Mar 1978

March 1978 • Price Rs. 3.50 I?- ¦ s % • 5^ J: T -- * " ¦ ¦£>'ft* ¦ > AT '‘^Hb«'+ fZ 2< March 1978 CONTENTS READERS' FORUM PEOPLE ZOROASTRIANS ABROAD THE THIRD WORLD. CONGRESS A Communal Catharsis A MATTER OF REGRET 1^2 ia Vol. 2 No. 3 3 10 17 21 27 1 I I COMMENT: IMPRESSIONS OF THE CONGRESS by Asphandiar D. Moddie OUR FAMILY? REVIEW AND INTERVIEW by Jeroo Gorimar VIEWPOINT: WHAT'S COOKING? ART IN MEMORIAM LEARN AND EARN: Z QUIZ 5 COMMENT: SAHEBJI, HELLO by Ratan R. Marshall Parsiana cover: The Breakup of The Federation by Raobail 31 34 38 44 46 49 51 * I 1 1 i > ¦; hREADERS' FORUM to make. Firstly, the proceedings of The organization of the Third World the Congress should be widely cir- — - - culated among Zoroastrians both in 11 I h I L'W, I -fl fc J I *->!« B T?'”1 n A -vnrt A -ft — Readers' views are welcome on any subject of interest to the community and should be sent to The Editor, Readers' Forum, Parsiana, G.P.O. Box 892, Bombay 400 001. Letters are sub­ ject to editing for reasons of space and clarity. Zoroastrian Confess was excellent, — with the proceedings conducted in a India and abroad so that those who business lUce manner and the majority were not able to attend, can know of the aims and objects of the Congress and its achievements. A conference for Zoroastrians be­ low 30 years of age, from India and abroad, on the lines of the Congress, should be arranged to discuss the religious, educational and vocational problems of the youth. Such a con­ ference should be managed and con­ ducted by young people, and renown­ ed members of the community should be invited to speak. There was not sufficient time at the Congress to discuss the problems of each regional anjuman. An annual conference of the local anjumans or panchayats should be held, to discuss their particular problems and seek solutions. There should be a rapport between the trustees of the Bombay Parsi Panchayat and the Parsis of Bombay so that the good work done by the Panchayat may be known to the com­ munity and suggestions for improve­ ment in the working of the Panchayat Bombay Parsi Panchayat withdraw can be communicated to the trustees from the Federation of Zoroastrian and implemented by them if practical Anjumans. It seems to me that what and useful. stung them was the consensus among Bombay’s Parsis regarding the Pan- chayat’s alleged inefficiency. A spirit­ ed reply was given by Trustee Jimmy Gazdar when he said, and I quote from memory, “If we are such ‘old fossils’ and ‘museum pieces’, why don’t some of you get together and work out a legally feasible scheme which the Panchayat can adopt. I will be the first to step down if necessary.’’ There is still a misunderstanding among certain Parsis that the Third World Zoroastrian Congress cost “lakhs of rupees.” It is heartening to recall the announcement made at the concluding session of the Congress that the Rs 25,000 paid by the Bom- of written papers carefully thought out. Those professional men and women who spoke from the floor made good, concise speeches- Others were inclined to ramble. On the whole, however, I found the speeches ve^ instructive. For once, Zoroastrians in India were able to see themselves in the perspective of Zoroastrians in different parts of the world. As a Parsi living outside Bombay, what distressed me most was the severe criticism of the Bombay Parsi Panchayat by the Parsis of Bombay, both young and old. I recall one young entrepreneur saying that he had applied for funds to the Bombay Parsi Panchayat to buy a three-wheel van to start a small business. It took the trustees two years to reply to the application in the negative! . It is naive to assume that the cri­ ticism of a single individual, such as Shiavax Nargolwala, or of several individuals, made the trustees of the i j i B. H. ANTIA I 5 Zoroastrian Congress Having attended the Third World Zoroastrian Congress held in Bombay early this year, I have the following suggestions to make for the next Con­ s’’®®®- In spite of the presence of an To accommodate such a large appreciable number of delegates from gathering, the Congress should be held Iran at the Third World Zoroastrian in an open area such as the Cooperage Congress, not a single paper was read or Cross Maidan in Bombay. Each ' - panchayat should be asked to present a report on its activities from the time of the Third Congress to the on the magnificent role played by the civilization and culture of Mazdayasna. Parsis should not forget 4iat Fourth as well as their objectives for Persian Sufi poets, such as Firdausi, the future. Dasturs and mobeds “ should be invited to attend the Con­ gress and not be required to pay any fee. Students too should be encourag­ ed to attend at a nominal fee of one or two rupees. Peraian language in preserving the Parsis should not forget 4iat Nisami, Sa’di, Haafiz, Rumi and Omar Khayyam, have immortalized the teachings of our faith in their works. For example, the Shah Nameh is a majestic illustration of the philosophy of the triumph of good over evil; Gulistan, Boostan, and the Band Nameh are charming com- . - pendiums of the morals and ethics of Pnrsi Panchayat and the Rs 20,000 Mazdayasna; the odes of Sa’di and paid by the Surat Panchayat would be Haafiz and the couplets of Rumi are returned to both bodies as the Con- _ __ _ ___ ___ _ brimming with the mysticism of gress had paid for itself because of their views and to understand their M^dayasna. problems. After hearing various speakers, we have become aware of our shortcomings in various fields and have now chalked out the strategy for the future. However, I have four suggestions PURVEZ BOYWALA The Third World Zoroastrian Con­ gress recently held in Bombay has given us an opportunity to meet our fellow Zoroastrians from different parts of India and abroad, to know the massive enrollment. Another criticism is that “no posi- The incomparable classics of these poets saved Mazdayasna from being tive good” came from the Congress. wiped out in Iran, and inspired our - - _ heroic forefathers to preserve their culture and integrity in India. BAHMAN S. SURTI Secunderabad I beg to differ. For example, the Exec­ utive Committee of the Federation of Zoroastrian Anjumans had agreed that there would be no resolutions t. r I-! 3 Iform such a body and have it affiliated to the United Nations by 1981. If the “silent doers” continue to work silently for the next three years, there is no reason why the Fourth World Zoroastrian Congress should not have passed at the Congress, yet the follow­ ing active committees were formed: the Liaison Committee to help organize the Fourth World Zoroastrian Congress to be held in Iran in 1981; the Farsi Youth Committee for self­ help and publicity; the Committee even more positive results than the for the establishment of a Zoroastrian third Congress. Community Centre in Bombay and the Standing Publications Committee with representatives from Zoroastrian anjumans at home and abroad. This committee has already planned its first series: Our Religion. The first 16- page booklet with coloured illustra­ tions, is named Zarathushtra and is seeking a publisher. The booklet is for five to seven-year-old children and is based on material supplied by the Zoroastrian Association of Metropo­ litan Chicago. The next booklet, on the navjote, is also underway. There were other committees for­ med by ’’silent doers”, to quote the happy phrase of the announcer, but I cannot remember these at the moment, not having the full report of the Congress before me. The formation of a World Zoroas­ trian Organisation, affiliated to the United Nations, is also very important. I sincerely hope that the “silent doers' among the Zoroastrian associations and anjumans abroad will get together. PILOO N. JUNGALWALLA New Delhi Sindhi World Meet We read in the newspapers that the Sindhi community was to hold a World Meet in April 1978. Being primarily a business community, the first item on their agenda is an industrial ex­ hibition. Indeed a trump card for prosperity. At the Third World 2Loroastrian Congress, the Parsis laid more empha­ sis on religious controversies. As Ambassador Nani Palkhivala rightly said on another occasion, “The prob­ lems facing our community are so vast, the poverty is so great, the task of educating our younger generation is so immense, that if our time and energies are frittered away in useless controversies, no time and energy would be left for the problems and tasks of the day.” It is high time that the leaders of our community take action on the economic front. DINSHAW BEHRAM IRANI I I "The Big Lie" The trustees of the Bombay Farsi i Panchayat have withdrawn from the Federation of the Farsi Zoroastrian J Anjumans of India on the grounds that “the Federation has not served ( any useful purpose.” The community expected from the j trustees a thoughtful and sensible reason for withdrawal from the Federation. The only proper and sensible reason for non-withdrawal from the Federation was given by a solitary, impartial trustee. All honour to him. SOHRAB A. KALYAN {Parsiana, I was greatly disappointed by your article, “The Big Lie” (Parsiana. Feb’ 78). A paper has to give . .. “ 3 Do It should not have to discuss the “pros and cons” of any controversies. D. B. IRANI "What ’s Cooking?" The first recorded account of a wedding reception in Bombay is found in Mumbai-no Bahar. Rustamji Dorabji Patel, ^n of Dorabji Nana- bhai (who was the first Farsi to have come to Bombay from Sumafi in 1640 when Bombay was in the hands of the Portuguese), had four sons With Compliments From Tata Textiles Bombay House 24, Homi Mody Street, Fort Bombay 400 023 5I Cawasji, Dorabji, Kaikhushroo and Tehmulji. In 1761, Rustamji’s two eldest sons married and according to the custom of the day, spent a large sum of money to celebrate the happy occasion. The madavsara (pre-wedding ceremonies) celebrations and feasts lasted 26 days. Rustamji also dis­ tributed sugar in Surat, Sumari, Mora, Adajan, Dumas and Billimora and there too feasted large numbers. It was not only customary to feast community members at wedding re­ ceptions. In 1795, when the son of the governor of Bombay, Sir Johna­ than Duncan married, Rustamji’s son Cawasji sent half a ton of dried Bom­ bay duck and 30 dried pomphret to the governor as a wedding gift. In the 1850’s, Sorabji Cursetji Pavri was a popular caterer. There was no Albless Bang then and Kaikhushroo Bhoot, our present elderly caterer was not even bom. Wedding celebrations used to take place at the Maneckji Seth Wadi which disappeared to make way for Sir Phirozshah Mehta Road. The cost of a patra then averaged 14 annas to one and a quarter rupees, depending on the guests expected at the reception. If the guests included members working in the docks and the textile mills, Sorabji would raise the cost by two to four annas, as they usually consumed more liquor and food. Sorabji also had to send from 20 to 40 langries (vessels) of custard to special guests of the hosts. And while catering today may not require a lot of capital, in Sorabji’s times, furniture and utensils were not available on hire and it was also the responsibility of the caterer to provide the dholis and nagarawalas (drum­ mers). But the most difficult part was the collection of the bill. A few days later when Sorabji called on the happy household with the bill, there Were the usual complaints that peramni (gifts) had been not good or as expected, and Sorabji ended up accepting many discounted bills. In 1896, Sorabji passed away, totally broke. i JAMSHED K. PAVRI Vancouver, Canada Learn and Earn In the answer to the question, “How many A tosh Bahrams are there in India?” (“Learn and Earn” Parsiana, Oct.