Testimonial by Husain Kazmi MD

It gives me great pleasure to write this testimonial after spending two weeks immersed in learning Persian through a selected reading of the Shahname of Ferdowsi.

I attended this course having a very basic intermediate level familiarity with Farsi and a long-standing desire to read and appreciate classical Farsi texts and poetry, among which the Shahname is foremost. Very quickly with the devoted guidance of our instructor, Mr Ruben Nikoghosyan, I was able to read and began understanding the text. Mr. Nikoghosyan has a deep scholarly understanding of this epic poem which is foundational to an understanding not only of the language but also of the traditions and culture of the Persianate world. Our instructor is very well versed in all aspects that the Shahname represents, as a result of which his approach to teaching and his chosen selections of the text were very stimulating, allowing me to maintain a diligent interest despite the intense long hours of the course each day. Consequent upon the engrossing discussions in class, of the etymology of the vocabulary and the poetics deployed by Ferdowsi I found myself wanting to discover more on my own after class each day.

At the end of these short two weeks I now find myself able to read and appreciate the language and poetics of this masterpiece of poetry and story-telling. I owe a huge thanks to Aspiratum and our instructor in particular, to create a confident ease in my ability to read and understand classical Farsi, that I did not have before I began. I wish this could have gone on a little longer, since I was having a most enjoyable time participating and learning. I shall look forward, time and circumstances permitting, to participating in some of the other Persian courses that Aspiratum plans in the future.