‘Had to record the last sound’: Musician performing for global audience in Tehran ruins india news
New Delhi: In the shattered remains of his 15-year-old music school, Iranian musician Hamidreza Afrideh sat on the debris-strewn floor, took out his bow and played with a kamancheh, what he called “the final sound” of a life’s work turning to dust.A few weeks after an attack destroyed the Honiak Academy of Music, Afrideh went back to the dangerous ruins on April 7, 2026, and recorded a harrowing video that traveled far beyond Tehran, capturing his moments of deep grief after the academy was destroyed and severely damaged by an airstrike on March 23.
The Honiak Music Academy, once a classroom, is now a field of debris.
“Today was the last day to say goodbye to my school. I wanted the last sound left in this place to be the sound of music…not explosions and missiles,” Afrideh wrote the same day in a now-viral post. Within days, their images and clips were viewed millions of times on Instagram,“
Honiak Music Academy before the strike.
talking to times of India Afrideh recalled the day of the attack from Tehran. “I felt that a very important part of our memories, and the sounds that could have continued in that place – sounds that many artists could hear, see and live with for years – were suddenly destroyed by a missile and a drone.” The academy, built over a decade and a half by Afarideh and his wife Shida Ibadatdoust, is what they call “their shared life project.”“We worked with very limited resources, relying only on our dreams and dedication to build this academy. It is extremely hard to lose it suddenly. All our hard work, efforts, continuous action to bring people closer to music and instruments was lost in a single night. It is very difficult to accept this. Whatever we have built over the years…it will take many years to recover from this loss.”
The Honiak Music Academy, once a classroom, is now a field of debris.
Despite the risk of collapse, he returned to the damaged building. “I knew it was very dangerous… but I felt that if I didn’t record this sound, it would be in my heart forever. I probably wouldn’t be able to (survive) after this… I felt I had to go out there and make it the last image and the last sound left from this safe space we created.”For years, the academy echoed with children’s laughter, parents’ warm conversations and the sound of Persian classical music. The teacher says that voice disappeared after the attack. For Afarideh, the viral moment has drawn global attention — but it also underlined, he says, “the reality of war and destruction” faced by his 250 students — ranging from children to the elderly — and 22 teachers. His video has become a global plea for recognition of the cost of war, not only in bodies and infrastructure, but in the fragile ecosystem of art, memory and creativity that takes decades to create and minutes to erase.Taking shape over more than a decade, he calls the place a “second home,” where students come not only to learn music, but also to feel seen and felt – for him, too, this loss has been personal. “Students, who were supposed to return someday, are now scattered, stunned, and struggling to deal with what happened. One child crossed the building with his mother and did not speak for hours afterward. All students are going through the same emotions.“Yet even in destruction, Afarideh insists on the universal power of art. He said, “Music…is a symbol of freedom.” “In times of war, it can heal – even if just a little – the pain of those who have lost everything.”