In 1974, the Chamber of commerce was established, and the implementation of the Trade Organization Law became mandatory for all unions, preparing for the election of the president of the Chamber of commerce. The authorities had a particular person in mind, believed to win; he was not a businessman but affiliated with the royal court. When asked for my opinion, I said I had none and that whatever the businessmen decided was fine by me. They inquired if I would cooperate with their chosen candidate, and I affirmed my cooperation with anyone elected. It seemed the authorities had chosen this person for security reasons and considered me as the deputy. However, the businessmen rejected this, stating they neither wanted the Chamber of commerce nor the proposed individual. For seven months, there was uncertainty; everywhere in Iran except Karaj had formed their Chamber of commerce, but Karaj’s businessmen were resistant.
Later, a meeting in Ramsar was planned for presidents and deputies of Chambers of commerce for pre-inauguration training. This prompted the Minister of Interior to order the immediate formation of Karaj’s Chamber of commerce; the governor had explained the businessmen’s refusal and insisted that no one other than the chosen individual was capable of the task. This surprised the minister, who then assigned Mr. Zahedi, a friend owning a garden in Karaj and familiar with the minister, to investigate. Zahedi’s inquiries at the Bank of Exports and among various tradespeople consistently pointed to me, Nrimani, as the capable individual for this role, unbeknownst to me.
Following Zahedi’s report, it was decided to let Karaj’s tradespeople elect their candidate. At the governor’s meeting, which I was invited to, all votes named me as the president. Reluctant at first, due to my preparedness to accept the deputy position and not the presidency, I was in two minds. My father advised accepting the role to serve the people, warning that otherwise, a retired colonel might be appointed, likely causing trouble for the tradespeople. Accepting the position meant starting from scratch—no budget, building, or staff, just a responsibility handed over on paper. Despite the challenges, we began our work. The municipality was supposed to fund the chambers from the dues collected, which didn’t happen.
The tradespeople rallied, offering support; one provided a house for office space, another donated furniture, and others contributed utilities and staffing costs. Together, with no initial resources, we established the Chamber of commerce, hiring a few employees with minimal salaries supported by the tradespeople’s contributions.