Dec 1982

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SO 8^ I932-I982 * 90 YEARS OF Civil AVIATION 325 wn?l INDIA • 325 -rrnv f^uMH so aM >932 1982 50 vTAAS OF Civil Aviation Mlla INDIA • 325 I Mna INDIA i • 41117 i^WI44 50 a4 (932'1997 * 50 YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION I Mira INDIA • 325 i NT7T7 ih 50 rrf 1G3J1982 • SO YEARS OFCIVIL AVIATION I MIHINWA J 325 wna INDIA ; Mira INDIA a 4IJT7 fil-lUH ^50 Id33 >9B2 * 50 YEAAS OT CIVIL AVIATION * STJR.ftuTlTW 50 rt 1932-1982 ' « 41JT7 fiwi44 5U ai 19 i2-iVH? • 50 YEARS OF Civil AVIATION * 80 YEARSOF CIVIL AVIATION Hira iNDi^ J 325 Mira INDIA J 325 : 325 Mira INDIA « Mira INDIA • -ifyr7 ftxir«4^S0®^ i932-i9e2 SO YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION « HTTTT 14144 50 1932 1982 * 90 YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION • lUlV fdHMH MJ IM^Z-HJh? * 90 YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION X 41713 I^WI44^80a4 1932*1992 A 50 YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION 325 )4r7M INDIA « 225 Mira INDIA J 325 1 -irJH f4Ml44 80 1932-1982 X '’T7T7 (^4144 >5 50 1932 1982 90 YEARSOF CIVIL AVIATION < 90 YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION 325 Mira INDIA ' 325 t Miia INDIA ; A 9 • JTT7T7 f^inww 50 a4 193 2-1982 • so YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION Mira INDIA J 325 Mira INDIA • 325 I h" Mira INDIA • X 4T7r? 50 1932-1982 X 4PT7 %WTXW ^90 0^ 1932-198.' • 80 YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION • 80 YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION X dfJN SO 1932*1982 • 80 YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION Mira INDIA J 325 Mira INDIA J 325 1 Mira INDIA * I ^VK&Vll smT7 ftwraa Sisoaif i»3J-'»8s J aivTi I^uivra i so s4 1935-1962 X anr? fKuTvra i 50 a* 1932-1982 Bo VEAASOr CIVIL AVIATION • BO YiAAS OF CIVIL AVIATION * SO VCAKB OF CIVIL AVIATION X *Tin^ fdUT*r4 80 ai I9J2*I992 • so YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION « SlI <3*4 I9J?-39S.' • 50’EARS OF Civil AVIHION 325 * 325 Mira INDIA • 325 Mira INDIA : 32s Mira INDIA ..^4 Mira INDIA • HIJ12 5(J A« 1932-1962 80 YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION a mn? 11^414^ 9 80 aw I933 l9a3 • 80 YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION X 4IJT7 fijUIWW as 50 OW 1932 1982 • 80 YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION Mira INDIA ; ^50fl< 19d3>l9CI>’ 50 YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION u X -nTr^ f^wTww 50 74 1932-1992 • so YEARS OF CIVIL AVIATION «r-cer'j December 1982 Volume 5 Number 6 •ii '•i EDITOR Jehangir R. Patel ASSOCIATE EDITOR Abraham Mathai ASSISTANT EDITORS Hutokshi D. Doctor, Gouri Wagadarikar DESIGN CONSULTANT Mini Boatwala DESIGN ASSISTANTS Kranti Shilotri, Yasmin Irani MARKETING DIRECTOR Veera Patel ADVERTISING Zarin Billimoria, Hanita Irani CHIEF EXECUTIVE R.P Thanavala CIRCULATION D;B. Chinoy, Yezdi Gandevia MANAGEMENT Cheryl D'Penha, Minoo Patel and Jasmine Driver 3 Readers' Forum 1 Events and Personalities f J 16 The Fate of the Federation 19 Tata Flies Again 20 Wings for a Nation by Russi M. Lala 24 Arphi: the sound of success by Nirmala Ferrao 28 A matter of death...and life 32 The Creative Chef by Hutokshi D. Doctor 34 Clippings and Cuttings 36 Tete-a-tete with Dastur by Gurudev Sharan 38 The LWePPf Pastur Dhalla - XXX Cover: J.R.D. Tata commemorative stamp to mark 50 years of Indian civiT aviation. Parsiana is published by Jehangir R. Patel at c/o H.L. Rochat Navsari Chamlwrs, ground floor, 39 A.K. Nayak Marg, Fort, Bombay 400 001, printed by him at Jyoti InduWiesv 324 A to Z Industrial Estate, G. Kadafn Marg, Bombay ^^0^013 and phototypeset at . .....—,----------- - ------------- - „ . Ann editorial and business correspondence to Parsiana, G.P.O. Box.892, Bombay 400 001. Phone: 268730. Anhddf inland subscription: Rs 30 for one year (1.2 issues); Rs 55 for two years (24 issues); Foreign subscription rates; Seamail Rs 60 for one year, Rs 110 for tvyo years, ground floor, 39 A.K. Nayak Marg, Fort, Bombay 400 001, printed by him at Jyoti ” _____- . ... iz^-1____znn ni*4 and Decora Printers, Bombay 400 009. All rights reserved Address all . I ¦ AirmaiLJts 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 tb be cfrawn in favour of Parsiana. Single copy price Rs 5 and Re 1. All rates subject to change in postal rates. add Rs 3 for bank charges. Cheques and drafts are tb be cfrawn in favour of Parsiana. ’1' 1T? ¦’*' r tREADERS’ FORUM ,1, llUU'HM,, ,, IIIHIiO.i, ¦¦ ¦ „ , . I I I f IB »»•ft••• • » ! ' I »*»M, itiliiiMm. 1 i » > J . I'UJ .1 hi 5 »** iiiiji 1*1 I* SB k**»’>* 3 I I enjoying an Indian haven — the Parsis, kameez, pagri and d^patta look, almost and a still smaller group living in Iran — exactly, like any Parthian, Saka, the Iranis, we shall confine ourselves Kushan or Sassanian of the past. The mostly to Iranian dresses. Cap, turban, tunic, trousers, robe. Gandhara and other akin sculptures and coins are the best proofs. Moreover, gown*, girdle, waistband and shoes have with the exception of the sari and chinoy been and are still worn by Iranians, khokho, most of the Parsi dresses—the They are the creation of hard-working, sudreh, kusti, jama, pichori, dagla, fast-riding; people, living on the rough dagli, jabla, lenga and shawl — have to terrain of the Iranian Plateau and this day their likes and prototypes in J beyond, with four distinct seasons. The Iran, Afghanistan and the Central Asian fact is attested by archaeological exca- republics, vations. The change over the last three : I may go further and state, on the thousand years is, in general terms, neg- strength of my studies in ethnology, that ligible. The felt cap in various shapes — skull. Asho Zarathushtra, an eastern Iranian, wore clothes similar to those presently oblong, pointed, folded, phenta-like worn by a man in eastern Iran and west- with a shawl around it; the turban in various colours — haphazardly tied or , artistically wound in Parsi, Khoja, turban, kameez, shalwar and shawl — Bohra, Rajput and other styles; the all in snow white — and his flowing tunic with its different names — kurta, kamiz, jama, pairahan; the trousers, most probably an Iranian invention for easy riding, known as payjama, shalwar, lenga, gharara, breeches baggy; and shoes of leather and wool — high, low, laced, strapped — are docu- ern Afghanistan. A Muslim mulla, par­ ticularly of the sunnite sect, with his Readers' views are welcome on any subject of interest to the community and should be sent to the Editor, Readers' Forum, Parsiana, G.P.O. Box 892, Bombay 400 001. Letters are subject to editing for reasons of space and clarity. beard, would look more like Asho Zarathushtra in dress and feature than a Parsi dastur with his ‘Indianized’ robes of the Moghul-Rajput style. The reason is simple. Early Islam did not have a prescribed dress for its theologians and mobeds, converted to Islam, kept mented from the Achaemenian period their dress. And now, the changes down to the present. How much impact the early Vedic dresses had on Iranian costumes, 1 am not competent to assess. But the the Indian mobeds completely forget the unstitched cloth pagri — has quite evidently evolved consider their modern versions, mostly throughoutthe ages into one of the most worn by Muslims, as of Muslim origin, graceful dresses of our times. Moreover, Even the much-disputed figure of the the Indians, with their vast and unlim- Taq-i-Bustan relief in Iran, from which ited potential, have added great variety we have derived different versions of the to the dresses brought by the incoming picture of Asho Zarathushtra, hasatyp- Iranians. ical shalwar beneath a typical kameez. The Parsi dress of just fifty years ago. The other two figures — Ardeshir Baba- is not then of Muslim origin. In fact. tight or brought about by time and distance — over a thousand years and more than three thousand kilometres — have made the sari, dhoti and dresses donned by their ancestors and to Are These Parsis? , .. _ With reference to the interesting short is not then of Muslim origin. In fact, kan and a higher authority — wear the article ‘Are These Parsis?’ by Shiraz history proves that some of the elite same. Modern painters have very clev- Nanporia, (Parsiana, March 1982) may Arabs who brought Islam to Iran wore erly changed the shalwar into a flowing I add a general note, rather long, which the Iranian turban, kameez and shal- Chinese robe ! But the turban still could prove of some help to those scho- war. The reason was obvious. Sur- reveals the long tail. Take a closer look lars who would shed light on the subject, rounded by the scantily dressed at the early drawings in the K.R. Cama Dresses are created and evolved much Byzantine Romans, Greeks, Egyptians Oriental Institute’s Journal issues; you more by socio-climatic environments and loin-clothed Africans, the neigh- will witness what 1 state. than by cults or religions. In fact, it is bouring Persian dress was much more Here let me clarify a possible miscon- social customs, including superstitions, that take deep root and grow into reli- the Yemenite tribesmen. The dress of necessarily inventions of the Aryans, gious tenets. ' the Muslims of the Iranian Plateau and What we see from Median and Achae- But, since the Zoroastrian religion, the Indian sub-continent today, is that menian reliefs and carvings is that only originally founded to become a univer- of the pre-lslamic eras. When Islam the Iranian nations, among all others of sal order aimed at establishing a world brotherhood with no bars of colour, caste, race or land, has shrunk to other modes of living, become the birth-right—rather the rite of a s bouring Persian dress was much more modest and moderate. It is still worn by ception. Tunics and trousers are not came, all that the people did was to the then civilized world, wore tunics and change their religion, not their dress and trousers. Others are seen either in loin cloths or long robes. The man in the To-day the men and women of the European suit today looks much nearer small community of Iranian origin sub-continent who put on the shalwar, to a Mede or Parthian than any of the 3 PARS I AN A: DECEMBER 19B2r 5 ’ L ancient Indians, Mesopotamians, Egyp- tians, Greeks, or Romans did. All one has to do is to supply the Median, Par- |HbH thian or any other Iranian with buttons, a gift from Europe, and see him in mod- ern dress ! The same is true of womens’ dress. One has only to shorten the clothes to expose more of their body ! Nothing more. That again does not HH mean that the modern suit is a direct HHH descendent of the Iranian dress. It has had its natural development through the ages but does resemble its ancestor. All the above-mentioned points need scholastic elaboration. Fortunately, , both in Iran and India, as well ascertain Western countries, scholars have done extensive research on dress and food through the ages. I have, in my humble capacity, studied them both and have tried to coordinate the two. The result is r ‘rf’J The Planners L to R: J.N. Tata, the founder, R.D. Tata (J.R.D. Tata’s father). Sir Ratan Tata (standing) and Sir-Dorab Tata. •i -f 1 f * Bi “An Indian Nabob with his son.” Turhaned Times However, now in my old age, after From the photos of the late Jamsetjee reading the article I know that we had Nusserwanji Tata (Parsiana August been so fortunate in being able to 1982), 1 U'as pleasantly surprised to see patronize a bakery of such historical that even at home he wore the black origin. Thank you Mr. Dotiwala and velvet cap and his sons and his cousin thanks to Parsiana for giving such an followed this tradition. J.R.D. Tata’s interesting article. father, R.D. Tata, is shown with a Parsi cap on his head even though he had married a French lady and was sup­ posed to be modern. The Parsi religion/custom ordains that the head must be covered and who Culture of Physiques,” Parsiana, June knows that such a method of covering 1982). In the year 1936 Tehmurasp and I the head may be one of the causes of the published a monthly magazine named Health and Physical Power. We started the magazine, with the help of my friend, the late R.P. Elavia, son of PestonjiEla- via — proprietor of Appeal Printing Press, Meadow Street, Fort. The illus­ trated magazine was sold for “annas FRENY DALAL The Culture of Physiques ” 1 am a close associate of Tehmurasp H. Sarkari (“Tehmurasp Sarkari and the rise in prosperity of Parsees upto approximately 1920. The rich Parsees did not see anything wrong in going about with a turban and a turban was respected during those days. The downfall of the Parsees came after the turban and the cap gradually four.” The late Bernard Macfaddon of the U.S.A., known as “the father of physical culture,” gave us full right to reprint from his magazine and also from the Encyclopedia of Physical Culture. 1 used to excel in weight-lifting while Sarkari used to perform extraordinary feats of strength, breaking iron chains around the biceps and chest and.also by hand, tearing three packs of playing During those far-off childhood days cards and the telephone directory and u-j permitting a car to pass over his chest. His display of muscle control was truly yet to be studied further, revised and edited before giving it final shape. Meanwhile, let us conclude that the failed to appear on the heads of Parsees. dresses we all wear have evolved out of khorshed m. shroff the mingling and commingling of var- . ious people, all along undergoing “History in the Baking ” changes to suit the progressing age. It was so interesting to read the article Clothes worn by a certain com'ihunity in “History in the Baking” by J.P. Doti- a certain age have been abandoned in wala in Parsiana, May 1982. The names another age, only to be adopted by ‘Dutch Garden’and‘Dutch Road’rang , another group of people. The process of a bell in my memory. take, give, abandon and adopt has been P going on ill along. This is how the fast- when the evening shades were falling on changing fashions have come into the river Tapi, our carriage wended its vogue. I would, therefore; suggest that way past the Dutch Garden and on the, magnificent, to know whether those pictures — or the Dutch Road till we stopped at a others—are of the Parsis or not, one small low-roofed bakery. And what should have a broader outlook in freshly baked toddy loaf and‘Farmasu’ his/her judgement. .biscuits we could buy there ! We knew it B. B. RouDBARi ^as ‘Faramji’s’, the oldest bakery of IxJs Angeles, U..S.A Surat. U nfortunately within two years we were compelled to discontinue the mag­ azine as the Second World War was in full swing and there was a shortage of paper etc. and we had no assistance. AsB. BHIWANDIWALA ¦^t^^PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 s "1 ¦J ¦I ¦ ‘..ii I Events and Personalities Justice Madon Madon was part-time professor of law cern to the Trustees of the Navsari at the Government Law College for Atashbehram and Vadi Dar-e-Meher, three years, and is also the author of who have appealed to “Charitably dis- Principles and Practice of the Sales- posed and Religious minded Zoroastri- Tax. He was appointed as a judge in.the ans and Trustees of Parsi Religious '— T.- . r-—* o——1— r-i—” jQ donate funds and augment the resources of the Trust so as Madon’s wife. Dr. Khorshed D.P. to enable them in turn, to help the Boy- \ Noted jurist Dinshah Pirosha Madon, who began his career as an advocate 38 years ago, took over as Chief Justice of Bombay High Court in September Charity Trusts, the Bombay High Court from Sep- 1967. < „ tember 1 this year. He had been 1--------- ---- , — ------------ appointed the Acting Chief Justice from Madon, also an advocate of the wala mobeds. August 11, 1982. Supreme Court and the Bombay High Six months ago, both the Atashbeh- Madon, who has practised in the var­ ious courts in India and abroad, was „ _ appointed as a one-man commission of and the managing director of Progres- ago, were served by only two trained enquiry to study the “communal distur- sive Corporation, publishers and book- Boywala mobeds. “This was mainly due bances which took place in Bhiwandi sellers. With a Ph.D. in law from the to the fact that this old, holy and strenu- and other places in the State of Maha­ rashtra in May 1970 and the organisa­ Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court, is the principal of Davar’s Col- ram in Navsari, one of eight in India, lege of Commerce and Management and the agiary, established 840 years 8 r I ( Bombay University, Khorshed Madpn ous profession of mobeds is unable to has written and edited several books on ensure a reasonably good and steady income,” note the Trustees in their appeal. Traditionally, Boywala mobeds were entitled only to the insufficient ‘Chamach’ offerings of devotees. The Trustees have already employed additional mobeds for the Atashbehram and agiary and propose to pay them a minimum monthly income of Rs 1,500, approximately. “Years back,” notes the appeal, “our ancestors had created a small fund solely for amelioration of Bhagarya Mobeds. This Fund has now been incor­ porated in our present Trust and the Trustees have already started paying subsidy to our Boywala Mobeds. How­ ever, the corpus of this Fund is very small and it has become absolutely essential to augment it by inviting dona­ tions.” The target for this scheme has been fixed at Rs five lakhs, the money to be utilised not only for the payment of monthly subsidies, but also of retirement benefits like gratuity, and provident funds to deserving mobeds or their widows. “The survival of our Community depends upon the preservation of our Religious Institutions, and without good and trained Mobeds those Institu­ tions cannot be preserved,” notes the appeal. “It is the dpty of every Parsi to con­ tribute whatever he or she can for the 7 J r a K ’ .... I -i I Madon (right) being sworn in by Governer Latif. tions and groups responsible for them.” law and management, and is profession- His subsequent. report, notes the bio- ally affiliated to several institutions in data,“including all the recommendations India and abroad, made were accepted in toto by the Government.” A student of Elphinstone College, Madon graduated in English Literature from Bombay University and secured a first class in the LL.B, examinations, winning several prizes and scholarships Improvement of the low economic sta­ in the course of his academic career, tus of Boywala Mobeds is of vital con- Benefactors