Sep 1986

I-' I I i I J: f' September 1986 Volume 9 No 3 Rs 3 i i * Requiem for a patriarch * Shiavax Nargolwala's death in a car accident deprived the community of its foremost liberal leader. Arnavaz S. Mama ¦i i .I I “We cannot stand aside when the tirelessly day and night to complete an, ex judge of the Supreme Court re ­ whole country is moving forward, ” the police formalities, the postmor- counted how “Shiavax was one of the Shiavax Dinshaw Nargolwala had tem, recovery of the body, funeral first persons who met me when we noted in an interview eight years ago. arrangements... (as well as) the treat- came to reside in Delhi... (He) en- The sentence summed up the outlook ment and care of the injured, ” notes deared himself to us and the acquaint- of the man who was president of the the communique. ance turned into affection...He was a progressive Delhi Parsi Anjuman At the funeral, which his devoted man with a progressive outlook, a (DPA) for 26 years and architect and wife Nergish attended on a stretcher, great administrator, a patriarch indhe vice-president of the Federation of a very large number of Nargolwala ’s true sense of the word and a leader for Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India friends and admirers were present to the entire Parsi commqnity. ” Among since its inception in 1972. pay their last respects to him and to -others who spoke at the condolence Felled by a freak highway accident offer their condolences to the be- meeting were former DPA president on August 6, 1986 - Nargolwala ’s car reaved. In a personal letter to K.F. Rustomji, Bombay, Parsi Pun- collided with an Air Force truck at Nergish, the Prime Minister of India chayet (BPP) trustee Jamshed Guz- Rangpuri village near Mahipalpur on Rajiv Gandhi noted, “His death will der. Federation secretary Keki Gan- national highway number eight (new), be a great loss to the entire Parsi com- dhi, J.K. Synthetics ’ president S.C. as notes the Federation ’s special com- munity and to all those who have Rustogi, India Tourism Development munique dated August 11 - he never known him through his illustrious Corporation ’s managing director Lt recovered consciousness, the postmor- career. I wish to extend my sincere Gen Sethna, horticulturist K.D. Bahl, injury. His fellow passengers - wife and to the Federation of Parsi Zoroas- tom Gae, ex vice-president, of the Nergish. personal assistant Sat Narain trian Anjumans of India. ” The Fed- Income-tax Appellate Tribunal J. Sen Pasinhe and the driver - were also eration ’s resolution described Nargol- and the DPA’s Dr Minoo Shroff, Rus- unconscious. The trustees and the wala as “forceful and fearless ... a de- si Engineer and Dadi Mistry. members of the DPA rallied round dicated, devoted leader. ” The letters have poured in — from Nergish Nargolwala and her sons in At the condolence meeting held by individuals and associations: vice their hour of need and “worked the DPA on August 24, Dinshaw Mad- admiral Rustom Gandhi, Governor of I 1 1 tem report ascribing his death to brain condolences to you and your family advocate of the Supreme Court Rus- I i I 1 I '¦’I ian Himachal Pradesh, wrote in anguished letter to Nergish: “We fully appreciate all that Shiavax did for the Parsis in Delhi and elsewhere. He is irreplaceable. I know how much he ge ­ nuinely cared for the present and fu ­ ture welfare of the community, and how much of his time he gave up for us all. ” The condolence resolution of the University Court of the University of Delhi referred to Nargolwala as “an ardent connoisseur of music...(and) himself a violinist of repute. Nair, president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, offer ­ ing condolences “on behalf of my Council and^the Entire profession of accountancy in India, ” wrote of Nar ­ golwala as “one of the pioneers who helped in the establishment of the Institute...He guided and assisted the Council in laying down the high tradi ­ tions of the profession of which we are all justly proud. ” He stood tall; a zesty 71-year-old, optimistically eyeing the future. De ­ spite 35 years in the Indian Civil Ser ­ vice (ICS), there were no hidebound bureaucratic ways about Nargolwala who was always ready to examine the need for “a change in priorities ” as he had noted in January 1977. While the majority of Parsis were content with wringing their hands and despairing of Parsis marrying outside the commun ­ ity, the DPA, under Nargolwala, be- „ . came the first major association in In- the right to stand as trustee of the cles. Coming down heavily on him for dia to pass a resolution stating that DPA. But these three restrictions “Cutting capers with the PM” as they spouses and children of Parsis married apart, Nargolwala saw to it that the labelled the DPA’s highly successful to non Parsis be admitted into the Par- community helped the interfaith mar- Jamshedi Navroze function in 1984 si Zoroastrian fold and that conversion riage to work, rather than provide which the late Indira Gandhi, Rajiv by marriage, as practiced in Iran, added grounds for rupture. and Sonia Gandhi had attended. The - - - - Nargolwala ’s DPA also continued to Parsee Voice, a conservative tabloid support the practice of non Parsis then owned by B.K. Boman-Behram, 4 their"^ last respects at the death cere- conveniently forgot to mention that monies of Zoroastrians. in the rest bewailed the diminishing thanks mainly to men like him, who. t > i P.A. V . f ¦ ~ buried in the aramgah, and is denied Press was riddled with letters and arti- 1 t 5 should be adopted by Indian Zoroas- trians. , Parsi women contracting marriage being permitted to attend and pay noted, “...the president of the DPA to non Parsis lost none of their com- their last respects at the death cere- conveniently forgot to mention that munity privileges in Delhi but could monies of Zoroastrians. While some of the ‘problems ’ like mixed avail of community institutions, trusts Zoroastrians in the rest of marriages, have been aggravated, and funds as long as they continued to India bewailed the t be practicing Zoroastrians. The DPA numbers of mobeds, the DPA, the while they pay lip service to the agreed to allow non Parsi spouses to together with other anjumans who are cause of inbreeding, have left no become members of the Association members of the Federation ’s north stone unturned in directly or indirect- because as Nargolwala noted, “It was zone, agreed with Nargolwala that at a ly encouraging mixed mamages! ” a rather humiliating and embarrassing suitable opportunity, the priestly call- A patrician whose intellectual sta- situation that the wife was a member ing be opened to all Zoroastrians and ture permitted him to brush aside such ; and the husband came as a guest; or not be kept exclusively for the athor- criticism, Nargolwala maintained that the husband was a member and the nan class. the trustees of anjumans and pun ­ wife came as a guest. And there was For these reforms, seen as a neces- chayets should be leaders of the com- no equality between the husband and sary institutional adjustment of the munity. “Our real problem is the wife so far as the membership was con- community to the changing times, motivation of our younger genera- cerned. ” The non Zoroastrian spouse Nargolwala paid dearly in terms of the tion, ” he had noted in 1977. And to is not allowed into the agiary or to be criticism he received. The community that end, he felt that the trustees 2 Parsiana September 1986 it• i -11 i I i j K Above: Nargolwala (left) with the late Shah of Iran H Left (top): With the late Indira Gandhi and members of the I DPA at the 1984 Jamshedi Navroze