-Nov. ’77), the year 1894 is given in brackets next to the Iranshah Atash Behram. As there might be some confusion I would like to point out that 1894 is the year of the construc­ tion of the building the holy fire Iranshah is housed in and not the date of the consecration of the fire itself. The fire was consecrated ear­ lier and transported from place to place due to unfavourable circum­ stances before being brought to Udvada. RUSTOM P. MIRZA a can Legitimate Rights Inter-communal marriages will con­ tinue in every country and do not necessitate divisions in the family life of those who contract such marriages. The question that remains to be sol­ ved is whether our community will concede the fact that a marriage has taken place and that it has been legally contracted; that children of lawful marriages are always deemed lawful; and that the children having committed no wrong by being bom, cannot be denied the rights of a navjote by a mobed or dastur. If a priest were to refrain from per­ forming the navfote of any child of an inter-communal marriage, then a Parsi Zoroastrian layperson undertake to invest the child with a sudra and kusti if he is satisfied that the child is conversant with the kusti prayers, Sarosh Baj, Din no Kalmo and Tan Daroshti. Our religion allows any Zoroastrian to perform the navjote ceremony for a child bom of a Zoroastrian mother and father. Such a Parsi Zoroastrian may also invest any person above the age of 15 with the sudra and kusti if the person is conversant with the prayers. These are not reforms but the legitimate rights of every Zoroas­ trian mother and father and such rights cannot be taken from them by priests. F. RUSTOMJEE Colombo, Sri Lanka Mr Rustomjee, author oj The Daily Prayers of the Zoroastrians and other books, expired recently in Australia. Towering Inferno The majority in any community is usually poor and therefore, all re­ ligious customs should be made to suit their pockets. Electric crema­ toriums are expensive to install and maintain. Therefore, there should not be a separate crematorium for Parsis. Those who wish to be cremated can be taken to Chandanwadi instead of doongerwadi, if they so state in their last will and testament. M.K.PATEL The Dokhme nashini method of dis­ posal of the dead, in present times, is neither economical nor expedient. The cost of disposal of the dead by an electric crematorium at Chandan- wadi in 1973 was about Rs 25 per adult, whereas at doongerwadi it was over Rs 300. RUSI B. PASTAKIA Jamshedpur Directions, please While performing the kusti, the kusti is to be cracked (like a whip) towards the north, with the right hand. This right hand position is satisfactory while facing east from 6.00 hours to 12.00 hours local time. It is difficult or well nigh impossible to crack the kusti towards the north while facing west with the right hand. It is felt that the cracking of the kusti with the left hand, between 12.00 hours and 18.00 hours and facing west, would be the best under the circum- s stances. May a ruling be given on this point? f K. D. CHARGEMAN How about north by northwest? Speak Out Parsiana should carry the views of community members, young and old, on controversial subjects such as the disposal of the dead, conversion of non-Parsis married to Parsis,* navjotes of children with one Parsi parent, etc., and not let sleeping dogs lie. Ms. A. K. PRESS Calcutta Pristine Parsis The first item on the list of problems facing Parsis today is the reported decrease in numbers due to late marriages, emigration and mixed marriages. The main objection to mixed marriages is that they will ultimately lead to the extinction of the good qualities for which Parsis are famous and which have kept the community and the religion alive in spite of various vicissitudes. The champions of mixed marriages have not as yet satisfactorily answer­ ed this question—if all human beings belong to one family, why did God not create all human beings as of one pattern, one colour and one trait? It would be better to die nobly of one stock on account of decreasing num­ bers than lose the precious qualities of charity, enterprise, tolerance and adaptability that the Parsis are endow­ ed with (no disrespect is meant to the other peoples of the world). The other argument against mixed marriages is the consequences they heap upon the iimocent children of such marriages who are invariably tom between two cultures, two religions and two societies. 7The practice of not permitting non- ff Parsis to see a dead Parsi’s face after a certain stage of the funeral ceremony, originated in an attempt to preserve the purity and solemnity of the ceremony when Parsis began liv­ ing amidst the different peoples of India. It is doubtful if a reasonable non-Parsi would insist on breaking this custom. Although Zoroastrians only number about 1,30,000, we see no danger to the survival of the religion as long as it is faithfully followed by its adherents. After coming to India the Parsis began to observe many of the religious practices prevailing here. In spite of education and the work of reforming bodies, the practice of worshipping Hindu, Muslim and Christian saints and deities continues. This dual loyalty to one’s own faith as well as to that of others results from a lack of knowledge and con­ fidence in one’s own religion. When a person takes the easiest course of appeasing the god or goddess of a calamity, they forget that the Creator can never be bribed by offerings or sacrifices. A true Zoroastrian, in such circumstances, would keep faith in God and let Him do what is pro­ per for him. As Zoroaster says in his Gathas, “Ahura Mazda is the Judge; as He Himself would will, so let it be.' ! t 1 55 P. P. BALSARA Warden is good For sandalwood Head Office 378 Grant Road Bombay 400 007 and Branches Tel. 371464 Quality sandalwood Aggarbatttes, gum benzoin (loban) and other Perfumes A A" With Compliments from EMPIRE ESTATE Liberty Building 41/42 Marine Lines Bombay 400 020 1 i a 9 kPEOPLE t I ) i In Memory of J. N. Tata A memorial centre to honour India’s pioneer industrialist, Jamsetji Tata was inaugurated at his birthplace, Nav­ sari on 21st March by Prime Mmister Morarj i Desai. At a gathering which included the descendents of the Tata family, direc­ tors and top personnel of the group, the chief minister of Gujarat, Babu- bhai Patel and other notables, the prime minister said that Tata had put into practice the principles of the trus­ teeship of business years before they had been enunciated by Mahatma Gandhi and that the tradition of hold­ ing income in trust for the benefit of all communities and good causes had been continued by his heirs. “At a time,’’ Desai noted, “when the other minorities are asking for so much, the Parsis have never asked for anything for themselves. The sleek, modern structure, a short distance from the house where Tata was born 139 years ago, has at its core a centrally air-conditioned, 896-seat auditorium designed for both film and stage presentations, with the latest technical equipment; there is also a smaller hall with a capacity of 200 which can be used for either meet­ ings or exhibitions and a library con­ taining literature in Gujarati and Eng­ lish. The Centre, built largely from money given by various Tata concerns and individuals, also received from the Mafatlal family, five lakhs for land­ scaping of its seven acres and a lakh from the Navsari municipality; the land has been leased by the govern­ ment of Gujarat at a nominal rupee a year. Future plans for the multi-pur­ pose Centre include a Bal Mandir (children’s centre), playground and possibly facilities for sports such as tennis, volleyball and swimming. The Centre commemorates Tata’s ............. . belief in a constructive philanthropy ^ssibifities for tragedy, which does not only aid the weak and - - helpless but, in his own words, “lift(s) up the best and the most gifted so as to make them of the greatest service to the country.” In the care of the J. N. Tata Memorial Trust, the Cen­ tre is the latest in a long line of trusts and foundations which own the bulk of the wealth gathered by the House of Tatas over four generations. The endowments have helped set up, among others, the Tata Memorial Hospital and Cancer Research Insti- 14 >5 3 10 ¦ The Tata Memorial Centre in Navsari: “a constructive philanthropy tute, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, the Tata Institute of Funda­ mental Research and the National Centre for the Performing Arts. which is not an English rhythm. There is no literal translation anywhere. It’s a kind of English no one would actu­ ally speak. It’s an artificial language but it’s necessary if the characters are not to sound unreal and stilted. In the stage directions I have said that the characters must dress and act in the farcial manner of an Adi Marz­ ban play. But the theme is serious. You could call it Adi Marzban upside down.” Doongaji Hall Doongaji Hall, a play of a Parsi family on the decline, won 21-year-old play­ wright and short story writer Cyrus Mistry the Rs 5,000 first prize in the Sultan Padamsee Drama Awards Com­ petition. The bearded Wilson College student, who is also the short stoty editor of Debonair magazine, noted in an interview with Eunice de Souza in The Economic Times that this was his r ------ - first full-length play. “I’d like to de- director of Buckau Wolf New India emphasize the fact that it is about Engineering Works Ltd., one of t Parsis,” he stated in the write-up. “It country’s premier sugar machinery is closely applicable to any minority manufactunng units. A 20-year veteran community. I’ve always been interes­ ted in the Parsis as a disintegrating community with illusions about its past glory. I think it is a tragic situ­ ation, and to the extent that tragedy is possible today, this community offers Rise to the Occasion Dara N. Damania has been ap­ pointed the first Indian managing of the firm, Damania was general manager before his appointment and has trained in technical, organisational and company administrative work in Germany and Switzerland. Buckau Wolf India was founded in 1957 on the initiative of Maschinen- fabrik Buckau R. Wolf of West Ger­ many, a company of 139 years stand­ ing in the field. Since then, notes a resume sent by the Pune-based firm, the company has launched an export and diversification programme under _______ the active guidance of Damania. With significant exports so far valued at Rs 70 million, Buckau Wolf India has secured a major project export order for a com­ plete sugar plant in Kedah, Malaysia, which has already finished its first “There are only four non-Parsi characters in the play. They are hamals who come to take away the furniture. They don’t say anything. But visually they present a shock after the Parsi decadence. If I write another play. I’d like to introduce non-Parsis in manner. “I’ve tried to create a language for the play. I don’t use Gujarati words but I’ve tried to evoke a sense of the Gujarati idiom, and a certain rhythm crushing season, as well as an order a morefor a cane sugar factory in Nairobi, Kenya, which is expected to start ope­ rations in 1979. The company has also begun to manufacture spreaders, steam tube calciners and machinery for compost and brewery plants. In Bombay, Jehangir Shiavax Khambata, 47, became managing director of Glaxo Limited when he took over from G. J. Medley earlier this year. (Photograph and bio-data not given.) i % I To Cop It All H I I Honorary Surgeon Noted cancer specialist. Dr D. J. Jussawalla has been appointed hono­ rary surgeon to the President of India. Jussawalla, director and chief surgeon of the Tata Memorial Centre in Bombay, has also been chosen to represent India on the World Health Organisation (WHO) Expert Com­ mittee on cancer. A pioneer in the field of cancer treatment and research in India, he has been on the staff of the Centre, which consists of the Tata Memorial Hos­ pital and the Cancer Research Insti­ tute, since 1941. In 1951, Jussawalla founded the Indian Cancer Society which has been active in fighting the disease through public education, en­ couragement of research, early detec­ tion, new modes of treatment and re­ habilitation of cancer patients. The first chemotherapy and cancer cytology units and the first cancer de­ tection unit at a general hospital in India, were organised by Jussawalla, as was the Indian Journal oj Cancer, which he edits. A member of nume­ rous medical associations, societies, and committees both in India and s Buijor A. Minocher-Homji, a much j decorated veteran of the Bombay i police force was awarded the coveted President’s medal for distinguished i service, on Republic Day this year. The 57-year-old assistant com­ missioner of police, who heads the “A” division police force of Bombay, an area covering the heart of the metropolis, is also the recipient of the i Indian police medal for meritorious ; service, given in appreciation of his work as a sub-inspector and inspector ; and the Indian police medal for gal- ' lantry which he received for single- i handedly rescuing a union leader from | an angry crowd of rival union mem- j bers, during the railway strike of 1974. t o nAlioomon mnet Ha Q I Damania: Buckau Wolf ’s new chief abroad, he is currently the chairman of the Asian Federation of Cancer and in 1968, was elected a correspond­ ing Fellow of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, a group whose members number only 50 throughout the world. Jussawalla has been director of the Tata Memo­ rial Centre, the largest cancer hospi­ tal and research centre in Asia, since 1973. "Today, a policeman must be a bit of everything, politician, diplomat,” says the burly, soft-spoken Minocher- Homji who joined the force in 1942. “Before ’47, the work was more the strict ‘police officer’ type. Labour un­ rest is a very important part of police life now, not only law and order. But it is more challenging, we have to be prepared for any eventuality.” The Bombay-bom police officer graduated from St Xavier’s College and then joined the police as a sub-inspector after 14 months training. Starting his career young, he gave up the idea of a medical career to join the police. “Who knows how I would have done as a doctor, anyway?” he laughs. Minocher-Homji feels that people are indifferent to the police and not as amenable to discipline as they would like others to be and though crime among Parsis was once very rare it is “now a matter of course; crimes such as cheating and forgery are on a dis- Used Abroads Postal stamps of Indian origin which were used in foreign countries are the subject of a 68-page book An Intro- noted philatelist, Vispi S. Dastur. The r _ ' ¦ _.................. Philatelies and released by Girish Chi- , talia, president of the Indo-American I _ A__ *__ I k_ _ A1 ^+1* IOr gives “a short description of the place, lations of each foreign abode where Indian stamps were used.” nn r, ,. Dastur, a chartered accountant by for over 50 years, Rustam T. Saklath ' . — > I felicitated by the Parsi Zoroastrian Association (P.Z.A.) of Calcutta for “his long and meritorious services." At the function held at the Calcutta Parsi Club in November, the leading members of the community showered praise on the former president of the association reports the Navroz weekly, Calcutta’s leading Gujarati journal. Adi Rabadi, the president of the duction to India Used Abroad byjhe Rs log book? published by Mysore tinct rise.”'The law enforcement officer thinks this may be due to the fact that “respect for the family is dwindling and people think of themselves first." 