for Boywalas PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982¦1 i dwindling... the demand for housing is increasing,” observes the report. The idea that charities are not gov­ erned by laws concerning construction report states are becoming increasingly hostages {Gujarat Samachar), in which is erroneous. The report states'explicitly appreciative of the Parsi heritage and he claims “an accuracy of 80 per cent.” “We Daruwallas have been textile tical training in science and engineering are also given. For the younger generation, who the Weekly) and the release of the American 1 si.; J* .r j ,1 IF'''' ¦¦ P j I '• i| ji eral important events including the death of Sanjay Gandhi {Illustrated the Zoroastrian religion, “Arrange­ ments have been made (by the SPP) to giants (in Ahmedabad),” he writes, teach Iranian history and the Zoroas­ trian religion. Dr Eruch D. Dabu has been managing this programme since 1975 with success.” The trustees of the over 140-year-old SPP are, Maneck J.R. Gheyara, presi- of English for 27 years, has also pub­ dent, Dr Sam Bhacca, vice president. only this Bejan dabbles in the occult.” He has been authoring the Orient horo­ scopes for the last seven years, selling two lakh copies every year. Daruwalla, who has been a professor u Patel, E.A. Pandol, Ms Dina R. Ghadi- ali, the first lady trustee of the Pun- Contractor. Occult Dabbling astrologer who contributes to several national dailies and magazines, was awarded a gold medal and thfe Jyotish Martand degree by the Jyotirgnata Mandal, Bombay, a registered institute running classes in astrology. “I worship Ganesa, am enough of a Parsee to clown away to Kingdom come, eat like a pig, sleep like a stone, and am rich enough to buy the world!” writes Daruwallh in what he describes as “a Parsee banquet of a bio-data.” Yet he finds the time to write “spoofs on presi­ dents and catsi and actors for Indian is erroneous. The report states explicitly , appreciative of the Parsi heritage and that the Public Trusts Act and the ' “ Income Tax Act have to be considered in the planning of housing schemes. In case one floor is let out to shops, it is considered a commercial activity and liable to payment of income-tax, notes the report. The inability of the Pimchayet to meet the high expectations of the people has resulted in displeasure, even “bitter Burjorji N. Palia, B.S. Chacha, R.R. criticism.” Most people are “unaware of the legal intricacies involved in the man­ agement of Punchayet funds,” and are chayet, Daver K.T. Modi and Dr M.K. unable to understand why the lands available with the Punchayet are not used for housing purposes. Those “seriously interested” are “satisfied with the efforts made by trustees when the matter is explained to them,” the report Bejan Daruwalla, the well-known asserts. j ’ * ” Regarding the help given to the i impoverished farmers in the villages of j south Gujarat, debts of Rs 7,500 were xtiuhuhu mv jj^uuigiiaia paid in full. With the help of the BPP, Mandal, Bombay, a registered institute FUTldS the SPP staff distributed grain, seeds running classes in astrology. and fertilizers to the farmers. “Debts of “I worship Ganesa, am enough of a The need for self-reliance is being Rs 1,68,754.90 involving 48 families Parsee to clown away to Kingdom stressed by the six-year old, 220 member were settled and 587 persons (in 28 vil- come, eat like a pig, sleep like a stone, Borivli and Suburban Zoroastrian lages) received grain worth Rs 80,885.39,” and am rich enough to buy the world! ” Association. notes the report. writes Daruwalla in what he describes as “We are still in a very primitive stage,” i The SPP runs two orphanages and “a Parsee banquet of a bio-data.” Yet he notes the editorial-cum-letter by the three schools. Apart from providing free finds the time to write “spoofs on presi- association’s honorary secretary, P. R. | lunches and bus facilities, the SPP also dents and catsi and actors for Indian Mulla in the August newsletter. “We do j provides scholarships to outstanding Express and dPilmfare.”and to "predict not have any premises of our Own... for ] students. Foreign scholarships for prac- correctly, in the name of Ganesa” sev- holding meetings... storing files” or for a ' library. The February newsletter also noted that though “the (Parsi) population in the suburbs, particularly Borivli, has ' shown an upward trend... our funds are showing a downward trend. The ratio . and proportion between members and jnds is not well-balanced.’^ The association planned to launch an old newspaper collection drive. “One J Sunday in a month... our committee members have volunteered to go house- - to-house collecting papers.” In the annual report for 1981, Mulla ' notes, “The most outstanding feature for the year 1981 was the benevolent gesture shown towards us by The Jam- setjee Nesserwanji Petit Reading Room and Library, Dadar. Four hundred books were given away gratis for our Library by the chairman Mr. Firoze K. Sholapurwala. We express our utmost feelings of gratitude towards the chair­ man, the honorary secretary and the PARSIANA DECEMBER 1982 lished three collections of poetry. His poems he writes, find him “very serious, a poet of the graveyard, taut, polishing every word to diamond brilliance. Daruwalla, who believes that poetry is “a cry; Torture unlimited; Torment of birth,” has been to the Phillipines at the invitation of the World Congress of ’ Poets. “Ganesa is my ruling deity but I do wear a sadra and kusti and pay my hom­ age to Zoroaster,” he writes. “All reli­ gions are respected.” correctly, in the name of Ganesa” sev- Bejan (left) receiving award 10 -i Ju’ i office bearers of the Petit Library.” The association owes thanks “to Mrs. Roshan A. Chhoi who has stored these books in her flat, till the Association is able to get premises of its own.” The new governing body of the asso­ ciation, elected on January 23 to serve for three years, comprises: Ms D.H. Minocher, president, Ms S.A. Cama, vice-president, P.R. Mulla, honorary secretary, D.F. Variava and Ms R.A. Chhoi, joint honorary secretaries, N.G. Paghdiwalla, treasurer, R.N. Sethna, Ms D.D. Patel, Ms F.R. Siganporia, M.S. Painter, B.R. Umrigar, Ms T.T. Govadia, S.P^ Pavri, K.R. Amrolia and M.E. Wadia. Tower Model Removed The Prince of Wales Museum no longer I exhibits the model displaying the lay- | out of the Tower of Silence. “No reason I has been given for this,” notes Bachi I Bharucha, in a letter to the Bombay I afternoon daily MID-DA Y on September | 28, although a tourist guide feels “the I model was very helpful for tourists who I were keen to know of the unusual mode I of disposal of the Parsi dead. Could the | authorities give reasons for the removal of the model?” | When asked about the mysterious dis- I appearance of the model. Museum authorities, while acknowledging its removal, stated that the model was Are these Paisis ? Clothes and customs may change, lifestyles may differ but the being held in reserve, along with several answer is stilh Yes. They are Astad Deboo, maestro of modern dance and Farida other items, and that it would be rein- Pedder (inset) the well-known stage personality, performing at the Jazz-M’Tazz, a stated as an exhibit at their discretion. L f r r * new wave and modern jazz show held recently at Bombay’s exclusive discotheque, Studio 29. The show was sponsored by Gentlemen magazine, the Gentlemen’s Fashion Quarterly and the makers of Hamburg Pilsner beer. Photographs courtesy Sohrab Daver and Gentlemen. Blood Plea An appeal to community members to register themselves in the Zoroastrian group of donors will be arranged by the and Member of Parliament, at a public meeting in New Delhi on September 8, Zoroastrians willing to “light up a life his 22nd death anniversary. _______ -_______ -• Gandhi would always raise the right Venerable Statesman Blood Donors Directory has been Youth Wing. issued by the Youth Wing of the Com- 7 mittee for Electoral Rights. The Direc- of (their) brethren” should send in their tory is being compiled for emergency name, age, address, phone number and issues at the right time in Parliament, use ijn Parsi hospitals. blood group, if possible, to Kersi P. and would not hesitate to expose his “The compilation process is on and Gazdar, 7/2, Rustom Baug, Victoria closest friends should the need arise. He even before its compilation we have Road, Byculla, Bombay 400 027. exposed the Mundra case knowing that started receiving many requests from it would affect T.T. Krishnamachari, a various quarters for blood require- close cabinet colleague 6f Nehru, said P. ments... This calls for the immediate Shiv Shankar, union minister for petro­ need to expand the list of donors... but leum, coal and energy, and the chief so far the achievement has fallen short cnzi ziM occasion. of the demand, notes the Youth Wing’s liiafl Gandhi would be remembered as a honorary general secretary, K^rsi Gaz- personality in his own right, and not as Glowing tributes were paid to the the son-in-law of Nehru or the husband A simple test to determine the blood memory of Feroze Gandhi, statesman of Indira Gandhi, said Shanker. PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 11f". I constant burning of the Holy Fires and 2,000 mobile cinemas,” notes a write-up, for preserving the invaluable and effec­ tive heritage of Yasna cerernonies. No amount for this purpose will be consi­ dered either too small or too large.” Crossed and order cheques or demand drafts drawn in favour of the Navsari Atashbehram and Vadi Dar-e- Meher Trust may be forwarded to either Vada Dasturji Meherjirana K. Dastur Meherjirana, Dastur Street, Mota Falia, Navsari 396 445, or to Dasturji Dr. Firoz M. Kotwal, 598-C A.H. Wadia Building, Sir J. Shankerseth Road, Bombay 40() 002. The trustees of the Navsari Atashbeh­ ram and Vadi Dar-e-Meher Trust are: Meherjirana Dastur Kaikobad Meherji- student of the Central School of Arts rana, Manekji Tehmurasp Desai, Firoz and Crafts, London, Wadia launched Meherji Kotwal, Jamshedji Pestonji Interpub in 1964, notes her bio-data. Desai, Dosabhai Hormusji Desai, Sheisaguestlectureratvariousinstitu- ' Noshir Dinshaji Kotwal, Kaikhushru tions including the Jamnalal Bajaj Insti- Navroji Dastur Meherjirana. tute of Management Studies Bombay, i has attended several national and inter- i national conferences, and was the chair- f person of the Delegate Promotion Doctor : Influence of Zoroastrianism Committee of the 13th Asian Advertis­ ing Congress. Ms Wadia has served on Vedic Astronomy.” In 1981, he passed his M.A. in Ancient and Middle Iranian ment Panel of the Printing Industry set languages (Avesta, Pahlavi dialects and up by the Government of India, and has old Roman), after a six-year study, won several awards for creativity. B. S. Balsara and Ms Roda Mehta are _ among the other members of MEMOS, besides Julian Almeida, S.K. Chawla V. V. Menon, M. C. Nair and H. N. “Since the past few years we face great Nagaraju. difficulties in the publication of trust fund accounts,” observes the report J. , , preceding the Surat Parsi Punchayet Iranian Inesis trust fund accounts. “Printing presses are prepared to accept straight printing A doctoral thesis on Ancient and Middle jobs but are reluctant to accept large Iranian languages is being undertaken jobs involving figures (tables etc.). A . by Sam N. Doctor at the prestigious leading charitable trust in Bombay hav- .! University of California in Berkeley. In I addition he is researching ‘The influence I of Zoroastrianism on Inter-Testamental printed in Surat.” I Judaism and origins of Christianity in ? the light of the Dead Sea Scrolls.’ Over the past two decades. Doctor while MEMOS have a checking service has, according to his bio-data, studied at 800 cinema houses, “which however, various aspects of Comparative Reli- account for 60 per cent of the expend!- gion, covering “diverse fields like ture on screening ad films.” Mithraism, Hellenistic Gnosticism, Ms Wadia “strongly feels that far Judaism, Christianity, archaeology and ' more positive steps are to be taken to ensure an accurate and consistent check on whether ad films are being screened according to schedule.” “There should be a control qh the number of ad films per feature,” says Ms Wadia, “so that a digestible number of messages is served at a time to the audience.” A diploma holder from the Sir J. J. School of Applied Art Bombay, and a -s Dosabhai Hormusji Desai, F I Monitoring Head I he new head of the Media Monitoring Services, an organisation which several committees like the Develop- attempts to exercise control over the number of commercials screened per Surat Report 1 1 1 •A.- •^^4 J r'B ing their own press approached us to enquire if their accounts could be The cost of printing is also “prohibi­ tive” notes the report; and as the old Doctor, a teacher at the M.F. Cama letterpress technology becomes obso­ lete, the costs will continue to rise when the trusts have to switch over to the more efficient but also the considerably more expensive offset processes. Thus it is that as the demand for “My field has very few students, accountability increases, trusts are find- _ , ing it difficult to always meet with the Athornan Institute at Andheri, Bombay, a Zoroastrian seminary-cum-schoot which imparts religious and academic instruction to aspiring Zoroastrian pri- Wadia — Checking commercials ests, left for the-U.S.A, recently. *’<7 aiMO VV/1 J AVW JlUUVlllJ, r feature film, is the noted advertising per- though my professor, Martin Schwartz, ‘ sonality, Nargis V. Wadia. is a remarkable linguist, a pupil of the community’s requirements. AT A J . . ..7 r, „ . Housing is as much a problem in Surat as anywhere else. Even though there are less than 3,250 Parsis in Surat, there is an “acute housing problem.” Paradoxically, “even though the number of persons in the community is I •l«i -3^ sonality, Nargis V. Wadia. A former president of the Advertising famous Iranist, the late W.B. Henning, Agencies Association of India, Ms and a former professor at Columbia, Wadia is the managing director of Inter New York. The university (Berkeley) is Publicity, one of the leading Bombay one of the biggest, and houses six mil­ based advertising agencies. lion books, catering to 30,000 students,” “India has 7,500 cinema houses and he writes. PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 9 J* dwindling .. the demand for housing is tical training in science and engineering eral important events including the increasing,” observes the report. are also given. death of Sanjay Gandhi\ illustrated The idea that charities are not gov- . For the younger generation, who the Weekly) and the release of the American erned bv laws concerning construction report states are becoming increasingly hostages {Gujarat Samachar), in which ¦ • r., Vhe claims “an accuracy of 80 per cent. the Zoroastrian religi&n, “Arrange- “We Daruwallas have been textile ments have been made (by the SPP) to giants (iit^Ahmedabad), he writes, teach Iranian history and the Zoroas­ trian religion. Dr Eruch D. Dabu has been managing this programme since 1975 with success.” The trustees of the over 140-year-old SPP are, Maneck J.R. Gheyara, presi- tical training in science and engineering are also given. For the younger generation, who the j^-'? M’ “only this Bejan dabbles in the occult.” He has been authoring the Orient horo­ scopes for the last seven years, selling two lakh copies every year. Daruwalla, who has been a professor of English for 27 years, has also pub- Burjorji N. Palia, B.S. Chacha, R.R. Patel, E.A. Pandol, Ms Dina R. Ghadi- ali, the first lady trustee of the Pun- chayet, Daver K.T. Modi and Dr M.K. Contractor. is erroneous. The report states explicitly appreciative of the Parsi heritage and that the Public Trusts Act and the the Zoroastrian religi&n, “Arrange- Income Tax Act have to be considered in the planning of housing schemes. In case one floor is let out to shops, it is considered a commercial activity and liable to payment of income-tax, notes the report. The inability of the P'unchayet to -------- - ---- r - . . meet the high expectations of the people dent. Dr Sam Bhacca, vice president, lished three collections of poetry. His has resulted in displeasure, even “bitter Burjorji N. Palia, B.S. Chacha, R.R. poems he writes, find him very serious, criticism.” Most people are “unaware of Patel, E.A. Pandol, Ms Dina R. Ghadi- a poet of the graveyard, taut, polishing the legal intricacies involved in the man- ali, the first lady trustee of the Pun- every word to diamond brilliance, agement of Punchayet funds,” and are chayet, Daver K.T. Modi and Dr M.K. Daruwalla, who believes that poetry is unable to understand why the lands Contractor. “a cry; Torture unlimited; Torment of available with the Punchayet are not - birth,” has been to the Philhpines at the used for housing purposes. Those , I invitation of the World Congress of “seriously interested” are “satisfied with (JCCUlt UdUUllHR , .. . .. the efforts made by trustees when the is my ruling deity but I do matter is explained to them,” the report Bejan Daruwalla, the well-known wearasadraandkustiandpay my hom- • ’ ------------1 age to Zoroaster,” he writes. All reli­ gions are respected.” Occult Dabbling Bejan Daruwalla, the well-known asserts astrologer who contributes to several Regarding the help given to the national dailies and magazines, was impoverished farmers in the villages of awarded a gold medal and thb Jyotish south Gujarat, debts of Rs 7,500 were '* ’ paid in full. With the help of the BPP, the SPP staff distributed grain, seeds and fertilizers to the farmers. “Debts of Rs 1,68,754.90 involving 48 families were settled and 587 persons (in 28 vil­ lages) received grain worth Rs 80,885.39,” notes the report. The SPP runs two orphanages and three schools. Apart from providing free finds the time to write “spoofs on presi- lunches and bus facilities, the SPP also provides scholarships to outstanding students. Foreign scholarships for prac- Bejan (left) receiving award Regarding the help given to the Martand degree by the Jyotirgnata Mandal, Bombay, a registered institute running classes in astrology. “I worship Ganesa, am enough of a Parsee to clown away to Kingdom come, eat like a pig, sleep like a stone, and am rich enough to buy the world !” writes Daruwallti in what he describes as “a Parsee banquet of a bio-data.” Yet he Finding Funds The need for self-reliance is being stressed by the six-year old, 220 member Borivli and