function Left (puffing at his pipe): At the Federation meeting in Poona, his homework done Far left: With wife Nergish should be elected by democratic adult erybody respects the elderly person, franchise for short periods of three everybody respects his advice and gui- years, a system followed by the DPA. dance. ” This fiercely held belief often led him C" explicit criticism of egoist who was concerned only with document when the occasion deman- the BPP and the Surat Parsi Pun- “building a following of like-minded ded it, even as he puffed at his pipe chayet which boomeranged badly people, ” Nargolwala had countered, his eyes veiled in semi-repose fesoe- when the BPP, led by B.K. Boman- “TUa,.. j ¦ ¦ . . . , ” Behram, withdrew from the Federa- far as I am concerned.! wok^foMhe of the good of the community. I may be lence! He was always ready with ideas 1 Thwd World Zoroastrian Congress wrong. No human being is perfect. But - and the will to see them through, which It had hosted at the Federation ’s I am hurt when motives are ascribed to Items that required finance or finan- —I acumenj^ were his forte, paper to collect a following, or I am doing Thus the launching of the Federation ’s Surat Punch- plying for tax exemption for the Fed- eratioir ’s income under section A generalist by virtue of his ICS 10(23)(C)(v) were largely his hand ­ Each Federation meeting Nargolwa- la attended with his homework done. A mountain of papers lay before him Often castigated as an ill-tempered and, unerringly, he produced the right There is no personal axe to grind so daily in the post lunch sessions), con- T ________________ 1 T_____ .-1 f • f*!’ • ' ; veying a false impression of somno- I and the will to see them through. behest. Nargolwala had criticized the me. When people think I am doing this cial and tax BPP’s electoral scheme in a j _ ” - -- ¦ t which he had read at the Congress. 1 ___ Though it may have been a peevish, Parsi Punchayet irresponsible act on the part of the ayet... ” BPP trustees, the enormity of their re ­ buff was a measure of Nargolwala ’s personal stature. _________ o -i______ ..... I Nargolwala himself considered the categories of peoplL He pressed inces- Federation (a^nd^^aVits" behest the accomplishment to santly for a change in the sections of BPP) into involvement with schemes i be the elimination of the communica- the Indian Succession Act dealing with for the social and economic uplift of tion gap _ • tor the first time in the his- intestate succession among Parsis and Parsi Zoroastrians, and the modifica ­ tory ot the Parsis in India, ” conceiving the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act to tion of the community ’s stand on re- of the all-India body in terms of “a ’ ‘ ‘ father or grandfather in a family. Ev- this to go against some person in the Women and Children ’s Fund, and ap- or training, Nargolwala was adept at iwork. > His forward thrust propelled the understanding the problems of various i tion of the community ’s stand on re ­ bring them into harmony with prevail- servation in light of difficulties that ing mores. Parsis encountfer in their often hope- 3 Parsiana September 1986During his distinguished career as a ing to undermine the unity and prog- civil servant, Nargolwala served in va- J i Nearly a year ago, the then recently bereaved Perin Satarawalla, wife of less attempts to enter technical col- accountancy from South Wales. This pk get the leaders they deserve...The leges. Irani Zoroastrians seeking Indi- enabled him to earn the rare distinc- Parsis of Delhi have, over the last two an visas had his sympathy and his help, tion of being both an ICS member and decades and more, shown a degree of Advising small anjumans regarding fi- a chartered accountant, notes the De- sagacity, patience and overall sound nance, taxation and property involve- Ihi University resolution. judgment whenever forces endeavor- ments, came naturally to him. He viewed the Federation as the best vehi- civil servant, Nargolwala served in va- ressive outlook of the DPA have cle for improving the community ’s fu- rious capacities as Collector, Division- emerged. What the president has been j ture. al Magistrate, Commissioner of In- able to achieve is in no small measure Almost to the very end, community come Tax, Financial Adviser, Joint due to the sensible support he has re ­ matters exercised his mind. Barely a Secretary and Additional Secretary, ceived from a majority of the members few days before he died, Nargolwala “In the early 6O’s, he was closely of the Anjuman. ” was said to have successfully negoti- associated with the commissioning of 1 ated with the Delhi administration for the COMSAT satellite, an early Indi ­ an extension of the Delhi aramgah. A an venture for a futuristic entry into the late Lt Gen Jehangir Satarawalla, letter dated August 1, requesting old the satellite communication era, ” as had related to a friend some of the un ­ issues, readied Parsiana after his de- notes the Delhi University resolution, pleasantness caused by traditionalists mise. Although Nargolwala retired from in Poona vis-a-vis her daughter and Nargolwala was born June 5, 1915, civil service in 1973, he continued to the eldest of six brothers. He received serve in his capacity as a professional his early education in Deolali and consultant in financial matters. Bombay, achieving top honors in the Elphinstone and Sydenham Colleges, completion of 25 years as president of -1 find him too overbearing. But I do Graduating in commerce from the the DPA, Ava Khullar had noted in know that if Shiavax Nargolwala had i London School of Economics, and af- Dipanjali (July 1985), the DPA’s been here, he would never have per- I ter successfully competing for the ICS newsmagazine, “Mr Nargolwala took mitted this to happen. ” | examination in 1938, he studied in the over the helm of affairs at a time when Shiavax Nargolwala is survived by London School of Oriental Studies for the small group of Parsis in Delhi were his wife Nei^ish and sons Adil and J his Civil Service probation period, torn into two warring factions and the Mehrab; son Khushroo and daughters i During this period he simultaneously community threatened with prospects Navaz and Mehroo (children by his | completed a course in chartered of litigation and controversy...A peo- first wife, Dhun). V non Parsi son-in-law (The Satarawallas ( had just settled in Poona after a long spell in Delhi when Jehangir expired). In a tribute to Nargolwala on his Said Perin, “I do not care for Shiavax ¦J ’1 With Best Compliments From Mazda Foods & Drinks Private Limited Makers of “FAVORA” Flavouring Essences, Food Colours, Fruit Crushes, Syrup etc. A Venture of Mazda Estates & Finance Pvt Ltd., Regd. Office: 2, Girdhar Nivas, 15/17, Shahid Bhagatsingh Road, Colaba, Bombay —400 005 4 Parsiana September 19861 1 r i (?