99 Society in Bombay on 17th February, historyi* ^istaf history” and cancel- Thank you, Mr Saklath lations of each foreign abode where A “quiet and devoted worker” who has served the Calcutta community ! ill Indian stamps were used.” , profession, notes his interest in “Used I Abroad” stamps started soon after he first became a stamp collector. “I felt S there must be something more to phil- ¦ ately than just collecting mint sheets and first day covers.” He wrote the ! book because he felt “it would in­ teresting for one to know why Indian stamps were used abroad in those far- off distant lands, what were the events - , , . , . leading to their use in those foreign P.Z.A., noted Saklath s behmd-the. 99 Jussawalla: high honours countries—^whether it was a result of political agreements or army cam­ paigns. .. “Used Abroads” special charm and intrigue.' have a 99 scenes efforts to serve the community H especially its young and to impart to them an awareness of the religion. “Despite being a keen student ol^ them an awareness of the religion. 1 11i I I religion he harboured no dogmas,” noted Rabadi. “he kept an open mind, readily heard the other man’s views and tried his best to solve the eternal controversies that plague the com­ munity.” Ardesher Batlivala noted Saklath’s “fantastic capacity for work and a tremendous ability of being able to speak on any topic and speak well too.” Describing Saklath as an “op­ tical illusion—a small man with the energy of an ox,” Burjor Modi, joint secretary of the P. Z. A., noted Saklath was “one of the very few men who could talk some sense on our religion.” New President for Gujarat Chamber Jehangir R. Cama, a 40-year-old Ahmedabad hotelier, has been elected president of the 3,500-member Guja­ rat Chamber of Commerce and Indus­ try, for 1978. The chamber has a constituency of over 2,000 associa­ tions across the state, representing a spectrum of trade and industrial inte­ rests. Managing director of Cama Hotels Ltd., Cama also represents the Cham­ ber at the Federation of Commerce and Industry in New Delhi. Among tional Competition for Conductors ' held in Berlin, last year. Performing in his first international competition. a other positions, he is a member of the executive committee of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western Mistri received praise from Wolfgang India, president of the Ahmedabad Streseman, manager of the Berlin Automobile Dealers Association and Philharmonic and head of the jury, a director of the Bombay Mercantile who described him as a “born con- Co-op. Bank Ltd. Good Conduct __________ ______ _ __ ____ Pheroze Manek Mistri, a violinist deeply impressed” the jurors. s ¦ Cama : chamber head ¦ with the Vienna State Theatres Orches­ tra, reached the finals of the presti­ gious Herbert Von Karajan Intema- P. S. Balsara, a director of the ductor (whose) technical competence advertising firm Ogilvy Benson and ... thorough musicianship and... remarkable knowledge of the scores ... Mistri, who is also a member of the main orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, studied violin and conducting at the Vienna Academy of Music and Ebama which he entered as a J. N. Tata Scholar in 1968. Bom into a family of music lovers, he began to study the piano at the age of six with Shanti Seldon, but after hearing Yehudi Menuhin play, changed to the violin which he studied with Mehli Mehta and Silloo Panthaki. After graduating from St Xavier’s College, Mistri worked for a short while with a business firm but resigned to attend the Delhi School of Music where he studied conducting with Hans Joachim Kollreuter for a year. Matber, was elected chairman of the Indian Institute of Personnel Management. (Bio-data not sent). •i •i With Compliments Of ADI B. SAGAR & CO Electrical Engineers & Contractors Bombay I' 13,59 Mistri: a “born conductor atricality and mythological themes appeal to him. Deboo began his travels after graduating from Bombay’s Podar College, when, after some “drifting’ he decided to go to the U.S. for cour­ ses in dance and management. In Europe, however, he got some T.V. work and stayed there for almost a year before moving onto the Americas. Since then, the globe-trotting dancer has given Royal Command Perfor­ mances in Japan and Thailand, per­ formed with the British rock group. Pink Floyd, danced on a Sioux Nation Deboo : ideas in dance form .»5 Tn 1973, Mistri led a performance of “Carmen Jones” for the Schweizer Tournes Theatre in Bochum, West Germany and last year led two con­ certs with the Zilina State Orchestra in Czechoslovakia and as part of his diploma examination in conducting, led the N. O. Tonkunstler Orchestra in Vienna, performing Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony. taken Body Language His travels have taken dancer Astad Deboo to some 50 countries from the Philippines to Peru where he has performed both the classic Kathak and contemporary dance, earning himself the title of “travelling cultural ambassador of India” from the Mexican daily El Sol de Mexico.^ “Dance for me is communication,” says the 30-year-old Deboo. “I want to get through to the audience with what I’m trying to say and contem­ porary dance gives one the chance to present ideas in dance form.” Presently in India, three performances, for which he has choreographed Indian move­ ments to western music and vice versa, were to be held this April under the aegis of the Max Mueller Bhavan of Calcutta. Though Deboo does not improvise on any classical dance, his years of training in Kathak—which he began at the age of six—make him “more prone to Indian forms.” For the last two years, the young dancer has been studying Kathakali, the dance-drama of Kerala, whose the- disadvantage being a Reservation in Canada and worked with rehabilitation programmes for drug addicts in Vancouver and Hong Kong—between T.V. and stage ap­ pearances. “It’s no disadvantage being a Parsi—I feel a person first,” says the Navsari-bom Deboo. “Its dedication that matters.” Nevertheless, “its been hard” for Deboo who does all his own programming and “I don’t think you can make a living in India as a pro­ fessional dancer. When things go all wrong, I feel like quitting—but I love the dance.” i: 15I r h h t bership or through marginal surplus tai in drawing Guiv’s attention to a of bi-annual functions”. As a result, community centre in New York—and the ZAGNY membership fees have his wife met members of the Zoroas- been raised by $5 and a Darbe Mehr . . - . fund has raised over $22,000 from well-wishers. In Toronto, Guiv and his wife Mor­ varid accompanied by Dr Rustom Sarfeh-—one of the people instrumen- property for building a Zoroastrian ZOROASTRIANS ABROAD The Gifts of Guiv The largesse extended to the fledgling North American Zoroastrian associ­ ations by the Iranian millionnaire- philanthropist Arbab Rustam Guiv amounts to almost one million dollars (approximately 84 lakh rupees) with a gift of $1,54,000 to the Zoroastrian Association of Metropolitan Chicago (ZAC) “for the purchase of a piece of trian community of Ontario at a thanksgiving jashan on 3rd Decem­ ber on which occasion he aimounced his munificent gift. The centre, to be named the Zoroastrian Centre—Mehraban Guiv Centre in the Chicago area. At this time we have narrowed our search to a 20-acre lot in Lake Forest, a suburb of Chicago. If the land is deemed suitable for construction we will finalize the contract within 45 days,” notes Rohinton Rivetna, the Associ­ ation’s secretary. Guiv had earlier gifted $1,80,000 to the Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York (ZAGNY) for a community centre in New Rochelle and had set aside $6,00,000 to the Zoroastrian Society of Ontario for the purchase of land and for construction of a com­ munity centre. The Arbab Rustam Guiv Darbe Mehr Zoroastrian Temple in New Rochelle had its opening ceremony on 3rd December with a formal dedica­ tion held a week later on 10th Decem­ ber (“Zoroastrians Abroad,” Parsiana, January T978> ABoilt an Tiour’s drive from New York city, the Darbe Mehr or Door of Love is the first centre of its kind in North America and has facilities for community get-togethers, prayer meetings, religious classes and social gatherings. A special 14-page ZAGNY news­ letter, with photographs of the Darbe Mehr and the guests present, published to commemorate the opening of the Darbe Mehr, notes that the board of trustees consists of three representa­ tives of the Arbab Rustam Guiv Foundation and three from ZAGNY. Though the Foundation will provide an additional $4,000 annually towards the upkeep of the Darbe Mehr, the ZAGNY treasurer’s report for March 1978 notes, “We cannot maintain this beautiful property through $15 mem- Above: The Darbe Mehr in New Rochelle, N. Y. Below: The jashan held on December 3, 1977. The priests were Darius Antia, Noshir Hormuzdiar Noshir and Sam Karanjia, Parvez Patel and Hoshang Unvala. Seated at the back are (right to lef Madame Morvarid Guiv, Dr and Rostam Sarfeh, Arbab Rustam Guiv Ms ZAGNY President Eracb Munshi. 1 i 1 8! 1 '¦¦ ¦ te-'- ^^fesSFf fc- I V'- >? 1'1! J -H ¦ tif ', r^*- ’* * » 17long do , oeew^oH^if and when the hifer- JUBA 9 a _ ——1 ** 4*4 44 4 .* * *44^ io the calendar. He further explains, yOnly by such time reckoning (will) ^11 the gahaml>ar ceremonies and the _ ___„ ^han oi rapahvan propeily coincide handled as efficiently and ""painlessly the Zoroastrians in India, the Zoro^- )vith the seasi^ of nature. It is in : ........ t&ie interest of «mity... that Zarathosh- 1 Hies must be^n their New Year on annual general meeting of the associ- i^ie day of the vernal equinox, as was ation and was . welcomed by the gen- done by our ancestors.” eral body. I Mazdayasna 1347 can be got by Asid^from seeking | —J--------- rT,u-rz-------------------- the ^imes and addfi,„-, _____________ family mem^rs, the questumBmfea, tive council of the- Federation pf 4, * .«¦ . • 4»- ** __ _ __ a ' , A ‘ T of body or ashes”, whether “prijiem as the representative^! of the Assoei- (are) to be arranged in Australia <# i “ ‘ ............... .. at^road,” if any parts of the body ace _ _____________ ,,___ to be donated, whether the mem|Dr board.” yess,” notes Bagli in an introduction arrangements which would make sure that our wishes are adhered to in this very important matter, and also to^ The India Connection make sure tW everything can be In mder td'WtOi^ close ties with as possible.” The idea has been put trian Association ctf Metropolilim forwaM by Pervez Marshall at the last Chicago (ZAC) has ^pointed NosSr Wtant who vl^s ?on of the Th|(d World Zoro^tn^ ^|igres£ and D^i FW <^£se Anjuman and a m^l^Br^of the exe<4- ation in India “to aet pn behalf of tte Association under the jdi’^cction of tw ZAC has also elected a new boalfl of directors for a two-year temi namely; Bahram Fmhadieh, presf- L___— - - • Daruwala, surer; Rohinton Hoshang Khambatta^assistant secri- tary; Dilshad Antia.