Aug 1982

w 5 I •A.’ •n*. X J .4 R f 1? >- kJ H- ¦P-'^ X' > 9 h II t- J t- 9 » LI* p'' s-'t » *’->•* »• L^- I&fiS .t p |i<-3 1 I August 1982 Vdluma 5 Number 2 I I EDITOR Jehangir R. Pgtel Associate editor Abraham lyiathal ASSISTANT EDITOR Usha Albuquerque DESIGN CONSULTANT Mini Boatwala DESIGN ASSISTANT Kranti Shilotri marketing director Veera Patel ADVERTISING Zarin Billimoria CHIEF EXECUTIVE R. P. Thanavala CIRCULATION D.B. Chinoy MANAGEMENT Hanita Irani, Cheryl D'Penha, Minoo Patel and Jasmine Driver 3 Beaders' Forum li. Ir if' 5- ii- i I I 12 Events and PersonaUties 4 21 The Wall Street Journal Entry 26 The Strange Case of George Edaiji by Arthur Conan Doyle ¦A 34 The Man and His Vision by Russi M. Lafe 45 The Birth Of a Banker by Rusi J. Daruwala 49 The Life of Dastur Dhalla - XXVII 57 The Pars! Punchayet Case - XI 1 ’2* 17. Gas Works Set Up by Olga Valladares 73 The Vital Statistics of B. B. Mama by Behram Contractor 74 England Lose to Parsis by M. D. David 76 A Historical Monument by K. T. Pandit Cover: Jamsetji Tata - Parsiana is published by Jefiangir R. Patel at C/o H. L. Rochat, Navsari Chambers, ground floor, 39 A. K. Nayak Marg, Fort, Bombay, 400 001, printed by him at Joyti Industries, 324 A to Z Industrial Estate, Bombay 400 013 and phototypeset at Decora Printers, Bombay 400 009. All rights reserved. Address all editorial and business correspondence to Parsiaha, G.P.O. Box 892, Bombay 400 001. Phone: 268730. Annual inland subscription: Rs 30 for one year (12 issues); Rs 55 for two years (24 issues); Foreign subscription rates: Seamail Rs 60 for one year, Rs 110 for two years; Airmail Rs 120 for one year, Rs 215 for two years. For U S. personal cheques add $2 to cover bank charges. For Indian upcountry cheques add Rs 3 for bank charges. Cheques and drafts are to be dravvn in favour of Parsiana. Single copy price Rs 5 and Re 1. All rates subject to change in postal rates. Iif- PM r«l Readers' views are welcome on any subject of interest to the comrnunity and should be sent to the Editor, Readers' Forum, Parsiana, G.P.O. Box 892, Bombay 400 OOf ¦ Letters are subject toediting for reasons of space and clarity. Tithal Sanatorium wSre of an faiths' which -' includes Rre. Time and again he has preached that every on€ should stick to . I his own doctrine and religion. Sathya- stresses the points on Satya Dharma, Shanti and Prem. Had not Zarathttstrav taught us Ashoi, (truth, tolerance, res ­ traint and love). Sathya said {Blitz, 23-1-1977);- “Zoroastrianism... was founded by ’; I Zoroaster, who wanted that man should ‘ ever have the Fire of Wisdom blazing in ’, his Consciousness, so that evil thoughts ’ and tendencies might be reduced to ashes. It has to infuse all thoughts, words and deeds with the illumination of virtue and vigour. The Fire of Wis- two acres per head. This will serve the dom must destroy all worldly desire and- I of* a 11 Vision and management of the property. Alternatively the property can be sold In May this year, my family and I visited to Zarathustrians who are in a position Tithal village in Gujerat. We went to pay a good price for plots of one to ground the village which is now pros- 1 pering and expandirig into a town. , double purpose of keeping the land render man pure for entry into the 'Ki Many wealthy Gujeratis are purchasing within the community while collecting heaven of freedom. Adoration, medita- land and ^property, offering high prices enough money to provide a building in tion and acts of selfless service are essen- and tempting village landowners to dis- one of the Parsi colonies for those who tial for the dawn of enlightenment. ” pose of their lands. have been, for years, on the waiting list Sathya Sai Baba repeats “There is We also visited the Sanatorium built of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet trust one religion —that of Love. There is one by the noble lady, late Ratanbai Hirjib- and fund register. Language — that of the Heart. Thereis hai Patel, on 20 acres ofland close to the a .b . bhiwandiwalla one Cast and that is the Cast of Human- seashore. There are four, large, one- Bombay There is one God and He is brnnin -3 storeyed houses, a large residential “TV/fixed Prioritie«s ” present. ” home for the benefactor of the sanato- If anybody has any doubt, let him I riupi, and a huge structure meant for _ read Sixteen Spiritual Summers by kitchen and servants quarters. All the -.^nnrtant ni,p«tinn Fomm Indulal Shah: “Nirguna Upasana conr bpildings are in an extremely bad state, n I089V Whv the extra nr contemplating on the formless Although the sanatorium is located in a Lf the S ™l. God, theaimeofperfLion--may itbe prominent place, it has a deserted look d.nary^growth of the Baba cult among Brahman...Father of the Christens,,, due to the dilapidated condition of the arsis. (or) Ahura Mazda of the Parsis. kArsiase. One answer would surely be, that this \ .. . „ r-s houses. a J - J a u • a • 1- Again: Yonder IS the-living Sun One- H -yvhy have the trustees failed to safe- rend «duetoourbtxom.ngmater,al,s- i„ essence Supreme, governs the I guard the property and allowed it to get whole universe ever illuminating the intbastateofruin,samuchSbthatone creeps in, and where there is supersti- hearts of devotees. ” Does thif not, dares.nojt go too close to the houses, c^c is no ai . remindParsisofKhorshedNyaish?- much less to enter into any one of them ? ur re igion eac es us o serve o Indulal writes “The most significant Have they c^ed to inform our -“T feature of this revolution is Baba’s firm 1 brethren about, this excellent summer ® ,, refusal to allow anyone to change the . !in/l ^;«ur i,»uUh byo dadat vastarem - Strength of the • ¦ u- k u • i. ju 3 and winter health resort .' i j • • u- u u ? u -u ¦ religion in which he is born and brought To u Lord is given him who helps a brother in v , „ c ® ¦ Is there a provision in the law, by . ® up. I have come, says Baba, not to -j; which these 20 acres of land can be sold .. • . , • u- iz u disturb nor destroy any faith but to coh- artd transferred to intending Farsi buy- yhma, ushta Kahma,- ers? By creating one to two acre plots, a chit Happy is he who brings happiness dozen families and their relatives and . fram f. hullan friends ’can avail themselves of this fine When we stop living our religion,and ud»d. J health resort. Citable houses or bun- are on the make we lose faith. Once so “HappV Birthday tO VOU !** galows can be built with gardens for many in our community lived their reh- HHJ J growing fruits, flowers and vegetables gton, itwastheirwayofhfe.andgaveit page 7j»UFstana May ya) J ¦ as (here is ample provision for water. meaning. When religion is emptied of poses the question whether, the way / The trustees (Ms Shirinbai Naoroji caning, peop e oo e sew ere o i Parsis celebrate their birthdays by blow- Narierwala, Bombay, Dr Rustomji ’ ing off lighted candles on a birthday Jehangir Patel, Bombay, Boman K. ’^'^Bomtey cike should be tolerated, and asks What . Boman-Behram, Bombay, Hormusji was the custom in ancient Iran. , pprabji Charna, Bursar and Phiroze D. Brig. N.B. Grant has criticized the Baba I feel that the root cause for this mis- BiHimoria, Bulsar)(^uld doalot, ifthey Cult (Parsi^«a, May 1982). I wonder if understanding lies in Parsis wish, to induce some of the charity Grant has in mind people like Sathya erroneously dubbed as Fire^Wnrshipei^, trusts to reconstruct the houses, reno- Sai who do not believe in cults. His Which we are not and nepei have teen, vate the stirroundings and appoint an teaching » based on our trio Manasni, The prophet Zoroaster^WIsen propagat- energetic mafiagef for the proper super- Gavasni tyad Kunasni. In his emblem ing his great religion; had enjoined us to J , ..., ¦............ ' '1 ’3^. I I' s t- k f- iff^ a state of ruin, so much so that one A.B. BHIWANDIWALLA Bombay ‘Mixed Priorities 9) Brig. N.B. Grant of Pune raises an important question (Readers ’ Forum, Parsiana May 1982): Why the extraor ­ dinary growth of the Baba cult among Parsis ? One answer would surely be, that this trend is due to our becoming materialis ­ tic. With materialism, superstition creeps in, and where there is supersti ­ tion, there is no faith. Our religion teaches us to serve oth ­ ers, wanting nothing for ourselves: “Khshathrem - cha Ahurai a yim dregu- byo dadat vastarem ” - Strength of the Lord is given him who helps a brother in need. “Ushta ahmai yhmai ushta Kahmai- chit ” Happy is he who brings happiness toothers. When we stop living our religion,and are on the make —we lose faith. Once so many in our community lived their reli ­ gion, it was their way of life, and gave it meaning. When religion is emptied of meaning, people look elsewhere to fill the void. K.M. KALAPESI Bombay Brig. N.B. Grant has criticized the Baba ___________ Cult {Parsi^na, May 1982). I wonder if understanding lies *1 - gF- ¦ • r r SELYEL ? FOR EFFECTIVE OUTDOOR ADVERTISING THROUGHOUT INDIA “Keep the fire in our hiterts rtcmally burning, and let that internal flame never be quenched. ” He further went on to explain that “as an emblem of that fire in our hearts, we may pray before an earthly symbol, so as to remind us of the real fire within ”. But alas. Parsis appear to be doing just the opposite. We have forgotten to burn the inner flame in our j hearts, and have started worshipping the external fire made of earthly fuel; Zoroaster had never intended us to do this. Secondly, the custpnj pf blowing off candles on a birthday cake is now uni ­ versal throughout the world, and has no religious significance. It is like celebrat ­ ing New Year ’s eve, which we Parsis do I with the same gusto as Christians. I I wonder how ancient Iran celebrated its I new year ! I Lastly, after 1,200 years or so, let us I stop continually trying to estab- I lish a link with ancient Iran which threw I us out, and instead let us wholeheart- I edly associate ourselves with Bharat I which gave us shelter. I BRIG. N. B. GRANT (RETD.) I Pune MMiai ^y- “¦ With Best Compliments from: SELVEL PUBLICITY & CONSULTANTS PVT. LTD. Ravindra Mansion Annexe, 194, Dinshaw Vatcha Road, 4th Floor, Bombay-400 020. Tel Nos: 240512, 240560 I am rather sorry that you have taken the poor children to task but not their parents. (Parsiana, May 1982). Have you not seentheir Fathers smok ­ ing cigarettes ? But a child blowing out candles is considered more sinful than adults smoking a pipe or a cigarette. Occasionally 1 have seen Parsi men and women going to the Ateshbehram, the women without sores and with only a scarf and men with handkerchiefs on their heads. Can they not afford to buy a cap costing Rs 8 and which lasts for two to three years ? 1 have also seen many Parsis enjoying ghambar lunches without caps and even resorting to (Chasney) Baj Prayer Fruits without caps or sores. Can this be tolerated? What was the custom, in the ancient land of Iran? NAREIMAN S. BAXTER Pune. Fuelling Fire Within the space of a few years, the Parsi community will be faced with the prospect of having to close down its atash-behrams and agiaries in India due to an acute shortage of bavalwood. Already signs of the crisis are becoming evident in the fire temples of Maharash ­ tra and Gujarat. The Zoroastrian community as a I whole should wake up to the fact thatas With compliments of Starlite Electrical Works Electrical Engineers & Contractors 13, BEST Marg Bombay 400 039 Tel: 241496 • V n ‘j • y. 3 "jj -i J > ¦*« ! 5C- f 'fo r t JEENA COMPANY ESTD. 1900 IATA AIR CARGO Clearing, Forwarding Warehousing and Insurance Agents 10, Veer Nariman Road Fort, Bombay-1. Cable : 'JUSTITIA' Telex : 2313 Phone : 312032 BRANCHES: E. Merc House 19/B, Shakespeare Sarani (Formerly Theatre Road) CALCUTTA-16. Phone: 444711 'Jeena House' 50, Hanuman Road Connaught Circus NEW DELHI Phone : 310821 C.14, Devtha Plaza, 1st floor Residency Road Bangalore-25 Phone : 564474 No. 26-26-24, 2nd floor VIZA6APATNAM-35 Phone : 62018 ¦¦ 'r bavalwood trees are being cut down, new ones are not growing to replace them. Hence, if we do not take the initi ­ ative; and sow the saplings, now on vacant lands held by the Parsi Pan- chayat and other trusts, we will be mak- . ing the biggest blunder in the history of our community. Even cosmopolitan trusts canjoin in the effort. The Gujarat government is offering incentives for tree planting. We should avail of it. The tree takes eight years to grow before it is ready for cut ­ ting and needs to be tended. Neglect can kill it. Steps should be taken to ensure that the trees are not used for fuel by other communities. Once the trees are grown, the money invested in them will be realized. The fuel requirements of the 155 agiaries and eight atash-behrams in India should be estimated. But the agiaries and atash-behrams should not expect the trusts to meet all their require ­ ments. Further every Parsi can contribute his mite to keep the fire burning in our agiaries by contributing to an All India Zoroastrian Kathi Fund. Fifty percent of the amount collected should be capi ­ talized, 25 percent should be made available to grow trees, and 25 percent should be distributed in the form of Kathi to all the agiaries in India. Implementing such a project would involve building up a volunteer force who will deliver the bavalwood to the various agiaries and atash-behrams. What is also important is that the trust should be managed by honest, sincere persons willing to spare the time. J'he views of latvyers, eminent scho ­ lars are welcome. Burjor Framji & Co. Ucensed Plumbers Sanitary & Drainage Contractors MARINE MANSION 1ST MARINE STREET BOMBAY 400002. TELEPHONE: 313207 5 ¦a K. D. SHROFF. A Brief for Cursetjee ‘ During the centenary celebrations of the Bombay presidency small causes court at Bombay, no mention was made of Mr Manockjee Cursetjee my great grandfather, whb became a judge of the small causes court when it was established in 1952. (Reference; Builders of Bombay, The Bombay Civic Journal - January 1957). He rose to be the first Indian Chief Judge of the small causes court at Bombay, retiring in 1874 on a special Qood Service Pension of Rs 500 per month. In 1863 he also became a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Grand Jury and twice the Sheriff of Bom­ bay, in 1856 and again in 1863. It was as the first Indian Chief Judge 1 a( i With Compliments From H.M MEHTA &CO Cotton Merchants of the small causes court that he evoked universal admiration. The Illustrated Times (London) wrote of him on 16th November 1867: “During the last 15 years he (Manockjee) has occupied the Bench of the British Court of Justice at