¦tliiliiiif.l "S iiO iiiitiii I '' Ilf MMt < «t»»11 ?» *:; It ¦» 9 ir 3*''’ >r 1 Customs and Practices of Parsis is in- of the community, the BPP, and Dr correct. When ordinary photography Kotwal. The fact, however, remains is prohibited at Doongerwadi, pictor- that they lacked courage to counter ialization could never be permitted, the objections on religious grounds The honorable court did not want to either in the court of law or in public. SOHRAB NAWALSHAW PATWA ;;;jr interfere in this matter when approval g:;*;;. was granted by the apex body of the Arnavaz Mama replies I agree with Mr Patwa that the court rejected the appeal on the basis of the I «« I r*r -I**’ iff community. Mr Andhyarujina did say that the petitioners did not exhibit Zarathush- tra ’s cardinal tenets of “total tolerance BPP’s permission and implied approv- and adaptability. ” In the absence of al of the film. Nowhere does my ori- any explanation it was difficult to ginal story contradict this statement, understand what exactly he meant by However, the appellants ’ case was adaptability; but if by any chance he argued long and repetitiously by their was suggesting a change in the tenets advocate. The fact remains that no of the religion then I am afraid he is on Zoroastrian argued the appellants ’ weaker grounds because today no one is qualified to do so. It may be mentioned that the re ­ spondents, in the appeal court, did not basis of scriptural evidence although in reference to the film On Wings of the appellants ’ advocate dealt with Fire. The people who made this so- them all at great length. Mr Cyrus called educational film are responsible Bharucha and his advisers, including for taking the whofi Parsi/Irani Maz- Dr Kotwal who lent considerable sup- dayasni community for a ride. - port to the film, have all along kept . quiet on this score, and yet Mr Bhar- prophet Zarathushtra has been shock- Readers' vidws are welcome on any ucha in his statement issued on June ingly distorted in the film: the prophet subject of interest to the community 20, 1986 when the matter was sub is projected as a thinker and philo- and should be sent to the Editor, Read- judice, had the audacity to make a sopher, subject to all human frailties ers' Forum, Parsiana, G.P.O.Box 892, sweeping comment that the objections and weaknesses of the flesh. The film- Bombay 400 001. Letters are subject to raised by the petitioners were totally makers did not care to research into editing for reasons of space and clarity, baseless and did not pass muster on the background of the historical fi­ gures concerned. Actor Nigel Terry is not fit to act as Ulttlll 'oif s' “ ft 4 case and that Andhyarujina ’s reply took less than five minutes as com ­ pared to Suresh ’s 45! __ ________ ••• reply to even a single objection on the With great disgust I am forced to write basis of scriptural evidence although in reference to the film On Wings of the appellants ’ advocate dealt with Fire. The people who made this so- 1_ .... 2 ’ ¦¦ ’ ----------- - —•*-’-5 Bharucha and his advrsers, including for taking the whoffi Parsi/Irani Maz- The divine personality of the holy 1 ( ii ‘Wings’ on fire The report of court proceedings in the article ‘“Wings ’ on fire ” (Parsiana, old adage, July 1986) needs clarification. The writ petition filed to remove \ certain objectionable scenes from the religious grounds. Further, in his inter ­ view with The Sunday Observer of June 22, he went to the extent of abus- holy Zarathushtra. Zarathushtra is ing the appellants, proving thereby the shown bare-headed most of the time. When arguments fail, with only a band on his head. When abuses prevail. ” the cloud thunders and the devil ’s The appellants all along behaved in voice is heard, Zarathushtra is shown a dignified manner and presented their shivering and shouting* “Leave me, ¦ ¦ ¦ i leave me ” etc. Zarathushtra, thrown much freedom of expression as Mr in jail, is depicted naked except for a 1 film On Wings of Fire was rejected and point of view because they too have^as the appeal thereon dismissed on the i—1 1—’ " , “ . . basis of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet Bharucha. It was Mr Bharucha who half lungi, without sudreh-kusti and (BPP) trustees having approved the showed total disregard for tolerance bare-headed, eating food without script of the film, as stated in the affi- and not the appellants as alleged by covering his head, using all the five fin- davit filed by the respondents. In addi- Mr Andhyarujina. gers- Do the filmmakers understand tion, unilateral permission was granted Although Ms Amavaz Mama is enti- what is tarikat? by the BPP for shooting scenes at tied to her own views, she has not been Whatever happens, Zarathushtra Doongerwadi and a donation of one just and fair in saying that Mr should be shown calm and quiet, al- lakh rupees made towards the cost of Andhyarujina almost annihilated the ways praying, with an aura round his the film. The defence, as put forth by petitioners ’ advocate Mr B. Suresh, a head. the respondents ’ advocate in the non-Zoroastrian, who fought the case appeal court, that scenes of funeral with zeal and dedication like a Zoroas- rites were mere pictorialization of de- tails given in Sir J.J. Modi ’s book The support lent to them by the apex body most of them bare-headed, reflected Although Ms Amavaz Mama is enti ­ tled to her own views, she has not been just and fair in saying that Mr should be shown calm and quiet, al- The scene of the arrival of the Parsi community in India, which showed trian. The respondents won due to the people dressed in Roman style clothes, 7 Parsiana September 1986 i J i IH major problem alongside the lure of i materialism, the seductions of secular- 1 ism and the disruption through divi- I sions. As a juddin who respects your I traditions considerably (but is not • seeking conversion!) I find it immense ­ ly sad that the future of the Good Reli ­ gion is so threatened. But the views attributed to me in the columns of > your magazine are not a fair record of | my lectures or writings and could i cause misunderstandings which might t threaten my neutral stance and future work in that it could cause alarm or Hinnells (left) Hodiwala (center) Sontakke (right) mistrust among those in many coun- j tries whose cooperation I need and the hypocrisy of the filmmakers. communities in various centers around value. john r. hinnells Facts ar? not only distorted but are the world from 1947 to the present day . Manchester, U.K. j presented in a strongly biased and nar- and a survey of current beliefs and ; row minded manner. It is unfortunate practices. The latter focuses on such Hodiwala’s COmmitineilt that the best opportunity has been lost issues as: the impact of an education in MrManeckJi Hodiwala hails from the , - rather misused — in filming the the West; the correlation between a philanthropic family of Hodiwalas, He teachings and life of Asho Zarathush- person ’s mother tongue (e.g. Gujarati is the son of the late Khanbahadur Be- tra, and the donated amounts have or English) and his or her religious be- jonji Hodiwala. He and his brothers gone down the drain. liefs and practices; the effect of the were responsible for constituting the As for the mock funeral ceremony, sense of citizenship (such as identify- Hodiwala Bungli at Doongerwadi and the less said the better. ing oneself as Indian or American), of for donating building materials to in- If a film has to be made and shown, having children, of membership of an numerable charitable and deserving it must adhere strictly to our ancient extended family network, of living institutions emd hospitals. i scriptures and traditions and should near a Zoroastrian center, on religious Maneckji can be called a true Akab not, under any circumstances, hurt the allegiance and the different patterns of ar of the community. After successfully feelings of the community. belief and practice of various age- contesting the Punchayet election in FAU s. MASTER groups. 