Iranian shepherd with over 14,000 followers on Instagram

April 18, 2015 - 0:0

TEHRAN - Salarpolad might be a familiar name to Isntagarm users. The name belongs to a popular profile, a young Iranian shepherd Mohammad-Ghasem Torabi who lives in a far-off village in Golestan Province, in the northeast of Iran, the Persian service of Mehr news agency reported.


The profile has over 14,000 followers all over the world, perhaps because of the simple and genuine peasant lifestyle Mohammad has tried to illustrate by his photos.

Mohammad, who is 28 years old now, is married and has a one-and-a-half-year old girl. He has got his diploma in dairy industry and has learnt the know-how about his farm. He says laughingly that he is a professional and qualified veterinarian now. Mohammad has been in Tehran twice, but he likes his life in village much better.

Mohammad has sweated so hard to make it possible for his senior brother to go to university. In return, when the elder brother finished with his Ph.D, he bought Mohammad a cell phone with his very first paycheck. He then helped him to open a profile on Instagram and shared his photos with the world.

Mohammad wakes up about three o’clock in the morning everyday and works on the farm till late in the evening. At nights, when he arrives home after a very long and tough day, he uploads the photos he has taken during the day on Instagram.

Mohammad has made a name for himself not only in Gaz-e Sharghi Village where he lives, but also across Iran. People who have come to know him through his profile go to see him at times, and business men have taken interest in buying his cows. It is possible, according to Mohammad, to make money through Instagram, if someone gives it a try.

He names his profile Salarpolad after his two strong and hard working shepherd dogs, Salar and Polad, to show his love and respect for them after they both died.

Mohammad is surprised to see many people interested in his rural life despite its everyday difficulties and challenges; his reputation goes so far that Iran’s TV state and some newspapers have covered his story as well.

What makes Mohammad different from others in his condition may lie in his attitude; he believes that people should be helpful and useful in their life; otherwise, they are wasting their time.