There are few people who simply follow their dreams and desires in life. Monetary motivation and eagerness to excel in a certain profession are the trails that the majority follows.
Mohammad Salman Abedini, who goes by the adopted moniker Romeo, has the grit to follow his dreams. The 28-year-old Iranian is gifted with a creative mind and is a versatile artist, fast making his name in painting, poetry, music and filmmaking.
Born and brought up in Qatar, Romeo’s father is from Iran and his mother from India. He is at home in Persian, Hindi/Urdu, and English. His creative works speak volumes of his philosophy of life — Sufism. Recently Community caught up with Romeo to get to know more about the man and his art.
Romeo is the name he was given by his class fellows when he was in a college in India. “They used to call me Romeo, maybe, because of my temperament and interest in creative activities. I used to take interest in subjects related to art more than other subjects like pure sciences.”
His father works with a government organisation in Qatar. He has one older brother and two younger sisters. “All my other siblings are in the medical field. I am the only one who took after art, poetry and music. I studied in India and did my bachelors in English Literature.”
It was not in his college that he got attracted to creative arts. He started getting fascinated by poetry and Sufism when he was only 12. “In my home, I saw a poetry book of Khwaja Shams-ud-Din Muhammad Hafez-e-Shirazi, known by his pen name Hafez. It is a classic book with heavy vocabulary. It made me curious about Sufism — the way humankind loves God. This also led me to read other Persian poetry books. I also started writing romantic poetry. This is how I started writing poetry.”
Romeo sometimes finds it difficult to express his feelings and emotions through poetry. His feelings then find an expression in painting. “When I felt short of words to express my inner emotions, I would start painting. I would use colours instead of words to say whatever I wanted. This all was happening in my teens.”
The young artist did not stop with painting and writing. The creative traits in him also led him to music. “When I was 16 or 17, I and my brother bought our first guitar. It was a time when everybody used to carry a guitar even they did not use to play. It was a kind of fashion. I used to follow Gypsy Kings and other pop music groups. I used to play well-known pop songs.
“I actually started playing guitar for my mom. She really loved Bollywood and classical Hindi songs. When I went to India for studies, I started attending my music and guitar classes there. Since then, I have been creating my own themes and playing guitar.
The artist continues to follow his creative urge.
“Art is my field and I knew it from the beginning. I could never understand subjects like mathematics, chemistry and physics. I was interested in sketching and painting and my teachers used to encourage me. Painting has become a kind of medication for me — connecting with God. As far my paintings go, I have taken part in two group exhibitions in India and one in Iran. I am now planning to have a solo exhibition in Qatar.
“For me, art is the simplest way to explain the philosophy of life. I try to paint philosophy. My art work is symbolic and abstract. I mostly use acrylic colours.”
As far as his poetry in Persian goes, Romeo has published a book and is working on two more books simultaneously. Malodi-e-Baran (Music of Rain) is the name of his first book. It is an anthology of modern Persian poetry.
“People in Iran really like poetry as a genre. They prefer poetry over short stories or novels. My book was published in my native area of Bandar Abbas in Iran in 2017. It was quite an amazing experience for me when I saw how much love my book received from the readers. In the book, I have expressed my own thoughts about Sufism. It is about just being honest to oneself and being in love with God. The book also reflects my experiences of living away from my country.”
The young poet finds it amazing how human beings use complicated language to express their feelings. “I do not know it is our weakness or strength. We make simple things complicated and vice versa. I observe our society. I pen down my observations in poetry. I see that in today’s world, we have lost our innocence — the child in us. We are following materialistic desires. May be, we have killed the child inside.”
The musical side of this creative individual is no less shiny. He learnt the fundamentals of music in India. “Practice is necessary. Many people think that singing is only about voice but it is not. The voice should be controlled. Singing is like controlling a wild horse. You have to control your voice to find a rhythm.
“I write my lyrics and compose my own music with my guitar. I have taken part in some competitions in Qatar. I sing in all three languages — Persian, Hindi and English. There was a music competition in connection with the maiden concert by (Pakistani maestro) Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in Qatar in 2016. The organisers had the competition as a promotion. I won the first prize.”
He is also adept at writing movie scripts, directing and acting in films. “I have also made a short movie in Qatar. It is a symbolic movie with a lot of philosophy in it.
“Let me tell you truth it is not easy to carry along all these creative strains. However, I think and plan to make my name in the field of movie making because it can include all my creative talents. I plan to have a theatre play in Qatar bringing people of all nationalities together.”
Romeo believes the real value of living in Qatar is realised only when one visits some other countries. “You feel how blessed you are to be in Qatar and have all kinds of basic facilities. There is peace, security and good environment. It is safe for women and kids.
“As an artist, I see Qatar as a perfect place to be. The country has all required facilities. You have to work hard. You need to have the passion to move forward. There are opportunities for all art genres.”
Mohammad Salman Abedini, aka Romeo, artist. Portrait by Ram Chand