Suburban Zoroastrian Association. “We are still in a very primitive stage,” notes the editorial-cum-letter by the association’s honorary secretary, P. R. Mulla in the August newsletter. “We do I r dents and cats^: and actors for Indian Express and ^ilmfare,"and to “predict not have any premises of our own... for correctly, in the name of Ganesa” sev- holding meetings... storing files” or for a 10 4 S?1 ^;’ p L Ss£ > holding meetings... storing files”orfor a library. The February newsletter also noted that though “the (Parsi) population in the suburbs, particularly Borivli, has shown an upward trend... our funds are showing a downward trend. The ratio and proportion between members and jnds is not well-balanced." The association planned to launch an old newspaper collection drive. “One Sunday in a month... our committee members have volunteered to go-house- to-house collecting papers.” In the annual report for 1981, Mulla notes, “The most outstanding feature for the year 1981 was the benevolent gesture shown towards us by The Jam- si setjee Nesserwanji Petit Reading Room I and Library, Dadar. Four hundred I books were given away gratis for out I Library by the chairman Mr. Firoze K I Sholapurwala. We express our utmost I feelings of gratitude towards the chair I man, the honorary secretary and the PARSIANA DECEMBER 198:'5 I Educational Meet Limathwalla feels, is to conduct many similar YEP’s. “By wondering whether to allow inter-caste marriages or not The five-week-long tour that commen- strongly prevailing are conversion and ced on September 2 included visits to inter-caste marriages.” The answer, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Distinguished educationist and psychol- Washington and Toronto, in coopera- ogist. Dr. Mehroo Bengalee, contrib- tion with the local Zoroastrian organi- uted a paper on ‘The role of the sations. The 11 -member group was (the parents) are showing a passive university in integrating international accommodated in Parsi households in acceptance of the problem. They should students on the campus’at the interna- these cities. - provide enough opportunities to enable tional conference of the World Educa- Zoroastrians in America are Parsis as tional Fellowship at Seoul, S.Korea, in well as Iranis and call themselves ‘Amer- August, according to press reports. Bengalee’s recent trip abroad was one Youth Group met were Americans of several such in the past, and besides who had “still not outgrown the influ­ ence of Parsis,” said Limathwalla, in an Yearly Report interview with Ms Merzin Mistry. He expects the differences to be predomi­ nant in future generations, mainly a dif­ ficulty of teaching “a religion (to) a (Oct.’S 1-Sept.’82). Apart from the generation which may not even have exchange programme, painting the seen its place of worship.” The Zoroas­ trians of Toronto and Chicago, among others, “have in the past invited scholars of the Zoroastrian religion to speak to and educate their children about Zoroastrianism,” he added. Toronto has a “friendly, almost Bom- bay-like Parsi atmosphere” and the unity of the Toronto Youth Organisa- dead,”a trip to the historic Barot Moun­ tion, which independently hosted their stay in the city, is exemplary, remarked Limathwalla. Bombay’s youth wing is “willing (and) the J.J. Hospital in an attempt to tentatively looking forward to hosting a improve the condition of the patients, youth group from Toronto next year,” figured in the list. An important activity the Toronto Youth Organisation having is the compilation of a Zoroastrian offered to sponsor one student, he the World Education Fellowship and added, the International Council of Psycholo­ gists, she is professionally affiliated to several educational and psychological Statue of DadabhaiNaoroji at Bombay’s Flora Fountain garlanded on the occasion organisations in India and abroad. Currently Professor of Psychology at Dadahhai Naoroji Trust, who garlanded the statue, and to his right are Mr. B.K. St. Xavier’s Institute of Education, Boman-Behram, former Mayor of Bombay and Dr. S.R. Wadia, prominent Bombay, and a Professor for the Uni- homoeopath, versity’s M.Ed. classes, Bengalee is the author of 11 books on education, psy­ chology and counselling. Bengalee : Student integration Youth Exchange Programme jr ’ “Their houses were situated largely in the suburbs and we were very well looked after. Most houses had a small prayer corner, or a prayer room with ‘diwas’ and frames of Zoroaster,” so stated Kersi Limathwalla,. Youth Leader and chairman of the Committee for Electoral Rights (G.E. R.) Youth Wing, in his description of the recent youth exchange tour to the U.S.A, and Canada. br PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 these cities. ' Zoroastrians in America are Parsis as young people to choose their partners within the community... They should ican Zoroastrians.’ The Parsis that the provide us with direction as to how we can maintain the sanctity of our reli­ gion.” In a ‘Yearly Progress Report’the C.E.R. Youth Wing has listed the various activ­ ities undertaken in the past year Godavara agiary, providing medical assistance to ailing members, presenting a television set to the “lonely inmates” of Parekh Dharamsalla, a visit to the Tower of Silence to “apprise the young members of the community of the signifi­ cance of the various customs and cerem­ onies performed in the disposal of the tain near Gholvad (believed to be the temporary sanctuary of the sacred Iran- shah Fire) and visits to the Parsi ward of Blood Donors Directory for which they have requested assistance from the As in India, the “two points of conflict members of the community. of his 137th birthday. Seen in the picture are Mr M.R. Pai, a trustee of the•-^1 Farah’s Music JEENA & COMPANY ESTD. 1900 IATA AIR CARGO Clearing, Forwarding Warehousing and Insurance Agents J A series of 20 lectures on western music appreciation was due to be conducted by the western music and film critic Ms Farah Rustom in Bombay, in December this year. A gold medalist Fellow of the Trinity College of Music, London, according to her bio-data, Ms Rustom is the Western music and foreign film * BOYS’ TOWN Public School Nasik 2 Recognised as a Pnblic School by the Department of Education for Indian Merit Scholars. Excd:- lent Climate — All-round Education: 10, Veer Nariman Road Fort, Bombay-1. Cable : JUSTITIA' Telex : 2313 Phone : 312032 1 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 r t. C.14, Devtha Plaza, 1st floor Residency Road Bangalore-25 Phone : 564474 No. 26-26-24, 2nd floor VIZAGAPATNAM-35 Phone : 62018 r’ .’sB* Rustom: Music lectures critic for Bombay’s MID-DA Yevening newspaper. A pioneer in the field of western music appreciation, Rustom has delivered lec­ tures on her subject all over the country, through cultural organisations like Vai- talik, who are sponsoring the current lecture series. Recently Rustom delivered several lectures at the House of Soviet Culture; in November she addressed the cadets at the National Defence Academy in Pune; she also addressed 500 young (and “extremely handsome,” she says) semi­ narians at the Divine World Seminary in Pune. The fan mail from the cadets, she says, is still coming in. Rustom is a guest lecturer at the pres­ tigious Film and Television Institute of Pune. A student of Elphinstone College, Bombay, she “qualified as an advocate of the High Court (but) preferred to devote her life to music,” her bio-data notes. Herself a concert pianist, Rustom’s annual concerts, she notes “have become a popular and much-looked- forward-to event in Bombay, and an integral part of the city’s cultural life.” All Academic Subjects—Tech­ nical Subjects: Workshop Tech­ nology*, Mechanical & Electrical Maintenance, Carpentry & Farm­ ing. Training in Sdf-Govenunent through Elected Boys’ Office bearers. Gomes—^Physical Train­ ing — Daily Assembly with Congregational Prayen — Week­ ly intensive Zoroastrian - Geeta- Koran classes —. Excellent Modem Kitten and Dfaib^ 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, Bomtiay 400 001. PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 15a The Fate of the Federation “The fear therefore that the Parsi Amongst the other former anjumans who withdrew from the Federation. Punchayet Bombay joining the Federa- Surat, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad- tion would create a dent in our estab- Secunderabad are in favour of rejoining lished practices, tenets and traditions is as is Poona after some persuasion. Ban- indeed ill-founded.” Bombay at the behest of the Bombay galore is said to have inquired aboui liie In reply to Desai’s article, Vimadalal Parsi Punchayet and unofficial reports earlier BPP proposal to start a parallel stated in an article published in the state that all the anjumans favoured rejo­ ining the Federation subject to certain conditions. The Delhi Parsi Anjuman, whose president Shiavax Nargolwala’s critical remarks about the BPP election system made at the Third World Zoroastrian Congress in January 1978 sparked the hasty withdrawal of the BPP from the Federation, will in all probability be represented by the Delhi Parsi Trust. Among the other conditions for the BPP to rejoin are reportedly, repealing able to many of the amendments made by the i Federation after the BPP and others right time, left. BPP Chairman Dr Aspi Golwalla at a press conference held on 3 December said the 27 November meeting was “suc-r cessful” and there was “unanimity as far as opinion went.” He however, refused to elaborate as to what transpired at the meeting until the minutes were pre­ pared. According to unofficial reports how­ ever, the majority of the BPP trustees appear in favour of rejoining the Feder­ ation; these include Golwalla, Jamshed N. Guzder, Erach Desai and Jamsheed oppose withdrawing from the Federa­ tion in 1978, published articles in the ¦¦ conservative Gujarati daily The Jam-e- Jamshed and the liberal Gujarati daily The Bombay Samachar citing reasons why the BPP should rejoin the Federa­ tion. “It is alleged that the Parsi Pun­ chayet Bombay joining the Federation will be the thin end of the wedge and shall be a precursor for radical reforms to follow...on the contrary, considering the perponderant position which the not'certain while Dr Nelie Noble has Parsi Punchayet Bombay has always ¦ /in After being racked with dissent, the beleaguered Federation of Parsi Zoroas­ trian Anjumans of India appears set to stage a comeback. A meeting of erst­ while Federation members was held in /Bombay the behest of the Bombay galore is said to have inquired about the body to the Federation. Nagpur has Jame, “there is no reason why the Bom- already rejoined the Federation and has bay Parsi Punchayet should sacrifice.its urged the BPP to do likewise. premier position and take a No.2 posi- The first indication of a change in the tion after the Federation, if that will not BPP’s attitude to the Federation was benefit the community any way. If the noted shortly after Golwalla assumed Bombay Parsi Punchayet rcjoins^ the the chairmanship when B.K. Boman- Behram’s term expired in late 1981. In an interview with Parsiana(March tant questions 1982) Golwalla stated, “If we can sit community are well-known...would across the table, iron out our differences always be a thorn in the side of the in a spirit of give-and-take, we might be Bombay Parsi Punchayet and of the .J revive the Federation...! will community...it is a fallacy to think that, make a move in this direction at the through the Federation, the Parsees of India can speak with one voice.” “During the time that the Bombay Parsi Punchayet was a member of it, it was found that the Federation created more discord than accord...The Parsi Puncha^et of Bombay can rejoin the Federation, a man like Mr. S.D. Nar- golwala whose views on several impor- relating to the revive the Federation...! will community...it is a fallacy to think that. "The fear that the BPP joining the Federation would create a dent In our Federation only if the Delhi Parsi Anju- established practices, tenets and traditions is indeed ill-founded." ation; these include Golwalla, Jamshed Erach Desai, the lone BPP trustee to man resigns or is expelled or removed from the Federation or decides to re­ amend its Rules and Regulations so as not to permit non-Zoroastrians to be its members even with limitations on their rights.” Vimadalal’s stand was echoed in the conservative Gujarati daily, the Jam-e~ "The Federation (must) take stock of our assets and funds scattered over the distant corners of this vast country." "It is a fallacy to think that, through the Federation, the Parsees of India can speak with one voice." Jamshed both editorially and in Edi­ tor Adi Marzban’s ‘Personally Speaking’ column. Marzban accused the deliberations of the Federation, and BPP chairman Golwalla of performing a “gigantic somersault” by agreeing to withdraw from the Federation and sub­ sequently “dancing with some of his col- ¦ _ ) a completely different time even threatening the role of a guiding force-, the shining tune...of course^now h has beeji proved light, the jockey in the saddle. 1 Kanga. Maneck Hodiwalla’s views are not attended the BPP board of trus- enjoyed and would contmue to enjoy tees meetings for several weeks; t---- ---------------------- she has also remained absent at most of its preponderant role, it is in a j^sition the BPP public functions. Vimadalal, t-------------------- who verbally clashed with Nargolwala tion to the left or to the-right, or to on the floor of the Congress, is the main ’ ’ ’ " «-* i._„ opponent, at one t— to resign should the BPP rejoin. to hold the reins, and sway the Federa­ te Adi march ahead in a straight line, fulfilling leagues to beyond the shadow of reasonable doubt PARSIANA: DECEMBER 19824" f ' >¦ Jx orthodox point of view. While the decision to rejoin will earn the BPP ill-will among the more orthodox, there is littld doubt that of the Delhi Parsi Anjuman’s liberal outlook and the admission of non-Parsi that with the going of (former BPP Chairman) Mr.Boman-Behram and the coming of Mr. Jamsheed Kanga (the spouses as members of the anjuman ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦¦¦ “ ¦ ¦ ¦ subject to certain limitations. At a meet­ ing called.to galvanize support against reviving the Federation is a necessary. ‘Champion of accountability’) into the Board and under the very pliable leader- „ _ ship of the present Chairman Dr Aspi the BPP rejoining the Federation on 30 though painful, step.- After the fiasco of Golwalla, the Board of Trustees of the September at Sir Jivanji Mody Hall in attempting to make a united representa- Parsi Punchayet of Bombay has Bombay, the leaders of the orthodox tion to the government on the adoption become a fortress of “CNAC— movement including Kaikhushroo Das- bill, the need for an all-India body that COUNTABILITY.” So many ques- can represent the community’s interest became apparent. Coupled with it was the realization that it is only through a legitimate all-India organisation that the interests of smaller pockets of Zoroastrians throughout India can be effectively safe-guarded. This was after all, one of the primary reasons for first forming a Federation. September at Sir Jivanji Mody Hall in Bombay, the leaders of the orthodox movement including Kaikhushroo Das- "As we opted for total exemption from the adoption bill so also we want total exemption from the Federation." toor, Adi Doctor, Curset Patel and Dastur Meherjirana, of Navsari attacked the BPP and the ‘Nargowalian tions asked by responsible Parsis have remained unanswered. So many queries have been and are being just ignored.” The Bombay Samachar called on the BPP to rejoin the Federation noting “there are numerous tasks awaiting the Federation. The first and foremost is to take stock of our assets and funds scat­ tered over the distant corners of this vast country. There are some lands the title deeds of which are not available. We, Parsis, have large properties where there are only a couple of Parsis living. — It is essential that we should not only Federation’, as Dastur termed it. gather this data but also try to get posses­ sion of these assets. This work is beyond from the adoption bill so also we want the competence of individual Anjumans total exemption from the Federation,” ¦ and Punchayets.lt has to be taken up by said Faribourz Nariman, an architect the Federation.” and scholar. He was not in favour of the The Zoroastrian. the journal pub- BPP joining even with veto powers or lished by members of the Committee for any other safeguards. Electoral Rights, editorially favoured “As we opted for total exemption Electoral Rights, editorially favoured “We used to bow our heads in respect the BPP rejoining the Federation. “Ata to the Bombay Parsi’Punchayet trus- time where strength is declining, both tees,” said B.K. Mistry, an advertising numerical and economic, unity is the professional and one of the orthodox’s dire need of the hour. Petty egos have to most prolific writers. “Now we bow our be shelved and religious difference of heads in shame.” Mistry lamented that opinion forgotten at thisjuncture. Maxi- he and other like-minded people were mum co-operation leads to greater co- ................................... ordination of socio-economic activities and avoidance of the wastage of scarce the Punchayet (in the past) are being communal resources — monetary and treated like royalty. We who are faithful human. “The entry of the BPP into the Federa­ tion will strengthen the current socio­ The Zoroastrian Link being “kept in the dark” as to goings-on in the Punchayet. “Those who ridiculed are treated like dogs...Do we need a Federation? The Bombay Parsi Pun­ chayet can be a shepherd...there is one strong body. Why do we need another? Mistry felt once the BPP joined the Federation the next step would be to affiliate with the World Zoroastrian Organization. Many of the overseas associations “have non-Parsi spouses as members,” he warned. One reason why some anjumans were keen to join the W.Z.O. was so thdr representatives could go on “jaunts to New York and "Petty egos have to be shelved and religious difference of opinion forgotten." t Communication is the vital link that holds a community together. More and more people are dependent on the written word to keep themselves informed of developments that concern them. That is why the need of journals like Parsiana is being increasingly felt. Parsiana narrows the communication gap by keeping you abreast of the events personalities and issues shaping world Zoroastrian opinion. Parsiana is also a catalyst for developing contemporary literature on the community. Whether writing on poets or panchayats, anjumans or Agiaries, Parsiana will keep you informed every month of happenings in the international Zoroastrian community. Subscribe today and encourage others ... . . _ , . ... to do so too or gift a subscription to economic revivaland poses nodanger to W.Z O. was so their representatives someone you feel should be in touch, our religion. could go on jaunts to New York and Russi D.R. Wadia who has been pub- London,” he alleged. Annual subscription Rs 30. lishing ‘Cyclostyled Letter’ espousing “Golwalla said we should move with Parsiana, GPO Boat 892 the orthodox point of view, warned in the times,” said Mistry, referring to a Bombay 400 001. his letter number 16 of 21 June that rejoining the Federation was tanta­ mount to committing “racial suicide.” The orthodox view the Federation as a threat to the religion, mainly because PKRSlWHK QE.CE.MaER 1982 “Golwalla said we should move with •i meeting the orthodox group had with the BPP on the Federation. Mistry interpreted this advice to mean con­ ducting “gheraos” and holding “mor- chas”, should the BPP not heed the ! 