Bombay, before whom British barris ­ ters have appeared to plead. As a Judge he has, by his extensive knowledge and unshaken integrity, won great honour, commanding the respect of all who admire justice. During a debate in the House of Lords on an appeal by this disinterested Judge to restrain the Bombay Govern ­ ment from interfering in judicial mat ­ ters, Lord Chancellor Chelmsford quoted the following from a resolution of the Governor in Council. ‘His Excel ­ lency in Council recognises in Mr Manockjee Cursetjee many valuable qualifications for judicial office... incor ­ ruptible integrity, fearless independ ­ ence, energetic zeal to ascertain the truth, honest scorn for all chicanery, and very considerable acumen in estimating the value of evidence ’.” A lasting memorial to a man who upheld the equality of the rich and the poor alike where justice had to be done, is The Alexandra Girls ’English Institu ­ tion. Started by Manochjee at his resi ­ dence, near the Byculla flyover, the institution is open to girls of all creeds, for teaching them English. Originally named the “Young Ladies ’ Institute ” it was in honour of the marriage of Alex ­ andra, Princess of Denmark to the Prince of Wales, (King Edward VII), that the school got its present name in 1863. Initially there were only 7 pupils and an English head-mistress assisted by Manockjee ’s own two daughters, as teachers. In recognition of its high standards and daring initiative the Government has made it an “Experi ­ mental ‘A’ Class School ”. PERIN M.R.B. JEEJEEBHOY Setting an Example Our group Vritti Vikas seeks to draw the attention of all educated people in tropi ­ cal countries to the fact that the vast majority of mankind in this populous belt suffer from want of basic needs and social organisation while the Parsi Zoroastrian community in India has overcome these problems without exter ­ nal support. The majority of Indians retain a high degree of racial segregation through the systems of gotra and caste considera- BOYS’ TOWN Public School Nasik 2 Recognised as a Public School by the Department of Education for Indian Merit Scholars. Excel­ lent Climate — AU-roond Education: All Academic Subjects—Tech­ nical Subjects: Workshop Tech ­ nology, Mechanical & Electrical Maintenance, Carpentry & Farm ­ ing. Training in Self-Govemment through Elected Boys ’ • OflBce bearers. Gaines—Physical Train ­ ing — Daily Assembly with Congregational Prayers — Week ­ ly intensive Zoroastrian - Geeta- Koran classes — Excellent Modem Kitchen and Dining Room facilities — Airy Dormi­ tories. Moderate Fees. Freeships and Concessions to Deserving Students. Apply to — THE MANAGING TRUSTEE P. N. MEHTA EDUCATION TRUST Cooks Building. 324 Dr. D. N. Road, Bombay 400 001. 9tions controlling marriage connections. It is immaterial in India if our Parsi brethren follow racial segregation in the same way or even in a stricter sense. But this practise should not deter cultural interchanges between Parsis and non ­ pars! Zoroastrians and Indian Juddins. The possibility of accepting pilgrims into temples of Holy Atash apart, there should be frequent seminars on the mes ­ sages of Avestas and the history of the Persians concluding with congrega ­ tional prayers with the manthras of the Gathas, in-sessions open to all mankind. The suggestion of Cyrus Pangborn, from New Jersey U.S.A. (Readers ’ Forum Parsiana, May 1982), that con ­ gregational halls managed by the laity is more beneficial than the setting up of pilgrimage points should be given due credence. The caste-gotra segregation amongst the majority of Indians has prevented families from adopting orphans spon ­ taneously. The institution of monkhood practised by Buddhism and Jainism and the various Yogi sects, and later by San- karacharya and others, provided shelter to them but in celibate living only. Not even Swami Vivekananda, Sri Auro- vindo or Acharya Pranavananda Maha- rajes of modern times could find appropriate solutions, so they were compelled to become celibate monks themsevles to provide possible shelter toi the homeless multitudes. The Zoroastri ­ ans reject monk-life, for very good rea ­ sons. As a corrollary there must be a way of accepting orphan children as members of a family, and there is no alternative to this. There are specific instructions in The Gathas and the sup ­ port ot many Parsi Zbroastrians (Rea ­ ders ’ Forum, Par^ima, May 1982). Guru Nanak d^rcame the problem of smritis by acc^ting all humankind in his own comnjdnity and Guru Govinda Singh went a step further by allowing the Khalsa Sikhs to declare themselves as belonging to the Guru ’s own gotra. The Khalsa Sikhs do not convert others much, but their congregational prayers and congregational kitchens are ever open to all mankind without discrimina ­ tion or segregation over the seating arrangements. Orphans of smriti domi ­ nated sects are finding homes in Sikh institutions where some Sikh family will provide parentage to each child inmate. Would the Parsi Zoroastrian Punchayet consider a similar proposition ? SANTOSHKUMAR BANDYOPADHYAY Calcutta MAKE DIWALI & X’MAS MEMORABLE WITH LALAS TOURS ASIAD ’82 Visits with admission tickets to ASIAN GAMES on 5 Days Dep. 18, 24 & 29 Nov. ’82 BOM-DEL-BOM By AIR Rs. 2,600/- BOM-DEL-BOM By RAIL Rs. 1,550/- (2nd class) KASHMIR Delhi, Agra Dep. 14 Oct., 12 Nov. ’82 Rs. 2,025/- DARJEELING Calcutta Dep. 14 Nov. ’82 Rs. 1,700/- NEPAL Patna, Kathmandu Dep. 15 Nov. ’82 Rs. 2,050/- SIMLA Kulu, Manali, Chandigarh, B’Nangal Dep. 20 Nov. ’82 Rs. 1,975/- NAINITAL Agra, Bhimtal Dep. 20 Nov. ’82 Rs. 1,300/- SOUTH INDIA Madras, Mahabalipuram, Bangalore, Mysore, Ooty, Cochin, Trivandrum, Kanyakumari, Pondicherry, Kodaikanal Dep. 20 Nov. ’82 Rs. 1,975/- RAJASTHAN Jaipur, Udaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur Mount Abu Dep. 20 Dec. ’82 Rs. 1,150/- GOA _ ________ _ Panaji, Margaon, Marmagoa, Old Goa, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya & Calangute, etc. Hikkaduwa Dep. 19 Dec. ’82 Rs. 545/-{UpperDeck) Dep. 18 Nov. ’82 Rs. 2,950/- SRI LANKA Trivandrum, Kovalum, Kanyakumari, Colombo, H.K. LALA & CO. Bansilal Villa, Sobhani Road, Colaba, Bombay 400 005 Tel: 211925/215094 Grams: EDTOURS, Bombay Office Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9.30 A.M.-5.30 P.M. Sat. 9.30 A.M.-1.30 P.M. EXPLORING THE EAST A 11 Day Air Tour Dep. 8, 22, 29 Oct. 12, 19, 26 Nov. 17, 24, Dec. ’82 Rs. 6,450/- EASTERN ESCAPADE A 11 Day Air Tour Dep. 8, 22, 29 Oct. 12, 19, 26 Nov. 17, 24 Dec. ’82 Rs. 8,750/- SINGAPORE SPECTACULAR A 14 Day Air Tour Dep. 8, 22, 29 Oct. 12, 19, 26 Nov. 17, 24 Dec. ’82 Rs. 7,250/- HOLIDAY HONGKONG A 14 Day Air Tour Dep. 8, 22, 29 Oct. 12, 19, 26 Nov. 17, 24 Dec. ’82 Rs. 9,400/- SINGAPORE CRUISE A 18 Day Sea Cruise on m.v. ‘CHIDAMBARAM’ Dep. 9 Nov., 17 Dec. ’82 Rs. 4,975/-onwards 11Events ^r- 3^ r L f i-t and Personalities Riding High 5 The sensitive post of heading the Maha- rashtra State Road Transport Corpora- tion has been handed became i (M.P.), the second youngest M.P. " A bachelor, Awari is keenly inter ­ ested in social work particularly in slum a Member of Parliament ---- 1 youngest M.P. I lias Dcen nanded over to Gev Manchershaha Awari, a member of the state legislative assembly (MLA) from Nagpur. Son of the noted freedom fighter General ’ Manchershaha Awari, Gev development and l.L_„ schemes, notes his bio-data. urban development records of conspicuous distinction ” to go abroad every year for higher studies Lhe press release further mentions that !he Endowment has of Rs 1.25 The press release further r * ’ * scholarships to the 'tune ot Ks 1.25 crores to over 1,400 Indian scholars and “there is hardly a profes ­ sion in the country which among its elite does not include a Tata scholar. ” crores to over 1,400 Indian . *1^ lit Sion in the country which Tata Scholars, 1982-83 Fifteen Parsis f: ___ scholars selected by the J Pos'-graduate studies Lenlin against ihiVrmerrhiX' ”" f ”’ **’' ^cadem.c year 1982-83, s been president of the uLl Con^ess (I) Committee and vice- Ms University; president of the Maharashtra Pradesh t^v ^’o^hemis- Vnvovr^------------- ‘'raoesh try^own University, Rhode Island- lit A*""®*”'’ Business Adminis ­ tration Wharton School, Pennsylva ­ nia; Ms Beheroze S. Mistry, Food including State University; J Wh “k a! i?„ 7, " --------— wasaJsopresi- '*^’*”'"1 CoB'g' Students ’ -- _..d a student leadeijat Nagpur. s’!'" -^1 i'?' ;^on^ess (I) Committee Yuvak Congress (1). A Master of Arts (M.A.) ar B«:he orofLaw(LLB),Awari has ieveral ?— -- *jvvraiiiig pi fields in English and Hindi i orst prizes l. ^agpur University. He and vice ­ and a — —3 won university debating prizes and as the best speakqf while are among the 80 Indian N. Tata Justice Justified The indictment by Justice Bakhtavar Uni- Dentistry, Law, F. Doc- Textile : Uni ­ M. Karanjia, Indus- Technology, Ohio State ?'¦ Lentin: “i S ’ i 1 Hi Illinois years ago by Jamsetji Institute of Technology. _ Established 90 Mnion and oi ne was elected munic- Tata V ‘’y Jamsetji S5255S , .At the age of24 he was elected reason for hope. ” I between cemenKo certain builders ®ud the donation made by them to the •1 I ! l> ftr i ¦ ¦ »« r. L-. A* ir trusts floatedby theforf^ “By his judgeraent^i^yuulayls fund collection. Justice B. iLentin had given us reason for hope. Justice S.Kr Desai* and Justice B.J. Rele have reinforced it, ” noted TTk Indian Express editorial of 12 June 1982. Establishing the impec ­ cable reputation of Lentin, a senior judge of the Bombay High Court, the spectacular judgehieiif^cieated a stir in legal and political circles. “The stakes ; were so high , that interestefl parties would have offered an astronomical fig ­ ure to influence the judgement, ” com ­ mented the Bombay Eamachar oi 24 January 1982, adding that “this one judgement has put Justice Lentin in a class by himself. ” Suppofifng this opinion was the ., „ , Bombay^itsed Sunday Observervieeisly Antia^ with his wife, receiving the Fellowship Award from ASM President of 19 Ju^ 1982, “Justice Lentin ’s repu- John B. Giacobbe tation in the High Court is formidable because his judgements have always been fine, » ,3tao»i«jr mv Vivb pivaiuvm wi iiiv ^y ‘ /J John B. Giacobbe after their term as additional judges Antia a world renowned metallurgist *. came to an end, ” he said. was elected & Fellow of the American -• Presently the vice president of the Society for Metals, notes a press release- , issued by the ASM. Seeivai, 75, made 15 ^ps to Delhi to The honour was conferred on the 68 repr^ent the case and did not chargeany year old metallurgist at the Sodety ’S; ted to the independence df the judiciary tember 22 last year at Cincinnati, Ohio, , ? professional fees. “I have been commit- awards and 'annual dinner on Sep- ted to the independence df the judiciary tember 22 last year at Cincinnati, Ohio, , all my life, ” he said. “The niembers of USA: The honour of Fellow represents , j the bar collected nearly one lakh thirty “recognition to ^mbers for tteif ^dis-- five thousand rupees to meet out-of- " ’ pocket expenses to and from Delhi, ” he noted. An expert on constitutional law, Seer- tinguBhed contributions in the fields of - metals and materials, to develop a broadly based forum for technical and professional leaders to serve as advisors < vai has won many Fundamental Rights to the Society ” noted a letter signed by J cases. He has authored thebook CozjsZi- ** *"¦ - "-y tutional Law of India - a Critical Com- Pthnana informing Antia of the fellow- - mentary. His other writings include ship. _ ___ _ < Lectures in the University on the Posi­ tion of tfK Judiciary Under the Cdhstitu- 1 __ ,- Safe^r^ and The fhbeas Corams ment of technical knowl^ge-through in the country, the Bombay High court alism in India iot the University of Mex- Seervai's Service With some ofthe highest legal traditions Case: -A Criticism and Essays on Feder- in the country, the Bombay High court alism in India iot the University of Mex- has always had luminaries who have ico, published in Spanish. struggled to safeguard the independence On July 2, 1981, Seervai was of the judiciary. The case challenging honoured with a fellowship of the Brit- the transfer of High Court judges, which received a setback recently, was “a great fight for the independence of the Judi- eminent Parsi jurists, K.S, Cooper wifeFiroza, admitted Seervai who is A ASM managing director Allan Ray The ASM which has over 50,000 ___ ___________ ______ members in 77 countries is “an educa- . g tion e^ lnaie; Tf^ FnKrgency; Future (ional swiety dedicated to the advanc^L the exchange of ideas and information on metals and related materials ” Antia, ico, published in Spanish. _____________ an Industrial and Management Consul- ' On July 2, 1981, Seervai was tant, is currently chairman of three . companies, Machine Tools (India) Ltd., ish Academy for his work on the Indian Tega India Ltd., Tecl^o Electric and Constitution. His books would never -F _ have been published, had it not been for the board of 18 others. Described by,, the encouragement and assistance of his 77ie ^fjnffe, Madr^ as “a father figure i on tlw itidian metallurgical scene ” En^eering 1^0. Ltd. and director on^ ciary, ” noted H.M. Secrvai, who with and J.R. Gagrat fought the case against already a grandfather and has three Antia also holds honorific and profes- the law minister and the Union of India, children Meher, Shirin and Navroz.¦f.\»J chayet, Hirjti>hai D^r^ Pr (MsH India to formu^ and adopt a minerate country and abroad. mind the future needs of In^an indus- punchayet elections held oh /Ninaz Ankle^ta, ¦ j The Zoroastrian religion is not a cult. It is a living force and shall continue to live. ” i I^e to The Jrxn^ntfTs laige circulation, . many Zoroastrians and non- Zoroastrians all over the world read the • article and sent clippings to other Zoroastrians. ¦1 Fi „ . , . , - V ------- Zarir Cama, who is with the Hong noted Jainshed scholar-preacher of Bombay) is reported Kong and Shanghai inking Corpora- tion in Hong Kong received a clipping from one of his associates with a line added: “If you ’re dying out, I require at And an American friend in California wrote to Homi Patel in Bombay, saying that the Parsis were not dying out, “they ’ve all moved to the (San Fran ­ cisco) Bay area. ” Parsiana reproduces The Wall Street Journal article. to have said that it is a tragedy, this wonderful religion may soon die out... not an exclusive religion of a chosen least six months ’notice. ” / people but is meant for all mankind and is eternal. Therefore the question of it dying shall never arise. Parsis as a race '•J y ; After 3,400 Years, \ India 's Parsis Fear t ‘ - when'Cyrus the Great conquered Per ­ sia. For a,millennium, their ancestors ruled vast empires. Now with higher education, an apart ­ ment shortage in Bombay and young women ipa^ying whom they will, Tridia ’s Rat^S'^rry that they won ’t sur ­ vive the century. After 3,400 years, “the race is dying out," laments Khdjeste Mistree, a Parsi writer. Parsis are fbllowers of Zarathustra —- ---- ----->»>*•« MVIVUQtVI nifO ROMBAY-They ’re fire worshippers, had a revelation sometime between followers of a Bronze Age prophet, j^o- 1700 and 1400 B.C. lttbok Zarathustra .