1976, Maneckji plunged headlong into J The research does consider some the service of the downtrodden andT'w _ potentially controversial issues such as the needy. There has not been a single iNOnpartlSSn researcher the pattern of education and beliefs of person to whom he has turned a deaf I am seriously concerned that in a let- those who have married out of the ear. Though unable to help everybody ter “Exclusive muktads ” by Darius community and of those who say they in everything, his gentle manner, pa- Sethna {Parsiana, May 1986) it was approve of intermarriage (and of peo- tient hearing and the will to help, en- said that my research “has categorical- pie involved in other debates). The deared him to one and all in the com- ly proven that rapio destruction is the work seeks to understand the regional munity inevitable result of reformist think- variations not only between countries. He never entered controversies nor ing. ” As those who know me are well say Hong Kong and England, but also asserted himself. He has always played aware, I seek carefully and at all times between different cities for example in the role of a pacifier and has been well in my work not to take sides in internal America. Although the analysis of the balanced in his thinking. He was on disputes in your community. I feel data collected through my survey ex- the Doongerwadi committee, the very strongly that as an outsider it tends to approximately 12,000 pages of R.H. Patuck Trust, the housing com- would be wrong of me to do otherwise, computer printout, the analysis is not mittee, the committee on vocational Your correspondent evidently refers yet complete and I certainly would not and technical education, the commit- to my recent Ratanbai Katrak Lee- feel able to draw any simple conclu- tee to help Parsis with loans and doles, tures at the University of Oxford. Un- sion until it is. Under no circumstances and the Khareghat and Gamadia Col- fortunately he was not at those lec- would I personally be willing to use ony welfare committee, tures and regrettably appears to have that research in a partisan manner perviz dotivala ¦received an unbalanced report of within your community. them; nor was he at the lecture I gave One thing I have said in these, and ZorOdStriail at heart at tl^e World Zoroastrian Organisation other, lectures is that I fear your com- The old rented house of the late Mr day school held in London recently munity now faces greater threats than N.S. Sontakke in Pune ’s Sadashiv Peth where I stressed that the divisions into at almost any time in its noble history had a door with a low lintel so that you ‘orthodox ’ and ‘reform ’ is - at least as because of diminishing numbers. The had to bow to enter the small living far as my research is concerned - too dispersal of so few around more coun- room. To the right was a desk, as he Simple a division. tries than at any time in the'religion ’s left it, topped by the five-volume com- My Katrak research was on two vast history does raise the danger of mentary on the Rig Veda, and the j main areas - the history of Zoroastrian dilution through acculturation. It is a continued on page 19 i Jt. Hon. Secretary^ Athoman Mandal 8 Parsiana September 1986 IINSTITUTIONS A pressing decision With losses mounting, the BPP has reluctantly decided to close down the Industrial Institute and the Godrej Press. Arnavaz S. Mama w S2* < 2 ‘jJ F.j 1 a The current recession in the printing I industry has claimed a community vic- | tim. The 50-year?old Industrial Insti- I tute and the 35-year-old Godrej Press, I both set up by the Bombay Parsi Pun- j chayet (BPP) to provide gainful em- I ployment - and self-respect - to Parsis I who could find no other employment, I will close December 31, 1986. I Located in a convenient corner of I Gamadia Colony off the main Tardeo I Road, the flat, sprawling structure, I which houses the Industrial Institute I for Men and the Godrej Press, has I been incurring losses of one-and-a-half I to two-lakh rupees per year. The 32 I Parsis on its payroll constitute only I one-third of the total workforce of 95 persons which cost the BPP a total wage bill of Rs 2,45,614 in the first hR quarter of 1986 while registering a tot- al turnover of Rs 7,35,199 (figures penditure figures revealed that the los- from the BPP’s Quarterly Review, IH ses would continue at the same level Number 3). despite the additional Godrej largesse. The machinery at the Press, based ? The Godrej connection with the on antiquated letterpress technology, y Press is actually a tenuous one. What is old and slow. The only polygraph Ardeshir Godrej actually bequeathed machine prints fairly good color pic* to the BPP was the two farms he own- tures, one color at a time. The rest are JF*"" .IHL ' ed in and near Nasik. “The land was all treadle machines. There are six —a-. • transferred to the BPP trustees in Parsis employed at Godrej Press, only January 1940. There ^rew on the one being on the machines. The single farms...sugarcane, grapes, wheat, on- Linotype machine employs a non Parsi ions, tomatoes, maize, etc... Later a operator and there is no Parsi capable dairy was added which supplied milk of operating the polygraph. At the In- to Nasik city and, from the surplus, dustrial Institute where envelopes and made good wholesome ghee...it was boxes are made, there are 26 Parsis, difficult to run the farms as we were in almost all of them on handwork. , the thick of World War IT and it Noted industrialist Nanrnii Crtdr*.! The Industrial Institute and the Godrej ,, ar U and It was whTh« ft? ?• treadles and a single polygraph difficult to send large produce to Bom- who has handled the portfolio pertain- machine on account of nonavailability of ing to the two institutions since his railway wagons and trucks. Besides election as BPP trustee in February give the Press as much of the Godrej this it was found difficult to get Parsi 85, made every effort -to save the Company ’s printing work as it was apprentices to go in for agriculture and Press which bears his family name (af- capable of executing at the same rates the idea of a settlement seemed to be ter his late uncle Ardeshir Godrej who as the Company pays elsewhere. Un- under a haze on the horizon. Ultimate- founded the Godrej works). Naoroji happily, the Press management consi- ly the trustees sold the farms to Mr says he considered pumping in another dered it almost impossible to print at Nusserwanji Hormusji Dinshaw on the one lakh rupees and volunteered to those rates and the income and ex- understanding that he would continue 77ie Industrial Institute and the Godrej Press: treadles and a single polygraph machine give the Press as much of the Godrej this it was found difficult to get Parsi IJ r I 11 Parsiana September 1986r to employ Parsis, ” notes Sapur Desai I in his History of the Bombay Parsi I Punchayet 1860-1960. I This sale money the BPP used to I establish the Godrej Press in the In- I dustrial Institute building in 1951, I perhaps because aS Naoroji Godrej I ventured, “They may have thought I Ardeshir, having been an industrialist, I might have approved..I Keki Wadia, the manager of the I Godrej Press since the past six years, I notes that the morale is low and it is I difficult to get work done since the I announcement of the closure. But I orders already in the pipeline have to I be completed and “old customers I press us (to take ^n certain small jobs) I which we can ’t refuse. ” I Caught between the pincers of rising I labor and production costs and acute ¦ competition, the establishment has succumbed. “The production is stag- || nant because of old machinery and W (unskilled) manpower... Besides, - there is cutthroat competition - we can ’t resort to the same practices! ’’ says Wadia. The common, not too ethical ploys & adopted by some other presses intent I on survival include the use of inferior I paper, printing less than the billed I quantity, sirring kickbacks with the I purchasing officers of ordering firms, I etc. But the BPP does not resort to I such practices, as note Wadia and I BPP chief executive Rustom Ankle- I saria who inform that new employees I are registered with the Employees ’ ’r_________r i. ..... i.