17. I Seda Slio^ “As we saw the plane circling the air­ field. for a moment we li\ed up there with him." was the remark of a young aspiring pilot who wtitched the 7S-ye;ir- old doyen of Indian industry. .1RI) I ;ita land at the .Itihu airport on October LS. The night brought to an eventful close Tata’s re-enactment of the first Karachi- Ahmedabad-Bombiiy flight, exactly .SO years ago. which pioneered the ago. I he Amul butter hoardings displayed .IRD ;is 'Atipro Superman,’ hovering 1 like a guarditin aitgel over the city ol I Bombay: newspapers tind maga/fnes I ctirried bold hetidlines and photographs I of the elderly man and his vintage air- I craft; Mehei lleroyce Moos ol Air I India, a well-know n globe-trotter, dedi- I cated a poem to him. Lhe city rejoiced - I It was almost as il a war had been won. I Mchci llci'ovcc i « N. k Ji 1 5i 11 .'G' * JRD alighting from his de Havilland Leopard Moth at Juhu airport on p" October 15, 1982. JRD (third from left)posing before the Puss Moth after the inaugural flight in 1932. A large number of Parsis reportedly saw l ata off at Karachi on the morning of October 15. He vvtis accompanied upto Ahmedabad by the chief flying instrtictor of the Bombay Living Club. Chauhan. and then flevv solo to .luhu, at 7X, probably the oldest Indian to pilot an aircraft. Several dignitaries, including the (lovernor and Chief Minister ol M;iha- rashtra waited to receive him, as he touched down at .luhu airport at 4 p.m. introduction of civil aviation in India. lata Hew from theStintti Cru/airport It was here that Air India lntern;itional “I salute the spirit of adventure,” said to Ahmedabad and then to Karachi on first started operating Dakota.s and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in a mes- October 1.3 in his tiny, propeller-driven. Super Constellations in 1946, here on the sage on the occasion, an occasion that single-engined de Havilland Leopard same mud Hats ol .luhu where lata lirst was an exemplar of the pioneering and Moth, an aircraft similar to the wood " '. and fabric Puss Moth he had llown as a An editorial in The Economic Times young man of 2S. Carrying a packet ol entitled ‘The Spirit of 78’ says, “At 78. mail in 19.32. Tata’s flight had heralded an age at which the spirit of adventure generally tends to recline in an arm­ chair, JRD Tata decided to re-enact ried a green Tata Airlines mailbag and what he did when he was 28.” a diplomatic bag which contained a let- • Whether it was to illustrate “the fact ter from President Zail Singh to the that from absurdly small beginnings Pakistani president, worthwhile things can be achieved,” that Tata flew again, as one press report refurbished at a cost of 16,()()() pounds in had it, or simply that “I am old and 1 just the UK, had been used in 1962, when want to re-enact what I did exactly 50 Tata had re-played his first Hight to years ago,” as another claimed, there is mark the 3f)th anniversary of Indian no doubt that the entire nation cheered civil aviation. On that trip Tata had car- this spirited man on a flight that was ried a message of friendship from the described as “JRD’s Air Odyssey”and a then President Radhakrishnan to the “historic re-enactment.” Pakistani president. enterprising spirit of the Parsis. An editorial in The Feonomit PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 j Tata Hew from the Santa Cru/airport the birth of an airline that now spans five continents. 1 his time too. I ata ctir- The same .Leopard Moth, recently including learnt to lly. Tired but smiling, in a blue-grev safari suit, and running a comb through his silvery hair, Tata alighted froth the'air- craft near a red carpet, and handed over to the post-master general a mailbag. He also brought a return message from the Pakistani president. An Indian Oil hoarding which stood close to the air­ craft said; “Welcome ,IRD, the Mahar- ajit of aviation." Tata is reported to have said, on land­ ing, that youth today were losing their morale, tha-t “there is a lack of faith in ourselves,” He hoped that his flight would -“rekindle enthusiasm amongst the younger generation to do something for this country... When they are 7X, I hope they will feel as 1 do now.” 19Wings for a Nation An extract from The Creation of Wealth by R.M. Lala It; p,' It was in the first decade of the century. Two young boys spent their summer holidays at Hardelot, a beach resort near Boulogne in Northern France. One was the son of the legendary Louis Ble­ riot, the first man to fly across the Eng­ lish Channel in 1909. The other was the son of an Indian industrialist, R.D. Tata. As they played, the boys would occasionally see Bleriot’s Chief Pilot Charles Pegoud land a plane on the beach. Pegoud was the first man to Loop-the-Loop in a plane. He was a hero, especially for Tata’s young son Jehangir. In such small beginnings lie the seeds of history. The exploits of the French­ man stirred the heart of the young Indian. At the age of 15 after taking a joy ride in a plane. Jehangir decided to become a pilot and if possible make a career in aviation. Young Jehangir had to wait nine years. He was 24 before a Flying Club opened in his home town Bombay, India—5,000 miles away from that wind-swept beach in Northern France. Though not the first to register, he was the first Indian to pass out with ‘No. I’ endorsed on his flying licence. And so it came to pass that India’s first pilot, was to pour most of his creative genius into building an airline for his country, giving his nation wings. Those were years of adventure. In 1930, the Aga Khan announced a prize of £500 to the first Ipdian who would fly solo between England and India, start­ ing at either end. Among the competi­ tors was a young man called Manmohan Singh. His spirit was willing but his navi­ gation was weak. Twice he left England with a flourish to fly to India. Twice he lost his way over Europe and had to fly back to England to start all over again. C. G. Grey, Editor of The Aeroplane observed: ‘Mr Manmohan Singh has called his plane “Miss India”. He is likely to.’ Another hopeful from the England end was 18-year old Aspy Engi- Reprinted with permission from the Creation of wealth by R.M. Lala, published by India Book House Publishing Company, Bombay, pgs. 2I0; Price Rs. 45. Copyright Jamsetji Tata Trust, I98I. .-* .1" .j'll'.illlllf (¦' '/'I'' <1 PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 20r I? neer. Still another to enter for fun, tak­ ing off from the Karachi end, was the during the monsoon the runway was now 26-year old Jehangir R.D. Tata. At below the sea! So we had to pack up Aboukir near Alexandria in Egypt, each year, lock, stock and barrel—two below what we called our airfield, and ultimately to achieve growth and leader­ ship in the field.’ The unfolding years were to justify that faith. In 1936 the all-up Empire Mail Service was launched by the Brit- i * r and transfer ourselves to Poona where ish Government, under which all first we were allowed to use a maidan as an class mail travelled by air without sur- ' , appropriately under the charge, and Tata Airlines revenues shadow of the Yeravada Jail! ’ soared. At the beginning the aeroplanes The annual report of the Directorate used were so small that the service was of Civil Aviation (DCA) of India for the restricted to mails, but a single pay senger was occasionally allowed to sit on top of the mail bags—usually with his heels higher than his head! In 1936 larger aircraft, though still single-engined, were introduced. Tatas felt the need to give more sophisticated training to their pilots and hired an instructor from England to start a train­ ing centre for pilots. The Bombay-Delhi service was inaugurated in 1938. Then came the War and all services, including Tatas’, were commandeered by the Government of India. With their airline operations severely restricted and at times brought to a vir­ tual standstill, Nevill Vintcent and J.R.D. Tata looked for alternative avenues for their brimming enthusiasm nated there with the mails from England and their growing expertise. A specially _______ ________ _ exciting opportunity, they felt, offered itself in the field of aircraft manufacture. Whereas the construction of metal air­ craft would have involved an elabo­ rately equipped factory, the De Havilland Mosquito, an outstanding twin-engined fighter-bomber made of wood, could, they felt, be put quickly into production in India. Tatas, there- ______________ ______ fore submitted in 1942 a project to the chi-Bombay-Madras. Tatas requested British Government for the large-scale _ _________ ... - manufacture of Mosquito aircraft inia rying the mail as was the normal prac- factory they would build for the purpose As an example how air mail service should be run, we commend the efficiency of Tata Services who on October 10, 1933, arriving at Karachi as usual to time, completed a ... even during the most of the difficult mon­ soon months when rainstorms increased the perils of the Western Ghat portion of the route no mail from Madras or Bombay missed connection at Karachi nor was the mail delivered late on a single occasion at Madras ... our esteemed Trans-Continental their staff on deputation to Tatas to see how it is done. Karachi was chosen as the starting I JRD ran into Aspy, who had left Eng- planes, three pilotsand three mechanics, land a week earlier and who was stranded for want of spark plugs. JRD gave Aspy his spare spark plugs, and aerodrome, they took off in opposite directions. Aspy reached Karachi a few hours before JRD reached England, winning the prize. On the strength of his perfor- year 1933-34 stated; mance, Aspy was admitted into the Indian Air Force, which had just been created, where he rose to be its first Indian Air Chief of Staff. JRD, mean­ while, had another ambition and he did ’ year’s working with 100 percent punctuality not have long to wait, for this is what he said of an event that happened two years later: On an exciting October dawn in 1932, a Puss Moth and I soared joyfully from Karachi with our first precious load of mail, on an inaugural flight to Bombay. As we hummed Airways, alias Imperial Airways, might send towards our destination at a ‘dazzling’ " • ’ ’ hundred miles an hour, 1 breathed a silent prayer for the success of our venture and for the safety of those who worked for it. We were a small team in those days. We shared point because Imperial Airways termi- successes and failures, the joys and heart- , aches, as together we built up the enterprise which later was to blossom into Air-lndia and Air-lndia International. When JRD landed on the Juhu mud flats that October day in 1932. India’s first air service was inaugurated. He does not take the credit for it. He gives it instead to a farseeing Englishman—a former officer of the R.A.F. called Nevill Vintcent, who a year earlier had and the route chosen by Tatas was Kara- come to India barnstorming the country ( giving joy rides. Nevill Vintcent offered Government for a small subsidy for car- J. R. D. Tata a project to start an airline, ij-.-o ---------7“* . The then Chairman of Tata Sons, Sir tice in other countries. The subsidy in Poona (Pune).^ The and a new Company, Tata Aircraft Limited, was formed to give it life. Land was acquired and a large factory build- would just give the service to the country ing constructed. collecting the little stamp surcharge Unfortunately, the British Goyern- ........... - to connect it with the Imperial Airways instead that invasion gliders should be radforno navigational or landing guides at Karachi. When asked why they did built under the project. This change was faith in the future of aviation and work of building the factory, recruiting believed that if we came in at the begin- staff and organising manufacture had ning of an era we had a better chance already gone too far to be abandoned. ' 21 “We did not even have an aerodrome in Bombay. We used a mud flat at Juhu.” J. R. D. Tata a project to start an airline. Dorab Tata, was not a bit enthusiastic asked for was small but the Government approved byjhe British^Governrne^nt about the proposition. But the initial declined. Tatas reduced the figure to a investment was small—Rs.200,000— bare minimum. Government still and he was persuaded by JRD’s mentor declined. So Tatas decided that they and colleague John Peterson to give his ' approval. ----------c — — > *- - , , j ‘We had no aids whatsoever on the which the addressor put on the envelope ment had second thoug^jts and decided ground or in the air,’ JRD recalls, ‘no ofany kind. In fact we did noteven have so, JRD replied, ‘Vintcent and I had reluctanUy _accepted ^by Tatas as the an aerodrome in Bombay. We used a mud flat at Juhu (a fishing village-cum- beach resort near the city). The sea was PARSIANA DECEMBER 1982 Unfortunately, the British Govern-¦ i r ,r . between the public and private sectors Nevilf Vintcent was a man of great in the country. The proposal was made physical courage and resourcefulness, by J.R.D. Tata at a most inopportune The project was revised accordingly. He flew a number of times to England time, when communal strife raged in for discussions with the British authori­ ties. Usually flying by Imperial Airwa^ long-range aircraft, he was flown by a tion was, and remains, his first love. He did everything he could to make Air­ India as good as the best among the world’s airlines. Its planes were lavishly Mi i Delhi. To his astonishment, which still decorated. He 'insisted that even if a lingers, JRD got acceptance to his joint­ sector proposal from the Government sufficiently circuitous route to keep out in only ten days. Many years later he ter, Jagjivan Ram, why a decision could be made so speedily in those days when today it took the Government at least two years ‘not to make a decision’. Mr Ram replied, ‘We did not know any better then !’ The proposal provided for a new company to be called Air-India Interna­ plane was used for 20 years, should always look as if it had come out from its factory—new, inside arid outside. He insisted on it and he succeeded. With Air-India, as efficiently run as it was, JRD sees no reason why all public undertakings could not also be run to the world’s best standards. As Chairman, JRD believed in per­ sonalised attention. He wa> dubbed a perfectionist for he called upon his staff: ‘Always aim at perfection for only then tional, to be managed and provided will you achieve excellence.’ On every with crews, maintenance and all services by Air-India Ltd. On June 8, 1948, Air- India International with its famous Maharaja, spread its wings to Europe. The fledgling airline soon established itself as one of the finest air carriers of career the world. Meanwhile India’s domestic airlines were heading for a crisis. At the end of the War, planes were disposed of by the American Tenth Air Force in India at throw-away prices. For political rea- _ sons the Government sanctioned every nally planned, would probably have airline applicant, and India soon found resulted in an invaluable addition to India’s aircraft industry. In 1946, Tata Airlines, a Division of Tata Sons, went public and became a joint stock company. It was called Air- India Ltd. The age of passenger travel of range of German fighters. Tragically jokingly asked a senior Cabinet Minis- however, on one occasion Vintcent, as an ex-RAF officer, arranged to get a lift on an RAF Hudson bomber on the first leg of a flight from England to Gibral­ tar. The plane never reached Gibraltar and was reported to have been shot down off the coast of France. The loss of Vintcent was a grievous blow to Tatas and to JRD personally, for apart from being the able and moving spirit behind Tata Airlines and Tata Aircraft that he was, Vintcent and JRD were close friends. This tragic blow was followed by the cancellation of the project itself by the British, who in response to Tatas’ own enquiries on the subject, discovered that invasion gliders made by Tata in Poona could not be used in the War because there were no aircraft to tow them! Thus came to a tragic end a pro­ ject on which JRD had set his heart and which, if it had gone through, as origi- flight on which he travelled he kept detailed notes of his observations and would painstakingly take action on them on return to base. He gave India pride in its national airline. In a 46-year that spanned an era from the wood and fabric of the little two-seater Puss Moth to the gleaming 400-seater giant Boeing 747, he insisted that there should be no compromise on operating and maintenance standards or on ser­ vice. One of the airline’s publicity chiefs recalls how he once received a midnight phone call at his home from the Chair­ man suggesting how to improve word­ ing on a publicity hoarding.'We had'to they all ran into rough weather for there give so much of ourselves because he were not enough traffic routes to allo­ cate amongst them. Except Air-India all ________ the airlines lost heavily. In 1953 the had arrived and there was to be plenty Government took a decision to nationa- of competition. Even during wartime Tatas were working on a scheme to extend their services to London. In October 1947, in the turmoil of the post­ partition period, Tatas proposed to the Indian Government a service to Europe. They placed an order for three Lock- • heed Constellations, on faith that this venture would be approved. It was a measure of their faith in the newly born independent India, then in the convul­ sions of the partition of the sub­ continent. Tatas proposed that the Indian Government take 49 per cent of the cap­ ital, Tatas 20 per cent and the rest be publicly subscribed. This was the first ever proposal of a joint enterprise itself with eleven airlines while there was room for only two or three. As a result gave so much of himself,’ said this exe­ cutive. Air Marshal Nur Khan, former head of the Pakistan Air Force, and later Chairman of Pakistan International lise the airlines proposing to merge them into a single State Corporation Airlines, when asked by an Indian mag- with JRD as Chairman. Mr Tata advised that the domestic and the inter­ national airlines of India should be kept replied: ‘A great airline and JRD is an separate and two corporations should epic figure.’ In recognition of this epic be formed. The suggestion was accepted figure’s services to air transport, JRD and he was invited to head the interna- was made the recipient in 1979 of the tional airline, a task he accepted. For Tony Jannus Award, named after the the next 25 years he was to be the Chair­ man of Air-India, and a Director on the Board of Indian Airlines. The international airline business is ferociously competitive and JRD, engine Sir Frank Whittle; the develop- Chairman of some of the largest com­ panies in India, had to give more and more time, to the running of Air-India. He carried this burden happily, for avia- azine what he thought of his neighbour airline, Air-India, and of J.R.D. Tata, founder pilot of the first scheduled air­ line in the world, which began in Tampa, Florida, in 1912. Amongst its recipients are the inventor of the jet ers of the Concorde SST, and the found­ ers of the Douglas A’rcraft Corporation, Pan-Am, Eastern, and United Airlines. A’rcraft PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 23 ¦¦ in li 11 1 - 41 il! ’ 0 ¦ if Hf ¦'M L»• Phiroze Pestonjamas (right) with Arphi General Manager S. Raina testing professional headphone model. A I I I s Arphi: the sound of success A By Nirmala Ferrao Two decades ago anyone in India who needed a hearing aid would have had to get one from abroad^ Today he simply jamas initiative. And so, in collabora- In the early stages creating a market s; indi,e„„„*,y'pr„dujd heari;j model. As pioneers in ,he indigenous assembl/workers^anS an7nvestment7f »Bein. g7rp‘Sa“:i“^ j-So •? m audiometers (instruments for testing -------------- - ------- - --------------------------- ‘’^^’'ing aids to convince them through actual demonstration that our product was as good as any imported-product.” Initially, the marketing effort consisted largely of hearing aid specialists and sales consultants touring the country and arranging demonstrations at deaf­ ness clinics and schools, research centres, teaching colleges and government and la A New Venture r Oticon responded positively to Peston- and volume controls are imported.”'”" jamas initiative. And so, in collabora- I ' tion with Oticon of Denmark the Arphi for the indigenously produced hearing storv hpQan With nn.. .1__ _ j___ . the receiver, microphone, ear moulds r audiometers (instruments for testing hearing ability), the Arphi group has set a pace that last year netted the company two thirds of its total turnover for Rs.2 crores (the rest coming in from its speaker systems and related products.) It started with a parliamentary ques- (then Congress secretary) to the then Union health minister. Nigam wanted to know whether there v . . \ 4- manufacturers of hearing aids in the country. Since the minister’s answer was in the negative, Phiroze Pestonja­ mas, managing director of Arphi Elec­ tronics Pvt. Ltd., wrote to Nigam expressing h^ willingness to embark on St tion in 1961 put by Savitri Devi Nigam r Arphi's first hearing aid was assembled by the entrepreneur at his writing desk at home! /¦ ? .... vvii^^vo aiiu gvyciiiiiicni an / I civil hospitals. Uniquely, Arphi offered mately 400 sq.ft, of space in Bombay. In three 1 was assembled by the entrepreneur at his writing desk at home! . .......................au ului sci u At first merely assembly of hearing year after inception), Arphi extended ks aids, based on the Oticon technology, was carried out. Gradually as Pestonja­ mas learnt the ropes he taught his engi­ neers and workers every detail of the manufacturing process. With the setting up of its machine shop and tool room, nents. As a result today, of .the 48 odd _____ _________ ut parts that make up a hearing aid, only thd-ear” hearing aids that can'fit' dis- PARSIANA DECEMBER were at that time fact, Arphi’s first hearing aid I 6 the enterprise, if the government sup- ported him. At the same time that Pestonjamas __ _ _____ luvm wrote to Nigam, he contacted a Danish Arphi began?o manufect“ure the co7pol hrm, Oticon, world pioneersand leaders * . . - in the field of hearing aids. < 24 year guarantee on its products, right from the start. Meanwhile, spurred on by the efforts of its R&D unit (Which had been set up a ______ J range of hearing aid systems to i not only individual hearing aids, but also group hearing aid systems, speech trainers and audiometers. In the field of individual hearing aids besides the conventional accessories like automatic volume controls, Arphi has recently started manufacturing “behind- ¦' I 1 i I I.I k i' erectly out of sight behind even a loc k of headphones in India. The resulting peaker. And judging from the response hair. Presently Arphi manufactures 1,500 (individual) hearing aids each month in six different models, priced civil aviation special model). All India a commercial basis.” between Rs.400 to Rs. 800. Radio (the A.I.R special monitoring Given full charge of the entertainment superior quality meets even the exacting of friends to 4he Aquarius model, 1 standards of the Indian Air Force (the decided that it was worth promoting on I 1: Radio (the A.I.R special monitoring version), Doordarshan, BARC, and the electronics range of products, Adi Pes- Ministries of Home and External tonjamas first exparrded the range of Affairs to name a few satisfied custo- speakers. Within 18 months, there were mers. two more jnodels. Initially they con­ centrated on established dealers in Bom­ bay “where 60% of the market for hi-fi With its priorities initially fixed on hear- equipment exists.” This marketing stra- ing aid systems, Arphi’s entry into the tegy was supported by an aggressive field of hi-fi production was relatively advertising campaign. Aimed at the recent. Although engaged, in 1974-75, in upper middle claSs and utilising the Principal Supplier Since 1963, Arphi has also been the principal supplier of group hearing aid systems to almost all schools for the deaf and speech clinics in India. Ranging in High Fidelity cost (including installation) from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 15,000, they can cater to classes of two to twelve students. It is however, in the field of audiome­ ters (instruments that test hearing abil- major English dailies, the campaign ity) that Arphi has excelled. The . initially confined itself to the print technology for the manufacture of audi- Arphi hSS fOCGntly Started medium. The combined marketing- ometers according to international rnanufaCtUrinO ' behind- advertising strategy worked. “Within a standards was developed by Arphi for ,, . . year, the word had gone around among the first time in India in 1966. the-ear hearing aidS that the dealers; Arphi must be stocked.” The electronic 900 mark IV model— Can fit discreetly OUt of Today out of 70 loudspeaker dealers all the so-called digital audiometer — ¦ i_x l i_- j over the country, 45 are in Bombay, incorporates features developed Sight Deninu even a Special emphasis is laid on Arphi’s independently by Arphi and probably lock Of hair. relationship with its dealers. “We were unique in the world. . the first in the field of speaker systems to From the early years of production, ' list the names and addresses of all our Arphi has also been manufacturing mic- rophones in co-operation with the Aus- speakers for use in their audiometers, trian firm, AKG; some of these are utilised in the group hearing aid systems, but the bulk of the microphone production is sold to Philips India (Peico) who market it under the AKG names. The imported AKG capsules are also used by Arphi in its headphones — instead of the small loudspeakers used in all indigenously manufactured the-ear ” hearing aids that can fit discreetly out of sight behind even a lock of hair. the limited manufacture of free-field local dealers, no matter how many, in our ads,” says Adi Pestonjamas, adding these were not marketed individually, that, “having your product in as many until Pestonjamas’ son, Adi Pestonja- shops as possible is the best form of mas, joined the family business in 1977. advertising.” “At that time,” says Adi Pestonjamas, “entertainment electronics was still After Sales Service regarded as a luxury. The foresight that The quality of the product itself has its potential would grow was not pres- been bolstered by the peripheral client ent. The first thing 1 realised was that we had a very good product in our louds- services offered by the firm. At the Arphi Acoustic Centre at Hermes The Arphi range: (from left) Loudspeaker, audiometer, briefcase model speech trainer, and individual hearing aids. 25 PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 I. ¦' A .) ¦ I • { ' j I ¦ li t ¦¦’ii ,'ti hi .4V ¦S ¦ i!- ¦'fl i 5l 1 i * 1 11 i i 4 f 5'1 31 A ' Sh 1 KI f House in Bombay’s Opera House area, choice of words. “For instance,” says where engineers cheerfully doubled as Arphi conducts acoustical demonstra- Phiroze Pestonjamas, “we would not salesmen, Arphi has moved gradually to tions in a sound-treated room that simu- have an ad say, “Are you deaf?” Instead lates an average sitting room. Here 12 we would say, “Are you hard of hear- different brands of loudspeakers availa- ing?” ble in India and 12 brands of amplifiers can be compared, making a total of 144 Meeting Competition possible tests in all. Adi Pestonjamas also points to the systems have so far consisted mainly of emphasis laid on after-sales service around 15 other indigenous manufac- primary one will be to acquire larger “which is critical in the case of high turers, like Novax and Elkon but they premises. Although Arphi moved from investment products like hi-fi. We offer are not considered a very serious threat, its original location atTardeo, Bombay, a one-year guarantee on our amplifiers Recently, the corporate giant Philips has to larger premises (3,500 sq. ft.) at the and loudspeakers and we respond to entered the field in India, but Adi Pes- Prabhadevi Industrial Estate, even this calls for after-sales service at any work- tonjamas is confident that Arphi’s space has been overrun half by growing ing hour.” market will not be affected. “The market needs, and plans for any production In contrast to the aggressive market- for hearing aids is essentially a welfare expansion are at present frustrated by ing-cum-advertising strategy for the market which Philips is not really the severe limitations of space. Arphi hi-fi range, the approach in the geared to enter. It is a field in which field of hearing aids is geared instead to all-lndia affordability is critical and discouraged the continuing process of the promotion of what is considered “a where everything does boil down to the innovation and improvement. Spurred welfare product.” One aspect of this price.” Therefore price is one area where by the promising response to its first involves generating an awareness of Arphi hopes to score over the new Stereo Amplifier, Arphi is now working deafness problems and their treatment entrant. on developing a full range of Stereo­ in the rural areas : Arphi deputes three touring hearing aid specialists to assist at tition from even the big names is aiso decks is also very much on the cards in deafness camps organised by social wel- partly the by-product of the stringent the foreseeable future. Finally, Adi Pes- fare departments of various state quality standards adhered to. With test­ governments and groups like the Lions ing equipment from Bruel & Kjaer of Copenhagen, world leaders in the manufacture of quality control instru­ ments in the field of electro-acoustics, Arphi maintains standards that easily conform to ISO and ISl requirements. Over the last two years, the Arphi group’s turnover doubled from Rs.l crore to Rs.2 crores. Part of this spurt in success may be attributed to basic and Rotary clubs. They help the camp changes in the ownership pattern and doctor in conducting the audiometric management structure effected during tonjamas has plans to expand his opera­ tests and then, on the basis of his pres- this period. At the time of inception, cription, Arphi hearing aids are supp- Arphi was a partnership firm with Phi- lied at highly subsidised rates to those roze Pestonjamas and Armaity, his wife, who may require them. In the urban as partners. In fact, the name “Arphi” areas, Arphi sales personnel stay in was a fused derivation from the two the-ear” hearing aid, tentatively priced direct contact with almost all the ENT names Armaity and Phiroze. On the at Rs. 1,150. Simultaneously, there are specialists and audiologists, keeping death of his wife, Phiroze’s son Adi plans to expand the range of audiome- them abreast of the latest technological became a partner. ters. developments in the field. From 1 July 1982, however, Arphi Under its own steam, Arphi has also was converted into a private limited Improving Expertise set up a Deaf Aid Centre (the other com- company with shares held by the father Phiroze Pestonjamas however has no pany in the Arphi group) where hearing and son in a 60:40 ratio. diversification plans. “We would prefer tests are conducted free of charge and Much before this conversion there to continue in the electro-acoustic field hearing aids provided, according to spe- was a switchover to a professionalised andimproveourexpertise,”hesaysdec- cific needs. And Arphi claims today that cadre of management staff. (For this isively. As things stand, Arphi adds at 60-70% of its individual hearing aids are purpose Arphi inducted the services of least one new product or product-type sold at subsidised rates. Santosh Raina, an ex-IBM and Tata The advertising effort, in the case of executive who helped in completely hearing aids, is similarly oriented reorganising and professionalising the Arphi exported a tenth of total produc- towards an education/ welfare objec- company in his position as general man- tion to Denmark for around three years, tive. Equally, there is the recognition ager.) From a set-up in which adminis- Bureaucratic impediments forced Arphi that deafness is still a sensitive issue in tration of every section was to eventually give this up. Today, the minds of most sufferers and the concentrated mainly in the hands of one although confident that his range can advertiser must be careful in his very person, Phiroze Pestonjamas, and compete successfully with “the best in 26 ' PARSIANA; DECEMBER 1982 a more rationalised structure. Marketing is a separate department now, with professionally qualified staff. And, overall, the Arphi staff has increased to 100 persons today, of Its competitors in the field of hearing aid whom 60 work in the factory. As for future priorities, perhaps the This, however, has not in any way Such confidence in the face of compe- amplifiers. The production of cassette "Having your product in as many shops as possible is the best form of advertising." Much before this conversion there "It (hearing aid systems) is a field In which all-lndia affordability is critical and where everything does boil down to the price." tions into Calcutta “within the next six months.” In the field of audiology, Arphi’s new offering is the minutely-crafted “behind- to its range each year. Around the late sixties-early seventies1 Europe and Japan,” Phiroze Pestonja- mas would prefer to expand his home base instead. . The domestic market is not without Its problems. “Bottlenecks at every step, and obstructive processes of the various government departments, exist.” In addition to bureaucratic hurdles, are the extremely steep rates of tax and duties. Import duties on essential components vary from (25 to 146 percent). Central excise stands at 30 percent on louds­ peakers and 8 percent on other items. In Maharashtra even hearing aids, a wel­ fare item, today carries a sales tax of 4 percent (even this being a reduction from the 8 percent of a few years ago.) Phiroze Pestonjamas is understan­ dably bitter about the non-encouraging attitude of the government to small scale enterprise in India; but in spite of the unhappy noises he sometimes makes, there is no doubt that Arphi continues to make good music. J b 'fl • . I With Compliments From ?' * F I r Reprinted with permission from Business India, November 8 to 21 issue. Warden is good For sandalwood Head Office 378 Grant Road Bombay 400 007 and Branches Tel. 371464 Quality sandalwood Aggarbatties, gum benzoin (Loban) and other Perfumes J? /. tl I PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 EMPIRE ESTATE Liberty Building 41/42 Marine Lines Bombay 400020 21 •i ¦¦.;i M h ir I I A Matter of Death.. .and Life By Bill Morris Presswalla, a dapper 41-year-old native ‘There’sa poor widow with four kids and ------- -- ---------------; company. phone calls, working weekends, vaca- What is $25,000 or $50,000 or $100,000 1 J , J , . *=---------- I---------------- • ¦»-i uiiv lias IV ivaiiiy lu iiiC or burned beyond recognition, you’ll scrutiny. In 18 years in the field here, in truth.” probably end up here. India, London and New York City, he Ifyoujump offa tall building or swal- has performed more than 5,000 auto­ low a bottle of sleeping pills or hang psies. It is an unsightly operation that yourself, or if you ask to be cremated or requires opening the chest cavity, rem- buried at sea, you II probably end up oving and dissecting organs; peeling here, too. back the scalp, removing and dissecting Here, in the “county” morgue, where the brain; photographing and documen­ ting any wound.s and relevant evidence, If you are shot in the head, stabbed in P , , ,,_____ _____ . ac v».umv » w„„n the heart, electrocuted or strangled, of India who is no stranger to late-night there’s the rich insurance you’ll probably end up here. i ’ It you re poisoned, crushed, drowned tionless years and the glare of public to them?’ Yet one has to testify to the probably end up here. India, London and New York City, he Ifyoujump offa tall building or swal- has performed more than 5,000 auto- requires opening the chest cavity, rem- Nothing is left to chance. Even the most obvious death could conceal a darker truth. death delights to help the living and a I' __ ___ _______ , tiny staff works long hours to make sure drawing blood and tissue.s for slides; it does because that is the point of this business. Not the blood or the bullets, the headlines or the horror, not the beat­ ings or the stabbings or the shootings. The circumstances of every death tell about all this. a story, frequently a helpful story. They ' " ’ ___ __ ___ v__ , are the driving force in the life of Dr. ally is not understood. Before the televi- society. If we were to sympathize with Faruk Presswalla, deputy chief medical examiner of the Tidewater District Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the six staff members and 44 physi­ cians who work with him investigating, analyzing, pondering, interpreting, cataloguing and reporting the details of thinks we are the licensing agency.” unusual deaths. It is sometimes gruel- A thin smile. “People think we are ing, frequently grisly and almost always concerned mainly with crime and its thankless work. Under state law, roughly one-fourth of the deaths occurring annually in the -------------------- ~ Norfolk, Ports- government people, people in the medi- It is a demanding master, the truth, then reassembling the corpse so an There is no room for emotion in this undertaker can embalm it. Perhaps understandably, the public doesn’t want to understand too much arena of death, “In the social or emotional sense one may sympathize with the widow and her four children,” Presswalla said. “But Our role, Presswalla sighs, “gener- one must (see) the whole picture of sion show ’Quincy’ became popular, the victims — as sometimes juries do — even our name wasn’t understood. Very in medical malpractice suits where often they thought medical examiners something went wrong but there was no malpractice on the part of the physician, that causes everybody to pay in the long were involved in testing physicians. Almost everyday, even now, we receive a call from a doctor outside Virginia who run. What happens as a result? The insurance company ups the doctor’s pre­ mium and the doctor ups his fees and we come to a ridiculous situation. So it’s investigation. This is where there’s an shortsighted to look at the poor widow improper understanding by everybody who may need the money more than the — including the state bureaucracy, city rich insurance company.” Tidewater district — Norfolk, Ports- government people, people in the medi- But this rigorous pursuit has not Beach, cal and legal fields. They do not under- made Tidewater’s chief medical miner numb to feelings. Outwardly soft- investigating deaths beyond crime, that spoken, articulate, precise, it is apparent our role is to answer questions that help that beneath the cool exterior there is a the living.”. The man who apparently died of a heart attack, for example, while work­ ing at home with a power drill. Did he he says, “and ultimately you-get worn actually die of a heart attack ? Or was he out. Yes, 1 do feel worn out. There is no A thin smile. “People think Suffolk, the Eastern Shore, Hampton, stand that we are concerned a lot in There is no room for emotion in this arena of death. exa- ! 1 man who is alternately proud and tired, outraged and driven and, finally,sad. “This goes on day after day after day,” Newport News, and York, Southamp- electrocuted? If he was electrocuted, happy solution — ever. You don’t lose ton and Isle of Wight counties—i ................................. an investigation by a medical examiner, a doctor appointed by the chief medical examiner in Richmond. These are deaths that stir public interest because they happened in a “... suspicious, unus­ ual or unnatural manner ...” migni ue someoody in or exclude some- About one-fourth of the deaths inves- body. The person may be black, blond. require had he wired the drill improperly? Was some patients and also deliver babies.” So why did he go into “forensic pathology,” the study of the medical and the manufacturer at fault? The answers could prove helpful. “Our role,” Presswalla continues, “is legal aspects of death? not to say who did it. Our role is to say what was done — ; ' might tie somebody in or exclude “At first it was the scientific challenge and what evidence of being able to find things out. But you’re constantly dealing with death ,- , under the most tragic circumstances— tigated lead to an autopsy usually Caucasian, Oriental,male, female. We young people in the prime of life, for . homicides, suicides, hit-and-run vic- have to remain totally impartial. When example. In the past three weeks I’ve tims, abused children and drug over- the question comes up between the insu- had three deaths of people who had just doses. Last year in Tidewater, .483 of rance company and the family, the deci- been married. I see babies, battered 1,569 were autopsied. sion may favor the insurance company. babies.Every timeyouseeawomanrap- All but a few were performed by Dr. Very often the subtle pressure is: ed or murdered, it could be your sister. 28 ' PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 vic- over- -’’•JI“When 1 was younger, I dealt with it much better — probably because I viewed myself as a scientist. As I get older I’m notable to handle it as well. So you build a barrier. But by building a barrier it tells in your personal life. You get morgue humor because if you didn’t do that you would start crying. Also, people perceive you as cold and insensi­ tive. “It also tends to make you suspi­ cious. Constant harping on these things makes you suspicious of your fellow human beings.’’ The morgue is a mirror of any com­ munity. “You see the mores of the com­ munity, and the worst of the community goes through the morgue,’’ Presswalla says. It is the place where the victims end up and so it tells stories about the people who sent them there. The stories, as seen through the eyes of Tidewater’s chief medical examiner, have been getting uglier. s «« < -'1' "You get morgue humor because if you didn't do that you would start crying." 1 -X » 4 * ¦/ 'i- tion like this from an article by Press- “The number of deaths from criminal violence is increasing,” he says, “and the number of deaths from firearms is increasing. In this area the number of suicides for romantic reasons — or the failure thereof — seems to be increasing and the bulk of these suicides are taking place with the use of a firearm. It’s males as well as females. It used to be very rare that a female shot herself. Now it is becoming quite common. “Maybe it is the new liberated female who is familiar with firearms. Maybe it is the society in general. It is my strong tion like this from an article by Press- It has only been since the second belief that the easy availability of fire- walla in the Medical Science Law decade of this century that an organized arms makes those little depressions magazine. system of investigating deaths has oper- much more dangerous ... In spite of the “In falls from heights, aortic lacera- ated in the United States. Previously, gun lobby and people who scream that tion results from vertical deceleration the states used coroners, elected officials criminals kill people — all that may be forces, as the downward accelerating who, in some areas, did not have to be true —there is no doubt in my mind that heart is abruptly restrained by its attach- doctors. The coroner system dates to ment to the great vessels, the maximum feudal England when laws required a stress here falls on the aortic origin and person to forfeit livestock and goods if > i 'I' iibi '^1! “In falls from heights, aortic lacera- ated in the United States. Previously, Si J ’the easy availability of firearms plays a very big role, not the only role, but a very big role in explaining why the crime rate the tear usually occurs immediately he were found responsible for causing I P n 1 /T n O O 1 xj zx I* « r zx liX zx zx z-x ¦ .x . .z, L .z* z.^ zj z, z^ ? 1_ zz. .£* zz ___ __ __ 1z ___ _1_ Of J above the aortic valve ring.” death of a Crown subject through Which is a roundabout way of saying murder, negligence or accident. The tall building is hazardous to your heart. Such work is done in the interest of I is high,’’ he said. A forensic pathologist sees elaborate scenarios— both technical and human that jumping—or being thrown—off a spoils collected by the coroners were in something as simple as a bruise, tall building is hazardous to your heart, used to finance the Crusades. Nothing is left to chance. Even the most Such work is done in the interest of In 1915 New York City adopted a law obvious death could conceal a darker scientific knowledge. It is part of his creating a Medical Examiner System, truth. And so the forensic pathologist mission to know the truth and to tell it This established for the first time the cuts no comers, and the result is erudi- without flinching. essentials of a competent medico-legal PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 29 a'i H 1 ¦iLi '¦;;Of *r With a $300,000 budget Presswalla autopsies; he believes 350 would be a investigating system and a civil service career in the speciality of forensic pathol­ ogy. The system becaine a prototype for technicians, other governments in the United States and abroad. In 1946 Virginia became the second state to establish a statewide Medical Beneath the COOl GXterior Examiner’s System, operating within the Health Department. The Tidewater District Office of the Chief Medical Examiner opened in Portsmouth in 1956. One year later it moved to new facilities in Norfolk, the staff was expanded, and 35 medical examiners served the area. The present quarters, a squat brick f. „ .BV, - —- -- J - - - J- - - V Brambleton avenues near downtown his own $60,000 salary. The other labor- testimony. Norfolk, opened in 1972. It is one of atory expenses are paid from a different ‘ must pay a staff of six — two autopsy more appropriate load. Also, he believes a histology (study of all “unnatural” deaths, including 4II ¦ , an deaths in car crashes, for example, administrative assistant, a full-time and should be autopsied. Such a move, impractical under current money con­ straints, would push the number of autopsies up to 750 a year and would require the hiring of a second forensic pathologist. So the staff makes do. Presswalla and the 44 medical examiners don’t always leave the job in the office. There are classes to teach at Eastern Virginia Medical School, instruction for doctors and law enforcement people, seminars, building at the corner of Colley and a part-time secretary — overhead, and speeches before civic groups, courtroom Brambleton avenues near downtown his own $60,000 salary. The other labor- testimony. Norfolk, opened in 1972. It is one of atory expenses are paid from a different “I don’t know if I’ll stick with it in the four district offices in the state. Later state budget. He says he is stretched too future,” Presswalla says. “I do stick with that year the General Assembly created thin. it because it is a job that has to be done the Division of Consolidated Laborato- “A well-funded medical examiner’s ... and there are not many people who ries. Ten lab technicians — in the fields office is cost-effective to the community could step in and take over.” of toxicology (poisons), serology (hair, because it enables a more detailed inves- The work gets lonely, Presswalla fibers, body fluids), firearms and drug tigation into deaths. Many potential admits, though you wouldn’t know it by analysis — work adjacent to the chief questions that might lead to litigation watching an episode of ‘Quincy’ on TV. medical examiner’s office, assisting him could be answered and the litigation But someone has to do it. Otherwise and the police. Each of the 44 medical avoided. I’m mainly talking about civil death would only cause sorrow, and walla is a doctor first, a public servant practice.” and scientist second. Each is paid $50 for every case he investigates. histology (study of all “unnatural” deaths, including 4II microscopic tissues) -technician. there is a man who is alternately proud and tired, outraged and driven and, finally; sad. it because it is a job that has to be done “A well-funded medical examiner’s ... and there are not many people who of toxicology (poisons), serology (hair, because it enables a more detailed inves- The work gets lonely, Presswalla fibers, body fluids), firearms and drug tigation into deaths. Many potential admits, though you wouldn’t know it by analysis — work adjacent to the chief questions that might lead to litigation watching an episode of ‘Quincy’ on TV. medical examiner’s office, assisting him could be answered and the litigation But someone has to do it. Otherwise examiners now working under Press- litigation — insurance disputes, mal- would fail to delight the living. Last year he worked an average of 60 hours a week and performed almost 500 counesy ne Virginian-PUot. July 15. 1982. SERSON E t [ r r r PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 i 5 1 (J -i! ¦ Electrolytic Capacitors For All Electronic Applications From 12 VDC To 350 VDC Manufacti^rK Serson Industries Pvt. Ltd. Pfaiipri P.F.P.O., Poon-lS. Cable: Etchfoil Poona-lS. Phone: 82379 31 1 1J. r. Creative duf By Hutokshi D. Doctor “Why should we always have 'sail boti' or 'gos no palao' at weddings and navjotes ?“ / ¦n be taken into account. “The Parsi elite will generally go in for ham platters and lobster salads, but the simpler the meal the better. If the cooking is not good, no amount of lace napkins and tablecloths will help,” he says. “Flavour, the fight service, the fight timing, is as vital as eye appeal.” “Some chefs insist on specific culinary efforts and procedures, and when you are preparing an authentic dish you have to follow a particular procedure, for example, a bhuna ghosht must be given a coal dum,” but Sarosh feels that “young people today would like to deviate. Cooking is both creative and satisfying, involving experimentation till you’ve captured a different taste.” Creativity in cooking, he feels, is not limited to garnishing a salad ordeciding on accompaniments, though “accom­ paniments are important, like an ice­ cream without a cherry—you just can’t send it out! If something looks good, half the battle is won.” But “cutting a chicken into six pieces instead of four is creative, cutting down on expensive ingredients, being economical without affecting the taste is creativity; creativity is using left-over raw ingredients in a different way—never waste until you really have to.” “Our Parsi masalas are the simplest, yet the product is most excellent. Our dhansak and kababs are really way out.” Sarosh’s favourite Parsi dishes arepatra ni mac chi, sali boti and lagan nu custard “but why should we always have sali Embossed in gold on the deep red involve yourself.” Besides the actual cover of Abanara’s menu, one of Bom- chopping, garnishing, and bestowing of bay’s popular restaurants, is the outline finishing touches on his works of art, of a chefs face, in the traditional tall Sarosh must also co-ordinate the opera­ cap, with tufts of hair on either side of a tions of the kitchen with the bars, the manu email plump face and a prominent moustache, food and beverages service, the sales and ' many Small He is Sarosh Khariwala, at 25, already marketing people. “I’m very interested reStauraOtS have Opened, the executive chef at Bombay’s ten- in feedback,” he says, “and the poolside . pp^vnlp will PAt storied Fariyas Hotel. He creates, with parties and banquets have increased. pc up I c wii c the help of his 60-strong staff, every culi- We all work in a team and market the almOSt anything On thO nary masterpiece listed in the aestheti- hotel.” fOad-Sid© ' cally designed menu, right from the ¦ ‘Shuruaaf with the inevitable jal jeera, in the Muglai section, and the hors d’oeuvres in the French section, to the Mithai, Desserts and Boissons. In the compact kitchen beyond, at home amongst the enormous pots and pans, the steam and smoke, the constant hum of the exhaust and the clatter of the right. ” dish-washers at work, Sarosh has never been enamoured of the black coat and tie, like many of his class-mates at the Institute of Hotel Management,Cater­ ing Technology and Applied Nutrition, Bombay. “I don’t like to sit around. I’m very much a part of the kitchen; you must along with the preference of the guests. Embossed in gold on the deep red finishing touches on his works of art, Sarosh must also co-ordinate the opera­ tions of the kitchen with the bars, the food and beverages service, the sales and in feedback,” he says, “and the poolside parties and banquets have increased. hotel.” And then there are the atypical guests to deal with, those who demand ‘halal’ meat, that which is cut and slowly bled, the chefs of different natures and nationalities to be dealt with, the com­ plaints of irate guests. But, Sarosh wedding or navjote here,” he says, “in a explains, “In our industry all of them hotel owned by Parsis we’d look after have to be satisfied asthe guest is always them better.” Fariyas is owned by Fariyas Hotels Pvt. Ltd., a company set Indian barbecue styles and French up by entrepreneur Hosi Mistry. cooking are what Sarosh likes best, and he has toned down Abanara’s earlier menu to selected items in these two styles. “An elaborate menu confuses,” school days, when he’d wander through says Sarosh, who suggests that in plan­ ning a menu, seasonal availability must. bofi or gos no palao at weddings and navjotes? But it will never change.... We’d be most happy to have a Parsi “For me it was right from the start — kitchen, kitchen, kitchen,”grins Sarosh, and kitchens it’s been, right from his the laden Sunday markets, fascinated, and potter around happily in the kitchen at home. PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982¦ 'f f "We'd be most happy to have a Parsi wedding or navjote here, in a hotel owned by Parsis we'd look after them better." use For potato straws: Peel potatoes, slice thin, preferably through a wafer cutter; cut very fine straws from the slices of potatoes; soak in salt water for at least 25 min. Drain ‘ off all water. Heat fat in kadai, and deep fry the straws in batches till golden yel­ low in colour; spread on paper, and let all excess oil drain off. Sprinkle salt and a little white pepper if required. Dish out the kheema, in a flat dish preferably, and sprinkle the potato straws on the khecma. Serve hot. Serves 6. PATRANI MACHI 600 gm pomfret 2 banana leaves 50 ml oil Chutney : !