>-;ple whose religion Was already ancient 10 years to gain his first disciple, a cdu- r [¦ They Are Dying Out •Lhg in Marria^s< Births Hits The Trouble With Vultures By JUNE KRONHOLZ ‘ .Staff Reporter of THE WAI.I, STREET JOURNAL the Greeks called him Zoroaster^who J-Sect of Fire Worshippers sin, but two years later, he converted a king. And for the next 1,210 years, , * Zoroastrianism was the religion of three Persian empires stretching from the Mediterranean to the lowlands of Rus ­ sia. Zarathustra ’s exact teaching is obs­ cure, I ¦ \ _ __ believe that life is a struggle between Ahura Mazda, the lord of wisdom, and Ajigra Mainyu, the evil spirit, and that man ’s purpd^ is to overwhelm evil with good thoughts, word^ani^ deeds. Zdroastrians believe that because God created the elements, they aren ’t to . ; 21 but, essentiaMy, Zordastrians -iV ¦£ I J/ • .It be- ty . _ .i^^0^^50fRs.450)a momh,.if attracts tW mediocre. Parsis Because the ^ , S^^>the p'a^s .firpspeectT'^o he ’ll gef.^^out frfa stone, ”crows Mr. w IndianC^ft^acdMc^sf-^-*" ’^'"'’ India. “A Pafsi is a born entrepreneur tmnrts rCjpeatedly’fWBlj -Ifattracts mediocre. Parsis he ’ll get.^^ out frf'a stone, ” crows Mr. anism is a reltgmh say. And the solitary nature of Parsi Guzder. "I^rsis have produced most of tice but that the Parsjs *' ‘ -.-T- — •.. _•! t UhJ V ¦ A Wkl A^ZX X A 1 A A U A A a-corner and read whatever prayer you and steel, hydroelectric power, civil avi- '’-.fiaifM 1 M- fntivztaa* i-lxA Dr«a>ri* _ x T___ l_ _,« '*> -T-l ¦ •<_ z» ' , iWoFship/TUles out homilies. “You sit in like, ” says J.N. Gpzder, the Parsi chair- rnaptof-a Bombay chemical company. The-Parsis have faced perilous times India ’s modern industries —textiles, iron Tl^y built four of Adm. New Apartments Urged - - Neteon ’s ships for the Battle of Trafal- Others, such ,as Mr. Gttzder, want to '7 gar, and a Parsi fathered India ’s atom spend Punchayet money on arpArt pienjic . . . . . .. bomb. And one named Nelhi Mehta for the 750 Parsi couples who he the Arab advance, into Persia and founded the Bombay symphony; a son, are waiting for housing in order ld%^ !%6tll£n' nenr HftmKavz .HAraimA thtit’c '7»»kl»x zxzxMz4i«>x4r> +u,x KT^—. isT’v Sil • • A * "¦ •' . - , . ,^’’.4,-"" ----------- ”—'' •^*»v iivp u vii\i I iiMiiai- marry, i nen you ll see our mrtn rate g* AND J 5- '•» , _ ,»*c ;»s ¦ , -.^.y <-.;¦ - Sjli^t BMW Hr 3 Swinwrino Pools' * A |Sibiing^di«gd & Much Much h|Dra . ^om Aijsebwbt ir Ww raiMMiHHi For ft# particulars pteaae ^4 |gr' “C 'i -^2 ’’4 t- ,.s ««* S’’ ' ,4* 1^? '' -jSS& F*i St,. 9- *» b'* E'W'.- ^rthur Conan Doyle Cbmiri oi "a 6/or on >? 'i^hgihAjiiaihte "l^in^sonment of a young soU- i', ci«»f@r'o ahne he dntld not have committed. ¦*’ 4 » '/ ^4 3 5?'^4 '¦1 - J '^4 |“?TME case of George Edalji is l^/oeie of the most singular in the it phronieles of crime —singular in the character of the acciised, L singular in the evidence r which, in the eyes of the police, the judge and jury, and the } y> 7-^ >i <» '‘1 1 B ^4beJudge and jury, and the . P^loihe Office, convicted him of ilu> Aiiih z«r ' ' . •L ihe guilt of cattle-maiming — and above all, singular in the |sfact that it was left to a lay- i<4^ective, the creator of ^f^berlock Holmes, by obso^ations and by reasoning his own, to tear this specious K.^Vtde^ to tatters. In the ^ost iA^ting article which follows# Sir Arthur Conan Poyle d^^ribes the train of reasoai^ which led to this result. But in order to follow ^s account with perfect understating it will first be ’ • ^11 to Calf to mind the details [’ of the .ca^< How did the : soinse ptesent itself to ^rh;lbe.police? What was the weight of evidence which he |ssd to overthrow ? f/.'< 'Mi 'I. ¦/•t , * |5* •Vs i: ^^4' Vtftf 7, I "/i-y Could a half blind man find Ms way at night through this gt^ in the l^dc DURINGtne early part ot 1903 the little of the parish, a Parsee. The police tlw- village of Wyrley in Staffordshire, was ory was a strange one. They held that in a state of tense excitement. A EtUlji was himsetf the writer of the rious criminal was abroad, a criminal letters —for ^iriiat reason it is difficirit to whose custom was to steal into the fields see —^and that he,was accusing and revii** at dead of night and, armed with a sharp ing himself. knife or razor, to rip up cattle, sheep or Another says that the writer is > , , horses, leaving them to bleed to death, “number ” of the gang for maiming cat<- It was on February 2nd, 190J, that the tie, that George Edalji is another first serious outrage occurred at Wyrtey. member, arid that he —the writer —is On that date a valuable horse belonging prepared to give away the gang ifcerriun to Mr. Joseph Holmes was found to conditions are complied with. *" Two months later, on April 2nd, a cob run well, and,when they formed that M «« ^^1* A«M A n a .J * ** X H J ——-S : ..xa,.'_ ____________________ V a similar fashion, and a month after that knew all about horses and bea|i^ same way. Within a fortnight a horse of would do me in if I flunked tt, - j Mr. Badger ’s was terribly mutilated, and caught them both lying down and on the same day some sheep were minutes to three and they roused ap.^. J killed. On June 6th two cows suffered , They did not spurt much blood an<|;9^? the same fate, and three weeks later two ran away but rite other fell... Nowl W^' ton Colliery Company were also des- cannot prove it without gate, l^^eisorie' troyed. Next in order in this monstrous named —from Wyrley - series of barbarities was the killing of a they call —and E<^ji the-lawyer... f pony at Great Wyrley Colliery. Ihavenottoldf ; Vl? It was in vain that the police kept themallandlstellhot urilessyouptfbtri- watch; the culprit was too wary to be . ise to do nothingat me. It is not triie tju|r ' caught redlmnd^. But they reee^ed we always do. when the in^n ; mysteri^ letters, signed with £alse. and the one Edalji killed m Apr^ Ifth . names, .which stated- enmfnat wa.« full nriAnw f- 4 was thc Fl It was on February 2nd, 1901, that the tie, that George Edalji is another ; f firstseriousoutrageoccurredat Wyrtey. member, arid that he —the writer —is On that date a valuable horse belorigirig prepared to give away the gang if certain to Mr. Joseph Holmes was found to conditions are complied with. have been ripped up during the night. “I have got a dare-devil face aridWi : Two months later, on April 2nd, a cob run well, and,when they formed tha t ' belongingto Mr. Thomas was treated in gang at Wyrley they got me to join. 1 a similar fashion, and a month after that knew all about horses and ba|8U acowofMrs. Bungay ’s was killed in the how to catch them ^st... TheysaMlb^ Mr. Badger ’s was terribly mutilated, and caught them both lying down and on the same day some sheep were minutes to three and they roused , killed. On June 6th two cows suffered They did not spurt much blood anCdWf ^ This evidence was most f- ------ - ------- - -------- • :* X jdl^rly and fairly stated by Sir valuable horses belonging to the Quin- tell you who arc in the gang, but yM bis letters and \^iUp1deta i^us^ at the-time. . And as these ase now /_ ^ almost we can . '(to BO ’ uur bJJi '>" •” " • ¦ ' /M -ic fe- if jw^i^is at th« uatessy4>«jKR^ •«*'. Sdaii^t was fuU mocoi?^ , feda^4fie^ * ''¦“' '¦ ,L^r s I w; I* , *^10^4 w V. ' personality of the man who was sup- pie. His household deposed to his had not worn it the night before. p^d to have Written letters of this return Itefore suppertime, and their testi- an old house-coat, so stained'and kind? Here is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ’s mon^ Confirmed by the statement of that it is not likely that an ambitiong^ portrait of him: — Walter Whitehouse, who saw the young professional man would; even nl3 “Ifthewholebndhadbeenrakedldo accused enter the Vicarage at 9.25. the lamp-light, walk in the streets and not think that it would have been possi- After supper Edalji retired to bed in the show himself to his neighbours in such<|| ble to find a man who was so unlikely, same room as his father, the pair having garment. But these stains attracted the and, indeed, so incapable of committing shared an apartment, for seventeen attention of the police. There were s one leave it. milk. But there was something else upouJ disposition. He had served his time with And yet upon that night a pony had this coat. There were, according to a Birmingham solicitor, who gave him been destroyed at the Great Wyrley Col- Inspector Campbell, “dark red or brown ’>3 the hipest references. He had never liery. Sergeant Parsons gave evidence stains, right cuff much more stained ?^ shown traits of cruelty. He was so that he saw the pony apparently all right than the left. There were other stains devoted to his work that he had won the at eleven o’clock at night. It was very each sleeve further up, reddish-brown highest honours in the legal classes, and dark, but he was not far off it. It was a white. The coat was damp.Theigr!^ he had already; at the age of twenty- wild night, with rain coming in squalls, were other spots and stains upori it&,^ seven, written a book upon Railway The rain began about twelve and cleared These were declared by Dr. Butter to Law. Finallyj he was a total ^abstainer, about dawn, being very heavy at times, mammalian blood. “On the dceve, ”sak|^|| and so blind that he was unable to recog- On the I Sth, at 6.20, a lad named Henry Inspector Campbell, “I found browr ’*^^ nise anyone at the distance of six yards. Garrett, going to his work at the colli- hairs which looked like horsehairs. Itwas clear that the inherent improbabil- ery, observed that the pony was injured. Now, here is the statement of thl^ ity of such a man committing a long “It hada cut on the side, ” he said. “The Vicar upon the subject. “On AugiW^ successiori of bloody and brutal crimes blood was trickling froth the wound. It 18th, 1903, they called at the Vicaragbql^^ wasso great that it could only be met by was dropping pretty quickly. ” The about eight o’clock in the ihorriing, and^ tlw suggestion of insanity. There had alarm was at once given. Constables in compliance with their request, ? ‘ hey^, however, been any indication appeared upon the scene. By half-past Edayi showed them a number of gfuSFl s cj-i;; mcnts belonging to her sqn. f the contrary, his statements of defence was on the spot. The wound, he “As soon as they saw theold eoatthii ^^ were measured and rational, and he had deposed, was quite fresh and could not began to examine it, and titspedt^® t come through a series of experiences have been done further than six hours Campbell put his finger upon one ' " ' * stains arid said that there was weaker intellect. ” , The constables raided the Vicarage, there. Mrs; Edayi told him ?that iLw^|^^ Such was the state of affairs —such The young lawyer had already started . not a hair but a thread, and - , , , - , . ...... . , , . . . ...... J Ai^ust I7th —at which point Sir startled parents were ordered to pro- looked like a ‘roving*. This was all record. - mother was asked for his dagger, but about hairs before I came down. could produce nothing more formidable saw him he told me that he hadfomi(^f| than a botany spud. A hunt was made horse hairs upon the coat. The (S»t WfW^ saw nd OM leave it. milk. But there was something else upon And yet upon that night a pony had this coat. There were, according to >3 r s I iven of eccentricity in George Edalji. On eight Mr. Lewis, the veterinary surgeon, the contrary, his statements of defence was on the spot. The wound, he were measured and ratiorial, and he had deposed, was quite fresh and could not began to examine it, and In spa^t^^ come through a series of experiences have been done further than six hours Campbell put his finger upon one nf rfai i which .might well have unhinged a from the time he saw it. stains arid said that there was a The constables raided the Vicarage, there. Mrs; Edalji told himvthat itiw^l^ was the man suspected —on the n^ht of for his day ’s® work in Birmingham. The who was present, then remarked thatf^ Ai^ust 17th —at which point Sir startled parents were ordered to pro- looked like a ‘roving*. This was all Arthur ’s pamphlet is the best and safest duce-all the young man ’s clothing. The Inspector Campbell had said to tfie^^ ’ record;^. ¦ . . . .. . . . . ..... . At this period twenty constables and ifetectives had been brought into the dis ­ trict, and several, acting upon the sug- for weapons, and a set of razors belong- then spread out upon fhe deSt^'? gestions in the anonymous letters, ¦ _ - -- - I... Watched the Vicarage at night. On said to be wet. Dark spots were per- ces where the hairs were to be seen; 'August 17th, Edayi, following his own ceived upon the back of one, but they pointed out the lower part of the coaO Ihfidiinglum —he had started in practice be rust stains. Twelve men quartered examined the place and said, ‘Theroi^ there as a lawyerr-and reached his the smsdl garden, but nothing was no hair here at all. Some further cotASst^ home about 6.3B. He transacted some found. sation followed, and then suddeidy business, put on a blue .serge coat, and < .c .. , walk^ down to the bootmaker ’s in ing to th^ Vicar were seized. Some were study. 1 asked Mm to point out the p^ . acrouflt, returned from his day ’s work at proved upon chemical ^examination to and sai4, ‘There is a horse hairthere^l a«XAa>* >««« a --- - •->¦¦ Athiai. The clothes, however, were a more put finger upon anothepplaceOn tll serious matter. One coat was seized by coat nearer to where I was standingOh ;.. the viHaipg; where he arrived about 8,35, the police and declared to be damp. This drew two straight lines with his fingc^,' J -' '¦ i •" «.¦'¦ •’ i ¦ ¦’ ~-a.r ¦.'w wr? “ ,¦ ¦ «« .