- State Insurance Corporation the first envelopes aZZperators'^utt^f they report to work. paper at the Institute. In addition, the Godrej Prespuffers Left: checking reproduction on from all the shortcomings of location the polygraph (Wadia at extreme in a residential area - it can work only right). Photos: Homyar Mistry one shift a day and has to pay “double rates for overtime between 5 and 8 allowance - over and above the basic gave a long (six-monthX notice. ” pm, ” says Wadia. Besides, municipal increase every January, ” notes Wadia. Godrej says “we have agreed to a sanction has to be sought every few “Looking to the general position in the handsome severance allowance, ” and years for the Press to continue func- industry, the wages (at Godrej Press) some of the labor has started drifting tioning in a predominantly residential are not that high; btit compared to away to new jobs and there are alr eady small printing presses, they ’re definite- takers queuing up for the machinery. T^us there is no question of invest- ly higher, ” says Godrej. “Months ago “We ’ll have to ask for bids, ” says ing in expensive new machinery which, the union came to us to increase salar- Godrej. “The money will come to the in the words of Godrej, needs normal ies and wages. ” A new agreement BPP.” working with at least two shifts, to be would have hiked the rates “much Though the BPP has taken this deci- yiable. Nor is there any hope of mov- higher than what we ’re paying, ” says sion with a measure of regret, Ankle- ing the establishment to a new location Godrej, adding that he convinced the saria notes, “In light of the changed like Vikhroli where Godrej notes that labor leader of the importance of mak- circumstances, the trustees have to be his firm is under a blanket ban vis-a-vis ing a profit, there being “no profit at pragmatic. .. The doongerwadi and the any further industrial expansion. the present rates. (Since) the BPP can old peoples ’ home (both departments The biggest drain on the Press ’ ex- ill afford higher losses (50 percent incur losses) are inevitable services, chequer are the wages. “Every six more) at the higher labor rates, ” the The Press is not an inevitable service, months we have to revise the dearness labor leader “agreed to closure if we One has to take ah overall picture... ” ’ te--. II* -.al ¦r.-- J. I 1. 1 13 Parsiana September 1986 '^!l 'N ! ¦?*Events and Personalities Parsis aboard Pan Am There were at least five Parsis on the ill-fated Pan American Boeing which was hijacked in Karachi on September India. Dotivala is also honorary secret ­ ary of the Mayor ’s Fund and district chairman, program committee. Rotary International, notes a press release. Academic awards At their New Year celebrations, the I two :'i M 5, 1986, as can be gathered from va ­ rious newspaper ’’ and magazine re- ..........— ----- ----- ----------------- ports. They are: Dr Keki and Tehmi House-Our-Mobeds-Endeavour Parsis of Jabalpur felicitated Grant of Poona (Ms Tehmi Grant is a ——--------------------------------------- Zoroastrian girls for academic excell ­ trustee of the Poona Parsi Pan chayat), Silloo Kavarana and Cyrus Ghasvala. ence for the year 1985-86. Farahnaz Darius Eruch Katila, Faredoon BPP chairman Dr Aspi Golwalla and Dolly Bajan, a second year BA stu- Oshtori, and Sherene Viccajee who was trustee Jamshed Guzder will represent dent of St Aloysius College received oneof the 13 Indian flight attendants. ‘ .. ......................... .... A Karachi-based Pan Am mechanic the release. Meherjee Kharas, who was in the cockpit checking the radio when the is the proposed inclusion of non- VII at the St Joseph ’s Convent re ­ hijack occurred, was trapped in the resident members who are active ceived.The Late Allamai and Dhun- plane along with the other passengers, workers of their local associations jishaw Machhliwa^a prize for school It was through Kharas that radio con- situated in India and abroad, notes the going students, notes a press rejease tact was established with the four hi- BPP press release. sent by Dolly Bajan, trustee of The jackers,notes India Today of Septem- _ _ . x i* v j Parsi Anjuman, Jabalpur. ber 30, 1986. However when the de- Indo-Australiau head mands of tile hijackers were not met. The new president of the Indo- becundcrabad bUlldS... they shot at Kharas who was as are- Australian Society is Godrej N. Doti- Construction of new flats at Mecleod- sult seriously injured. Kharas was later vala who was elected at the general guda for the benefit of the community reported dead. body meeting of the Society held on will be given top priority by the Parsi Dr Grant, who was to attend the August 18, 1986. Zoroastrian Anjuman of Secunder- tenth World Congress on Cardiology, President of the All India Flexible abad and Hyderabad, notes the Anju- suffered a bullet injury and was re- Packaging Manufacturers ’ Forum, man ’s newsletter of July 1, signed by portedly dragged away from the plane Dotivala is also connected with various president K.S.J. Dalal and honorary by his wife, Tehmi. social and cultural organizations in secretary N.F. Nagarwala. The funds C’lriJ Bombay. He is the honorary treasurer generated from the sale of the building CKK-flOJYllL of (he India-Iran Cultural Society, ex- on 85, Sarojini Devi Road will be util- The Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP), ecutive committee member of the In- ized for the new construction work as together with the Committee for Eco- dian Institute of International Rela- per the decision of the general body, nomic Revival (CER),has set up a spe ­ cial committee to collect funds for a building to be constructed near Godrej From left: Dotivala, Bajan and Panveliwalla Bang to house full-time practicing mobeds, notes a press release issued by BPP joint secretary Ms Gool Tata. The committee, which is called CER-HOME (House-Our-Mobeds- Endeavour) is chaired by Kersi Limathwalla, member of CER’s man ­ aging committee. The other commit ­ tee members include prominent social workers and CER members: vice chairmen Nariman Khurshedji and Hector Mehta, joint- honorary secre ­ taries Nariman Mehta and Kersi Gaz- dar, and joint honorary treasurers Ms rious newspaper ” and magazine the Punchayet on the committee, adds The Admiral Jal Cursetji prize for col ­ lege students and Benaifer Phiroze A unique feature of this committee Panveliwalla, a student of standard Indo-Australian head tions and of the International Club of adds the newsletter. I 15 Parsiana September 1986'T For the convenience of the tenants Masina Hospital will be manned by in 1976 after a^uiring science and law managing ; committed has decfded to D^D. Gamadia, Dr Farida Sholapur- has worked in various preventive orga- install a second bore well. This will en- wala and Dr Farokh Master, noted a nizations. During the Asian Games in sure a 24-hour water supply especially report in the Blitz of August 30, 1986. 1982, he was appointed Enforcement since the twin cities of Secunderabad With the assistance of Dr J, Major and Enforcement Directo- and Hyderabad are facing an acute wa ­ ter shortage, notes the newsletter. ----------------------------- --------------- The other activities of the Anjuman dispensed at a nominal rate, according narcotics, gold, diamonds, and foreign included the organization of indoor to the news report. and Indian currency , for which he has tournaments, a Christmas party, a Inaugurated by Dr V. Subrama- been rewarded with commendations New Year function and the celebration hiam, minister for urban development, and cash awards totalling two lakh of Jamshedi Navroze when 300 mem- food and civil supplies, on August 30, rupees, bers partook of the dinner. 