Saed News: "He was not Porya-ye Vali. He was nobody; he was himself. Let us judge others by his name and in his presence. He is the foundation and meaning of freedom... and he never turned his back on his own class."
According to the society section of the Saed News website, quoting Mashregh, at a time when many were eager to kiss the king's hand and flatter him, Takhti stood in front of the Shah to receive the champion's medal. Country and military leaders, as well as army commanders, were standing all around. Takhti was about to receive the wrestling champion's armband and medal from the Shah, while many leaders, upon meeting the Shah, would first kiss his hand and bow. However, Takhti stood firm at first, allowing the Shah to place the medal around his neck, and he did not bow in front of Mohammad Reza Shah to present the medal. He made the Shah raise his hands to put the medal around the neck of the Iranian champion and then, as a sign of respect, shook the Shah's hand and bowed, which was very different from the fawning behavior of the court officials. Many of the courtiers were upset by Takhti's action and scolded him after the ceremony. The face of Takhti in this photo is truly remarkable. May his soul rest in peace, and his memory be honored forever.
Placing the medal around Takhti's neck
In another less-seen photo of Takhti, the lack of documentation made some even speculate about it, but his disdain for the Pahlavi family is clearly visible. This was the day when Gholamreza Pahlavi, the elder brother of the deposed Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, came to the wrestling hall, and instead of showing respect and bowing to the Shah's brother, Takhti followed the people and stood up to him. This was part of the attacks that a member of the National Front at the time directed at the Shah. However, unlike other reports, this one never appeared in SAVAK documents.
Ibrahim Afshar writes about this: "If we were to choose just two or three historical photos from the hundred-year history of Iranian sports, which has millions of photos and images of events and personalities, one of them would be this one. This unique photo that carries all the political truths of Takhti's life on its shoulders. This scene made many writers of the 1950s and Takhti’s contemporaries consider it the beginning of the political confrontations of our great champion, and they used it to vent their frustration with Gholamreza against the other Gholamreza (Pahlavi). Their heroic rhetoric (both oral and written) has always been based on the fact that the main conflict between Takhti and the regime started with this moment when Gholamreza entered the hall, causing an uproar, and the people did not accept the other Gholamreza. He harbored a grudge from that moment. This documented image is one of the most extraordinary scenes of Takhti's life, which later shaped the facts, tragedies, and even many rumors in his life."