«a>v« j oi Jt^ Bands, tradesman in ques- the coat before it was removcd, lie^.fa8ir hf^iry *t tioo. His supper would , not be ready - Thecoat,however, was not one which a mmnent, and in ordef to ha^^ before^;:X>, and UnHlttttt hour he took Edalji used outside, and the evidenoe of lihht upon it,: rh^^^ the dnes|f w^ 'd-^osi^’Uhth® ¦if. J **^^*^^^ Jm^^udent evidence ums y^orously denied the vio^.,who, He said, ‘Look here, Mr. Ibei^. »^coat,boweyer,wasnotohewMieh mmnettt« and in ordi^ito^^ mgM tion. Bia stfpptf would not be i-^dy : .1' befhre ^.30, aid drtta t!»t hour he took E¦ ¦) :5- C®-.v »¦ i window, and after carefully examining yT it, I saitftohim, ‘There is, to be sure, no horse hair here. It is a clean Surface. ’ He then said that he wanted to take thecoat with him, and I said, ‘You can take the coat. I am satisfied there is no horse hair upon it. ’ Now, I have said it over and over again, and I say it here once more, that there was absolutely no horse hair upon the coat. If there had been any, I could not have failed to see it, and Mrs. Edalji and Miss Edaljilooked at thecoat at the same time and saw no hair of any sort upon it. ” The police carried off the coat, upon which three witnesses swore there were no hairs. In the meantime, the pony had been put out of his pain and a portion of its hide was cut off, with the hairs att ­ ached, and also secured by the police. The coat had been taken at eight in the morning. It was seen by Dr. Butter, the police surgeon, at nine in the eyening At that hour Dr. Butter picked twenty- nine undoubted obvious horse hairs Campbell endeavouring to trace a sim- while he lay in Staffordshire Gaol. The from its surface. . p—t-i------- .¦------------------------------------ u So much for the saliva stains, the ’ blood stains and the hairs. There remain ( the questions of the trousers and the i boots. The trousers were said by the i police to be damp and stained with dark photographed. They were not cut out knew each other slightly, as neighbours mud round the bottom. The boots were for the purpose of expert comparison, in the country must do. very wet. The boots were the same ones So little were they valued by Inspector Green ’s charger was found injured. It which Edalji had admittedly used dur- Campbell that he did not even mention was not a very valuable animal. In one ing his sixty minutes ’ walk upon the evening before. It was fine in the even- they bulked large at the trial, ing, but there had been heavy rain dur ­ ing the day, and puddles everywhere. The trousers were not a pair used the was arrested by the police. Next day and end of that time it was known that Green • evening before, according to the family, the following Monday he was before the had signed a confession which admitted ’ No attempt was made to show blood magistrates, where the police evidence, that he had himself killed his own horse, marks on boots or trousers, though Mr. Sewell, a well-known veterinary sur ­ geon, deposed afterwards that in mak ­ ing such an incision a skilled operator facie case was made out and the prisoner meantime got a ticket to South Africa, i would wear an apron to prevent his committed to Staffordshire Quarter Ses- suddenlywentbackonhisownconfes- clothes from being soaked. It is an inter- sions. The criminal made a remark sion and declared with much circum- esting point brought out by the evidence which rose up in judgment against him. stantiality of detail that he had nof done Of some of the witnesses of the prosecu- ‘‘I won ’t have bail; ” he said to Police it and that the confession had been bul- i tion that the mud at the place of outrage Constable Meredith,. “and when the lied out of him by the police, was yellow and red, a mixture of clay next horse is killed it will not be by me. ” and sand, quite distinct from the road In commenting upon this Mr. Distur- Ww.’.l. li h G^rge Edaifi's home - the vicarage at Wyrley. ilarity in the tracks. The particular boot facts are these: Harry Green was the was worn at the heel —a fairly common nineteeri-yeaf-old son of a farmer who condition —and some tracks among the lived somewhere between the Vicarage multitude were down at the heel. No casf and the scene of the outrage for which was taken of the tracks. They were not Edalji was convicted. He and Edalji them to the magistrates on the 19th. But estimate it is placed at five pounds. Whether it was insured or not there was a conflict of evidence. For days there mingham and there, later in the-day, he was scare and conjecture. Then at the Edalji had gone to his office in Bir- asalreadysetforth, was given. The mag- That confession undoubtedly existed, j isterial proceedings lasted till Sep- but Green, having had a week or two to i tember 4th, off and on, wHen a prima think things over, and having in the ' And now at last we come to the trial. The ground over which the prosecu-* • mud which the police claimed to have nal, the Prosecuting Counsel, said, “In tion advanced is already familiar to the seen upon the trousers. refusing bail the prisoner made use of a reader. The police relied upon the And now we come to the question of very singular observation, ” and he went dampness of the clothes; the defence the footprints. The outrage had on to suggest that the prisoner knew upon the word of the vicar that this occurred just outside a large colliery, perfectly well what he was about when dampness was imperceptible to him, and hundreds of miners going to their he refused bail. The inference here is coupled with the fact that any blood ­ work had sWarmed along every that it was pre-arranged with a friend of stains on a damp coat would then have, approach to see the pony. The soft, wet Edalji that he would do a fresh crime in been liquid. The prosecution pointed to soil was trampled upon by them from order to clear him. the down-at-heel boot which was fitted six o’clock onwards; at four o’clock of Now, such a crime was committed, into impressions which must have been that afternoon —eight hours after the anthit occurred upon September 21st, made after rain; the defence drew atten- seizure of the boots —we have Inspector between Edalji ’s committal and trial, tion to the fact that the whole police ' -I • ¦ I 1 .•'’5 ‘1 'i - , '‘4 ' 5 .4 f 2»ies of anonymous letters the writer had tion, reported that he and his colleagues your kid ’s writing? ” Against these tion was right. „ -1___ r ___1___ - ' I Edalji had been in prison for three by ah expert that the letters were in years when the attention of Sir Arthur . “ __ . . . . _ ¦ a T*X ______ 1L_.* .J M** The trial lasted for four days. Edalji to the case. How he took it up, how he was ( theory was that the crime was commit- ies of anonymous letters the writer had tion, reported that ne ana ms colleagues ted before the rain. Then came the said, “Do you think we cannot copy were strongly of opinion that the convic- bloodstains and the hairs —and then the your kid ’s writing? ” Against these tion was right. Edalji had been in pnson for three Conan Doyle was, by accident, directed . convicted by the jury and sentenced analysed the evidence, how he showed Assistant Chairman of Quarter Ses- proved only that the prisoner could not sions, who presided at the trial, when possibly be guilty, he is now about to tell afterwards consulted about the convic- letters. There was a strong ’ probability things was set the expression of opinion that whoever wrote the letters knew 1, something of the crimes. The defence George Edalji ’s own wjiting. pointed out that the letters actually T’. • * • • • -¦ accused Edalji himself and vilified him wasc^.. ...------j—j —,-------------- . . • u, in all sorts of ways —that one postcard to seven years ’ penal servitude. The that, in spite of all its seeming weight, it in the same writing as the other was posted at Wolverhampton when he was at Aberystwyth -that in the original ser- US. SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE’S INVES­ TIGATIONS and is accustomed, as many people are, reasoij, ol being the cause of their own his room.*He swore that George n^ver ing themselves. Such an exhibition of left the room during the night. This may official idiocy, sustained, I am sorry to ces of the Home Office, would have been incredible had I not actually exam ­ IT was late in 1906 that I chanced to. and is accustomed, as many people are, reasoo, oi neing me cause oi ineir own pick up a paper called The Umpire, and to assure privacy by turning the key of troubles and of persecuting and malign- my eye caught an article which was a statement of his case, made by himself, ---------------------- c — -. . - - . n though how he smuggled it out of prison not constitute an absolute alibi in the say, by Lord Gladstone and all thejor- I know not. Anyhow, that was the turn ­ ing point of his fortunes. As I read, the unmistakable accent of truth fixed it ­ self upon my attention 1 rea ­ lised that I was in the presence of an —..... ----------------------« . - , • , , t-u .• i appalling tragedy, and that I was called tions could shake it, but far from there that was accomplished. The yticles upon to do what I might to set it right. 1 I---- o —------------------- ,,.11 < . , got other papers on the case, studied the was such a thing of threads and patches the country. Truth had already taken up ® r . ___________ A. ’_________ 1_ 1____________ Cif 1 PWIC and eye of the law, but it is difficult to imagine anything nearer to one, unless a sentinel had been placed outside the ined the facts, door all night. It is so near an alibi that However, so far as Edalji ’s release nothing but the most cogent considera- from prison went, it was noHong before being any such considerations, the case caused a storm of indignation through __ ______________; the defence; Sir George Lewis, and jury could have accepted it, even though other forces joined in the good work. A the defence was very badly conducted, committee was formed by the Govern- So bad was this defence that in the ment to es^mine and report. It con- However, so far as Edalji ’s release upon to do what I might to set it right. I I original trial, went up to Staffordshire that one cannot imagine how any sane and saw the family, went over the scene '' ’ *’ of the crimes, and finally wrote a series of articles upon the case which began in — — -- ------- . the Daily Telegraph of January 12th, whole trial no mention ever, so far as I sisted of Sir Arthur Wilson, the Hon. 1907. As I bargained that they should be could ascertain, made of the fact that John Lloyd Wharton, and Sir Albert de non-copyright, they were largely trans ­ ferred to other papers, sold for a penny at street kerbs and generally had a very wide circulation, so that England soon mitted lay the full breadth of the Lon- rang with the wrongs of George Edalji. don & North Western Railway, an These wrongs would have been < almost comic had they not had so tragic t —, an upshot. side, so that I, a strong and active man, that he had, therefore, been himselt con- The original theory at the trial had in broad daylight found it hard to pass, tributory to the miscarriage of justice, been that Edalji had committed the par- "" ' , .--j -_j .i-_. ticular mutilations with which he was charged some time in the late evening. This line of attack broke down com ­ pletely as he was able to advance a cer ­ tain alibi. In the middle of the case, puainw.,, - ----------------j—, o -- j --------------a- ’ j • • ' therefore, the police prosecution shifted haired wife, the young daughter, baited thought of it by at once re-admittmg its ground and advanced the new theory by brutal boors and having the police, Edalji to the Roll of SoUcitors, with that it was done in the early hours of the who should have been their natural pro- leave to practise, which they would morning George Edalji, as it happened, tectors, adopting from the beginning never have done had they thought him slept in the same room as his father, the the harshest tone towards them and capable of dishonourable conduct. But parish vicar. The latter is a light sleeper accusing them, beyond all sense and the result stands. To this day this unfor- 31 the man was practically blind, save in Rutzen. Their finding, which came to good light, while between his house and hand in June, was a compromise docu- the place where the mutilation was com- ment, for, though they were severe upon .................. the condemnation of Edalji and saw no __ __ _ _____ _____ evidence which associated him with the expanse of rails, wires and other obsta- crime, they still clung to the theory that cles, with hedges to be forced on either he had written the anonymous letters, side, so that 1, a strong and active man, that he had, therefore, been himself con- What roused my indignation and and that, for this reason, all compensa- gave me the driving force to carry the tion for his long period of suffering thing through was the utter helplessness should be denied him. of this forlorn little group of people — It was a wretched decision, and the the coloured clergyman in his strange Law Society, at the prompting of Sir position, the brave, blue-eyed, grey- George Lewis, showed what theytunate .m^rwhose hUo^le family pai4 4MKhyr^m expenses, fksih . . shilJS^ df comf«^ttbh for the wrong done. It is a >1^ upon the fifeGOrd of English jusQce, and even now it should be wiped out. It is to be remembered '^1 ii'r . .. .-•?J'i I . ¦• ¦ z- -V J'"n ' t - ? -. - I Wj The whole breadth ot the L. & N. W. Raih ai would have to he crossed tn the dark, on the wa\\fronrihe in tever^l^ft aDfe ’ to get one PC wipeu oyi. w uc iciiiviiii/vivu that the man was-neyar tridd for writing ¦A inC luail »<5CSS w the British Crown stood forth in as the ruler of India. After the failure of the uprising of 1857, as the ruler of India. After the failure of the uprising of 1857, t .a vasfiul>«OFit inept lay still and submis ­ sive. The decades tofollow were to mark the high noon of British imperialism. In that period, the geographical expression § '.* ”^ia’ received two benefits: the country into a stable '.j mitj^ahd-arifiilway system that ;a as «1 B' ’, » PHOlItt - sought to make the sub-continent a sin- viuhte economic -unit. Writing of S . ?^iod in his Discovery of India. Jawaharlal Nehru notes: ‘Slowly India ** -.F^oVer^d from the after-effects of the || -'’fe8»oit.of,tj^:^58. Despite British pol- ¦ i^T^EWgi^forces were at work chang- S Jtn^ihdb^g^atwwsociafconsdmisMss 3 ^^aMsh^^Hieawakenittg of India wa$ 7~H ¦ tT^-fpld: she Ibdkedlo the West, and, at ’¦ "#» , ’Fheawkfrnirtg erf India wa$ h -.i - ¦^. i' ¦ 'A; J^' '. iOS fij V;:-’ B 'V •*U 1 « she looked to herself and Tata throu^ the a|^ ' a>aa»* \ p-,' '* *•*, V5,*-^^l^^'h'^|^'to ask themselves why *hjfthe^p^^Fhad gained such supre- m^y ancient land. Was it “ science and technology a lead? A new class of IS wa'^ rising, eager to learn Eng- ¦,'^S ' -C*^ J* • J® .’i ¦' ¦« -- t ' >:> I, 'J*. . i-’" ' , ‘ .To benefit from the study of '¦’ - methods which Lord methods which Lord hl ®i Ht$acao)ay left for Eng- Nusserwanji Tata CRB^^iw^agc of 14 he <»me to |l6hdMiy, and at 17 he joined Elphinstone C^ollege from which he . ^ssed* out a couple of years later as a '.................