®drej BillimorB. Darius Captain, Bdic^n Damkeva||, * in Guard, Rt|fi Khadkhodia|i, ---- 1 mation is required.” Irani, a marketing ? active in the orgfmi ^e day of the vernal equinox, as was Mazdayasna 1347 can be got by sending one dollar to The Zoroastrian Association of Quebec, 12 Allancroft Road, Kirkland, P.Q., H9J 2G9, also asks for “instructions for dispc^ Parsi Zoroastrian Armans Z\«« «»AM'«^OA««4A^«afAilS^ I ttpg^tion on Mistry, a trustee oCahe Delhi Pa^i Easing the pain A two-page questionnaire “listing in­ formation which we think might en- has nominated a legal guardian for able us to afford the maximum amount children and the location of orM of help possible, in the event of death inal copy of his will; haw or serious injury” has been sent to members of the Australian Zoroas­ trian Association (AZA) in December. “We have, ini the past, had the mis­ fortune of losing members of our community in Sydney,” noted AZA ments are to be delivered in a sealed president, Gulu Bilimoria in a letter accompanying the questionnaire. “These happenings are tragic, but they will be opened by the trustees/com- inal copy of his will; ha’ the option of enclosing a copy of the will. Noting that members are not obligated to answer all questions, Ms Bilimoria writes that the docu- dent; Kersi Antia, hcai^ priest; Noshic ______ vicej^ident-cum-tre|- “ ‘ stna, secretary; Mi', 5^ the Yezdi Engineer. Ro! envelope which will be “kept in safe custody by one of our trustees and Gandhi, HooshmaaHI Sarosh Khambatt*' ............................. Ti Dara Rivetn|i. [ I I 8 I I e 3^ u. I V\fe\e got systems that work for you ¦W' ? ¦ 1 19 ’ i' iiI I w The Third World ^Zoroastrian Congress: A COMMUNAL CATHARSIS that the theme of the Congress was “The Zoroastrian Community in a Changing World,” said it was “time J that we. of the Zoroastrian commu­ nity, made an assessment of the situ­ ation and the challenges it poses and adjust ourselves to the new world that is springing up around us.” The chair­ man, who had suffered a heart attack a couple of days prior to the January 4th inauguration and did not attend _____ xl*... 11 z* zloiio’ coeciAnC urged the delegates to discuss issues “in a restrained manner without acri­ mony and with tolerance.. .the prime ? purpose of the Congress is to bring f i together Zoroastrians from all parts of the world. In other words, it is a search for Zoroastrian unity.” Jamshed N. Guzder, the chairman of the Congress’s executive committee, at ¦ ¦ ~7~ major forces behind the Congress, In the end there was the applause, loud and sustained. The Third World Zoroastrian Congress had come to a successful, albeit uneventful, conclu­ sion. No momentous decisions were taken, no plan of action chalked out but for four and a half days, over 1,5(X) Zoroastrians from all over the world had congregated in Bombay, pioneering spirit, a progressive outlook exchanged views and beliefs, revived i ................... — . old ties. young and old, conservative and liber­ al, people with differing accents and outlooks, dressed in attire ranging from sarees to minis and daglas to bush shirts, voiced their concern and aspirations for the community. From the lectures to the peppery three- minute discourses of the delegates, a sense of purpose and mission was evident, a belief that whatever the community’s problems, if people made dynamism to meet the challenge suc- a united and concerted effort, all diffi- cessfully.” culties could be overcome. ~ The Congress was historical not only because it was held after 14 years ucvicu wmi wv/uvunv. ; but also on account of the unhappy cultural life which you will naturally peculiar to India alone should not j developments that lay in its wake: the like to consider so that you can bet- be allowed to monopolize the atten­ tion of the Congress... may I, there­ fore. urge my fellow Parsi Zoroas- fact the hosts and that this f World Zoroastrian Congress ; small community’s multi-faceted achievements and contribution to the nation. “The high ideals of the Zoro­ astrian faith are reflected in the man­ ner in which Parsis who came to set­ tle in our land a thousand years ago have developed over the centuries,” said Jatti. “They have shown a community’s time ( and exemplary self-reliance.” Though The diverse gathering of there were “reports of increasing _ poverty among Parsis, of more people any of the following days’ sessions, seeking doles from Parsi Trusts and ’ ’ > ’ - - -- j of the plight of Parsis living in rural areas.. .these are problems that face all communities in the world and a certain measure of dynamism is re­ quired in handling them. I am sure both by tradition and training, the Parsi community is quite capable of generating the required resources and “reports of increasing I trustee of the BPP and one of the j imjf, luujv. --------------------- -------- —Y® ’’ i Governor Ali also noted. “You noted that though the single largest have undoubtedly some problems con- - - nected with your economic, social and concentration of Zoroastrians was in } India, “certain problems that are S only because it was held after 14 years I ' developments that lay in its wake: the like to consider so that you can bet­ break up 17 days later of the Fede- i ration of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans country. You are eager and anxious of India (FPZAI) under whose aus- i pices the meet was held. The clash of growth and progress of India in many in personalities that occurred on the floor fields. The fact that you are numeri- is a _ „ of Bombay’s Sir Cowasjee Jehangir cally small has not and indeed, need and not a Parsi Zoroastrian Congress. Hall snapped the slender ties between not depress or frighten you. Ultima- Messages were also received from the democratically elected anjumans tely, it is the quality of life and the the President and Prime Minis­ and the Bombay Parsi Panchayat pursuit of excellence which count. If ter of India and the Shah of Iran; the (BPP) which played a pivotal role in ; -- tv the organization of the Congress. Thus and stout hearts, the world is yours; the Congress that initially nobody at any rate, you have your proper and wanted and which later became a legitimate place in it. You may well rallying flag, belied its great expecta- keep your identity within a wider tions. loyalty to India and its great goals and India is a free, secular directly relating to the Zoroastnan < understanding of the glorious, ancient ter serve your community and the to increase your contribution to the trians not to forget that we are fields. The fact that you are numeri- not depress or frighten you. Ultima­ tely, it is the quality of life and the you have a wide vision, clear heads latter, whose message was read by Dr ' ’ ¦ Farhang Mehr, vice-chancellor of y; Pahlavi University, Shiraz, stressed the ancient ties between the 2Soroas- '¦ trians and Iran and hoped “that as a result of your deliberations in the areas community and its history, a better On a cool, pleasant January 4 and the idealism that we have inher- i— ------- „ - evening, amid the glare of spotlights ited from India’s straggle for freedom Iranian culture and civilization will and whirling cameras, the Congress and our ancient heritage assures safety be achieved.” was inaugurated by the Vice-President to the smallest minority community in of India, B. D. Jatti, at Bombay’s the country. For all these and other Fmmat Birla Matushri Sabhagar hall. Speak- ---- —------ „— — v r • , . ing before a distinguished gathering of wishes are with you as you all settle delegates gathered at the tmee-tier^ the Zoroastrian community leaders down to your deliberations.” _ u_ . and delegates, Jatti, Maharashtra Gov- Boman K. Boman-Behram, presi- first of the four-day session, lhe emor Sadiq Ali and Maharashtra Chief dent of the Congress, the FPZAI and subjects scheduled for the Congress Minister Vasantrao Patil, praised the the Bombay Parsi Panchayat, noting pertained to the priestly class, rel- loyalty to India and its great goals and ‘ aspirations. L_21_ 1_ ' . Ihangaration democracy in which our Constitution On a cool, pleasant January 4 and the idealism that we have inher- evening, amid the glare of spotlights ited from India’s straggle for freedom the country. For all these and other Format wishes are with you as you all settle Boman K. Boman-Behram, presi- reasons, all our good will and good The next morning by 9 o clock the Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Hall for the the Bombay Parsi Panchayat, noting pertained to the priestly class, rel- 21 1 If ¦ expertise. TOlst subjects such M^ffie ^ess’ not expected to'^ provoke much overseas ’ I Iranian delagates, on priestly class or religious education gress were l, ; ’ 7 controversy, item number five, a “Social and|M|^ ‘ - r, - — itrians in thi^oeeit tions for th^fjitui-. - elusion the .-^tal and orthodox sec- i” an exetc^ in ^Ifility, the Con- Pudumjee depicting a stylized history! [ did demonstrate the infiuence of of Zoroastrianism, followed by a Zoroastrians, especially the fashion show and dinner. The other an exetc^ in fefility, the Gon- .T jspeciauy vne laauiuu duuw auw wixiuvr. axxv VO the Bombay sidelights of the Congress included a the othei«’^al host iff stalls siO^^is of interest nt nast'snd aiStees*India with which the F^P to the delegates. Thes^ranged from tfe,** over whose in- is constantly at battle, the. Bombay out-of-print books on Zoroastnamsrn elusion me au« ow- trustees paid heed t& fiie yieWs of the collected for the occasion by Edal frV rhT^munity' had been influenfial and moneyed Iran^n Cassad, an^entei^smg businessman heatedly dXfing, vront off smot^y Zoroastrians. the mention of,‘file who covered the books m plastic and , 'thanks to tfe adroitrchaitmanshipf^f - millionaire-philantrophist KUMam added a generous price mark-up. to j prominent Ban^y Guiv’s 4ame was sufficient to elicit a portrait of Zoroaster ^inted by^a , lawyer in mosc whvxv-JxC ' applaud frdn the audience. B^ ymg Gujarati artist, Ravi Tnlok clminnan. however, threw his wei^ W treatment did not extend ;to all who took orfers for paintm^ on around or permitted certain speakers the foreigh ihvitees. .Godrej Sidhwa Zoroastnan tlw^s. Sewral publica- to exceed th^ time limit st^d a ofgtoehi m spofe:;on the prie^y sneaker before his time was up, the dtris, reportedly could P'•*'peiftaiiung to its progress and weiHare ^5^mbership of the Federation at a - ** ¦¦ -J 1»6. ISk . Aophanctfar O. ' tr <: changing world, came through in . Hider. oafe; reiuen^ered one of of the last remnants o£ eUdogamous speaker after speaker. Perhaps the . the^Si^Mtest biplo^sts nd culture. Butthe ioiests must ihspHred W^ion. Fervent have wond^RSd; whrft words rose* Mf^a|^'i|ighest tier of for our proniised welfare and secu- theT^l, covefdjK>^ ^Bead with the India, especially western India, with a greater ! sense of nesponsibility scientific ihg of their children in So heady _________________________ c ¦- <¦ - *= and culture. But^ loiwtstmust of mspred wond^RSd; wbrft h^oisd words towm the best traditions of "2^roastrian the 'boll, covens sari £pid proc^, with emotloBi^ on k is'>’not the voice reciters of prayers and performers of Zoroaster!" Whereupon the chairman ritual ? Perhaps the biggest question cahnly called* “Next sp^ker please”. what fHOd euphorhi oozed^Sw air from levels? If the organisations do not act . 4/WlsBe economic naore purposefully noW, the demand and'sodhl A Zoroastrians exei^dsed^aea^ . ldlfs’!^ Iranian and eximtriate‘ Parsi conaa&iities showed a 'robust, realidic .'ind rational There was a sense of euphoria a sense of confidence about what they^ I impression from Parsi^ blndia. There The certainly seemed to fe a lack of ap^ predation that emh of all—the^ exercised aea^ eximtriate‘ Parsi wjSb was inevitably^ an exhibitipb "^Pf K.ot fk., ru. » approach to theilh There wa^ at the Congress, constantly below the were doing. One did ndhget the same 99 however, it wa excess.” If we remember that, we can much wanted matter in contemporary go into a changing future, mature and idiom. So great must be the vacuum left by parents and priests that when Mistree stops, his listeners clamour for more. Right at the start of Mistree’s talk the jolt came. We Parsis are not from what is now called Iran but from what is now Uzbekistan and the southern republics of the U.S.S.R.! At one stroke he took the lid off a whole bin of assumptions about Iranian origins. Why had traditions broken down? he asked and replied: because the religion has not received rational, a modernizing and humane community which retains its soul and has “broadly agreed means to broad­ ly agreed ends.” And for that may Ahura Mazda show us the Light, to light up our own perceptions and not to bum up others! A. D. Moddie, 57, a management and rural development consultant, read a paper on “Education jor Zoroas­ trian Youth” at the Congress. A former director of Hindustan Lever Ltd., he is president of The Hima- the degree of intellectual stimulus re- layan Club. ¦J imu'iiiiiintni QQ D fnn nrn uS] BS aooorii 'W. I'o'l £« Q 9 And Company Private Limited Building Contractors & Civil Engineers Registered Office: 70, Medows Street, Fort, Bombay-400 001 Administrative Office: New India Centre, 17, Cooperage Road, Fort, Bombay-400 001 Phone : 254262/212844 Gram: Ginframe Bombay 33 1 *r Our Family ? . .. Kight: Bindiya Goswami and Raakesh Roshan; Pearl Padamsee and Asdiok Kumar: The “Parsiness ” is a lifeless prop. Below: Deven Varma and Piloo Wadia : Apron Strings. f The camera dwells lovingly on four- poster beds, ancestral portraits, easy chairs and sewing machines, tracks through a middle-class Parsi interior to focus on the sadra-clad inhabitants. This glimpse of Parsi life preludes The 1 Khatta Meetha, directed by Basu Padamsee) I Chatterji and the first Hindi film to I use a Parsi milieu as a backdrop to the story. under his ramshackle bus than in it; Jal (Devendra), always plucking his guitar; Rusi (Ranjit Chowdhury), the aspiring karate expert and Pilloo faster Raju) the little school boy. ~ widow, Nergish (Pearl ) has