/2 coconut grated 1 bunch coriander leaves 5 sprigs mint leaves 5 gm ginger 10 flakes garlic 10 green chillies 10 gm dhania seeds 15 gm grain sugar 1 lemort (juice) Vi tsp salt Not for him the confines of the cashi- SALI KHEEMA er’s cage, though his father was the chief 150 gm onions finely chopped cashier of Air India, and his grandfather 1 kg mutton mince made history with 52 years in the Bank 2 carrots finely chopped of India. Sarosh attended commerce 150 gm tomatoes finely chopped college for just 10 days before news of 100 gm peas (shelled) boiled admission to the catering institute 15 gm ginger finely chopped caused him to leave, and gladly. “Youll 25 gm garlic finely chopped just be a cook all your life,” said his 8 green chillies finely chopped family, and that’s just what Sarosh coriander leaves wants to be. salt to taste Absorbed by the Welcomgroup She- 75 gm ghee raton Hotel chain soon after gradual- 2 tsp malt vinegar ing, Sarosh was posted first to Delhi, 1 tbsp grain sugar then to Madras and Hyderabad, before red chilli powder to taste spending two and a half years as execu- Garam Masala : tive chef in Jaipur. 10 gm jeera 20 gm cinnamon 20 gm cardamom (small) 10 gm cloves 10 gm javetri 10 gm cardamom (big) 10 gm black peppercorn Grind to a fine powder and as required. For Potato Straws: 1 kg potatoes , “I’d like to go abroad, get trained ghee for tieep frying abroad, maybe open a restaurant some- salt to taste day, but not now. Too many small res­ taurants have opened, and people will Wash the mince meat and let all the s'gnTtamarind eat almost anything on the roadside, water drain off. Add red chilly powder; rhAGrind all the ingredients to a fine paste; Chowpatty than eat at a decent place, chopped green chillies, and garam note that the chutney paste should be Epicurean, gourmet, what s that ? masala powder; mix well and keep aside moist in consistency. Cut the pomfret on asks Syosh with a broad smile on his for at least half an hour. Heat fat in a the bone and make about five slices. f that he loves kadai and fry the chopped onions till Apply salt and lemon juice on each slice good food and is fastidious about it s brown; add jeera, chopped garlic, > , preparation. “I like good food, wines chopped ginger and tomatoes. Fry well, and liqueur that you can cherish and add i;/..„ ___J" „„ enjoy.” At home however, Sarosh is browned; add a little water and let it chutney quite happy eating^pora and paun, a cook on high flame for about eight min; with chutney. Roll it in banana leaf ' 1^ h*"” food he then add chopped carrots, and let it taking care not to leave any open space usu^ly has cook on a very slow fire till the mince is and tie it with a fine thread. Do the same in^re hot-tempered chaps ’ almost done. Add boiled peas and mix for all slices. Apply oil on the outside of and Sarosh flares up when faced with well; add malt vinegar and grain sugar the leaf also. Arrange the slices in a poor service or needless delays. He to give it a sweet and sour taste. Simmer stvamvi and mcuih fur about instinctively knows when something’s till the kheema is absolutely dry leaving Serve hot along with the bana burning and he never lets a hair or fly very little gravy. Serves 4 escape his eye. There’s an absolute boom in the hotel industry now and Sarosh recommends .this line to young people, but only hard­ working youngsters, who prefer the brightly lit steaming kitchen to the sub- I tie shades and cool atmosphere of the rest of the hotel. With “cooking up (his) sleeve” and what he considers the chefs ' best friend, the knife, in his hand, the j scars on every finger telling of fish i • bones, chicken bones, unfortunate off- j target hacks of the knife and angry lobs- 1; ters, Sarolh believes in his art, believes that “each cook is a creator by himself.” PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 eat almost anything on the roadside, water drain off. Add red chilly powder; onions till Apply salt and lemon juice on each slice and set aside. Cut the banana leaf into squares and grease it with a little refined m*nce ^rneat, and saute till well oil. Take each slice of fish and apply 1____ _ • J - - "ed; a l.ttlc .-.vctcz L; .v Cnumcy on all sides, thus enveloping quite happy eating pora and paun, a cook on high flame for about eight min; ¦ • ¦ _ . . ¦s in a steamer and steam for about 20 min. ma leaf. Gift shopping at its best at Gifts& If fUttgjSl Bombay bHHSUi Sir PM Road.! the friendly Gift Shop at J Swadeshi Stores Ltd, Road. Bombay 400001. Tel: 2S3443/2S2730 i ! J it - i «< J ? ' i F ¦ I ; J ij . i IM PI i : ZOROASTglAN ARTEFACTS A SILVER PENDANTS AVAILABLE 33 aOf Clippings and Cuttings By Dr Kaikashru M. JamaspAsa From childhood Parsi.s have been (If) one digs this pit bigger or smaller, i.s it proper or not ? In height, not (proper). In length and breadth (one can dig) as much as one (If) one intentionally throw.s hair and desires. In smallness it is not proper. reared to believe that nail clippings and cut hair are unclean. Many Parsis cut their hair or clip their nails only on par­ ticular days and at particular times. In orthodox homes men would have their hair cut seated on a balcony or porch clad only in pyjamas and sudreh with the kusti removed. Then avoiding touching any object or person, they would proceed immediately for a cleans­ ing bath. In an article published in the Georg ground. There is one who says: One Morgenstierne, Memorial Volume, shall not place more than a fistful in the 1981, on “The Ritual of HairTrimming ground. From me: This shall be at that just they smite, destroy ^nd dissipate and the creatures of Ohrmazd. men naiLs (without the religious ritual), then how shall one have committed demon­ worship ? How shad one dig a hollow and how shall one fill it up and how much shall The man who does (this) even through negligence, then he shall have commit­ ted demon-worship as I shall say hereaf­ ter. (Through) the very strong and very one place inside ? Height (shall be so taken) as the Avesta quotes. Breadth shall be so made, (that) when filling up (it is) level with the powerful (sin of intentionally throwing hair and nails), men who (are) mortal extol (the demons) by speech, (that is) _ j t as one extols (the demons) by and Nail Paring in Zoroastrianism,” the place where they dig a pit; if the ground speech, he shall have extolled (them) by noted scholar and high priest of Bom- (is) dry, even more (than a fistful) is (this irreligious) action. From the bay’s Anjuman Atash-Behram, Dastoor Dr Kaikashru M. JamaspAsa examines the ancient taboos and translates ques­ tions and answers on the disposal of cut hair and nails from a commentary on the Pahlavi Videvdat text. (is) dry, even more (than a fistful) is (this irreligious) action, proper. Avesta (this is) revealed. Is it necessary to take the grace (Vaz), or (If) one intentionally throws hair and not ? He who (is a ) friend of the soul, then he shall take the grace (Vaz) of Sros. nails, or throws with this intention that I will pick up (later), or if through one's negligence it falls hack, or one throws not with this intention that I will not pick it up, or innocently throws, then what (is) the judgement ? If one intentionally throws, then on account of demon-worship Tanapuh! milk of that sheep, health and healing (sin accrues) to the stock, and then sin after sin. And if one unintentionally throws, Tanapuh! (sin accrues) to the stock therefrom. If one (throws) with this intentionthat 1 will pick up (later), it is not more than three Srbsocarandm. But if it decomposes or reaches to the J 1 When they cut hair and nails, then how shall they take care ? If it is (a) ground, a short span if it (is) hard ground, (normal) span if soft. Onesh- sheep eats (and) begets twins. From the all dig a pit: 10 steps from the holy man, 20 i..................... . steps from fire, 30 steps from water and 50 from many illnesses shall reach unto the steps from Barsom, and one shall dis­ pose of the hair from the physical pollu­ tion. And with (the Avestan recital): whip, knife, bow and arrow of the ‘Thus for her(i.e. the Cow), Mazda shall increase the trees through Right’, one shall place them in the hollow. And one shall fill it up with the driest of dry If they do not act thus, then what (is) the 'water and noxious (things), and Bowing water shall be kept away from it. And with (a) metallic (instrument) one shall draw around (the hollow) 3 or 6 or 9 furrows with (the ______ _________ _ recital of) Yatha-ahu-vairyo. When one they attract noxious creatures. Withpes- tilence they dry up (things) from among men, corn, and clothes of man. And if they cause to conceal in the ground Through innocence, (then) what (is the If one acts thus, then what (is) the merit ? He who (ceremoniously places) hair (in a pit) (makes) grass grow which every creatures. And he who (ceremoniously places) nails (in a pit, they) become (like) feather of the eagle and sling-stone which fall on the demons of Mazan. sin and crime ? If they refrain from placing hair in a burrow or a hole then thereby they (i.e., the hair) become demons, and thereby arise. pares nails, then one shall dig the pit for it as much as the smallest finger or the joint (of the finger). And with (the Aves­ tan recital): ‘Through Right, through without the religious ritual, they become judgement)? Nothing at all. creatures (then) what (l.s the judgement) ? Then Tanapuh! (sin accrues) to the stock. Through negligence (it is) more than 3 Srosocaranam. If through enmity to the gods, one throws it in fire or water, (one is) Margarzan. J Good Mind, so that I may be heard (like) scorpion, male serpent and lizard, beyond the (circle of) faithful ones’ it If they (cause to) decompose in water, shall be disposed of from the physical (the hair) become (like) swift serpent. If If one lets (hair fall) on the body (and) pollution, then one shall put in semecar- t' -i pus anacardium. And one shall recite 1 aloud: ‘Over to thee, O bird’ upto the heat and cold of the second and third place, and one shall throw in it the driest (day) unto men and sheep. Likewise, if . _ _ 1 one does not dispose of nails as revealed they (cause to) burn (them) in fire, (the does not make (oneself) dean, then what hair) will cause itch, and high fever of (is) the judgement for it? 1 Rosn said: If one has (hair) on the body . .. .-------------- . ' an astak (in length, and) one so per- of dry (things) and flowing water shall one does not dispose of nails as revealed forms the Yazisn, it will not be (proper), be kept away from it. And one shall from the religion, they will become (like) Those of the professional guild say: If draw around 3 or 6 or 9 furrows with the whip, bow and arrow, knife and one has (hair) on the body as much(as an (the recital of) Yatha-ahu-vairyo. the whip, bow and arrow, knife and slirigstone of the demons, and thereby astak in length), even then one performs 34 PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982the Yazisn, it will be proper. From me: if it was (the hair) of moustache or if that of nostril, anus and armpit, (an) astak (in length, it is) just as Rosri said. (In) another passage: Regarding hair, (it is) not regular, (but) it is not grievous. For men (of other categories the sin is) of lesser degree, and for cavalry at the front. It will be so much grievous (at) that time when they will be camping. For them application(of the rule) will be thus: When their partaking of food, drink (and going to) sleep (is carried out) according to religion. And for them (i.e. women, when) menstrual cycle has passed; for themselves it, (i.e. the rule) is so much applied as that for those who (like) us is able to shave and collect (hair, nail ceremoniously). And when there is no such application, then (one is) innocent therefor. And for this there will be no application (of the rule) when a non-lranian comes in, does harm, for whatever harm they do, the warriors are absolved. When one stood forth (disen­ gaged from battle), he will be cleansed by us. (If) the non-Iranians come, it is not authorized except one pursues , (them). (If one) keeps back fear (think­ ing) that they will not do (harm and) they do injury (and) harm, then (sin accrues) for them to the stock. (For) the priest it is not authorized except one cleanses. And (for) the farmer when he has brought water to agriculture, it will be just as the warrior when the enemy comes. When water has not reached (hair or nails), it will bejust as the priest. There was one who said: As to farmers, also those (who are) harvesters (in) autumn, it will be just as the warrior when the enemy has come to him. 2,94,726 sodas a day and more going down Si t ..>#9 -.W .4 Reprinted with the permission of the author. Old post cards etc./waiited Advertiser wishes to buy OLD picture postcards, photographs, cigarette cards, playing cards, posters, iwlnts. i F ’ I illustrated books, albums and other related material Willing to pay top i«ices fnr single items or entire collections. Plesse send, detailed list with expected prices to The Advertiser, (OLD) CZo. Parsiana, GT.O. Box 802, Bombay 400001. Since 1889, there has been only one soda for everyone. Duke's. Today, with so many other sodas on the market, there's still only one soda for most people. Duke's. The best-selling soda. Because it's the best. No wonder over 2,94,726 bottles are drunk. Every day. Ttie one soda for everyone I * y ¦> * PARSIANA; DECEMBER 1982 Market Movers/DS/155/Mag. 35 8 I 8 ii ii li t .{ I ¦r r t ¦'»- 'f I j re’ 1 ) ft’’ 4 1 Firoz Dastur—my mind goes back in time with the very mention of the name, to the thirties, when I first saw him on the silver screen. The film was “Vaman- Avatar”, based on the famous Dash­ avatar legend. Firoz, then a teenager, had played the title role in that film. 1 was also then in my early teens. But I still remember how, witnessing the movie, I stared at the boy-actor in admiration, at times tinged with envy, whenever he appeared on the screen in the guise of a mendi­ cant. Thinly built but handsome, with a sharp nose and expressive eyes, he lived his role to perfection. He made a lasting impact on my mind as much by his sing­ ing as by his acting. His raga-based dit­ ties, sung in a thin, silvery voice, were musical to the core and easy on the ear, and I used to keep humming them for days on end. Many years went by before I heard Dastur’s voice again. But it was on the radio, in the early forties. Firoz Dastur had by then emerged as a classical sin­ ger. He seemed well-groomed in the Kirana gayaki made so popular by the great Abdul Karim Khan. What is more, Dastur’s frequent radio pro­ grammes from Bombay I thought, were a measure of his popularity with high­ brow listeners. As an ardent listener myself, and more particularly, as a keen Kirana enthusiast, I seldom missed Dastur’s Bombay in 1948 that 1 had the pleasure day and also ran a billiards c^ub, was a broadcast. What struck me most was to hear him on the concert platform, great fan of Urdu drama and music, and the way he had assimilated the gayaki of simply dressed in the conventional style he used to teach me his favourite songs Abdul Karim Khan, as also his chief ¦ - disciple, Sawai Gandharva—indeed, almost to a degree where it had acquired offered me an opportunity to interview him at some length. Q: Dasturji, not much is known about the role of Parsis in patronising and popularising North Indian music. How many people, I wonder,know that there was an institution, known as the Gayan Uttejak Mandali, in the early years of this century, which was started and patronised by a group of wealthy Parsi gentlemen of the time. It is rewarding to know that the institution used to feature leading lights in Hindus­ tani music and even employ many of them for teaching music to talented, deserving students. This shows that there is a section of music-lovers in the Parsi community which is involved in Indian music. But on the performing side, there haven’t been many exponents of our traditional music coming from your community. The only names that come to my mind in this context are those of Firoz Framji, the eminent instrumentalist from Pune and Hirjibhai Doctor from Baroda from the older generation and that showed Dastur immaculately clad Jal Balaporia, Zarin Daruwala and in western dress and donning a felt hat. yourself, from the present generation. Somewhat intriguing and amusing, too, who have made a mark in the field, was my reaction on such occasions. For, the idea of an artiste, dressed in western style and sitting cross-legged on the interested in Hindustani music. Is there platform to perform, somehow, seemed music in your family? rather ludicrous to my mind. A: Yes, in a way. My father, who was It was only after I settled down in a well-known billiards champion in his By Gurudev Sharan >-'1 A: True. Q: Tell me, Dasturji, how you got r broadcast. What struck me most was to hear him on the concert platform. of a Hindustani musician. The number from the time I was seven. He also of occasions I have heard him all these encouraged me to sing them for those years are too many to permit a recount. I members of his club who had an ear for a kind of personal colouring. Needless also got to know him personally in to say he became one of my favourites. To me’his radio concert was an event to look forward to with anticipation; and I shy, retiring sort of disposition, always used to browse through AlR’s fort- i nightly journal to satisfy my curiosity. 