-.------r 1^8 “"-tC 3” i’ 's’ t:, ' •« fe -.4-^ 'J' ?srf i iheaaabM RvM. La la entered journal- in *951. From 1959 to first li lai^a and 'Uondonaitd ' ..1 ;:lMf tala; 't'S .^$5 P« ESiaiSS! ? jAas w W‘ .w ' rts^ V^^V- ’’i ‘’¦s/j 1. * 1 - -tTf'd rw-'.. at»saB«< ,r- *r*«. 1 J >;-A’ g2« V?=¦»3»''»: A® w' |‘ “a g^ad|^te51^ f ' a gnkdipatei^’The low. ffl|:^€rafc^ ai i Xolast him ofntf of reading rJ ?e" ¦’ <7- ¦fe .. - f'. tv s*'- >' ¦y £^ Mark Twain. '- ^tef inh^^^b^entures in the jfar s East and Ei^pe, he started in 1868—at the age of 29—a decided to plant his mill where the cot- ¦ ton came from. He pieked on Nagpur in Central India, and took advantage of ¦ the railway system wldch had, by that time, moved to the area. The company he floated in 1874 with a Capital of Rs. 13^»000, subscribed by his friends and himself, was named The Central India SjMnning, Weaving and . Manufacturing Company. Three years later the mill opened on January 1,1877, The day Queen Victoria was formally proclaimed Empress of India, and “' ‘Empress ’ the mill was called. He had bought, at a low price, marshy land near the Nagpur railway station and had pro- ceeded to fill it up. A local Marwari banker, asked to subscribe to,its shares, refused to back a man who was wasting a gold by sinking it into the grouftd. The ']^ntlentan lived to admit that ‘Tata had , .'S not put gold intdthe ground but had put in earth and taken out gold. ’Jamsetji _ was to launch another textile mill before Ability to translate ideas into reality , " he stepped on the scene of hisfoiy as one . -1 of the great builders of modern India, charge of her destiny. When he surveyed hot so a century ago to a nation subju- Tam«aji was anationalist long before the untilled industrial field of India he gated to a colonial economy. In Jam- this word had ahy real significance. He perceived the benefits it could gain setji, India had found a man of ideas was-pr^nt, forjni^nce, at the found through science and technology. with the ability to translate them into' ing of the t^ian National Congress in . _ Bombay in 1885^ and gave generously to cance of the industriaf revolution of Wisely, he concentrated his energies ’ its funds.TJis nationalism, however, was India, but his clear mind spelt out the on implementing these three impera? not narrow. It was, like Tagore ’s; rooted three basic ingredients to attain it. Steel tives of industry. Upon his objectives he- ,, in his love for humanity, arising out of was the mother of heavy industry, brought to bear the resources of his his passionate love for his own land to Hydro-electric power was the cheapest wealth and experience, the prestige which he harnessed, the creative forces of energy to be generated. And technical his name, and that rare gift only few can,' his genius. Every day of his Hfe, tteref, education coupled with research war command —the full-hearted devotion fore, beaime a ifeiy'^f iweparation for essential for industrial advance. This coBeagues. that time when his country would be in may be obvious to us today, but k was An English obsw^ver. Sir Stanl^' 4 i- .¦“^ ¦ ¦--£<,5^"'^/ f- '4^ . ‘-f x» ? ’* ’ ^“ * '»• rt *' I I 1. r i^'' V* .> -¦¦ ‘ ¦¦ i •*’ i4a through science and technology. Not only did he grasp the full signifi- reality. A^... n -iife*- of rni^s anid^* , ,___^-- - her T^.adi^ofee dt^ :^^J^*1^e .to I^ia'-for^ ^on ’;^^Ch^oi,''' IE ' tim. df ’^jon'Wtticr th&a thatxrf'an JamsetjTs mind ^niied almost every mund. White it^F/ancd Industrial seer? , * ' ' ’ " ,.-... _r..v- . * >‘His.day-13^>8te'fairly early in the - ;mt»nmg.,Af tinies he went for a short I < '^alk albtt ’g Boi^litty*s sda-front- and f ' x^woutd drOp in to sec his friends, occa- - .saonally before they were.out of bed. At breakfa^ he presided aS a patriarch' of Wales Museum stands today in Bom- ../ would^dbcnssing with hisTamily, rela- .. tiv^ 'ai^l.&iends. He then read and -i?; wrote fdt a ^Inlc till he went to office at _ ft " ‘ midday.' After.-^fice, at 6 p.mr, he before Carrier invented aircondition- Egyptian cotton. He gave de^T^ E would .J®;for a drive in. his horse- ing,' camag^latcr ;^.his car. —or play cards ?a]|doonver^ M the Elph?n«tpf» Club. -^ 'iOn his rt^^^JtCcnjbyed W dinner. , Good food was dne of his two ihd^Igeh- ce$: the other was a voracious appetite for knowledges, which he constantly fed. The Cui* Tatph t inoculation, Colonel HormusjrBhabha, Sir Ratan Tata (standing), and Sir Dorab Tata ' . ?. Inspector-General of Education for I h^bje State happened to arrive. He fruited by Jamsetji - £«. for inocula- ;^teht a couple -i evening drivi^Janil^i would talk ofV ah^mb^^e.scbeihes?. L- i A i - *5^1 r, ' - ’r ^<’^'paidtse:&icrftl visits to,J^i^^ area>'of human endeavour though he of the cultivation of the was rememberedfor his thtee great nati- when he visited Japan io onrbeildjng projects and the famous Taj the Japanese to experiment'inJ^seiae^ Mahal Hotel. He was never short of * ture. He picked on Mysore foi^o^Ri^ schemes. He had plans to construct a reasons. He discoVesitd £at>r d r^Fata fe&ematientjjr intolmant,' -\ •k-J Fw ‘''' «< -il ’ll &'*’ ^?'-K; - M- uri SiAsj. X *¦ 1, I then untried even by mills “I ¦ crf tanc^^ife." Tn the fedhre, nothing OR i 4’ It ¦ but the best was good enough for him. - SffietMAN iNQtNEERS Sp^iahsts in j^^eTWindows, ’ Grills&fron i Works. The excellence of his new plant was? , latched by his care for the workers. Re installed,tiie^irst humidifiersand fire- sprinklers mlhdia. 1 n 1886, he instituted a Pension Fund and in 1895, began to pay accident com pensation. He was decades ahead of his time and miles ahead of his competitors. The impress ‘Mills experiment showed that riot only profits but people mattered to him. Emboldened by these early successes, he decided in 1886 to buy a mill that had proved to be the graveyard of many rep ­ utations. This mill in Bombay had spa­ cious acreage, hut the unit itself was , ramshackle. At 47, Jamsetji took on the challenge of making a ‘sick ’ mill healthy. Humorously he cal led it ‘my rotten mill ’, not realising at the time what a back ­ breaking task he was taking on. This second unit, called ‘Svadeshi Mills ’ to mark the first beginnings of the ivat/es/jj —national —movement, was The Art S h40 of Gallery Chemould Jehangir Art Gaflery Bombay 23 > ’’ ;?/ & '"'<3 M’ '* j i I ¥ I '.3 e* I i 876, Dastur Meher Road ' POONA411011. ' ^hone : 26442 For the first —but not the test —time, a member of the Tata family risked his personal fortune for saving a public company. I S "' A .A Will solve your. ^ 5 presentation prpbiem^ if you are going ahrbd^. We can give you a variety of the choicest handicrafts such bs ¦: Pichwais (paintings on c^^th^\ Warn Paihtii^s ; (tribal art) Laminated prints G^y cushion covers etc, > V 5 I .«¦' i’3 .1 I $ '•! 2 si 5 I I "i .1 . I oHiis dapWinto the Swadeshi Mills^ As ' 'ariEb<:-' i soon as ’tfce.;^rehoidefs J^st of this, upai^wW^u-.-.- ' .^- 5* ‘ ; 5a *ta*"* -fc; ’V’ ^1 * W"' '¦< & The White Cloud Paper Mills, 412, Guhekdi Road, Pune - 411 037. *' IMITATED BY MANY EQUALLMD BY NONE * » •Pioneer Manufactures of Quality •Filter Papers "•Filter Pads and *FIIter Pulp *1n India. PHONE ; 441078 GRAM : WHITECLOUD ; textile industry. Within eight years, ‘Svadeshi’ cloth fetched the highn^i^i- ces and was in demand even abroad. Even as he battled for the survival of his industry, he was not too busy to think of the health of his workers. As polluted water was a cause of illness, he installed a water filtration plant and arranged for sanitary hutments. A grain depot was opened, followed by a dispen ­ sary, provident fund and pension schemes. In those early years he also introduced a system of apprenticeship. At that time, ofcourse,there was noaca ­ demic training in textile technology; so he urged graduates to study books from the Mill library. In the 1880s, it was the practice of • Managing Agents to charge a commis ­ sion on production or sales, irrespective of whether the mills made a profit. Jam ­ setji pioneered the principle that a com ­ mission of 5 to 10% would be levied by the Managing Agents only on profits. Half a century later, the Indian Com ­ panies Act of 1937 turned his pioneering principle into the law of the land. One of his early biographers wrote; ‘Had he no other title to recognition, his conduct of the mills would suffice ’. But much more Was to come from his fertile genius. Successful in two textile ventures, his name trusted by the public, Jamsetji may have been tempted to mul ­ tiply his wealth by adding to his textile units, since he and his staff had the know-how by now and the returns were speedy and massive. Instead he chose the unknown path to give India steel and hydro-electric power on a big scale. These ventures called for considerable risk, high management skills and pain ­ fully slow returns. In 1902,' five years before the site of the steel plant was located, he wrote from abroad to his son, Dorab of what his dream city of steel should look like. ‘Be sure to lay wide streets planted with shady trees, every other of a quick ­ growing variety. Be sure that there is plenty of space for lawns and gardens. Reserve large areas for football, hockey and parks. Earmark areas for Hindu temples, Mohammedan mosques and Christian churches. ’ jamsetji had seen it ail with his mind ’s eye. In 1904, three years before the steel plant site was discovered, Jamsetji died' at Bad Nauheim in Germany. In his last days, he urged his'son, Dorab and close members of his family to carry forward J the work he had started*. ‘If you cannot J make, it greater, at feast preserve.it . Do s I. Wanted OLD TOYS « * « Mechanical Battery Operated Wind-up Also OLD TOYS like * Trains Dinky Cars Lead Soldiers * * * * * B ¦ f' , Dotis Dolts' Houses Piggy Banks Etc. Etc. Etc. Wilt appreciate your sending a detailed list of any OLD TOYS that you may wish to sell together with expected prices to: OLD TOYS C/o Parsiana G.P.O. Box 892 Bombay 400 001. j 41 A 1 -1'1 w?, ^ornp/zmehb ’ I I st ¦ii ?-ALL tNCHA.- , ¦THEATRES SYNDiCATE '^PRlVATCtlMlTED ' I IT’S’ not let-ihito slide,, t^o •’They not ohiy-coiitinuedki®j|s.papded , •^' "his work. Others reajped, but he sowed. .’ ' §ueeess, o.r failure was .not a maX-/ issue wi^ls Jamset ji. He did'what was \ Ue^ed to be-,done ip an environment ’^hieft-was .not usually favourable to - him. He respected Britain f^r its liberal •-k Wl .z» sutifypi s^Wrea^ ’f fe- FS . fi -f'i I , '.Ti 3 i RECAL TALKIES • Ahmedj^ad NEW SUPER TALKIES - Surat 1 1 ^57159. V. P. Road Bombay 400 004. i 'I 41 il I 1i ill ’’S a I 4?^ ^'11 l( •11 ';Sg H * fe:. <6^ -I «** J?:?' 1-5® h - “v^k* X- ?: ‘¦^ ¦^- '^F These Ventures called for considerable risk, high management skills and painfully slow returns. t s traditions but it fell to his lot to fight British imperialism'Wherever it stunted the industrial growth of his own coun ­ try. For years he waged a war against the P & O Line which charged excessive freight for Indian exports to the Far East. He started, w ith Japanese collabo ­ ration, a rival shipping line. In the freight war P & O finally offered to carry cotton freight free to the Far East; the exporters failed to support Jamsetji and he had to close the Tata Line. But he did fight. It was a struggle for his successors to set up a steel plant and get under way the hydro-electric projects, ft was also a bat ­ tle to establish a Science University for which Jamsetji had offered his proper ­ ties worth fts. 3,000,000—a staggering sum in 1898. This scheme, to which the then Viceroy, Lord Curzon was ‘rather lukewarm ’, was Jamsetji ’s key to India ’s - modernisation. The British authorites were convinced that students who would pass out would, ¦ nof find employment becauseTndia had no industries ’. The Secretary of State wrote to the Viceroy that he thought Jamsetji would divert some of his endow ­ ment to his other business projects of steel and hydro-electricity. Some of his close friends too poured cold water on the scheme. A lesser man meeting with such discouragement would have withdrawn the offer, Jamsetji was sore, but so clear was his conviction that he would not abandon the prqject.' He simultaneously proceeded with his steel and hydfo-elcctric projects. For 'him.it > 4 LEACH & 5 f.» Diycleaners Pyees & Caipet CleanerB *- 4 > ’ was 'u6t;a casfr-of ‘ejll^r/xx^ At 60; liaf ’ knew time’ was running out,.but be bad . jjut kis haoK. ¦ it is wrong and smfoiic^ : inslai electric lights even the streets of so sanctified a place like Udvada. community we are educated and cul- our practicing priests, the sect that is the from lay and priestly families work in 1 ,___21__Ir __ ___________ 2 ___ ¦ the defence services on high salaries principle, tions, (excluding the few exceptions of every day of the month. The proportion - 1 ----- ... ’ due to a lack of opportunity to study calculated from these figures. So the and the modern age. We Cannot sa?yj.^ ] . . - . . ... . . - - .. .. .. vernacular as taught in the old tutorial nitely being washed away by degrees. The clash between the onward march have been extremely difficult to find '5| of the community and the customs that anyone opposed to this custom of yi<)«l»?g!a8B*WgB8BWBSaaWWMWBBa**gigKSlWBBil8BWwmegBP!gXLiilllWBItlt,'W.P''iw 'Wl < i''BibttJL'.39»WB^8BW&J^Wg5gWKaWy.g>ljWH-MgM ” i '-Jte- rt 5*-J V ;?2sS^ ffl r. j e-i ¦»-¦¦,- ¦• ‘t •1 i ’>^5" i ever at present an ^ceptionaily large majority of the emnmunity looks upon " it as sacred, religious and virtuous and deems any other syOm of disposal as impure, irreligious and sinful. Therefore to remain a part of the community and yet to endeavour to effect an alteration that anoys it, is impractical and improper. My humble attempts to bring about , an understanding have proved unsuc ­ cessful. The Aramgah party has already ,. legally secured the authority to manage the cemetery that was sealed by the Anjuman party. Consequently, side by who wish to bury their dear departed ones will continue to do so. Next to the Juddin problem, the major question that has tormented us since the start of the century, is this question of disposing of the dead. Var ­ ious communities either cremate or bury or drown the corpse. In the age of the Vendidad we gave them as prey to dogs p; and birds and today only to birds and ’ leave them open to the rays of the sun. Each nation looks upon its own custom as the only sacred one. Each regards it as an inviolable and eternal command ­ ment and considers all others irreli- . gious. Should a Zoroastrian corpse be disposed of by any other method then instead of h reaching heaven, the soul [ goes astray. ¦ ¦ANANMNi nA *** b be 'i L M ¦/'J S' side with the Tower of Silence, those > J -7^^'j h r'*^ i- ¦X The system of Dakhmanishini has i been in vogue since the days of the Ven- L'- didad, hence it is quite understandable why it is so vehemently defended when opposed. But at times, carried away by pj emotion, we say and write things.which seem to cross the borders of comfhon p ' sense and appear quite jidiculous. It is declared that the composition of the b Gehsarna and other funeral rites is so eF.. mysterious and infallible ^according to divine laws that Dbkhmanishini and R ’giving the corpse as prey to birds, is the b one and only system that suits it to per- ^yL^^yy?