1986, the OPD at the 85-year-old In the course of the last few months, Masina Hospital will function under there were nine navjotes, six weddings the supervision of well-known and nine deaths within the community residing in the Agiary complex, the three Zoroastrian doctors: Dr (Ms) degrees from Bombay University , and 24-hour water supply especially report in the Blitz of August 30, 1986. Dr P, Sahiar, patients of all castes and rate (FERA) at New Delhi, adds the creeds will be treated and medicines release. His various seizures include Poona dramatics vl.e supervision of well-known “Navroze time is Poona Parsi Dra- 2 : .homeopath Dr Sarosh R. Wadia who mateurs time and over the last 19 years in the twinl^ties. was at one-time honorary senior physi- we have held the tradition of adding cian at the Government Homeopathic gaiety, fun and laughter for the Parsi Adieu to Vizag Hospital, Vile Parle, states the write- community during our festive days, ” The new secretary of the Vizag up. notes Ms Tehmi Grant, president of Zoroastrian Association (VZA) is Per- _ th® Poona Parsi Dramateurs, in a 0y Daruwala, who was unanimously FortUUe tO the DVave brochure issued on the occasion of elected at a function held on July 12, For his courage and zeal against smug- their play. Daddy Na Dubba Gul. 1986. glers, Darius Cawasji Bilimoria was Written by Dorab Mehta and Captain Jal Postwalla, the outgoing presented the Finance Minister ’s directed by Yezdi Talati, the play was secretary and Editor of the VZA’s Award at a function organized at the staged to collect funds for the group newsletter, has been transferred to Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on June 2, which gives educational scholarships bills and renders assistance to poor _____ _ ___ ________ ____ ____ families and aging Zoroa'strians in Antia noted that Postwalla was re- presently deputed to the Directorate Poona. Other institutions which re ­ sponsible for bringing VZA “into the of Revenue Intelligence, Bombay, re- ceive help from the group are: the all-In^ia limelight. ” The speeches ceived a commendation certificate and Blind School, the Society for the Pre--^^ were followed by a potluck dinner with a cash prize of Rs 50,000 from Vish- vention of Cruelty to Animals, St Cris- the small community participating wanath Pratap Singh, finance minister pin ’s Home, Bhojan Fund, Athornan ¦ ___ ’____ Aid and the Kamgar Fund. away from On September 13, 1985, Bilimoria However, the natak (play) “suffers ______ 1_____. participated in a seizure of 14,000 tolas for lack of volunteers ” as notes Grant, rived on posting as manager of the of foreign marked gold and Indian and who has appealed to those interested ........................ . .. r--------- J —J u-i- j;----- ..1- Rs 4/77 crores, for which he and nine the staging of the plays or by becoming other participants received the Award, members of the Association, notes the release. . __ An inspector of Central Excise and The Muslim Comparison glers, Darius Cawasji Bilimoria was secretary and Editor of the VZA’s Award at a function organized at the staged to collect funds for the group Cochin as Command Electrical Officer 1986, notes a press release issued by to desemng,^ students, pays medical in the Indian Navy. In a farewell Ms Shireen Kerawala. speech, the VZA treasurer Kerfegar The 34-year-old intelligence officer, sponsible for bringing VZA “into the of Revenue intelligence, Bombay, re ­ followed by a potluck dinner with a cash prize of Rs 50,000 from Vish- vention of Cruelty to Animals, St Cris- merrily. Fortunately, balancing the of India, adds the release. Postwallas ’ transfer away from '' Visakhapatnam, S.M. Vasania has ar- Hongkong^ Bank, together with his foreign currency totally amounting to to come forward and help directly in family, adds the VZA newsletter. ” ‘ ' ' ’ ' ’ *— Dispensing ‘sweet medicine’ The newly opened homeopathic out ­ patients department at Bombay ’s Customs, Bilimoria joined the service “Although both Muslims and Parsis landed in India "almost in the eighth - I ¦ ... ¦ II...... ¦ ¦ ¦ .............—' ------ century, the former ’s population has increased to more than 10 crores in In- dia whereas the number of Parsis has markedly declined, ” noted S.L. Para- shar in The Hitavada, a Nagpur pub ­ lication of June 27, 1986^forwarded to Parsiana by Dr K.R. Hathi. The reason for the Zoroastrian com ­ munity in India numbering barely 72,0P0 in 1981 (less than a thousandth of the Muslim population) is that “in 1905 the community at Bombay ex ­ pressed its disapproval of any conver ­ sion to 2Soroastrianism being allowed at the time. This rigid attitude still per ­ sists, ” according to Parashar. Gifts&? The Friendly Gift Shop for handicrafts, festive gifts and Zoroastrian artefacts Bombay Swadeshi Stores Ltd ¦ f Sir P.M. Road, Bombay 400 001 Tel: 253443 & 2^2730 16 Parsiana September 1986I continued from page 8 tive village of Alsund in Sangli; com- three-volume Avesta in Devanagari plimentary issues of Parsiana still keep script which comprise his lifework, coming to the Sontakke home. Atop the library shelf was a sepia print Mr Sontakke replied to this Parsi of Zarathushtra. To the left, the largesse in kind: he ran Avestan lan- household gods were housed in a guage classes; he bequeathed 14 acres niche. of his ancestral property to the Parsis Prominently displayed was a por- for cultivating sandal and babul wood trait of the guru, Akkalkot Swami for their fire rites. The Bombay-based Maharaj, a sadhu who died in the Parsis refused this offer of land in far- 189O’s, a decade before Sontakke ’s away Sangli and the Vishwa Hindu birth. The latter had a mystical dream- Parishad now runs a non-sectarian dis- experience connected with this sadhu, pensary on that property. involving fire worship (agni puja). Each Zoroastrian New Year, Son- which led the scholarly Brahmin to the takke sent out a transliteration of an study of the Avesta. Avestan text in Devanagari script A notebook of his, . projected his accompanied by his own beautiful En- work on the l^dic Concordance of glish translation: “Grant unto me, O Eternal Values which aimed to show thou. Creator of the mother earth, wa- the unity of thought between Hindu- ters and vegetations, perfection and ism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism, immortality through Thy sublime spir- The Avestan word ‘yast’ went through it, O Mazda. Bestow strength unto my the Western analogy of ‘worship ’ or soul and renewal, through Vohu ‘sacrifice ’ and came out as the Sanskrit Mano, as revealed by Thy teachings. ‘puja.’ It was an etymology of oneness O Wonderful One, O Lord of Won- Sontakke was working on. His work ders, give us what is most wonderful, was no less than codifying human cul- life-giving. O Bright One, with Thy ture itself; he was ‘culturalising ’ man. brightness, give to Thy devotees No wonder his work is unfinished. plentiful wealth, brilliant with many The Vedic concepts of artha heroes. ” (wealth), kama (love), dharma (duty) Apparently, Sontakke ’s English was lead to moksha (liberation). It is only self-taught since, as a young boy in the > in doing his duty that the warrior of days of the Non-cooperation Move- the faith is liberated. ‘Have a son, till ment, he had tossed up an English • the earth, kill an enemy, ’ said education at Hubli in a British govern- Zarathushtra in the Gathas. Love and ment school to join the National Uni ­ wealth make their demands: Sontakke versity run by Indian freedom-fighter married, had a daughter. He worked Lokmanya Tilak. Sontakke ’s forte was at the Vedic Sanshodhan Mandal (re- translating, not only from one lan- search center) for 48 years. guage to another but between the Recognition and funds for Sontakke material and spiritual modes. were slow in coming. The President of I was led into his meditation room India honored him in 1980 for his scho- — a closet really. On the floor was a larship. The scroll with gold lettering lamp lit before the same deities and on white muslin hangs by his desk. The teachers as those in the living room former Governor of M^arashtra, Ali niche. I bowed to them. I looked up to Yavar Jung, was trying to interest the see a shelf full of maturing pickles. Shah of Iran in Sontakke, who needed The meditation-niche doubled as a not so much money as materials (Zend pantry. texts) to carry on his work. Ms Gan- Yasna 33.7 delineates a palpable, dhi ’s sanction of funds for Mr Sontak- personal deity: ke got lost somewhere, only to emerge “Come unto me O Supreme five years later, exactly six months af- In person and visibly O Mazda! ter Sontakke ’s death. O Asha and O Vohuman The Parsis of Bombay were suppor- So that I may be heard beyond tive: Lady Hirabai Jehangir visited the Brotherhood Mandal twice; Bapsy Pavri, Marchio- May it be made manifest among us ness of Winchester-and her brother. Our duties dedicated to Thee. ” the High Priest of Navsari, religiously This was the verse Sontakke was re- their library to the Mandal; the indust- Mantra when he breathed his last at rial house of Tatas, during a drought in the age of 82, in December, 85. 1981, repaired a well at Sontakke ’s na- hoshang merchant involving fire worship (agni pujd). I was led into his meditation room Yasna 33.7 delineates a palpable. visited Sadashiv Peth and bequeathed citing along with the Hindu Gayatri I 19 Parsiana September 1986 Cibaca Angular Deluxe Toothbrush 4^ H: !i li ‘?'s UL KA -T- 86 k cort®'® m. vAo ’f® « V Cibaca ; > Angular Deluxe KI Remember, all Cibaca W toothbrushes have safe ‘rounded bristle tips ’ that >1 > do not tear the gums. Ordinary bristle tips that tear the gums. •1 |iJ i any of th? following seven centers in Bombay, so even six lakhs out of the Bombay city: •Union Press, Homji Street,Fort, “Landslidewin...” Bombay city: 60-lakh slum dwellers would swamp us From a perusal of the report “Land- ’Union Press, Homji Street,Fort, into oblivion in less than a year, slide win for CER candidate ” {Par- Bombay 400001. Hence, for us the question is not siana, July 1986) it appears that there ’Mazdayasnie Monasterie, Mustafa whether to allow conversion or not, was trading in mudslinging by the lady Building, 2nd floor, Sir Pherozeshah but one of survival as Parsis - an ethnic candidates as well as their supporters Mehta Road, Bombay 400001. entity. The Zoroastrian religion will at the last Bombay Parsi Punchayet • Parsee Vegetarian and Temperance automatically survive if Parsis survive, trusteeship elections. Society, Noble Chambers, Ghoga No, thank you Dr Antia. Please The handsome lady, Ms Shirin Street, Bombay 400001. practice what you like in the USA and Wadia, had come to canvass my vote •Firoz Sukhadwala Shop, Opp leave us alone in India. and I had told her it would be a sheer Wadiaji Atash Bahram, Dhobitalao, capt r.j. katila waste of time and energy for her to run Bombay 400002. . . the race of candidature for the BPP *E. R. Sukhadwala Shop, Banaji Interesting insight trusteeship election. Ms Wadia is a be- Atash Bahram Compound, Charni Apart from the interesting insight Par- ~ ~ siana gives into your unique commun- Bombay ity, it also surprises me that there is so 400050. tnuch politics and intrigue in such a * Marzban J. Giara, 667, Dhunmai small community as yours! SUSHEEL SOMANI Society, Noble Chambers, Ghoga • Firoz Sukhadwala Shop, “Interesting insight’ neficiary residing in a flat at Khareghat Road, Bombay 400002. Colony. A Trustee cannot be a be- ‘Tata Agiary, Bandra, neficiary. Even if she had won, some Parsis would have gone to court to nul ­ lify her election. The lady insisted on Building, Lady Jehangir Road, Dadar, her candidature, adding that she would Bombay 400014. try, and if defeated, she would not be sorry. _ Ms Meher Master-Moos and her Of the 10 conditions laid down by the supporters cast unnecessary reflections King of Sanjan, Jadav Rana,before we on the character and suitability of can- (Parsis) were allowed to disembark, didature of Ms Wadia. Our present one was: “We will not convert any of generation of Parsis seem to think that his subjects nor will we accept in our only university degree holders are religion anyone even volunteering at qualified for candidature at BPP trus ­ teeship elections. I have not even com ­ pleted ^my middle school education. MARZBAN J.GIARA The Argument for... his own free will to be converted. ” It is this condition we still uphold , if even subconsciously, as we wish to but would invite persons to exchange maintain our ethnicity as Parsis. I see views on many subjects with me. It is nothing wrong in doing so as 1 am therefore necessary that in future a always proud to be a Parsi. candidate and his or her supporters do not exhibit such undesirable tactics to ­ wards their opponents and act without losing their ethnic identity and the malice. R.n. rustomji Shahnamah — Volume II Dr Bahman S.Surti ’s Shahnamah of of yore to fathom whether conversion Firdaosi in English prose received such was an in-thing in ancient Iran or not, an enthusiastic response that all copies does not arise. Our ethnic identity will of Volume I were sold out in two not be salvaged by converting people, months. To meet the popular demand, Volume I - f---- Kaikaaoos —has been reprinted.There are 188 pages with 16 illustrations and nian groups migrated. Thanks to the the price is Rs 55 inclusive of plastic King of Sanjan and his condition not jacket. to convert, we still survive. The other Volume II - the story of Siaavoush two Iranian groups disappeared. One and Kaikhusrav in 310 pages with col- migrated to China and the other to or illustrations - is ready; priced at Rs Europe. If our forefathers survived 75 inclusive of plastic jacket. and brought us thus far, we shall sur- Outstation orders may be sent to Mr vive yet a millennium more in India. Marzban J. Giara with account payee We don ’t want these emigrants to tell cheque or demand draft in favor of us what to do. “Central Bank Of India - A/c Shahna ­ mah Book. ” Please add Rs 10 per che ­ que as bank charges and Rs 12 per doors. The first people to line up to t^ume as postage. Both the volumes are available from It is those Parsis who have migrated to the West who are in acute fear of TLoroastrian religion and feel that it will disappear in a generation or two. The question of quoting various books ', On the contrary it will be totally sub- from ’kayumars to merged. Thirteen centuries ago, three Ira- Coaching assistance Parsi Punchayet, Bombay, invites applications from Parsi students who have appeared for the S.S.C. Examination in 1986 and have se ­ cured at least 70 percent marks in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology for being fully assisted, on merit, by way of fees for training at coaching classes. The object is to help them secure sufficiently high marks m the abovementioned sub ­ jects in Std XII examinations for entry into medical and engineering degree colleges. Application forms can be collected from Mr A.D. Sar- kari, Parsi Punchayet Office, Sir J.J. School Building, 209, Dr D.N. Road, Fort, Bombay 400001. Last