Shahnameh on CD

The great 10th century Persian poet Firdowsi is said to have spent 12 years to complete his 60,000-couplet epic, the Shahnameh. In the 21st century Benaifer Bhoot and her team spent two years to bring out a digitized set of seven interactive CDs whereby Firdowsi’s magnum opus can be assimilated conveniently with the click of a mouse. "I put everything on hold to pursue this project,” Bhoot was quoted in the Mumbai Newsline of March 5, 2003.

Although she had initially planned to release the set priced at Rs 4,000 or US $ 80 (Rs 3,000 being the introductory offer) in early April, with the war hovering over the Middle Eastern skies and the Iranian ministers unable to adhere to a schedule to preside over the launch function, she was considering deferring the official ceremony by about a fortnight. Thereafter she will proceed with the release even in the absence of an Iranian dignitary to grace the function, mentions Bhoot who is desperate to recover Rs 60 lakhs invested in this project.

With no Parsi trust or institution willing to financially support this venture Bhoot had to dip into the family coffers. Her sister Lily Bhoot, director of the family business Atash Private Limited, a transport and multimedia company, along with managing director Rustom Dastoor obliged. To source her material Benaifer turned to the Iranian Culture House (ICH) which permitted her access to their archives and books once she convinced them of her motive. Under her directions, teammates Tushar Shah and Pinal Satta then digitized all the information. These easy-to-use CDs do not require the viewer to be computer literate, stresses Benaifer. They have only to follow the instructions which will accompany the set. For further enquiries contact 22070560 or 22075124.

A visual of a non-functional Tower of Silence in Iran (below) and the team involved in the Shahnameh CD (from left): Dastoor and B. Bhoot (top), Vidyesh Narveyakar and Shah (center) Satta and L. Bhoot

"Not only is the text accessible but there are voice-overs (done by Qusem Nezhad and Sudhir Deodhar of the ICH) for certain sections of the story. Digitized miniature paintings, authentic Iranian music, a bit of history, a small archive of textiles, armor, jewelry, coins, seals and pottery that go as far back as the great Iranian city of Persepolis (are also included),” mentions the Mumbai Newsline write-up.

"The Shahnameh has always fascinated me,” reports Benaifer recalling the oral stories related by her grand maternal uncle, the late Nariman Dastur of Udvada, which prompted her to pursue this project.

The next project on her cards is digitizing the Bible. Her team was also invited by the Iranian government to attend an exhibition on books in Tehran in mid-May to consider collaborating on another venture. But the onset of war has thrown many plans out of gear.