three children, Firoze (Raakesh Roshan) in his last year in college; 28-year-old daughter, Freni (Preeti Ganguly) whose post- The Rupam Chitra production adolescent tantrums the mother can which revolves around a Parsi family, barely cope with and Faredoon comes in the wake of commercial (Vimal Sahu) who does nothing in potboilers where Parsi characters only particular beyond brawling occasion- provided “comic relief” from the sniff­ les and the duets. Khatta Meetha, prior to its release, raised the hackles of a section of the community who voiced their fears in the Parsi Press that the movie might distort and caricature the community’s way of life or sacred along, a subplot focusses on the love Nergish is clinched over a cup of tea rituals. hfe of Firoze ai^ his girl friend, and after a few sheepish appraisals The misgivings would now seem ................. ’ ' “ to be exaggerated, for the Parsi viewer who masochistically expects to be subjected to two hours of ridicule on celluloid, will find that the film is deal with |e(|ple and situations evo- basically an inoffensive commercial , cative of the everyday life of the com- venture; more concerned with proid- munity. Bm here, there is' nothing ding undemanding “family funfare” ' ’ .................. (as Khatta Meetha is billed) than making statements about the commu­ nity, controversial or otherwise. In fact, beyond portraying the archetypal, possessive Parsi mother with her Oedi­ pus complex-ridden son and senti­ mentalizing the middle-class Parsi family, the community is almost cold-shouldered. One is left with the niggling suspicion (belied by the film’s considerable commercial success) that here is a family film too slow for adults and too tame for children re­ ared on Bobby and Sholay. Based on a Turkish film. Our Family, Chatterji’s small budget ven­ ture deals with complications that arise out of the marriage of conve­ nience between an ageing widower. Nergish three ally. The film deals in part with the in- itial hostility of the children to each other and their new parents and ju moves on to their final adjustment, t To keep the narrative moving noisily isj "M A life of Firoze and his girl friend, Zarine (Bindiya Goswami) and that of each other. Dara, the 33-year-old of Dara (Mistry’s colleague) and Freni, bachelor who trails his mother around One would expect a film dealing whining for permission to “marry any- for the first tiyaae with Parsi life to one as long as she is a woman”, deal with ’|e<|ple and situations evo- marries fat and past her prime Freni -J ,•«. .. . before the intermission. Chatterji also „ _ J see^i to it that the star-crossed lovers, inherent Parsi about the ^aracters Firoze and Zarine are not crossed too in the film, the situation^ they find long by Zarine’s class-proud, “villain- themselves in or the prcolen^ &ey ous” father, Mr Kerawalla (Pradeep face. They are the fotmula Blm Kumar)—a formidable, commercial stereotypes. hackneyed situbtSonsk Jtiuadi film cliche. with ofte^ fio coliei^ht motives to'ac- ’ ¦’ « • count l^r theSr Actions. If'^are&on and Fali, Zarmc and Freni were sub- ^ifoted^with Ram and Shyaip!, Sita G^, it ^uld make jtoleptfer- en<|e tef the sfory; e?Sie^ perhbi^ in _ _ thelcase of Nergish and Homi whose recognition down middle-class Parsi Nova^ber-December marriage would be moreWcceptable in a Parsi family than in a Hindu one. Nor are the problems the principal gali milieu in Swami probaWy. be- characters grapple with and overcome, ~ .................. - any indications of trends in the com­ munity, What motivates many of them is the urgent need to get married, an Homi Mistry and a widow, Nergish urge which they gratify with incred- Sethna. Mistry (Ashok Kumar) is a ible swiftness, thanks to the machi- ____ , foreman in a factory and has four nations ’of the director. Ulus, the references to Udwada and * Parsi sons:^ Fali (Ravi Raaj), more often marriage contract between Homi and superstitions; Jam-e-Jamshed and The for the fo-st tjyaae with Parsi life to inherent in the fill nfc they tn ¦of lem* osnula^ Bl ley ilm ft is because the^^arsi ethos does not form a backdrop to the interplay of the genuine tensions and conflicts inherent in a small community, that the ‘yParsiness” remains a lifeless prop and fails to send any shivers of yParsiness” spines. Khatta Meet ha has none of the profusion of detail with which the director effortlessly evoked the Ben- cause Chatterji has little insight into or empathy for the com­ munity and has apparently done little research to compensate few this lack. Brief wedding shots which at one point degenerate into a dance scene; •V. 3: 34i J / ' ' Li the blatantly commercial film and the honest one. After Khatta Meetha, one has the seem to be suspended awkwardly bet- Nevertheless, even if Khatta nagging suspicion that Chatterji has ween long stretches of dialogue in Meetha seems to landmark the direc- ceased to compromise ... the next Hindi are among some of the direc- tor’s cinematic menopause, a major step a big budget multi-starrer a la tor’s unconvincing and cursory salutes plus point is its charnpioning of the Sholayl to the Parsi way of life. cause of widow remarriage in a society * where Hindu widows had limited options—sati or total seclusion. Ad­ mittedly, seen in the context of the commercial Hindi film world, Khatta Meetha and its predecessors have terji’s association with the community has been "happy and warm. It streng­ thened my resolve to portray the Parsis sympathetically in Khatta Meetha and not lampoon them as in other Hindi movies,” he says of his recent IQ-lakh venture which is set against a Parsi background. “The filmmaker has a responsibility towards tne community he portrays,” notes the Ajmer-born Bengali who feels people living outside Maharash­ tra, Gujarat and a few other places in India, do not know much about the Parsis “or they may have preconceived notions about them, hope Khatta Meetha will increase awareness and understanding of the community.” However, the 48-year- old director points out that he is essentially a storyteller who likes to Bombay Samachar prominently dis- which to some extent, redeem Chatter- played; a self-conscious use of the ji’s most mediocre films, even a fanci- greeting sahabji and Parsi names that ful inanity like Tumhare Liye. Bombay Samachar prominently dis- ful inanity like Tumhare Liye. Nevertheless, even i2 "---- Meetha seems to landmark the direc­ tor’s cinematic menopause, a major As a peep into Parsi life the film is not all that perceptive or even acc­ urate and it is further marred by a plot where comedy—sometimes bor­ dering on farce—matters more than realism. One misses the vein of quiet proved interesting—more for what humour springing from incidents of they do not have than for what everyday life, which characterize the they have. Chatterji’s clean little best of Chatterji’s films. Unable to tales, scrubbed of all obscene sustain the comedy, the director in­ troduces runaway buses, s pedestrians, harassed porters and narrow escapes which get steadily real problems and fractional truths worse because he does not know when to stop. Though there are mo­ ments in the first half when some of the gags do come off, others fall flat because they are - unnecessarily labo­ red. As for the handling of the camera, it is intelligent enough and the family handling of human relationships, scenes are well-composed. But the film has no interesting use of dramatic images or ev^n the technical sleight of hand and flashes of visual beauty ional cinema—a compromise between tales, scrubbed of all obscene innuendos, oversized bosoms and startled sizzling cabaret scenes, have none of the heady thrills, gross violence, un- typical of the big budget multi-star- rers spun by Bombay’s dream mer­ chants. The lack of depth, a short­ coming characteristic of a Chatterji film, is often compensated for by a story well-told, a telling sense of the comic and a tasteful and delicate These qualities (now increasingly elu­ sive) led critics to classify Chatterji’s work when he first began as transit- * * He saw a Parsi for the first time in his life when he moved to Bombay and ever since. Director Basu Chat­ a I 35I rnnt-A tale rather than mx mt wuuucruiai nmui mm, make an in-depth, sociological study Chatterji asserts, “I don’t make films of a commimity. - - imua Relying almost solely on the guid­ ance of Parsi friends, his own acquain­ tance with the community (including two former employers) and the advice of an “expert dastur”, Chatterji has tried to evoke a Parsi milieu in the belief that aside from the attire and customs, “Parsis are Indians after all”. He toyed with the idea of trying to weave in the rhythm and idiom of Parsi speech by the use of Parsi Gujarati interspersed with broken Hindi “but it would have sounded artificial and perhaps ridiculous. Besides, I wanted to cater to an all- India audience,” he says. As for the actors, with the sole ex­ ception of Piloo Wadia whose forte has been caricaturing Parsi idiosyn- cracies, the film has no Parsi artistes. “I didn’t use Parsi stage actors be­ cause I needed people who have some knowledge of working before a camera,” he says. An exception was made in the case of the Bombay stage veteran Pearl Padamsee because the director found her combination of “motherly qualities and histrionic talent” irresistible. The rest of the film is peopled with lesser-known actors with the exception of Ashok Kumar. “An actor can assume any role he is given,” says the director. “Ashok Kumar has been acting for 40 years and had never portrayed a Parsi before. He loved playing the role.” Though Khatta Meet ha has all the cliches of the commercial Hindi film. « 99 to make money but for the love of the medium”—a statement perhaps borne out by the fact that some of Chatterji’s earlier films were not box office hits and won a certain amount of critical recognition. His involvement with the medium which he describes “as walking on a razor’s edge”, is 10 films old. Prior to that Chatterji was a journalist for a while and later, a cartoonist with Blitz for 18 years. Those were the days he read all he could on films and started the film society. Film Forum, along with another interested friend. He got his first break in films when opportunity arose to assist Basu Bhattacharya with Teesri Kasam in 1962. The year 1969 saw his maiden. Film Finance Corporation-sponsored effort, Sara Akash, but the offbeat theme and its handling did not click at the box office. His next venture. Us Paar which Chatterji produced himself, also flopped badly and since then, he has only directed and not produced his work. Luckily, the following ventures, Rajnigandha, Chotisi Boat and Swami were minor successes “because I make films which can communicate with people who see them. I am not con­ cerned with any ideology or with conveying a message.” Belonging to the school of thought that looks upon the film as primarily a director’s medium, Chatterji obser­ ves, Everythmg is coordinated accor­ ding to my wishes and instructions. Of course my actors have the freedom Prior to that Chatterji cartoonist with Blitz for 18 With compliments from to interpret their roles and I need cameramen and other technicians. But when I am shooting the first shot I also have the last shot in mind.” After taking six to eight months to write the screenplay the film is shot within 30 days with very little on-the- > spot improvisation. “It’s like raising a building according to a blueprint that I have in mind; after which I may make a few changes here and there. The mark of a good director is his ability to visualize an entire film and his craftsmanship to translate it . into form.” To encourage good cinema and to . break the stranglehold of the commer­ cial Hindi film on Indian audiences, Chatterji pleads for more art theatres all over the country. “These could screen the offbeat and the honest film,” he says. “People like Mani Kaul and Kumar Shahani have the right to make the kind of films they do for their select coterie of admirers.” Though initially inspired by the films of Vittorio de Sica and Satyajit Ray, Chatterji with six directorial assignments on hand, is trying to model himself on director Billy Wilder (of Irma La Douce fame) and ! exploiting his sense of the comic to ' make light comedies. “My philosophy is that life is full of misery but it has its beautiful moments. As Thomas Hardy rightly said, ‘Happiness is an interlude in the general drama of pain’. In my films, I like to dwell on the interludes rather than dilate on the pain.” »9 99 Sterling and Wilson Electric als Private Ltd. Esplanade House, 2nd Floor Waudby Road Bombay 400 001 Tel: 261882 37 rVIEWPOINT What’s Cooking? Dhandar, patyo, sali boti and dudh puff siTQ the shortcuts to a Parsis heart. While controversies rage and split the community Parsis are uni^ ed in their love of good food which has become a part of their khai pi ne maja (eat, drink and be merry) way of life. No Sunday afternoon is complete without the langour- producing dhansak, prawn kababs and kachoombar; sev and dahi add ‘ the necessary, festive touch to birthday, navjote and wedding cele­ brations ; and yellow khichdi 3ig- nals post-funeral blues. Over the years, Parsi food has become in­ separable from certain, symbolic associations which like the ngc* old recipes handed down from generation to generation, remain unchanged. The wedding season watts to eager Parsi nostrils the fragrant aroma of the lagan nu bhonu— the sumptuous wedding rep^t which relieves the tedium of the occasion and is relished gourmet­ style by the 500-odd guests. But with western and Indian fare now invading Parsi kitchens, will the patra ni machi lose ground to the fish souffle and the homely rotli to the paratha? To discover where their ‘loyalties’ lay, we asked our seven interviewees this time, whe­ ther they enjoyed Parsi food. I i Minocher Mehta, 73, Retired businessman “Parsi food is a combination of all communities’ and Parsis have cosmo­ politan food habits,” says Mehta, a long-time resident of Karachi. I eat Parsi food practically every day. A - 7__ ; is dhansak with kabab and kachoombar but we uavc .10 hard and fast rules and eat dhansak anytime, though we have parties, the type of food depends on . Ik <-..4. ?Az-xf cold twice. 