date for receiving application forms, duly filled in, is October 31, 1986. I can also foresee who the new con ­ verts in India will be if we open the convert will be the slum dwellers. We Parsis hardly number 60,000 in Primary teacher required THE BAI A.F. PETITGIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL 14 Pali Hill, Bandra, Bombay 400050 requires a trained teacher forStdsl-IV Apply immediately with testimonials 20 Parsiana September 1986I COMMENT The retreat from Nargol I Once a Parsi stronghold, Nargol today is largely used as a vacation spot by those with ancestral property. Niioofer j. Madon Standing there on the long stretch of invited us graciously to her more than School), with Marazban Khandhiar, beach, the sun beating down, the wa- 100-year-old home, showing us on the the managing trustee. ter lapping softly round one ’s feet, I way, the beautiful Poonjiaji Dar-e- The next day, seated in the office of felt at peace. In the distance, a dog ran Mehr looked after by Ervad Parvez Takhurbhai N. Bhandari, the principal into the water a^^d raced the waves out Panthaky whose family has served this of the Tata-Wadia High School, Fata- only to roll ordo the sand playfully, agiary for three generations. Gul ’s kia distinguished the Nargol Parsee happy with himself and his world. bungalow is a huge four storeyed Association from the Nargol Parsee If you want to find solitude, visit house, part of which she has inherited Zarthosti Anjuman. The Association Nargol, the seaside fishing village in and where she and her husband Sam, looks after the various Parsi founded Gujarat. Once a Parsi stronghold, plan to spend their retirement. Gul ’s educational institutes in Nargol - the Nargol is full of old Parsi bungalows, sister from Surat who is also with Tata-Wadia High School with its ad- most of them in a sad state of disrepair them, weaves a kusti as she usually joining Tata Hospital used more as a - lovely homes, locked up for years does for the family. Though the Kan- dispensary. The Rustom Taleyarkhan and unattended, making easy prey for gas are renovating their house by in- Fine Art Institute, The Rustom marauders and thieves - some so fra- stalling electricity and gas, the water Taleyarkhan Drawing Teachers ’ Col- gile that the windows have to be held still has to be brought from the com- lege and the Hirabai Tata Technical up with cardboard and boards of pound well. Institute, the firsWechnical institute in wood. Later at Panthaky ’s home where Gujarat. The Association also runs a Walk down the main street of Nar- there seemed to be the usual evening guest house and the hostels that they gol and you ’ll find a row of shops get-together of friends, everyone have built for both boys and girls which seem to stock any and every- agreed in one voice that the best per- studying in their institutes. thing to meet your fancy - at a price, son to talk to regarding the history of Actually^ most of the institutes in of course. On the left are houses, a Nargol would be “Dadiba. ” Dadiba Nargol were built by the Zoroastrians quaint, slumbering post office and the Fatakia, a thin, tali man with a topi for their community. Today they are Sohrab Bharucha Library, which firmly positioned atop his head, is the all cosmopolitan, with only one Parsi though closed for the afternoon, opens president of the Nargol Parsee Asso- girl studying there. However the its folding doors to all and sundry after ciation. He was finally found taking an schools are flourishing because'the four. Activity on one side; antiquity on evening stroll in the vast conqxjund of population of Nargol as a whole is on the other. the Tata-Wadia High School (actually the increase. The Tata-Wadia School The marketplace is itself a sort of known as The N.M. Wadia HighSchool has more than 300 students on its rolls, pucca hall where every Thursday peo- and The Bai Hirabai J.N. Tata Middle and the vocational institutes are well- pie come to sell their wares and stock up for the rest of the week. It is also the day for social get-togethers, where girls and boys, dressed in their best, try to attract each other ’s attention with elaborately loud talk, graceful gestures and daring antics! A hum of activity abounds, mixed with the smell of raw vegetables, a constant taste of dust in your mouth. It was amidst all this activity, in fact, that I met Gul Kanga, a middle-aged woman dressed in a bright red printed dress, bargaining quietly for the veget ­ ables she was buying. Though being a stranger to her, with an even stranger request to find out more about Zoroastrians living in Nargol, Kanga Poonjiaji Dar-e-Meher at Nargol 21 Parsiana September 19861 J i ! h! 5 'I i! !! i ! I Though most of the institutes in Nargol were built by the Zoroastrians, today they are all put to cosmopolitan use. MlBi fl I It THERUSTBMTHtWfiRKHftN FISEIliitl®S>& 1' i BBIbIW sIS^Bb I tt< I? VW ! Jbl • ¦ » llUWIl -• ¦SW S Top left: Tata-Wadia School. Top right: Nargol’s sanatorium on the beach. Alongside (from left): Fatakia, Khandhiar, Vithalbhai Bhandari, principal of the Textile Institute and Karbhari. Above: Kanga and her sister on the verandah of their ancestral home. L government acts passed in the short expanse of beach only adds to Nargol ’s H period of five years - the nationaliza- many temptations. Therefore a new I tion of transport, Prohibition in Gu- wing is being added to one of the B jar at and the passing of the land ceiling beach bungalows owned by some Par- I and tenancy acts - the Parsis were dep- sis from where children and adults rived of their traditional occupations alike run down the beach to fall into known and well-attended by students and had perforce to migrate to the the waters, tyres securely round their throughout Gujarat. cities in search of jobs. As a result, waists. Everything else built by the On the other hand , the Nargol there are only 50 Parsis in Nargol to- Parsis are used in full measure only by Parsee Zarthosti Anjuman looks after day. the local people of Nargol. the Dar-e-Mehr and the 20 acres of Nargol has refused to join the Fed- Waiting in the bus at the Nargol bus dokhma land jointly used by Nargol eration of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans station for people ambling down the and Saronda, a nearby village. There of India because “nothing concrete road, in no seeming hurry to catch the is also the Nargol Jashan Committee has been done there... Manas ne pet bus that goes to the Sanjan station, I which helps in the funeral rites and no thikano nai hoi tau (If a man can ’t see once again the doors of the Sohrab conducts the annual ghambars of the feed himself then)... ’’ trails off Fata-- Bharucha Library fold back to reveal Anjuman. kia, who adds that today there are an old Parsi gentleman engrossed in Not knowing much of the history of mostly old Parsis in Nargol who need his newspaper. A young Gujarati boy the Nargol Parsis- - “Peti maathi bad- to be looked after; giving monetary seeing the doors opening, hurries dhu kaharvu parse” (everything will help every month is not going to solve across the road and eagerly settles have to be taken out from the trunk), ” their problems. down with a magazine which he quick- - Fatakia recalled that Parsis were ori- Today, Nargol is used more as a ly flips through only to take up ginally agriculturists, liquor brewers holiday resort by the Parsis who have another, unconsciously summing up and transporters, but because of three ancestral properties there and the vast the Parsi situation in Nargol today. Nargol has refused to join the Fed- Today, Nargol is used more as a ly flips 22 Parsiana September 1986 I