^ A**ttcn**^\ Z: Promise Toothpaste! nowwinsji international recoqnitien ji^M wiife the.^ pres^nious^ ^^ mohde W SELECTION W GOLDMEDAL1 Competing with international brands at the 17th Monde Selection held in Amsterdam, Promise won on the basis , of outstanding quality and effectiveness in use. j ,*•*” ¦ ¦ '’Ms c fection. Should a Zoroastrian corpse be disposed of by any other method then .all the prayers atnd ceremonies would be wasted and instead of reaching heaven, - the soul of the dead goes astray. Times are changing. The population of modern cities exceeds 50 to 75 lakhs, and is constantly increasing. Due to this even burial is gradually becoming *sy 6AISARA—True to the promise^ of quality made 55 years ago CHAITRA.BLS.S20 53 -I h»?#* impossible. Since the end of the last century a protest has been raised against it in the West. The newly-enlightened system of turning the corpse to ashes through ‘crematorium ’ is acclaimed by sensible people as the most rapid and most hygenic way of disposing of the rotting and diseased corpses. Fifty years ago, when the cremato ­ rium movement began in the West, there was a strong protest against it. Bishops and priests started a regular jihad against it. Priests openly refused to per- form the final rites of those who scorned public opinion and cremated the bodies of their dear departed ones. Eventually the bishops and priests have had to relent. Now they give extreme unction to those Who ate to be cremated. Today many great ones ate openly cremated. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the High Priest of the entire Protestant Church was cremated in public only last year according to his own wishes. In the recent events that occured in Poona to bury the dead, our dasturs and mobeds have refused to perform the Gehsarna ceremony. Like the priests, our Zoroastrian dasturs and mobeds of the East will have to surrender. Dakh- manishihi is not a system created by the Almighty —it is a man-made system. This system of disposing of the corpse has been rehdered a sacred custom * because of its practice for 3,000 years. Yet, even its 3,000 year-old tradition of sancity has not endowed it with immor ­ tality. With the change of times and cir ­ cumstances its sway has come to an end. Dakhmanishini is merely a tradition. The demolition of a tradition is not the , destruction of religion. Tradition is not s religion. In understanding, digesEfingk and acknowledging this fact lies thawis- dom of all concerned. All these years the minority has obeyed the inajority in all rhatters, out of sheer respect for its feelings. But now that time has changed . The minority too , has feelings . Just as the sentiments of the majority are injured when their wishes are not respected, the minority ’s senti- »laents are hurt too. Therefore, in this ' a^e of individual liberty, the orthodox party must be prepared to have the broad-mindi^ness to let each one follow '-¦t Ifts own inclinations in the observance of inventions. ' There is Sanity in allowing each to do a^ he wishes wi^ regard to Dakhmani- sfiini burial or crematorium. It is the birth-right of the new age. s »¦ E r l£ f k^- S^' & ¦ 7*3 " AHURA SHIPPING AND ENGINEERING CO. PVT. LTD. Ship Repairers and Engineers Shit>ping Services and Ships' Agents Exporters Pf Barge$»nd Engineering Goods AGENTS IN INDIA OF: Hyundai Mipo Dockya/d Co. Limited of Uisan South Korea The Bahrain Ship Repairing & Engineering Co., Bahrain Technical; Engineerif^ and Marine Services, Dtibat TELEPHONE: 211482,215839 TELEX: 011 5449 SFE IN GRAMS: "SWEETSMILE" BOMBAY 400 036 Sidhwa Hpuse, 3rd Floor, N.A. Sawant Marg, Colaba, Bombay 400 55 ’^7 ® > '^•S’t 7* 4 ¦> "“l -s.'W **4; 7- ~i- -ft'- .'^' r^l '’#5r I# Sp"-* k' TtiePprsi PmmSfeC:) 51 Petit vs Jeejeebhoy XI Practical Absurdity -1 THE JUDGEMENT SO FA R In 1903 R. D. Tata married according to Parsi rites, a French lady, after having her navjote performed. Tata claimed his wife “had become a Parsi professing When I left India, in April, 1 did not feel Judgments. ,, A considerable amount of correspon- prepared to adopt, in their entirety, / ' ‘ "____ what I then understood to be my dence passed between us, and since my brother Davar ’s reasoning and conclu ­ sions upon the rights of Converts to • 1 -1 ' I 1 i J the Zoroastrian faith and consequently benefits of the Charitable Funds admin- , she was entitled to participate in all the charitable and religious Funds and Institutions ofthe Parsis’ including the right to enter fire temples and have her body consigned to the Towers of Silence. Thus the scene was set for the historic : court case of Petit vs Jeejeebhqy, also j known as “The Parsi Punchayet Case." The question before the two judges of the Bombay High Court, Justice Frank C. O. Beaman and Justice Dinshaw Dhanjibhoy Daver, was whether a person born in another faith but converted to Zoroastrianism was entitled to the benefits of certain community trusts. The plaintiffs (Sir Dinshaw Maneckji 1 Petit; Tata and others) contended ' Zoroastrianism enjoins and practises conversion and that converts are entitled to all the benefits provided. The [¦ defendants (Sir Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy Iv ‘ and others) while admitting that Zoroastrianism permits conversion state that “ever since their (Parsis) advent into India (they) have 1- not admitted a Juddin (Person f ‘ belonging to another religion) into their : fold. They admit, however, that f children born of a Zoroastrian father I by an alien mother have been j . ’admitted into the fold by the ¦ performance of the Navjote ceremony ’’ Justice Beaman t , Justice Daver in his part of the j judgement serialized earlier, ruled that I converts could not avail of the trust p benefits. Justice Beaman’s judgement (• begins with this issue. return we have further elaborately dis ­ cussed the whole evidence and every- Zoroastrianism to participate in the argument which has occurred to us, or --- ----------------------------- ¦ been suggested to us by Counsel, for istered by the Defendant Trustees. It and against the right of Converts to par- was therefore understood that we should deliver separate Judgments on this head. But it was also understood P I - >¦ M V * f ticipate in the benefits of the Funds. In addition to these personal conferences, I have carefully studied the elaborate second part of Davar J.’s Judgment; and while I am doubtful still whether we look at all parts of the complicated question eye to eye, it is a source of great satisfaction to me that I am able to agree with the main conclusion. Perhaps I am led to that result by slightly different trains of reasoning, but that is comparatively unimportant. 1 think I do not flatter myself when I say that the criticisms I freely offered have led to the modification of many parts of my learned brother ’s Judgment, and ’ have thus made it easier for both of us to , take common ground and give to the principal question an unanimous I answer. But I have felt, and I have understood too that this was my brother Davar ’s wish, that I ought to add a few observations of my own, before dispos ­ ing of the question which aroused so much feeling in the Parsi Community of Bombay. I shall make those observa ­ tions as short as I can: they will, indeed, take the form of a few s;upplementary comments upon Davar J.’s Judgment. My object will be to make it as clear as I can, in the fewest and simplest words, why I, too, hold that the Trustees were right in excluding Converts from the benefits of their Trust Funds and Prop ­ erties. In The Deed of 1884, the Trusts are declared for the benefit of all members of the Parsi Community professing the Zoroastrian faith. Now, when those words were used, we must remember fl 1 •-'t 'J j that, in the time which must elapse before we could meet and deliver Judg ­ ment, we would give unremitting atten ­ tion to the principal points and to each other ’s views upon them, so that, if pos­ sible, we might, after all. avoid the ___ ______ ____ necessity of any difference of opinion, if two things: Firstly, they were used by an ' 1 possible, even of pronouncing separate English draftsman, who surely had "not ¦ <*J S7i ? their funds to Converts, or allow Con ­ verts the use of their places of worship and burial. Thereupon seven members of the Parsi Community of Bombay obtained the consent of the Advocate-. General and brought this suit with the object, inter alia, of getting a declara ­ tion out of the Court that Converts were entitled to all the benefits of the Trusts administered by the Defendants. To understand the question itself and the slightest idea —could not have had, unless prophetically gifted, the faintest premonition —of the use to which they would be put or the trouble to which they would give rise. No practical ques ­ tion had been raised about what did, or might, constitute membership of “the Parsi Community: ” whether the qualifi ­ cations were solely religious or solely racial, or a mixture of both. The drafts ­ man thought, as probably every one else thought at that time, that the Parsi share the benefits of the Funds and the method of its development before Community was a phrase of sufficiently Properties. . us, we must turn to the Trust Deed of precise and definite connotation; and So far all went well. It was only when 1884. Here, as I have said, the Trustees that there never could be any question the 6th Plaintiff married a French wife, declare themselves to be Trustees of about the class denoted. who openly professed the Holy Zoroas- practically the whole public religious Secondly, the qualifying words “pro- trian faith and was publicly and for- establishment of the Bombay Parsis, for fessing the Zoroastrian faith ” were mally received as a Convert into the the benefit of “members of the Parsi inserted not to exclude Converts to. but Zoroastrian religious communion, that Community professing the Zoroastrian Converts from, the Holy Zoroastrian the "‘ jealous bigotry” of the orthodox faith. About that there can be no serious was aroused, and all the possibilities doubt; and, if not expressly admitted, it involved in the acceptance of such a fact was impliedly admitted during the pro- began to be vividly realized. In the fer- gress of this case, over and over again. The Parsis of Bombay were beginning threw their weight on the side of local born of Parsi parents or who did not to be exercised in mind over the cases of Parsi orthodoxy. Finally, they publicly Converts to Christianity; and they nat- announced, as Trustees of virtually the urally wished to make it clear that no whole public religious establishment of entage to the father, thus excluding such Converts, though originally of the the Parsi Community of Bombay, that children of a Parsi woman by a foreign Parsi Community, would be allowed to they would not extend the benefits of father. They did not seek to make Converts: all they desired was that their own people should not be converted. i So far all went well. It was only when faith; ” and later, when it was sought to introduce a foreign Convert, they construed the terms of that declaration in such a way as to exclude from the ment which followed, the Trustees benefits of their Trust all who were net 11,25,51,101 gift ideas that can never he wrong come within the definition of Irani Par ­ sis; and further, they limited Parsi par- The Bank of india Gift Cheque. The present that's always right. Because it leaves the (hoi( e to the rei ipient. Beautifully designixf, in auspit ious denominations ol ‘Rs. 11, Rs. 23, Rs ".1, Rs. 11)1. Bank of India C>ifl C heques are available at its brant hes in all < ities and towns and are ent ashable at any of its brant hes in India. Conc«pt-BOI-7ao1 Bank of India t i iT\, iunt ZAe pvrieci ivit 59 , 9 .mfiffs c0ittend,4dWW?ptecerthat^£|^Mfci^j!^''^" . tees have tllMlW that if that phrase cbrwtly declaitH^ scone and oKtenta tk/> Tr»b* ( Defendants -have urofigly constru^ if. decide an^Wg^whether the Trustees have rightly understood and given effect Was to the otgects cjfthosewho entrusted the _ How are we to do this, if not by search ' ing exhaustively 'into the past, and '• Weighing whatever evidrace may be there found throwing light on the inten ­ tions of the Founders? Starting, then, from the cwsa caU- ¦ Stsms of this litigation —the words of the Deed of 1884 and the subsequent con ­ struction put upon them, the Plaintiffs- persons ^n those who profess the tainable. Where a body of persons Trusts are public rSgious cmlowmenS th^ PiainV-^^ Zoroastrian religiw. And solemnly declare ip a formal Deed that and charities. They were founded notfor e Plamtiffs propose to prove thiscon- they hold properties and moneys on racial or tribal, but for religious pur- ' ’’5^ poses- The Founders ex ^hypoSte^ ¦¦ in Bombay ParsiS objects of that T rust, as they understand intended them--since they are not only '• evidence^h^intTn ’ them; where they are in possession of public religious establishments of the' ’ r u i- * mJ S® whatever documentary evidence there Parsis —for the benefit of all professing ^oyo^ers of this may beacconipanyingthefoundation of that faith. Who then profess that faith? Trust at the time of ti^ir foundation. Trust and showing what was the inten- ~ • - • - - This course was at once tiod of^ Fornideys, it appeared to me, appears tp Qte, preposterous we can easily prove (and this ha should seek to pfevem the been admitted over and over i obtaining, whenever it can, before us) that the Zoroastrian religion was orginally a proselytizing religion; that its tenets not only permit but cner* ? r origaaHy a j,rosaytfe»g scope and otO^cts learned brother and. myself agreed that founder of these Trusts really meant. mnzniHco ( *K Lt- SS! I - - *;s r EOKTABlE ^BMNHAME Can it be said that only those who are born in it profess it? Certainly not. For < we can easily prove (and this has since ''‘¦ again was orginally a proselytizing religion; Hi 'vv ni rv iM)i :,ii(iu - JCilFN AND CANT! DELUXE - SERVICE COUNTEK /act !