5> pVlXLMXX -------------------- long-time resident of Karachi. 1 eat « 1 ____ .i.:___ 11,. Hoxr A typical Parsi meal prawn have no dhandar special^ ^e occasion. Meat is not sold twice a week in Pakistan so we have two meatless days. . _ “Yes, Parsi food is fattening too much ghee, butter and spices. In Karachi, lagan nu bhonu is buffet­ style, though the food is much the same as in Bombay. But Parsis waste too much food. “My favourite dish is macaroni cheese and I like doodh puff and jalooda and eda pak in wmter. Alcohol is too expensive now, so, people can’t really drink too much. “Parsi cooking is not dying out. Parsis like their own food. They don t diet unless forced to and have tteir three meals alright! Parsio to khadra khara (Parsis are greedy).” 38 L »Taera Vakil, 14, Student, J. B. Petit High School sutar feni. “Young Parsis drink a lot. not so i the older generation. I like beer. Falooda and lassi arc typical Parsi drinks. I enjoy doodh puff the most but hardly ever get it. “Inter-marriages Parsi cooking. eat meat and fish, may not. Most of . my Hindu friends love dhansak. “Many Parsis eat for the sake of eating. ------- " ‘ diet but they never succeed, up!” advises Taera. “My favourite Parsi meal is dar chaval with khima or sail boti. We have dhansak and kababs every Sunday and dhandar on birthdays, and though my mother is strict about non-meat-eating days, I often forget them. “My Parsi friends at school grum­ ble that the food is too heavy. Rice and potatoes are fattening but the meat and fish are nutritious. “I go to weddings and navjotes especially for the food. I think it is super, especially the custard. I love Parsi sweets like dar ni pori and do not affect _____ Foreigners enjoy Parsi food but Hindus, who do not not Hindu friends love dhansak.^ The women think they can Give ( ¦ t These are Roozbeh Shroff, 30, Cardiac Surgeon, J. J. Hospital “I like Tibetan food. Parsi food is not very nutritious. Overcooking destroys the food value. It has very high cholestrol and leads to cardiac diseases, hypertension and affects the kidneys and eyes. These are aggravated by overeating. ‘‘Tans mare is a custoiri among Parsis in coastal villages where a gallon matka Qi todi with a leaf tied to it is drunk bottoms up. Kahvo is a typical Parsi drink and Iranis love falooda. “A typical Parsi meal would have fried fish, kachoombar, rice and curry, patya or dar. My mother follows diet restrictions and non­ meat-eating days but I do not even know these auspicious days. “I don’t thiiik lagan nu bhonu is a waste of money so much as a • waste of food. We should cut down - the number of dishes. Parsis tend to be gluttonous and to overfeed their babies. “I do not think inter-marriages have affected our food at all. Most communities enjoy Parsi food and all my non-Parsi friends love it. There is nothing like it!” \ -5. Jk' I II Ms Mani Contractor, 65, Housewife “A typical Parsi meal, like dhansak, fried meat and potatoes, is very heavy, with lots of ghee and oil. My husband and I eat Parsi food every day, and some semi-boiled because of our age. Dhansak is too heavy and we only have it for guests. At my parties, everyone enjoys kharia and non-Parsi friends also ask for Parsi dishes. We eat dhandhar any time, and on special occasions, we eat out,” says Ms Contractor. She also thinks that the “days of diet restrictions are gone.” “Parsi food is good but fattening. nutritious. I However, it is nutritious, and if cooked with less oil, would be healthier. Parsis do eat a lot; I recently watched eig^ ladies finish one kilo of biryani, one kilo of sail boti, plus sev\ , “I enjoy lagan nu bhonu but it is a real waste of money and food. Alcohol goes well with Parsi food, but I don’t think Parsis over drink. “Parsi food is dying out. In mixed marriages, husbands like the food of their own community and younger people prefer English-style food.” >5 9Cyrus Patel, 25, Businessman ,T J “I love to eat. I prefer continental food and my favourite dish is steak, especially Chateaubriand; but I love Parsi sweets, especially copra pak and kajoo pak. Vasanu is also a great favourite of mine. We have about 50 per cent western and 50 per cent Parsi food at home and for parties. I do not follow any diet restrictions nor meat-less days. “Parsi food is certainly not fat­ tening. It is nutritious since it con­ tains meat, fish, dar, eggs, which are all fuU of proteins. Dhansak is a typical Parsi dish. but “I enjoy lagan nu bhonu once in a while. I do not think it is a waste of money since it is for a good occasion, celebrate well? Parsis are good drinkers but not to an excess though this depends on the individ­ ual. Whiskey and gin go best with Parsi food—not wines. “Though most Parsi women are diet-conscious, they rarely succeed. Parsis really do enjoy their food. I have never come across a Parsi glutton, as such, but most Parsis are good eaters.” which, why not Parsis to Ms Villie Mehta, 47, Cooking Teacher “Parsis definitely enjoy their food. My family eats Parsi food every day as the main course,” says Ms Mehta who serves mixed or western food at parties. “A typical jParsi meal is dhansak, prawn kabab and kachoombar but we don’t eat dhansak every Sunday, as my family prefers Goa-style curry rice. Though I was brought up to observe meatless days, I believe in the food taboos. “Parsi food is nutritious because it’s well balanced; but sometimes, it is overcooked. “I usually enjoy lagan nu bhonu is don’t though it is a waste of money. My favourite food is crab and I think beer goes best with Parsi food, but I don’t think Parsis drink too much. The average Parsi is not as fat as the average non-Parsi and Parsi babies aren’t overfed either, how­ ever, the younger generation is per­ petually on diets. “I don’t think Parsi food is dying out. Girls marrying out introduce their husbands to it, and even in America, you get Parsi food in Parsi homes. Parsi food will live as long as there are Parsis." II Ardashir Mehraban Yazdegardi, 58, Partner, Pyrkes Provision Stores and Cafe “Irani food is nutritious, but Parsi chana, and chelo kabab food is cooked more for the taste,” Irani favourites which says Yazdegardi, who came to India in 1931. “We eat Irani food, which is like the Parsi but not so spicy, as well as Parsi food, with popular ' with beer or orange juice is drunk with food; I like a glass or two of beer with a good med. “Lagan nu bhonu is a waste of food—^guests ask for all the dishes but leave much of it behind. “Parsi cooking will not die out, as even non-Parsis are acquiring a taste for it.” dhansak and dhandar patia any­ time. My favourite food is Irani- style gosh, but I observe the non­ meat days eight times a month. It is good if all Zoroastrians wash their hands and mouth and say a short prayer before eating, to thank God for the food. “Abghos, a soup with meat and are two Irani favourites which I serve Irani guests. Gaz e Isfahan and hcdva e hardah are famous sweets, and very nice. Shirazi falooda is . . ’ T everyone. In Iran, interviews by Shireen Gobhai and Shirin Bahadurji 41I i ¦ J « ¦ J J ”S rj" ¦ill I Hot and bothered about what's going on in the community? I You needn't look far. Read all about it in Parsiana. The magazine worth waiting for. Subscribe today NAME GAME Suggest a name fox the Parsi gentleman above. We will give a prize of Rs 100 fox the name thought most appropriate by the editors. Send in youx entries by 30th Septembex to The Editox, Paxsiana GPO Box 892 Bombay 400 001. 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If you are already a subscriber please pass this form along to a friend who ought to be one too. •1 NAME ADDRESS CITY PIN CODE STATE AND COUNTRY 43I I; H ART .» ** I *¦ ! V''^'‘4-‘' -¦• 1 I.. f ' •* V * *n? Embryo ”: one of the works exhibited 1 ? ¦ i , * Ss Sculpture amidst the Corals by Geeta Doctor It was the season of coral flowers in the garden where Pilloo Pochkhana- wala chose to display the work that represented 25 years cl -.'-I- - . in the field of modem sculpture. The metal objects, scarred, twisted and gouged pieces of aluminium, mounted on thin rods fixed to solid stands, were placed at various vantage points in the somewhat bleak landscape of the garden, each display surrounded by a L__ which would no doubt provide a dramatic effect at night. During the day, one looked up-and saw the curved red blades of a coral tree in bloom, rising up against the blue sky like the thousand waving scimitars of a horde of Mongols just returning from a kill. In the midst of such splendour, Ms Pochkhanawala’s sculptures looked 44 and been hailed as an artist with a socialistic conscience. Instead, she has chosen to 1- text of time matter in the process form, and in some curious fashion, they do portray t yearn ng of man to soar beyond the ugliness of his earthly limitations m search of the eternal. This may begone its "cold, linear ration­ label her pieces in the con- and evolution, as bits ot of achieving 3 elemental the eternal ugliness bleak and remote, the painfully wrought creations of man in answer vuw ________ to what nature throws out with such of achievement thoughtless profusion. Art with a capital A is perhaps her work, ^some best off in the anaesthecized surround­ ings of an art gallery or the air-con­ ditioned recesses of a drawing room. One feels a sense of unease at driving through the scabrous slums of Worli with their stunted children playing on battery of admiring flashlights the pavements decorated with mounds uaucij U1 e,___ O kiirriQn PTPre.ta. to eaze of sculpted human excreta, to gaze at pieces of welded metal elegantly displayed in a garden. Yet if Ms Pochkhanawala had wanted to go in for the cheap Sentimentalizing that is resorted to by some so-called socially relevant artists, she could have called any one of her pieces “Worli Chawl 78” or “Fragment of a mill-worker” reason why, in spite of all its elitist connotations, its cold, linear ration­ alizations. Ms Pochkhanawala s sculp­ ture is not only seen in drawing rooms but out in the open, in the middle o the Worli chawl itself, fighting for relevance amidst irrelevance. Her work represents the search for form in a world of formlessness, the questing nature of man, trying to rise beyond nature and failing, yet trying again. It is this spirit that one admires about her work, the fighting, defiant spirit that is displayed in her very handling of the metal which seems at places almost whipped and curdled into place, at other times casually welded and cut out into shapes, the very casualness belying the fierce ten­ sion which holds her creations to­ gether. It is the spirit which has the audacity to contemplate the imitation of a nebula, one of the most spontane­ ous. luminous and tumultuous crea­ tions of the universe and to fix it m a metal form. Not that she succeeds, for her nebula is a static grey thmg, tied to the earth with umbilical rods that keeps it forever stillborn. The display shows a wide range of iiu wv.k, of which she has exhibited before, from the smooth rounded stones trapped in webs of welded metal in the quixotic “Atoinic Couple” and “Steel Nest”, to the collection of spanners that make up “Nag Panchami” and the star-trekked channels of steel rods displayed in “Flight”. One’s reactions to all these tend to be subjective for they are the out­ pourings of a highly individualistic vision. Her work demands either total acceptance or total rejection. The one thing it does not allow is in­ difference and most artists would not ask for more than that of their work.I* I i 4 ’¦’I * ? * :*» I fTX A4 bl 7, 5^^ t"' ¦ k * -^yiCTiiif '* 4' ^'2 l\ Saklat with a piece originally done in stained glass Zoroastrian Material Chavda One of artist Shiavax Chavda’s recent works which was exhibited this February at Bombay’s Taj Art Gallery. Chosen one of the “nine eminent artists of India” by the Lalit Kala Akademi, Chavda’s