable figure of Iran's pre-revolutionary popular culture.
According to Iranian studies scholar Abbas Milani, Googoosh “embodied the frivolous joys, the reckless abandon, the exuberant era of social experimentation, the defiant desire to debunk tradition and its taboos, and the vigor and vitality of youth.”
Onscreen, she wore the newest styles and cuts. Young Iranians copied her hair and hemlines. She danced, posed and sang like a global star – alongside Persian, she recorded in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Arabic and Turkish – and, in the process, redefined what a female pop star could look like in Iran.
Yet to some Islamist critics of the Pahlavi order, she symbolised “gharbzadegi,” also known as “Westoxication” – the belief that by embracing the West, Iranians were betraying the traditions of their people and bringing about moral decay.
In the year preceding the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Googoosh had a residency at a Los Angeles club. Yet while many artists fled Iran in the wake of the revolution to rebuild their careers, Googoosh returned, only to be swiftly punished for her past.
Authorities charged her in 1979 with “moral corruption.” A couple of years later, the new regime briefly incarcerated her, confiscated her passport and prohibited her from publicly performing.
Just like that, a central figure in the nation's cultural life was removed from the spotlight. It would be 21 years before she would perform again.
Googoosh wasn't alone; musicians and performers across the country encountered the same fate: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran's supreme leader from 1979 to 1989, saw music as a vice. The regime also categorically prohibited women from performing solo in public.
In December 2025, she published her memoir, “Googoosh: A Sinful Voice. In it, she opens up about this period of her life – and her decision to return to Iran.
Even though she was at the height of her fame in the late-1970s, she alleges that her managers had misappropriated her earnings. As revolutionary unrest intensified and the Pahlavi regime imposed martial law and closed cabarets and theaters in an attempt to appease conservatives, her sources of income vanished. This prompted the move to Los Angeles. But mounting debt and substance abuse issues influenced her decision to return home.
She writes that revolutionary hostility wasn't simply directed at popular culture; it went after pleasure itself, particularly when embraced, celebrated or expressed by women. To the Islamic Republic, music was not a form of art or a vocation; it was a provocation and a moral abomination.
Googoosh, who'd been a practicing Shiite Muslim who prayed, fasted and went on pilgrimage, describes the shock she felt that so much cruelty could coexist with claims of religious piety following the Islamic Revolution. Personal faith and public, secular performances had not been seen as contradictions in pre-revolutionary Iran.
That all changed in 1979.
The revolution catalysed a mass cultural exodus: Millions of Iranians fled the country, with many settling in California, where other popular singers such as Hayedeh, Mahasti and Homeyra rebuilt their careers in exile.
A proxy Iranian entertainment industry emerged in Los Angeles, allowing Iranian popular culture to live on outside the Islamic Republic. In what came to be called “Tehrangeles,” studios recorded Persian-language music and television, while entrepreneurs opened cabaret-style performance venues.
The entertainment infrastructure built in Tehrangeles later expanded to Europe, Canada and the Persian Gulf; much of the programming was saturated with motifs of memory, longing and nostalgia.
Meanwhile, Googoosh's two decades off the stage had only amplified her mystique. When she finally received permission to leave Iran in 2000, she performed her first concert at Toronto's Air Canada Centre before a sold-out crowd.
Since then, she's recorded nine albums. Yet most of her fans have shown limited interest in these newer offerings. When she sings them, chants of “Ghadimi! Ghadimi!” (“Old! Old!”) often rise from the crowd.
Like many in the diaspora, they turn to Googoosh not to engage the present but to transport themselves to an earlier era – effectively freezing her, and their memories of Iran, in the past.
Once silenced by the Islamic Republic, Googoosh now voluntarily withholds her voice in solidarity.
I see this refusal as a reclamation of her agency; with Iran again roiled by mass mobilisation and protest, her silence resonates as loudly as her songs once did.
If Googoosh has long functioned as a vessel for collective memory, she now stands as a reminder that memory alone is not enough – that nostalgia cannot stand in for a political reckoning, and that voices shaped by exile remain tethered to unfinished struggles at home.
Richard Nedjat-Haiem is PhD Candidate in Comparative Literature, University of California, Santa Barbara.
This article was first published on The Conversation.