-» WOKK TABLE (^VY DUfr COOKING KANOr r ‘‘ if” BULK sTEMnssasv EiMKUMtT \ ' <- /-I * < St MAZDA MArMUFACTURIhJG CO oad, •> Gr. i H... fili I ¦ 7^ € # !Mw^ 9H W rely o„,the absence of gion found pubBc places of worship and all Conversions, tO prove ’““ffiW into the. S“«iSrort‘^:nW: abrogating one of contemplatil-lheyn^te diLrtw the fundamentals of . have contemplated —Converts to the their religion. " ?^o-4eal with that ren, or, for that matter, adopted waifs — many reputable Parsi families, for any P^t the most charitable construction one to be over eager to wash it ill tn possible on some of the instances —into public for the sake of a doubtful princi- statemfnt nf thA PUirtriffc ’ 4, • the Parsi faith and communion, is alto- pie. As to what happened when Sonabai ' ™a^argu- gether different from aUpwing adult came to Bombay to give evidence the mentjt tsan extinmefy powerful and convertion from one faith to mother give evioence, me 3."^" ®® "y ?y far the strongest instance was that of 8*^®“ evidence about Parsf woman, ” who' teh^on notoriously enjoins conversion, Hs^y rely OH the absenCC Of and where devout members of that reli- «ii gion found public places of worship and CQIlVerMOnSj tO prOVC burial for the use of those who profess 3 CUStOIXl abrogating One of have , contemplated —Converts to the such endowments. Any other view leads the fundam^tMs of their religion. ’VS you have a great religion ordering con ­ version, and yet refusing to allow Con ­ verts any lot or part in its public religious eommunion. That is, I believe, a fairly accurate !' " ¦ — - - wi^er^n from one faith to another, same considerations'apply. I do not Xnths thA 31?\ strongest instance was that of doubt she did frequent some of the Fire ; Sdi^S^ ok evenifweconcedethatall Temples in Bombay. But, dressed as a k 8*^®“ evidence about Parsi woman, who was to know any- 1 aS tlat I do hw have told the truth, and nothing but thing about her? I do not say, of course, add that I do not th.nv ,t the truth, «d>at does it amount to? She that had the priests known, they woS | Jwye been smuggled in infancy into at once have turned her out. That would J a Parsi farpily, and broi^hf iqi 8S . a be going too far yet, and beggin g the dence. For the Plaintiffs ’ case is that add that I do not think it gained any ­ thing from the oral evidence which was led by the Plaintiffs to supplement it. With the exception of one or two daughter of the house, duly invested quwti^i^rbv beperfectly with the Sudra and Kusti, and married dence. For the Plaintiffs ’ case is that to a Parsi.'niencefbrwardslw may have because sha was a Convert, she was ui * X J • » < • been sllowed to worsliip in the Fire sllowed free nccess to the tiiihlic ntacpc ** nothing Temples. But who was to know any- of worship. All that I can yet fee/justi- to do with conversion in the sense in thing about her real originT fietl in sa^gto that isthat Idonit^e have been smuggled in infancy into at once have turned her out That would With the exception y W>i» if ¦ - k k I J 1 1 5 s I W !; J ? inte perfectly true. But what of its effect upon the use to which this inability is now sought to be put ? Look at the facts. The Zoroastrians were expelled from Persia, or fled from Persia. Those who ' reached India were a scattered remnant. They were only too glad to receive an Mazda vasnie Monasterie It is as much the duty of every pious Zoroastrian to-day to make Converts as it was in the remote past. BOOKS AND CASSETTES available ON ZOROASTRIAN RELIGIOUS SUBJECTS IN ENGLISH. 1 4 asylum, to be allowed to live in peace and profess their ancient faith. In such circumstances, the idea of proselytising was impolitic and impracticable. They had enough to do to preserve their own faith, their own little society, against the impact of great surrounding forces, which, if not actively hostile, were not altogether sympathetic, religious, and social. The danger which the early Indian Zoroastrians had to face, was the danger • of being absorbed into the masses among whom they sojourned: their chief care must have been to maintain the purity of their own faith and the tradi ­ tions of their own people. Any attempt at proselytism in those days would have invited reprisals. It would have been — regarding them as a body politic — . politically suicidal. . They were the strangers: they were the weak and broken fugitives. Of course; they did not seek to make converts: all they desired was that their own people should not be converted. Because, under these condi ­ tions, there is no trace of Miy proselytis ­ ing actively for centuries —until owing to the influence of many other evident causes, the essentially religious ha^ been superseded by an essentially caste spirit when another and equally potent expla- •I There cannot be a custom of not doing a thing. ¦ nation begins to emerge —no inference can fairly be drawn that a local custom against making Converts had grown up. Yet, in the records and documents before us, there is ample evidence, I 7 think, to show that, although no practi- 7 cal effect was given to it for rea- sons of policy, the idea bf conversion was quite familiar to the whole Indian • Zoroastrian community, and. frequently RARE 6OOK$ ON 'MEHER YAZAD ; 'KHOREH « AURA': LIFE OF USTAD SAHEB BEHRAMSHAH NOWROJI SHROFF PLUS OUTLINE OF FOURTEEN THOUSAND YEARS HISTORY OF IRAN PLUS SHAH BEHRAM VARZAVAND : — FOR PARENTS OF SMALL CHILDREN ; WHAT MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME — ANSWERS YOUR CHILDREN'S QUESTIONS ON MANY SUBJECTS * KUSTI PRAYERS. TEHMURAS SETHNA'S ROMAN SCRIPT PLUS ENGLISH MEANINGS BOOKS ON KHORDEH AVESTA, YASHTA, GATHAS ETC. CASSETTES ON TEACHING PRAYERS RECITATJONS WITH CORRECT PRONUNCIATIONS KUSTI * GAHS • SAROSH BAJ • KHORSHED * MEHER NYASHES * VISPE HUMATA • MAH BOKHTAR • AVAN • ATASH NYESHES. PLUS LECTURE CASSETTES ON VARIETY OF SUBJECTS. ENQUIRE AT OUR ABOVE OFFICE- ARE YOU INTERESTED IN OUR QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER CARRYING INFORMATIVE ARTICLES ON ZARATHUSHTRIAN SUBJECTS ? DONATION OF RS 20 FOR 4 ISSUES THESE MAKE USEFUL BIRTHDAY OR NAVJOTE GIFTS. Ms. Meher Master-Moos, Mustafa Building, 2nd floor, (above Bombay Stationery Mart) Sir Pherozesha Mehta Road, Fort, Bombay 400 001. (INDIA). Tel: Res: 824737; Off: 250214 Poona Res; 23815. aivitlvaf cleaning machines! 1923-1982 FIFTY-NINE YEARS OF CLEAN SERVICE diana-ecLipse For all your carpet and upholstery cleaning, p Holland House, Colaba Causeway, Bombay Tel: 230619 "PareB" 27. PadderRoad. o 69 ' jij J' 4 ‘-1 -'J? -3 X I '^-4fiV" -Ct ' r »•• formed the subject of elaborate referen ­ ces, hypothetical cases, and controver ­ sial treatises. 1 shall have a word or two to say on that later. I will now dismiss . - the point I have been discussing with this observation, that while the absence of any well-accredited instance of a genuine conversion has, in my opinion, little or no bearing —as usage or custom negativing the canon law —on the Plain ­ tiffs ’ a priori case, the fact may and probably will give rise to considerations of some importance when we try to ascertain, what the intentions of the Founders of these Trusts were at the time they founded them. And this clearly invites a precise statement of the real question we have to answer. That question is not, whether the Zoroastrian religion permits conversion, but whether, when these Trusts were founded, the Founders contemplated S'w *x t J- .i<+* With Compliments From v’ * '?t'T '-^fci 1 . Y : 1 I consider the whole of the oral evidence touching . alleged conversions in Surat and other places utterly worthless. EMPIRE and intended that Converts should be admitted to participate in them. Too much stress cannot be laid on this, because the first question really does not arise, while the second is the only ques ­ tion that does arise on this part of the o case. It may at once be said that the Zoroas ­ trian religion does admit —even does enjoin - conversion. That cannot be and has never been categorically denied. It is true that the so-called learned men who have come before us to support the Defendants ’ case have wasted hours of our time in puerile attempts to gloss away the plain letter of the law. But that must be attributed partly to invincible bigotry which proverbially dulls the sharpest wits, and partly to a natural •stupidity and want of training in clear thought, which prevented witnesses of the type of Mr. J. J. Modi from disentan ­ gling his own revelled thoughts and opinions. Passing over these intermina ­ ble silly sophistries, and admitting that Zoroastrianism enjoins conversion, we are only a step —and that not, in the result, a very important step —on the way to our conclusion. ESTATE Liberty Building 41/42 Aforine Lines Bombay 400020 To he coniinued ¦ 71 ! ^’1 45 • ’ <•3Lt f i'' J* r ’Ay - * * / r?- ft'** I* The original gas-pipes leading from the works were of lead, the main one be ­ ing 24 inches in diameter, narrowed to 4 inches by the time it reached Colaba. , The lead-pipes were eventually snbstitn- ted with wrought iron piping because of ‘ ‘their liability to crushing by the weight of the increasing traffic ”. That first year —1865—the city had 220 gas lamps. “Great as was the satis ­ faction of the citizens when Vehar water was first introduced into the city a little earlier there was greater satisfaction when gas light was introduced. And so remarkably did the people appreciate it that some rich citizens offered the Municipality, then just established, to present those huge five and three light lamps with fine posts at great junctions in.the city. ” Crawford ’s fireflies ”— triangular lights that looked from a distance like so many fireflies hanging in the air —were named for Arthur Crawford who “was greatly instrumen ­ tal in promoting this branch of civic utility. ” In 1868, the number of gas lamps was increased to 700, each lamp having a separate meter. Two years later, the meters were abandoned and a fixed charge per lamp was introduced. By 1894, the number of lamps had been in ­ creased to 4,000, incandescent burners replacing the flat flame burners. Till 1938, when a few electric street lamps were installed in the city, gas was still mainly in use for street lighting . The “Queen ’s Necklace ” at Marine Lines, was gaslit till as recently as 1967. Besides street lighting, gas was sup ­ plied by the company for domestic and industrial use too. Gas coke was a by ­ product used in most city homes. The government Mint used “Bombay gas” as it was known. The company also did ‘ ‘considerable business ’ ’, erecting gas il­ luminations during Diwali and other festivals. Gas, however, behaved in much the same way in the days when it was first in ­ Australian and English silt-stone, and troduced as it does today. In 1866, spontaneous combustion ”. During the with gas, and to celebrate the event, in- Ardesar Kharsedjee Wadia has been described as ‘‘the man who had the honour of introducing gas light into India ”. His house in Mazagaon was first lit by gas on February 20, 1834. The Earl of Clare, who was the governor of Bombay at that time, inspected the installation in the following month and presented Ardesar with a Dress of Honour. Ardesar was a master builder, and later, head engineer of the Steam Fac ­ tory and Foundry of the Bombay Docks. He was the great-grandfather of Sir Ness and Cusrow Wadia. In 1897, * his grandson, Naorojee Wadia achieved another “first ” when he installed an electric dynamo at his house. But this is the story of gas and the beginnings of the Bombay Gas Com­ pany. Having already realised, in 1832, “that lighting and the police are the two eyes of a great city, ’ ’ and that “a shining light in the street is worth two police ­ men, ” the Bench of Justices (who watched over civic affairs in the city) decided to do something about bright ­ ening the city, after dark. The buttee lamps with their “dirty oil and flickering wicks ” were outdated and inadequate for the purpose, both in number and strength. So, in 1859, the Justices decided to in ­ troduce gas for street lighting.... “some correspondence ensued as to the financing of lighting by gas when finally introduced. The Government suggested that the Justices should raise a special loan. But eventually, it was deemed that an English Company should be invited to take up the work. ” And some enterprising citizens of the day, incRidingthe firm of Messrs. Nicol and Company, arranged for the success ­ ful floating of the Oriental Gas Com ­ pany, the precursor of the present Bom­ bay Gas Co. . J r M The firm had its head office at Horn- quality coal was imported from New ­ by Road. In 1863, it began the erection castle. “The coal at first used was of its works at Parel, and the laying ot - ------------ — the mains. For those interested in the great trouble was experienced from Framji Cowasji lighted his mansion . 1 •! 1 1 f X (__ ’ r^iirinrr tHp noc Qnd tA pplpnrfltp tnC CVent. IFl- technical details, the works, at iirsi, bHv««***«*''*« *------------- - ------- comprised ten settings of cast-iron Transvaal wars, indigenous coal was us- retorts, which were replaced, later, by ed but proved “very defective . Later, fireclay ones. By 1909, eight beds of Australian and Indian coal was utilised, , ____1_____ ____ 1*.. oi n I cnm. seven retorts were in constant use, to meet the city ’s needs. The purifying was originally carried . out in four cast-iron boxes, only two of gas-holders, with a capacity oi 1,5u,(XHJ which were necessary at that time. The purifying material was oxide of iron which was prepared at the works itself. According to one source, high- NEWS FROM THE MEDIA Gas Works Set Up ¦ Ardesar Kharsedjee Wadia vited his friends to a dinner . Some of the guests were “quite overcome by the nox- ious smell as no arrangements existed supplemented by an occasional ship- for purifying the gas”. ment from England. Originally the works contained two OLGA VALLADARES I ? I n 1 J J 1 12 cubic feet apiece, and both telescopic, with two lifts. In 1892, a new holder was erected with a capacity of 2,40,000cubic feet. (Bombay the Way it Was. The Evening News of India, I May 1981)A ¦C" •'fir 1 3. :>¦ he if- **-*¦' • *- # p A" b ^JB.B, f^mna Behnta C itife''- » >r i.