paintings have been acquired by private and museum buyers including The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. While Zoroastrian issues were being International School and the Aural heatedly debated in the C. J. Cama Hall during the Third World Zoroas­ trian Congress held in Bombay this January, the cool interior of the near­ by Gallery Chemould saw an exhibi­ tion of a quieter nature. Calcutta-based artist, Katayun Saklat, trained in the stained glass technique, has here used cloth as a substitute for glass, creating “fabric collages” of such Zoroastrian images as fire, Fravashis and the Iranshah. Fabric was used, Ms Saklat explains, restricted theme,” says Ms Saklat, both because there are not enough whose latest one-woman show was commissions 1 „ (which needs to be lit from behind) Calcutta, ^is March. . ------ and because the lead necessary is un­ available. While some of the pieces shown were originally executed in stained glass, “fabric has some of the glow of glass and a substitute medium is as satisfying to execute,” she says. Quite a few people who attended the Congress visited the exhibition, says the artist, and some offered sug­ gestions—not aesthetic but on the lines of, aie pugree em nai handhai (this pugree cannot be tied this way) and one man even offered to send her the “correct” proportions of a Fravashi. Ms Saklat, who teaches art at the School for the Deaf in Calcutta, has been working on Zoroastrian themes since 1973, when she studied stained glass technique with the English master Patrick Reyntiens, in England. “Maybe it’s to do with realising one’s roots,” says the 37-year-old artist who has expressed this feeling not only in the fabric collages and stained glass, but in water colours, silkscreen and enamel on steel. “I don’t think Zoroastrianism is a restricted theme,' 5> for stained glass work presented by the British Council of to be lit from behind) Calcutta, this March. “I will continue with it—there is so much material— fire for example, a concept which is intangible and vast. ‘ “correct” 45 II IN MEMORIAM The Music Man From the waltzes, light opera and big band music of over 25 years ago to the rock and “disco” sound of the Seventies, Goody Seervai and his i bands played it all- When he died on I 16 January 1978 at the age of 63 in Bombay, the portly, smiling Goody— no one ever called him anything else —and his accordion had become not . . only a familiar sight at weddings med a spt^ial group. Rock Revolution, navjotes, balls, variety entertainments and the dining room at the Taj Mahal Hotel, but an indispensable part of many Parsi functions. “Goody enjoy­ ed playing, to him it was not just a job. it was fun—and when he played you sang and danced,” says Adi ' Marzban whose Pateti and Navroz variety shows featured Goody for over 30 years. Starting with a largely Parsi clien­ tele in the Forties, Goody came to be known to and to play for all the many communities in Bombay; working j in the film industry for many years (the movies starring Raj Kapoor and Nargis featured his accordion); given the title of “maestro” by the manu­ facturers of Hohner musical instru- S ments in West Germany; receiving * an honorary membership to the Ame­ rican Accordion Association and in the process, making “The Cuckoo Waltz” and “Goody, Goody” known as his songs. Many of todays successful band leaders, including Adrian d’Mello, Maurice Concessio and Nelly Batti- Goody: a household word wala of Nelly and her Band, began their careers playing with Goody who was the first to use and popularise the accordion as a band instrument in India. Said Nelly in part of a tribute read at a condolence meeting held in Bombay in January, “When Women’s Lib was not even heard of. Goody en­ couraged me to join his band as the first lady accordionist Bombay has ever heard of." Goody never seemed to stop going. Says son. Dr Jangoo Seervai, “His day would begin at 7.30 in the morning and sometimes end at 5.30 the next morning.” Marzban says the musician was “a very easy person to work with. We used to rag him a lot, but he was able to take jokes against himself.” Though classical music was Goody’s first love, “he was very keen on keep­ ing up with the times, and always got music and cassettes from abroad” behind the Bandleaders Club, an as­ sociation formed to get bandleaders together in a friendly and co-operative way to help each other when neces­ sary. Begun with a membership of says Jangoo. Nelly remembers going with Goody and others to see the film Rock, Around the Clock and how he had disliked the music at first, but “Goody loved all kinds of music and — he adapted himself to it—as we ali just seven, it was Goody who got ^all must. If we played waltzes now, people would fall asleep! ” And Goody well knew this. Whatever was requested he played and indeed, for- for just this reason. I i I! 5> l’> I : i / 46 3 ’I ’•Xv.- A - the hotel bandleaders to join, says Nelly, who wonders what the associ­ ation will do without him. In recent years. Goody had been distressed by what Nelly describes as “Parsi ‘band­ leaders’ who are mere clerks and know no music. They lie to people about how much we (the established bands) charge and when we are free to play^—and offer to do so for Rs 350. Many people don’t know good music and agree to this. The ‘band­ leaders’ can often only play the tam­ bourine. Goody wanted to do some­ thing about this but I demurred until it was too late.” What made Goody the institution he became? Says Marzban, “Goody had warmth and the ability to project it—and this is what we call person­ ality.” Son Jangoo, who though a den­ tist has now become a professional musician and also plays the accordion, says of his father, “He was not just a musician, but a great entertainer.” Goody is survived by his wife Rupy, son Jangoo and daughter Silloo Madan. Naoshir S. Chenoy, Died: Naoshir S. Chenoy, 87, prominent jurist and president of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman of Hyder­ abad and Secunderabad and its last Life Trustee, on 18 December 1977. Bom in 1913, Goody graduated from the Bharda New High School and attended St Xavier’s College, which he left to work in an income tax office—a job he was to keep for 10 years. But music had always been a part of his life. As a child he had studied Indian music and the harmo­ nium, then the violin, which he play­ ed in the Bombay Symphony Orches­ tra under Mehli Mehta. The accor­ dion came naturally to him, “his fin­ gers were used to the harmonium,” says Jangoo, “so it was easy. He loved that instrument.” Goody first worked with Sebastion Vaz, then formed his own group and by the Forties, when he had married Rupy Maneckshaw and the twins Jangoo and Silloo had been born, he was a full-time musician, also teaching music on the side. Goody was also the guiding spirit Chenoy: a sense of the just A i j 's I » 3 IL 1 W Above are the photographs of the Parsi Air-India crew members who lost their lives when the ill-fated Dubai-bound 747 crashed in the sea after take off from Bombay on New Years Day. From left to right; Flight Purser Add M. Dubash, 31; Hostesses Kamal Maneck, 22; Jeroo Dinshaw, 24; Dilshad Mehta, 22; Kettu Paymaster, 25; Jeroo Nadirshah Kotwal, 25; Cherazade Kothak, 23. Photographs of Flight Purser Kali M. Kotwal, 37; and passenger Jal N. Dotiwala, his wife Dolly and their 18-month-old child who were bound for Dubai after holiday in India, were unavailable. s j-. A condolence resolution passed by Shah and Shahbanu of Iran visited the twin-cities anjuman noted Chenoy’s Hyderabad in 1956, he read out an “yeoman service” to the community and mentioned his “benevolence to the poor.” A lawyer by profession, it was through Chenoy’s efforts that the Government of India “conceded in allowing Zoroastrians the exemption from obtaining a Probate and to be brought on par with Hindus, Jains and Buddhists”, notes a press release according to the press release, read out “with characteristic determination and a sense of what was just.” Chenoy is survived by his wife Soona. 99 sent by the anjuman, as it was also due to his efforts that when “the pro­ posal to shift the Secunderabad Courts to Hyderabad was undertaken by the State Government, the Secunderabad Courts were allowed to be retained.” A graduate of the Deccan College, Pune, and University College, London, Chenoy was called to the Bar and practised at the Inner Temple before returning to India to join the Nizams High Court of Judicature in 1920 and the Hyderabad Residency Bar the following year. When someone re­ marked that it had been a waste for him to have studied in England as he would not be able to practice in the High Court where the language used was Urdu, Chenoy was able to assure them that he was fluent in the language. A keen Free Mason, who held the highest rank of Past Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of India, Chenoy was also a Persian scholar and vice-president of the Indian-Iranian Association. When the address in Persian on behalf of the Parsis of Secunderabad. In the course of the address, Chenoy noted that the Parsis there were very happy under the rule of the Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, a remark that certain members of the community wanted removed, but which Chenoy, Died: Rattan S. Pochkhanawala, 56, scion of a banking family and general manager of the Central Bank of India, the country’s largest bank before nationalization; of a heart attack on 15 January 1978 in Bombay. Remembered as a gentleman banker by his associates, Pochkhanawala served the bank founded by his father. Sir Sorabjee, for 25 years. At a con­ dolence meeting held at the bank’s headquarters, the chairman of the bank, P. F. Gutta and other leading officials of the bank and the employ­ ees’ union recalled the devotion, zeal and dedication t— ---------------- Pochkhanawala’s career at the bank and his self-effacing and unassuming manner. K. J. S. Banaji, the bank’s joint general manager and Homi Jhaveri, joint secretary of the All India Pochkhanawala: gentleman banker Central Bank Employees’ Federation _____ ___ ___ described him as “a friend to all” and that characterized S. Bijai, general secretary of the union referred to him as a “true Gandhian in spirit.” Pochkhanawala, who lost both his parents while in his teens, studied at the Bharda New High School and 47St. Pauls, London, earned a B.Sc. __2 from the London School of Economics Adoption Society, and was called to the Bar before re­ turning to India to join the Central Bank as a junior officer in 1946. He left in 1954 to work with the then Cooper and Jaloo Pochkhanawala. Bombay State Financial Corporation where he held the position of manag­ ing director, before rejoining the Cen­ tral Bank in 1962 as secretary, becom­ ing assistant general manager in 1973 professor of English, on 3 February and general manager the next year. “Rattan enjoyed the creative pro­ cess of banking. He always felt that students in Ahmedabad and was money given at the right time to the right person not only helped the indi­ vidual but created more money and Through the Ages and Art and (EAR) and president of the Indian held a masters degree in English and ’ .. Persian as well as a law degree, taught Pochkhanawala is survived by his briefly at the Deccan College, Pune, wife, daughter Meher, brother Noshir before beginning a 27-year-stint at the and sisters Sheroo Kavarana, Mehroo Ahmedabad Gujarat College, after ~ ' - - - - - which says Daruwala, Mahatma Gandhi invited him to teach at the L.D. Arts College where he was head of the department of English till his retirement in 1966. He was awarded an honorary D. Lit. from Gujarat University in 1971, an occasion on which several panchayats and anjumans of Gujarat also honoured him. The Gujarati poet, Kavi Nanalal Iran and its Culture, Iran and India Dalpatram would, according to Mar- shall, tell his admirers to “go to helped the entire economy,” said his Morality. “He had a vast knowledge Davarsaheb if you are interested in wife Pilloo, a noted sculptress. “He of history and religion and could take learning. He showers scholarship”, believed the Central Bank had been a chance remark and talk brilliantly,” Though Davar rarely lectured out left a great heritage it should work to says Jehan Daruwala, editor of The of Ahmedabad, he was there known fulfil. On studying the old files, he realized the progressive ideas his father had had such as rural bank­ ing, investment trusts, recurring de­ posit and other schemes which today are a reality.” Aside from banking, Pochkhanawala _ ' worked actively with the late Achama Matthai who started the Bharat Sevak Congress held jn Teheran. Samaj. He was joint treasurer of the National Association for the Blind for some years and at the time of his death was vice-president of the Education, Audiology and Research Centre Phiroze Cowasji Davar, 85, Persian history and Died: scholar of literature and of comparative religion. 