1 typical modesty and candour, remember, incidentally, that alongside of the programme schedule in the jou­ rnal, there often appeared a photograph brought me closer to Dastur, and Wadia Movietone who, in a manner of 36 music. Q: But when and how did you get into recent years. But whenever I met him, I Q: But when and how did you get into found him a man of few words with a the film world? A: My interest in music came to be more willing to listen than to speak with known to the small Parsi community ’ within a short time. Meanwhile it was But it was the recent release of two J.B.H. Wadia, one of the doyens of lovely cassettes of Dastur’s music that Indian cinema and the founder of PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 I> About the visit of Maneckji Kursetji to Russia in January 1865. speaking, ‘discovered’ me for a role in his production “Lal-e-Yaman” in 1932. It so happened that Wadia Saheb was on the look-out for a boy actor AVho could also sing. As you know, this was long before the advent of playback sing­ ing, when singing was a ‘must’ for a film actor or actress. The role 1 was assigned for the film was a small one, in which 1 was to sing The visit to St. Petersburg of a Bombay Parsee, Manekji Kursetji. took up science, the study of Sanskrit only one song. But after hearing me at Parsee, Manekji Kursetji. and the Zoroastrian religion. Inthethir- my residence, Wadia Saheb was so ties he was in active correspondence impressed that he introduced new situa- We had an occasion the other day to get with the famous Burnuf, one of the tions to the original story so as to give acquainted with a rather remarkable prominent French Indologists of the me scope to sing six more songs. Music personality — an Indian Parsee from in films in those days was always based Bombay, an ardent traveller^ who came on our age-old ragas. Despite their clas- ~ .......................... sical colour, the film songs were simple in tune, with a rhythmic lilt all their first woman of Parsee origin who has own, and they had a tremendous appeal for the cinegoers. Q: I guess the film proved to be a hit. strangers. rare books and manuscripts in oriental A: Indeed, it was a box-office success. Parsees follow the traditions and reli- languages. Atthe beginning of the forties. Wadia J Saheb’who produced and gious rites of their ancestors, but he visited Europe for the first time. He went to Italy to make the acquaintance of Cardinal Maccofanti and was intro- row certain customs from the life of duced to Pope George XVI, who gave We had an occasion the other day to get 1^5 "V -1 19th century. Manekji showed to the author of this to Russia with his daughter for the shor- article, with evident pleasure, letters test period of time. His daughter is the which he had received from some fam­ ous Orientalists and the diplomas of come to Europe and contrary to the scientific societies to which he rendered existing Parsee tradition does not avoid important services by giving them some strangers. Parsees follow the traditions and reli- r receive offers from many other produc- in this respect is the social position of the ers even while 1 continued to work for women. Although Parsees do not have received the honourable post of a judge, ----------XL- .z:------ . - - from 1932 to 1947, I think I must have kept in higher esteem than Hindus and point to attend his protege’s concerts j,, not make appearances even today. The meeting of the two on . . rr such occasions is always heart-warming. IH SOCIGty, thcy dO nOt I directed “Lal-e-Yaman”, took paternal recently amongst them have appeared iriterest in me and gave me the facilities reformists who admit it is time to bor- toensuremy success as a singing actor in i ______ ;___ ¦ - ; r this maiden attempt. Soon I began to Englishmen. One of the essential issues him a golden medal as a memento, receive offers from many other produc- in this respect is the social position of the On coming back to India, Manekji ers even while 1 continued to work for women. Although Parsees do not have received the honourable post of a judge, the Wadia Movietone. In the 15 years polygamy and the women have been which he holds up till now. The main from 1932 to 1947, I think I must have kept in higher esteem than Hindus and aim of his present visit is to see all the played roles in 17 films. Muslims, the wives of Parsees do not Asian libraries in Europe and to find out Firoz Dastur, who will be 63 next make appearances in society, they do what they lack regarding the Sanskrit Thursday, turns emotional when he language and Zinda-Vesta literature. In speaks with gratitude about Mr. Wadia. . our country he is very keenly inspecting The octogenarian veteran makes it a I il© WIV6S OT HarS66S the oriental manuscripts which are kept in the Asian Museums of the Academy of Sciences and in the Imperial public library and expressed his complete read­ ddr© to sit ©t the iness to add new items to the collection, same table with their general, he expressed the hope that same laoi© Wltn xn©ir relationship between our scientific husbands and g©t almost societies and the Asian societies in India no ©ducation developed in the near future. Manekji also took great interest in our Geographic Society and promised to send us the complete collections of the publications of Bombay’s Geographic Society of which he is also a member. Manekji travels with his younger ¦•S' Courtesy TTie Economic Times. September 26, 1982. Rashid D. Bamanbehram i Professional Photographer for Photos of Weddings, Navjotes and Birthday parties. Contact: Flat No. 3, First Floor, No. 6, Wadia Block, Khareghat Colony, not dare to sit at the same table with their husbands and get almost no educa­ tion. Certain people of the new genera­ tion started to oppose this strongly. Our guest Manekji Kursetji is one of daughter, a girl of 16. While seeing the them. He established a girls’ school in Bombay and thus rendered an impor­ tant Service to the local Parsee commun­ ity. He educated his two daughters in a dress, pure English way and as noted above, did not lock them behind doors. The father of Manekji had considera­ ble property and was one of the most respected personalities among Parsees Emperor and the Empress, in Bombay. His son, since he was not compelled to dedicate himself to the usual occupation of Parsees, i.e. trade. 3 museums, libraries etc. she has attracted general attention by her clever questions and remarks and by her strange national 30A Hughes Road, Bombay 400 007. Phone: 8226074 Manekji Kursetji also visited Mos­ cow. At Tsarskoye Silo he had the honour to be presented, together with his daughter, to their Majesties the •4- 't From the Bulletin of the Emperor's Russian Geographi­ cal Society. Volume I. 1865, No. 8 Miscellaneous News, pages 167-168. Submitted by Homi Parekh of Air India. PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 37 '.'3: > -.ir >1 J Aek Atmakatha The American Mazdaznan Sect i4 The Life of Dastur Dhalla XXX Ul this revered gentleman’s captivating words was flowing in full force, through the length and breadth of Uncle Sam’s land, I happened to go to America for my studies. A Christian by birth, he was founding a new religion. Gleaning stray concepts from the Zoroastrian, Chris­ tian, Hindu and other religions com­ mensurate with his own understanding, he was offering a medley or hotchpotch to everyone. Many a curious and well- informed person Came to Jackson or wrote to him seeking clarification on various problems. Naturally some came to us also. Some asked whether all the strange things that Dr. Hannish wrote and spoke about Zoroaster, the prophet Aek Atmakatha is the autobiography of the late Dr. Maneck Nusser- wanji Dhalla, high priest of the Pakistan Parsis and a scholar of world of'ancfem Tan, werTtrue or^ false^ I n repute. This is the 30th edited and condensed extract from the book reply we referred them to Jackson s ‘*Dastur Dhalla - The Saga of a Soul” — an Gool and Behram Rustomji of the original Gujarati, published by the Dastur Dhalla Memorial Institute, Karachi. a •j I ¦1 .4 ¦a *1 English translation by Zoroaster, the Prophet of Ancient Iran, and other authentic books. Although he was completely ignorant of the rudiments of the Avestan lan- • guage, yet to give a new form to Zoroas- THE STORY SO FA R All major railway stations have an trianism and to drape it in new Born to a poor Dastur family in Surat Inquiry Office. Details regarding travel garments, he began to give ungrammati­ on 27 August 1875, Dhalla moved with his family to Karachi three years later. He was married to five-year-old Cooverhai when he was eight years old. After fading his matriculation, Dhalla sought employment while educating himself in religious matters. With the assistance of the Karachi Parsis, Dhalla studied Iranian languages in Bombay and then proceeded to Columbia University in New York, where he was awarded a Ph. D. in 1908. On his return to India he was nominated head priest of Karachi in which capacity he tried to critically evaluate old religious beliefs and customs in the light of his broadened outlook. This approach caused him to clash with the more orthodox section of the community and he became involved in several religious and social controversies. rival to Jackson. Verily he seemed to News of this novel movement reached But despite the opposition, Dhalla have dropped from the sky, as he came our shores. On my return from New proceeded with his efforts to educate the with a claim to prophethood. He was York after four years, I received anxious community and resolve old conflicts. God’s messenger of this age — the Zara- letters from co-religionists in Surat, In the last instalment, Dhalla wrote of thushtra of modern times. On the Bombay and other places, wanting to the Joodin Navjotes that had been strength of his sanctity he even invested know what was going on in Zarathush- performedat Vansda and Bharudi and himself with the title of Zardoost. He tra’s name on the other side of the Atlan- his evidence in the High Court in had an intuition in ancient Babylonia, tic. Moreover, whenever news of our Bombay regarding these navjotes. In the Desert of Gobi and in Tibet he having returned from America was pub- had found Avestan manuscripts ! Many lished in the papers, such enquiries kept such bombastic statements did he make pouring in. Later, many were impressed to astonish the scholastic world. That by the information received here that august person .was Dr. Ottoman Zar- those white Mazdaznans had sent for Adoost Hannish. ‘sudras’and‘kustis’and were organizing In the first decade of this century—i.e. ‘ghambhars’there. While we were in New York in 1938 M and other information can be had there, cal constructions and imaginary pro- In the whole of the United States of nunciations; The word Mazdayasna— America there was only one centre believers of Mazda—he turned to where information regarding the Mazdaznan. Anaheet, the attribute of Zoroastrian religion, its lapguage, its Ardvisur Yazad he dubbed Ainynahit. history, the life-story of its founder- Spenta which means‘sacred’he changed prophet, his birth place and many rele- to Speyent. The Chinvat bridge became vant matters could be had,and that was Khinvat. Armaiti,'devotion’ through Columbia University at New York. The him turned to Armaiy. The law of person to give such information was Karma became ‘Kharma’. Avesta he Professor A. V. Williams Jadkson. It chose to bifurcate into ‘ave’ meaning was possible to study Sanskrit literature ‘living’and ‘sta’meaning‘word’and thus at Harvard and other universities he measured and weighed many words besides Columbia, through Lenman, according to his choice. A usurper must Bloomfield, Hopkins and others, but manifest something different, hence he the study of Iranian literature could be assigned to Zarathushtra ridiculous Carrie^ on only at Columbia and under statements wound un in legend, such as Jackson alone. Asho Zarathushtra had never meditated At the end of the last century the stu- upon, believed in or expounded. ‘Maz- dents of oriental religionsand languages daznan’ was an addition to the preten- were taken aback. Suddenly, a religious sions that arise age after age of bringing scholar came into the public eye as a a message from divine sources. rival to Jackson. Verily he seemed to God’s messenger of this age — the Zara- letters from co-religionists in Surat, in 1905 — just when the sacred stream of 38 PARSIANA; DECEMBER 1982) / •rS not serve any selfish ends. Such fakery, they believe, is necessary and in the interest of the people themselves so that they may have faith in their message, future Parsi historian writes the history ThoSO whltO MazdaznanS had sent for 'sudras' and 'kustis' and were organizing 'ghambhars' there. of this age — the Zarathushtra of modern times. we knew through newspapers coming mother. Moreover, this supposedly selves that their deeds cannot draw from Bombay that the lady disciples of Zoroastrian lady, passing through God’s wrath upon them since they do Hannish had delivered a series of lec- India, had died in Surat and her body tures there. They returned in due course had been placed in the local Dokhma ! and at the headquarters beautified by Not limited to columns of gossip in the‘mighty American’dollar, a'Mazdaz- newspapers, this falsehood was pub- nan Centre’had sprung up. After some lished in the Parsi Prakash which listen to their teachings and learn. When time when 1 read in Karachi about the records noteworthy events that happen in the life of the community. Hence, if a He was God's messenger of the community, this event can pass as an authenticated fact. This was most distressing and disturbing for the com­ munity. Here is a living example of the type of charlatanry that goes on in the name of religion. Wherever faked pirs and prophets discussions that were going on in Bom- come into the limelight, their movement bay regarding this institution some very is always founded on falsehood. Some the original preachers are of such a cali- queer things came to my notice for the receive inspiration from the angel first time. Dr. Hannish was born of Christian are informed by secret Mahatmas; while parents. His family had come from Ger- others still go into seclusion and live many and settled in the State of Illinois amongst an invisible tribe for a long in U.S.A. Inspite of all this, leading co- time and attain some esoteric knowl- religionists of Bombay who were over- edge that throws strange new light on enthusiastic about the Mazdaznan ancient scriptures. The history of the the vacating of religious houses, the com- Movement, created a myth by printing religions of the world reveals that such monplace‘Mazdaznan Centre’suddenly in our papers that Hannish Saheb was things haye been taking place every- becamethe‘MazdaznanTemple’.Over- the descendent of an ancient royal fam- where. So-called saints who give birth to night the centre of religious learning ily of Iran and born of a Zoroastrian such mendacity seem to beguile them- turned into a temple of worship. bre, what can be expected of those who Gabriel or from Sarosh Yazad; others place their faith in them? At this time the Bombay government served a notice on the organisers of the ‘Mazdaznan Centre’, requisitioning the premises for war work. As the govern­ ment was not permitted to commandeer r. TiJ-lnwrcontlntnul HotH — Bombay £ lli 4^ 0 JlflHHHHI 5F i I s & LET’S BUILD THEM TOGETHER! Whether it's a five-star hotel, a Sultan's Palace, a hospital, a chemical factory, a fertiliser plant or a housing project — we have the expertise and for putting up the imposing Muscat Palace complex of His Majesty the Sultan of Oman—and completed it in time. THsB a ¥¦ f S’*'?!?. S:*i w SHAPOORJI PALLONJI & CO. (PVT.) LTD int'nat»onaI Div.-iO Engr'.ecTinq (?nf'sirnr * <, i New !r’d'a '• n; d I ' ¦' H J •1 — u ¦ •' i . • IJ. J PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 39J The hearing of the case was to com- sacred duty by sending a timely wire to mence in the High Court within four the Panchayat. The case did not proceed days. Hannish was not a Zoroastrian further and the matter ended there. An but a Christian; to declare his teachings embarrassing situation was avoided, and the tfcachings of his American disci- tc W- It is true that these American Maz­ daznans who believe in Mazda and love Zarathushtra abide by a certain faith. There- is a constant accusation levelled against them by our scholars that since sprinklings of Christianity can be seen As the government was not permitted to commandeer the vacating in their teachings, they are contriving to of religious houses, the commonplace 'Mazdaznan Centre' suddenly became the 'Mazdaznan Temple'. Hannish’s Mazdaznan religion is heterogeneous and eclectic.He believed in it himself and made others believe it was true. He died asa staunch Mazdaz­ nan and not as a Christian. The follow­ ers of his creed are honest. They believe that the religion they have adopted is true and excellent. They are true and I li. ¦ In the Desert of Gobi and in Tibet he had found Avestan manuscripts! convert.us to Christianity. These gentle­ men are mistaken in their surmise. In America those who have btecome Vedantists or Baha’is or Muslims or Mazdaznans have completely aban­ doned their Christian faith. Even today, just as in Europe and America, we find in our own country, white men and women Vedantists of the Ramkrishna worshipping Zoroastrians. They have themselves appropriated that role. If the doors of the Zoroastrian faith were open to Joodins today, they would enter and add to the fame and lustre of the com­ munity. The fold is made up of such and I had chanced to see that this had woman in Virpur. Like them, others noble, qualified and learned people, been published at the time in the Bom- have been dissatisfied with their Chris- bay papers by the Secretary of the Pan- tian faith and have been converted to chayat. In the interest of the their adopted religions and have adh- community, and with the honest inten- ered to them faithfully. The condition tion of removing this deceit, I fulfilled my of these white Mazdaznans is identical. pies publicized since the start of the cen« Mission, who, like the well-known Sis- tury as a genuine revival of the pure and ter Nivedita and others, were converted pristine faith of Zarathustra was absurd to the Vedant faith as a result of Swami and astonishing. I had commented upon Vivekanand’s religious expansion. We this matter in my ‘Atma Kat ha’ in 1942 had met such a man in Bangalore and a (tt 40 faithful devotees. They are certainly not Christians in Mazdaznan disguise. We have not made them Mazda- This is the truth. This new facet of the Mazdaznans of Chicago is posing a fresh problem to the Joodin question. With the Best Compliments of 7b be concluded. 1 j 1 J INGERSOLL-RAND (INDIA] LIMITED Manufacturers of Air & Gas Compressors * Rock Drill Equipment * Vaimtim Pumps PARSIANA: DECEMBER 1982 1 -J I