^' »>* 4.R,*, ¦J-ife ¦“Si. ¦S' •** » Aff •? **.^11^1 ''-JJ '¦K. .h“ !*'*5 f*.7» b^* JJrT^ • :«•«<, ‘fc Zb 4* ¦fOT I . -- 'Tv;" Si%;>r5' **" « fi.*. he thfe:pajjers, taking'dowff-inhis scores^ of the Bngland-Wcst £a Baroda. “They have'ttotgivonBhgMdl batting and West ^^e's bOM^ing i^tl^ second innings. These papershever give S' the full score-card, ” he ^uihbled. “i wi^^. have to go to The Hindu office. It is the' -only paper which has the fun card. ” B. B. Mama, the distinguished cricket st^istician has been the official statisti- cian for Doordarshan since the first live coverage in 1972. And what was his job as a statistic cian ? “Feed statistics to the commenta- : tors as and when required. Also, point out statistical milestone or unusual x)r " interesting statistics relevant to the day. •55^ For example “When Boycott -; People are wrong when they say that statisticians do not know the finer points : of the gaiyie. 1^ I comes in to bat, as he is walking to the 1.5 wicket, we show on the screen his bat-- tihg figures, his averages. Or when Kaph I Dev bowls his first over of the match, on I the screen his career bowling analyses I are shown. These have to be prepared in a advance and photographed. ” I Mama says that he does not like to \ I give statistics for the sake of giving I them. People are wrong when they say K that statisticians do not know the finer B points of the game and are only Uitef- I ested in overloading the commentators I with figures. He gives figures only whga I they are relevant. - : I He says: “Even newspaper cofres- I pondents think that to us cricket titeans I nothing more than figures. It is I point with me. AFST, the other dsy^Sx^ I after writing a fine column, ended ’with a E. spide .. renMrk at statisticians. ?Fhi^v^ I Fean say that Idori't blindlpl^^ -Commentators are apt.to. tv irritatedif ahythingirrelevahttsgwentof I tlwm. ” I Mama has been compiling, statistin^; I fm . the 1^ '2B years. Bis interest tn, r d^^^be^n when he saw^hik first Te^' was in s^idslL. the West Indies, viben they ome ball short I and, there were thrpe niinutes to go and I .Wf Indian last j^ir in "six rims required td win" Anybody Wo saw that b;Tia|SSds^.^ba. David is fined with cricket books. Once, on a holiday in Panchgani, I paid him a visit. He took me up to his help them, ” he says modestly. work room, the shelves filled with regis- A recent query that he has not been ters in which he maintains the scores of able to track down came to him from all Test players of all times all over the Cricket Statistician, a British publi- world, the entries made in a neat little cation and the official journal of the hand in pencil (so that they may be Association of Cricket Statisticians, erased at the end of a series, theaverages They whted the score-card of a Ranji up-dated and fresh entries made). Trophy match played between Servires and Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar in Mama searched all the Indian papers Ninety-one years ago the first ever Ehg- and could not find the details. He lish cricket team led by G.F. Vernon checked the official score-cards pub- came to Bombay to play against the lished by the Indian cricket board for its Parsi team. This struggle for the cham- Besides, there were cricket books, a Jubilee celebrations and he could not pionship of India, was eagerly watched desk piled with papers, cricket books in find it there. Anandji Dossa told him: by a crowd of over 10,000. cases, an armchair, a large old- “The score-card is "evidently lost. ” So So intense was the enthusiasm that fashioned Murphy radio. I could visua- that is that. Some times. Mama has everybody forsook their business for the lise him, sitting through the nights in the pointed out errors in statistics to the rest day in order to Witness the match, quiet mountain fastness of Panchgani of the world or at least the cricket- Though the Parsis were short by 17 runs and listening to well trained BBC voices playing world. The Wisden Cricket in the first innings, they ultimately won giving commentaries, scores, from Eng- Monthly had some time back brought to by four wickets. lish cricket grounds. the notice of the cricket world that Che- The Parsis were the pibneers of To the Murphy radio, he has now tan Chauhan was the only player in Test Indian cricket and Bombay was the added a four-band, two-in-one National history to have completed 2,000 runs home of the game despite a Cricket Club Panasonic, so that he can tape the score without scoring a century. Mama cor- meant for Europeans established in Cal - cards and then enter them in his rected.Trevor Goddard of South Africa cutta in 1792. registers. had also accomplished that feat. Hriw- Under-arm bowling He told me; “Mostly I work in the ever, after he had finished his total of It was mainly rio? to the influence of nights, at least two hours a night during 2,000 tuns, in that same innings, he had military officers of the Marine Battalion a Test series. It involves a lot of labor- gone on to complete a century. But he stationed at Bombay that the Parsis ious paper work and nights are favoured had reached the 2,000 before his first took to thegame.Theygrew sofond of - ; because they allow complete concentra- 100. it that they set up the Oriental Cricket ¦ tion, lack of distraction. Because, if an ¦¦¦vBaMHwaMWMwreMreBaaBiHHlHl Club in 1848, this being the first Indian error is made, it is difficult to trace it Invariably they have been able to Ijdp me, sometimes 1 have not been able tp. A recent query that he has not been u % 'J 1’“ Anybody who saw that Test October 1964. could have fallen in love with cricket. He maintains the scores of Cricket Club. Two 3«ars later, it was all Test players of all times all over the world. later. , “I purchase a lot of statisticalreference , books, other cricket books, magazines, I 7 ’;' don ’t destroy anything. You never know . when something may come in useful. 'These days, the prices of books have the Bombay Test last December? earliest found-arm bowling in Bombay gone up considerably and I cannot ” ' ** • > • • • the general cricket books any- his double of 2,000 runs and 200 served as the pitch. ’n^re, so I borrow them. I can ’t afford wickets. ” states Mama. “Only two oth- The Oval Maidan was the Parsis ’ the Statistical literature also, but I buy it. ers have achieved this in Test cricket, favourite venue. But one day a police ..Here the price rise makes no difference. ” Benaud and, of course, Sobers. Another .^ifioer ’s wife was acctd.en^llyrinjMi^ ¦K . And, 1^en not compiling statistics, milestone will be 100 dismissals by Tay- while she was.CBJssing the maidan. That a Mama listens to cricket on the radio, the lor, the English wicket-keeper. He w two was enough for the police to drive the | -1 . ,, _ ............ .. .... . ......... .. - 'fine moun^in air. ‘‘1 remember, when the brink of mil«tones, but now there is ' Esplanade Maidan. Pakistan were playing in the West no point as they are not in the team — -Soon Bombay-took cricket to its Indies, f used to listen to the commen- Yashpal Sharma and Ghavri. Yashpal heart and four major Gymkhanas - the tary beam^ to Radio Pakistan from has 831 runs to his credit, Ghavri 913.” Bombay, Hindu, Parsr and Islam were nine in the night to four the next morn- As Mama notes : “Cricket statistic^ born. Bombay Gymkhana, mainly ing. It was a very4nt«r6&tings^ies and I ' are like vegetables, they go stale,' meant fc^ European residents, was set f do not think I sfept throughout that'ser- (fiately. ”;^ .. ‘ ,“P ® 1^25. The Hindu Gymkhana ™ ies. ” , Courte^: Mto-DAV, Novemiwr27, i98U -^rfed as the Hindu C^ket Club in .. .' ' ¦ X »5 replaced by the Zoroastrian-Grteket Club. In those days, bowling was under ­ arm; Navloo Mama and M,M. Poo- What milestones was he expecting in negar were the first exponents of the ^Botham requires 21 runs to complete that began in 1867. Any part of turf **^1 And, when not compiling statistics, milestone will be 100 dismissals by Tay- while she was.CBJssing the maidan. That 1 s : 'j 1 1 * reception cominglctud ancfelear in the short. There are two other persons on f^is avray. They then moved to the | fine moon^n air.remember, when the brink of mil«tones, but now there is Ei^Ianade Maidan. - Pakistan wwe playing in the West no point as they are not in the team — -Soon Bombay-took cricket to its | As M^ma notes : “Cricket statistics^ born. Betray Gymkhana, . mainly I -I '-^¦15^ ^8^' 1 u ’•M ¦¦ , ! i ?- =:S- 1866 with a moiithly niembership fee of two annas. Ramachandra Vishrahi Navlekar was the first Hindu to play ctjcket, as early as 1861. The Parsi and IslSht-Gymkha- ‘ S na§ started in 1888 ahd 1892 respec- B lively, with a view to" taking the game to H the communities. B The Parsi Cricket Club organised the S first major match in Bombay against the Bombay Gymkhana in 1877. They lost. B Next year they toured India and played ¦ matches at Lahore and other towns. J To encourage the Parsis the Chief Justice of Bombay and the Governor Sir Joseph Arnauld and Lord Harris respectively played cricket with them. The British Press eulogised the nice manners of the Parsis but said nothing about their poor performance. •X !.. r if s. ‘Xi® I. '«• &; y-^' =/ ly’s i ¦; I i • f’’ Lost matches To further their cricketing skills, a Parsi team (incidentally, the first Indian team) visited, England in 1886. The British Press eulogised the nice manners of the Parsis but said nothing about their poor performance. Undaunted, the Parsis paid a second visit two years later and played 31 matches. Of them, they won eight, lost 11 and drew 12. Their star performers were R.D. Cooper who scored 952 runs and M.E. Pavri who took 170 wickets for 1983 runs. It was in response to these visits that Vernon ’s team came to Bom- [' 73 bay. Soon, the Parsi and European inhab ­ itants of Poona opened the Poona Gymkhana. The match between the Parsi Club, Bombay, and the Poona Gymkhana in 1891 saw B.D. Gagrat of Parsi Club becoming the first Parsi to score a century with 108 runs not out. It is a pity that Bombay cricket, or for that matter Indian cricket developed on communal lines. Regular matches were arranged between the Parsis and the English teams from 1895. With the growing popularity of the game, Bom- Ki’l bay Triangular matches began in 1907 when the Hindus joined. Quadrangular BB matches started when the Muslim team BH joined the fray in 1912. 24 years later, a “Rest of India team ” entered to make it a pentangular affair. The Daily, 1, December 1981. Dr M.D. David Professor SB of History at Wilson College, writes a regular column on ¦B the history ofBombayfor rteD«i7>’newspaper,magazine BB S^on. Reprinted with the author's permission. a 75 1 ¦I ,-'-3S “^3 .=R v.v- f V as 'H A Historical Monument K. T. Pandit U; b>; *€ Before 1947, the entire building where the Handloom House is located at pre ­ sent, was occupied by Evans Fraser & Company Limited, one of the few lead ­ ing British departmental stores selling fire and before the day was old, floods came pouring into Hornby a high quality. Road. The whole city suspended its nor- The history of this building known mal activities. Banks, schools, colleges, even today as Fort House, is interesting government and private offices were because it was built for residential pur- <' poses by Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhqy, the Fort House to pay his last respects to first Indian knight and baronet. It was in this historic Fort House, that Jam itjee passed away at two a.m, in the early hours on April 15, 1859. “The news of his death spread like wild- ) ¦ Sj / I K." k" M’ imported readymade dress materials of of men Road. The whole city suspended its nor ­ even today as Fort House, is interesting government and private offices closed. Lord Elphinstone came to the Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy the greatest Indian of his age. Fla-gsflelv * las, panjrapoles, water works and at half mast on Government House, schools sprang up by the openseame Lord Elphinstone offered to give Jam- his largehearted munificence. Further, setjee a military funeral - a battalion by his lofty business integrity, Jam- of troops with a military band — but shedji put the name of the Bombay mer- this honour was respectfully declined chant on the world map. due to the tenets of the Parsi religion. It has been admitted on all counts Dadabhoy Naoroji Road (formerly that Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy was the stand- Hornby Road) cannot be referred to as According to his biographer Mr. ard bearer of far-reaching catholicchar- justanyotherbuilding.Ithasgreathis- Jehangir R.D. Mody, “the housewarm- ’ ’ ¦ .•••¦.-. ing ceremony of Jamsetjee ’s Fort House — the building at present occu- _________ ____ ____ ______ pied by Evans Fraser & Company Bombay, the first obstetric institution, public life of India in the nineteenth Limited, was performed on June 3, ' 1834. The occasion was celebrated with great eclat. A continual stream of car ­ riages was seen arriving at Hornby Fort House: built for residential purposed. Road. The Earl and Countess of Clare accompanied by top civil and military dignitaries attended a banquet along with a large number of prominent per ­ sons and for days the people crowded the street to admire this fine mansion. ” j. Banquets given on various important n occasions by Jamsetjee were as famous as his large hearted and far-reaching B charities and even English aristocrats fl considered it an honour to respond to « Jamsetjee ’s invitation. All such ban- J quets were held either at his Mazgaon H Castle, Fort House or his Mahalaxmi H residence. Xwo such banquets given by H him at Fort House “were remembered fl even after a laspse of a century or more. ” fl One was given on February 5, 1835, in I honour of the then departing Governor I of Bombay, the Earl of Clare and the fl other was held on March 5, 1840 in honour of Queen Victoria ’s marriage to Prince Albert. w 7e By his lofty business integrity, Jamsetji put the name of the Bombay merchant on the world map. In view of this, the Fort House on ities, which helped every deserving torical significance because Sir Jam ­ cause unstintedly. He endowed the first setjee Jejeebhoy, one of the most civil hospital and medical college in honoured figures in the commercial and the first art school, and built the first century, lived and died at this place, causeway. Wells, bridges, dharmasha- Courtesy: mid-day , 26 October 198l g; r 'Sfe' ‘A* ? , 'i J I !