1978, in Ahmedabad. Davar taught two generations of author of several books, including 99 ¦ jl 48 “He panchayats of history and religion and could take learning, a chance remark and talk brilliantly,” ~ says Jehan Daruwala, editor of The Bombay Samachar and who attended not only to students but to the Tvlus- Davar’s public talks in Ahmedabad as a boy. In 1956, at the invitation of the Iranian government, Davar lectured on Iranian culture in Iran and in 1966, was a member of the Indian delega­ tion to the Second World Zoroastrian A well- known orator, Davar “had a wonder­ ful voice, clear and ringing,” says lim and Hindu communities who often asked him to talk on matters of inte­ rest to them. According to Daruwala, there had been a demand for Davar’s book, Iran and its Culture to be pub­ lished in English but though the aged scholar approached “each and every Parsi trust” for assistance in the matter, he met with no success. Davar’s books in Gujarati were all Ratan R. Marshall, a friend of many published by Gujarati book societies, years. The Ahmednagar-bom scholar who Davar is survived by his wife Soona and daughter Armaiti. 1 5 V I 1 { I ! •I S3JLVER 1953 23 Lv^ars ] 1978 Match your AMBITION to a CAREER To do so we offer you : • Diploma Course in Business Management • Banking : C.A.I.I.B. Course (Postal & Oral) • Commerce: G.C.D. Course • Executive Secretarial Course • Private Secretarial Course • Telephone Operating • Telephone Operating-cum Receptionist Techniques • Shorthand & Typewriting • Punch Operating ,A, I Enquire at : Sir J. J. College of Commerce 14, Nanabhoy Lane, Flora Fountain, BOMBAY 400 001, Tel; 251185 3 ¦I 1Z QUIZ 5 LEARN and EARN 1. Which Parsi rose to eminence in the court of the Peshwas? 2. What are the main themes of the Bundahishn? How much do you know about your social, cultural, religious and eco­ nomic heritage? Most Parsis are brought up on myths which they continue to believe till the dokhma. To help readers gauge the extent of their knowledge and also to keep them informed and enriched, Parsiana continues the Z-Quiz on behalf of the sponsor of The Lost Generation Essay Competition. The entry with the highest number of correct answers will receive Rs 75, the next, Rs 50 and the third, Rs 25. In case of a tie, the amount will be split among the winners. Send your replies to The Editor, Z-Quiz, C/o Parsiana,G.P.O. Box 892, Bombay 400 001, by 31st -August Answers will be published in the next issue. 3. Which orchestra in the U. S. does Zubin Mehta conduct? 4. How many initiatory ceremonies are there for the Zoroastrian priesthood? 5. What is the sagdid ceremony? 6. Which town in India is named for a great Parsi industrialist? 7. What is the literal meaning of navjote? 8. What is the Yasna? 9. Who was the first qualified woman architect in India? 10. Who built the famous palace com ­ plexes at Persepolis in Iran? There were four winners with 10 correct answers, for both Z Quiz 3 {Parsiana, Oct.-Nov. '77) and Z Quiz 4 (Jan. '78). Z Quiz 3 winners are Ms NavazWadia, K. D. Chargeman, Sarosh Gherda and B. S. Surti. Z Quiz 4 winners are Ms Katie F. Seervai, K. D. Chargeman, B. S. Surti and Harvesp D. Sopariwala. In both cases, the prize money has been divided between the four winners. Z Quiz 3 Baghdad in 1020. runners-up receive a copy of A. D. Gorwala's book The Queen of Beauty and other tales, gifted by the author; Z Quiz 4 runners-up receive Piloo Nanavutty's Fravarane (I Believe), gifted by the Parsi Zoroastrian Asso­ ciation of Calcutta. Below are solu­ tions to Z Quiz 4. 1. How many kinds of fire are used to consecrate an Atash Behram fire? 16 fires, ranging from that used in the house of a ruling authority to that , - , . from the household fire of any Zoro- British House of Commons were Dada- ration in January 1978, the chairman of astrian, are used to consecrate an Atash t»hoy Naoroji (Liberal), Sir Mancherjee the BPP was ex-officio president of the Behram fire. Bhownagree (Conservative), and Federation. Shapurji Saklatvala (Communist). 2. Who was the first Indian to be knighted ? Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy (1783-1859), received a knighthood in 1842 and a baronetcy in 1857. 3. What is the Denkart? The Denkart or “Acts of the Reli­ gion”, is a large collection of informa­ tion regarding the doctrines, customs, traditions, history and literature of the Zoroastrians, written in Pahlavi. Books in to IX were discovered in 4. Who is the Chief of Staff of the Indian Navy? Admiral Jal Cursetji, who became Chief of Staff in March 1976. 5. What are the names of the Amesha Spentas? Ahura Mazda, Vohu Manah, Asha Vahista, Khshatra Vairya, Spenta Armaiti, Haurvatat, Ameretatat. 9. Who is the president of the Federa ­ tion of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans 6. Who were the three Indian M. P.’s of India? at Westminister? Till the Bombay Parsi Panchayat The three Indian members of the (BPP) ceased membership in the Fede- British House of Commons were Dada- ] • • ’ ........ ’ - 7. What is the Din no Kalmo? The Din no Kalmo (“Confession of the Faith”) is a prayer in praise of the Zoroastrian religion. The prayer notes that the faith was received from Ahura Mazda through the prophet Zoroaster. The Din no Kalmo is always recited during the navjote ceremony by priest and child. 8. What is the nirang-din ceremony? The nirang-din ceremony is the cere­ mony of consecrating the urine of a varasya (sacred white bull) and water. Nirang is the urine of a varasya and is so called because its use is generally ac­ companied by the recital of a nirang or prayer formula, the consecrated urine is spoken of as nirang or nirang-din. (The question was erroneously phrased in Z Quiz 4, Parsiana Jan. ’78, as “the nirang ceremony” instead of “the nirang-din ceremony.”) and Federation. 10. Which dynasty did King Jamshid belong to? The Pishdadian dynasty. 49r li COMMENT Sahebji, Hello by Dr. Ratan Marshall “Because you are a Parsi do not hesitate to give credit to your ances­ tors for their excellent pioneering work (in the Gujarati language). Educated people today may mock ‘Parsi Gujarati’ and criticise the in­ correct use of the language, but if they had not done what they did years ago it would have taken years for the _ _______________ Gujarati language to develop. Gujarat which continue" today. With a view to will ever remain grateful to the Parsis .................. for their contribution.” The Gujarati literary giant, Balvantraj Thakore said these words to me while I was re­ searching my dissertation on the “History of Gujarati Journalism.” Parsis were the first to cut Gujarati type, the first Gujarati printing press was founded by a Parsi and the first ___ ____ ____,___ Gujarati books, calendar (Panchang) still is, a considerable difference in the and newspaper were printed, published and edited by Parsis. Strained finan­ cial conditions and lack of proper cellent facilities for the study of facilities were obstacles that did not English. Parsi students in this state sto_p this pioneering work. receive their education in the English medium and read, write and speak fluent English. The community even thinks it necessary to provide prayer books in English for their benefit. The fact that their interest in Parsi nataks is not extinguished allows one to sur­ mise that their knowledge of Gujarati is just sufficient to understand these plays. Parsis living abroad are even more removed from the language and their use of it even more limited. The situation in Gujarat is quite different. While a fair percentage of - - the Parsi population there is taking population shifted to Bombay. The advantage of the few educational in­ Parsis, of all the peoples in this vast stitutions that use the English medium, country, came to be the group most the language used in the homes of affected by Western ideas, language these students continues to be Gujarati, and way of life. When the British They have not forgotten their mother became the masters of India, the Parsis ' were among the most educated and proficient in English. This gave them an advantage which they continued to enjoy all through the raj. To read, write and speak good English became a much desired attainment for the Parsis and indeed it was with pride that some of them would say, “We do not know Gujarati at all.” After India became independent, there began experiments in education the solidarity of the country, the port­ folio of education should perhaps have been with the central govern­ ment. It however remained with the states, resulting in a multitude of educational policies, varying from region to region. The Parsi population was, and still is, centered in Maha­ rashtra and Gujarat. There was, and - - ----------------------------- -------- educational systems of the two states. In Maharashtra there have been ex- facilities were obstacles that did not English, stop this pioneering work. Today in contrast. Parsis speak little Gujarati and read and write even less. Sometimes before addressing a gathering, the speaker is requested to use English and not Gujarati. How did this change come about? The Parsis originally lived mainly in and around Surat, then the centre of commerce and industry in India, where they came in close contact with foreigners, particularly the British. When the latter left for Bombay, Parsis followed in large numbers and with the passage of time the centre of Parsi tongue and one hopes they never reach that point. But Gujarat is an exception and r i I ! With Compliments from GLOBE THEATRES PVT. LTD. Established April 3, 1915 Controlling : * REGAL BOMBAY * CAPITOL BOMBAY * GLOBE CALCUTTA * ROXY MADRAS 51 i Ibnete Parsis liw, one is forced to ask: - aflame to ntor |>ii Parsis afford to completely neglect such a Icwig ^® piijarati? Zoroastrian prayers and ’ nooks explaining the meaning and al such opportunities every now ^d wn so that we can follow the language better each time.” At a conference in Secunderabad, the president remarked, “The speaker has been allowed to ex­ ceed the time limit so that people present may hear good Gujarati.” But while addressing meetings of the Federation of Parsi :^roastrian Anjumans of India, the writer had a very different experience, being once told that he should not continue speak­ ing in Gujarati. It was painful to realize that there are Parsis who do not want one to talk to a gathering of Parsis in their mother tongue. If this trend continues, we will not only deprive those who wish to understand and keep abreast of what little Gujarati they know, but we will help to ex­ tinguish all knowledge of the language. a. 4 a '¦ *1----- itself, and is considered to be, educated and cultured, afford not to have a language of its own? [I pride in the ignorance of it. h The writer, while addressing fellow Dr Raian Marshall, a doyen of tne ¦ Zoroastrians in different parts of the Gujarati language, is the Special _____ _____ _ -.-I____ Officer of the Surat Parsi Panchayat. b On his speaking before them in simple A Gujarati version of the above ’ » but pure Gujarati, he was not only article appeared in the Kaiser-I-Hind heard patiently but often members of Annual. 1977. ( philosophy of these prayers are in Gujarati; hundreds of books on Parsi WTr Towr luMbMW Public School Nasik 2 history are also in this language. Will it be possible to translate all these into English? Who will undertake to ex­ ecute this difficult task and at what dard works may be translated and published in English and new books written in that language.^ Moreover, there is always the possibility in India, of a situation in the near or distant future when English will not hold ffie importance it does today and the tide turn in favour of the national lan­ guage. Hindi or the regional Ian- Taking all these factors into con- ^iing“"parsr should certainly study Can a community which considers that he or she should cultivate a com- ! expense? At the most, a few stan- T - / guages. Taking all these factors into con­ sideration, it seems that while the r f I English thoroughly, it does not mean that he or she should cultivate a com- plete disregard for Gujarati or take pride in the ignorance of it. The writer, while addressing fellow Zkjroastrians in different parts of the t country, had many happy experiences. t b »> CHOICE SCHOOLING FOR YOUR SON Recognised as a Public School by Department of Education —for Merit Scholars. Excellent Climate —All-round Edu- cation : Indian The Zoroastrian Co-operative Credit Bank Limited Interest upto 91% on Fixed Deposit Accounts and 5% on Savings Bank Accounts. Loans granted on moderate terms PHONB : 269 069 16 HORNIMAN CmCLB, BOMBAY 400 023 All Academic Subjects — Technical Subjects : Radio and Wood-Work Tech ­ nology, Farming —Training Self-Government Games — in through Elected Boys ’ Office-bearers, Physical Training —Daily Assembly with Congre- gational Prayers —Weekly Zoroastrian — classes — intensive Geeta —Koran Excellent Modem Kitchen and Dining Room facilities —Airy Dormitories. Mode ­ rate Fees. Coacessions to Deserving Students. APPLY TO THE MANA­ GING TRUSTEE P. N. Mehta Education Trust Cooks Buildutsr, 324 D. 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