Source: Scroll
Related Posts: Unexpected comebacks and operatic pop BYU RB LJ Martin out of Pop-Tarts Bowl due to surgery Japanese Golf Legend Masashi Ozaki Dies At 78 Trump and top Iranian security official exchange threats over protests now roiling Iran Leeds and Wales legend Yorath dies aged 75 BCB Labels Bangladesh Legend As A K-pop drum duet between Japan and South Korea's leaders caps off summit talks Donald Trump claims killings of Iranian protestors have ‘stopped’ Donald Trump claims killings of Iranian protesters have stopped US presses Bolivia to expel suspected Iranian spies
Odisha's Nabarangpur district has been declared “Naxal-free” after nine Maoists surrendered in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, PTI quoted the police as saying on Saturday. Seven of those who surrendered were women and the group carried a combined bounty of Rs 47 lakh
Just now
The latest US-brokered peace talks between Ukraine and Russia ended on Saturday without a deal but both said they were open to further dialogue. After the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X: “Our delegation delivered a report; the meetings in the UAE have
Just now
The invitation showcases a peacock statue perched elegantly on the cover of the card, which opens up to reveal the invitation. Custom-made invites featuring miniature sculptures and even lights have become increasingly popular among Indian couples planning a lavish wedding
Just now
Controversial influencer Andrew Tate has claimed that he knows who was behind the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, but said he cannot reveal details due to concerns for his safety. Tate made the remarks during an appearance on Jack Neel's podcast
Just now
World champion D Gukesh faltered due to a lapse in concentration, leading to an unexpected blunder and defeat against Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the sixth round of the Tata Steel chess tournament on Saturday. In contrast, top-seeded Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi managed to salvage
Just now
Donald Trump has warned Canada against closer trade with China. He threatened a 100 percent tariff on all Canadian goods entering the US. Trump stated that China would harm Canada's economy and way of life. This comes after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to Beijing
Just now
Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year old nurse, was reportedly shot and killed by the federal agents during a Minneapolis immigration crackdown. As videos of the shooting emerged, chatter broke out on social media over claims on whether Pretti pulled a gun on ICE/Border Patrol agents during the incident
Just now
Delhi AQI update today: Most areas in the national capital reported 'moderate' air quality, while a few locations recorded 'poor' AQI only one area recorded Air Quality Index below 100. Delhi residents woke up to a breath of fresh air on Sunday as the national capital's Air Quality Index dropped to
Just now
Dropping Erling Haaland worked out just fine for Manchester City. The Premier League's most fearsome striker and top scorer was relegated to the bench on Saturday after scoring just one goal in his previous eight games, and City responded to back-to-back defeats with a 2-0 win over last-placed
Just now
New Delhi, Jan 24 (PTI) Login credentials, including usernames, passwords, of over 149 million accounts of internet firms, including Gmail, Instagram, Facebook, and Netflix, have allegedly been leaked, a report published by ExpressVPN said. The report published by cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah
Just now
Tarot Card Reading Horoscope Today For January 25: Step into the mystical realm as the tarot cards reveal what the universe has in store for you today. Whether you`re seeking clarity in love, career, or personal growth, today`s tarot insights offer powerful guidance tailored to your zodiac sign
Just now
SIR: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said that the special intensive revision of voters' lists will soon be rolled out in remaining states. The revision is currently underway in 12 states and Union Territories. New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday said the
Just now
US President Donald Trump has threatened to slap a 100% tariff on Canadian goods if the country strikes a trade deal with China. "If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.
Just now
Football managers face job losses with mixed emotions. Some find relief from intense pressure, while others suffer significant blows. Lucrative payoffs can ease financial worries for high-profile figures like Ruben Amorim and Enzo Maresca. However, for managers like Andy Whing
Just now
Venezuela aims to increase oil output significantly this year. New reforms will allow private companies to invest in the nation's oil sector. This move seeks to revive production from historic lows. The government is also initiating dialogue with the opposition for national unity
Just now
China's defence ministry says it has opened an investigation into the country's highest-ranking general over "grave violations of discipline and the law". The ministry gave no further details about accusations against General Zhang Youxia, who has widely been seen as President Xi Jinping's closest
Just now
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin strongly defended his government's performance. He asserted the state's patriotism and commitment to national values. Stalin highlighted achievements in welfare, infrastructure, education, and social equity
Just now
Chasing a modest target, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made 40 off 23 balls, and captain Ayush Mhatre struck 53 off 27 deliveries to put their side in control, before Vihaan Malhotra (17 not out) and Vedant Trivedi (13 not out) guided India team to victory over New Zealand in a Men's U19 Cricket World Cup
Just now
West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer has mandated "super checking" of voter lists by district officials before final publication. This multi-layered verification process, closely monitored by the Election Commission of India, ensures document accuracy
Just now
In August 2023, the Indian parliament approved a bill authorising the establishment of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation and the act came into force on February 5, 2024. As a funding agency for scientific research, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation is charged with raising and
Just now
Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the upcoming men's T20 World Cup after the latter refused to travel to India due to safety concerns. The ICC rejected Bangladesh's request to move their matches to Sri Lanka. This decision will result in significant financial losses for the Bangladesh Cricket
Just now
Fresh snowfall has transformed parts of Jammu division into a winter wonderland. Kathua district and high-altitude areas like Patnitop and Bhaderwah received season's first snow. While tourists are delighted and local tourism is boosted, life has been disrupted. Power, water
Just now
Leading cement manufacturer UltraTech Cement Ltd on Saturday (January 24) reported a consolidated net profit of ₹1,729.4 crore for Q3 FY26, up 27% from ₹1,363 crore in the same period last year, surpassing the CNBC-TV18 poll estimate of ₹1,540 crore
Just now
Markets have been choppy for more than a year now. Returns are increasingly driven by select pockets rather than broad-based rallies. Global geopolitical tensions, shifting interest rate expectations, and uneven earnings growth have kept volatility elevated
Just now
Security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district foiled a Maoist plot by recovering 16 IEDs hidden in beer bottles along forest trails, neutralising them on-site to avert attacks on patrols and civilians. In a major success for security forces combating left-wing extremism in Chhattisgarh's
Just now
Daily Love Horoscope 25th January 2026: Today's love horoscope highlights a warm and emotionally enriching day for most signs, emphasizing openness, heartfelt communication, and meaningful shared moments. Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius
Just now
Delhi Police is enhancing security for Republic Day 2026. Advanced technology, including AI-enabled smart glasses and facial recognition systems, will be deployed. These tools will improve surveillance and threat detection. Police will use video analytics and specially developed cameras
Just now
