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¦WFebruary-March 1995
Volume 17 Number 7
EDITOR Jehangir R. Patel
MANAGING EDITOR Arnavaz S. Mama
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Parinaz M. Gandhi
SENIOR EDITOR Dina K. Mehta
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Roxana A. Driver
DESIGN Kranti M. Shilotri,
Varghese W. Fernandez. Jayshree Ghosh
MARKETING DIRECTOR Veera Patel
ADVERTISING MANAGER Zarin Mistry
ADVERTISING EXECUTIVES
Niloufer Panthaky, Susan Joseph
FINANCE B. L. Arora
EDP Rohinton E. Daroga
ADMINISTRATION R. S. Pingle
MANAGEMENT Jasmine Driver
DTP Bakhtavar R. Batliwalla, K. P. Ravi
SUBSCRIPTION/CIRCULATION
Khurshid Panthaki, Bindu Pillai
ACCOUNTS Anagha Korde
OFFICE Smitha Nair, Swarupa Kamat
OFFICE ASSISTANTS Umesh Poojary,
Selvan Mark, Sunil Sakhare, Pramod Patil,
Govind Salgaonkar, Mahipat Jadhav
2 Readers’ Forum
18 Events and Personalities
28 Zoroastrians Abroad
40 Poona Panchayat politics by Arnavaz Mama
57 The Bombay Punchayet’s priorities
60 Calcutta’s ‘no’ to navjotes
69 ParsI wedding songs by Adi Doctor
86 Acceptance for the enlightened by Ali Jafarey
90 The Diary of Zeus Chinoy by Berjis Desai
92 The Petit Parsee General Hospital’s New Jokhi Wing
102 Understanding our history by Shahin Bekhradnia
112 Rediscovering one’s roots by Arnavaz Chubb
s
Parsiana is published by Jehangir R. Patel
for Parsiana Publications Pvt Ltd at C/o H. L.
Rochat, Navsari Chambers, ground floor,
39 A. K. Nayak Marg, Fort, Bombay 400001
and printed by him at Kaiser-E-Hind Pvt Ltd,
300 Perin Nariman Street, Bombay 400001.
Color processing. Comart Lithographers;
black and white processing Samir Scantech.
All rights reserved. ISSN: 0971-3786.
Phone: 2048730 Fax: 2042922. For editorial
enquiries 2048183. Tlx: 11-8571G RABO IN.
For subscription enquiries and payments:
C/o Kaiser-E-Hind Pvt Ltd, 300 Perin Nariman St
(Behind Reserve Bank of India), Bombay 400001;
Phone: 2658619, 2665661.
Annual inland subscription for one year
(to issues) Rs 150; for two years (20 issues)
Rs 275. Foreign subscription rates: Seamail for
one year Rs 375/US $ 14/UK £ 9; for two
years Rs 600/US $ 22/UK E 15 (pleese allow
six months or more for delivery frorr, the time
of publication). Airmail for one year
Rs 625/US $23/UK E 15 (for Pakistan,
Indian Rs 350); for two years, Rs 1,150/US $ 40/
UK £ 27 (for Pakistan, Indian Rs 650).
For Indian upcountry cheques add Rs 10 for
bank charges; for US cheques add $ 5;
for UK cheques add £ 3. Cheques and drafts
are to be drawn in favor of Parsiana and posted
to GPO Box 892, Bombay 400001.
114 Belgaum’s Freny Nanji by Tushna Kotwal
118 When Iran reawakened to the Gathas by Hormazdiar Desai
124 In Memory of Poure Davoud by Ehsan Yarshater
129 Adwoman Roda Mehta by Homi Rogers
133 Mahrukh Kerawalla’s shoes by Abraham Mathai
138 The Return of Swabal by Sarosh Bana
144 Lucknowi cuisine by Bhicoo Manekshaw
158 Books
168 Milestones
181 In Memoriam
Cover: The B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital
Photograph by Varghese Fernandez
i
!
I
I
I
IREADERS' FORUM
dates gave eloquent testimony to their I
The article on The French Dastur ” has conferences organized by youths in other i
(Oxford) and shown as a curiosity to for
eigners!
changed outlook. Your reference to the
S
s
allowed Dr Sardesai ’s time-warp to regis
ter that Anquetil ’s/Ave^Za was published in
1771 when Boney would have been
actly one year and seven months old —
mite too early, we think, for a general even
ex-
a
parts of India also substantiate my convic
tion that they breathe a new spirit of adven
ture, enterprise and ambition.
As Ms Dolat Doongaji and Ms Roshan
Driver, respective principals of the New
of his genius to have mounted an Egyptian Activity and B JPC High Schools, will bear I
campaign! me out, Parsi students, particularly the girls, |
Of course Parsiana will be around in are doing extremely well at the ICSE and i
, 2024 (p 8, same issue) how else and who SSC examinations at which many of them ?
In; . gv>ing to channel our bluster and have scored distinction marks. In snorts I
Of course Parsiana will be around in
are doing extremely well at the ICSE and i
- »
else is going to channel our bluster and have scored distinction marks. In sports -
boloney, foibles and fantasies into our
J---------------«... J
jj-, community conscience? The real question journalist of Cusrow Baug, will give
: remains: will there be any Zoroastrianism <'
I,"** • --------------------wwdluvuiVIJ TTIIV
left to systematically explain to those Parsis, have excelled in various fields such as
and, if yes, will Parsiana at last take up
cudgels on its behalf?
f One thing we do learn about ourselves ____ _______
p from the printed contributions is that we eluding journalism and music, yield suffi
have an infinite capacity for analysing and ' ‘ -
statisticizing situations, real or imagined.
The other thing, which we never learn, is
that we have done nothing about them.
also Mr Baji Bharucha, the young sports r
; you (
' > J
dozens of names of Parsi competitors who
football, cricket, table tennis, etc. }
I personally believe that the perfbr- i
mances of Parsi youths in all spheres, in- !
Readers' views are welcome on any subject
of interest to the community and should ^rnavaz Mama replies
be sent to the Editor, Readers' Forum, lincorporatedDrSardesai ’scommentwith-
Parsiana, G.P.O. Box 892, Bombay 400001.
Letters are subject to editing for reasons of
space and clarity. Unsigned letters or those
without an address will not be published.
cient evidence of their bright future. But as S
the late Mr J. R. D. Tata said (quoted by Mr (
Rusi Lala in Beyond the Last Blue Moun- !
tain), “nothing can be achieved without }
FARROKH VAJIFDAR deep thought and hard work. ’* Parsi youths L
London, UK must be encouraged bv Parsi industrialists I
I.
H.
“Appreciation and appeal”
Further to my letter (“Appreciation and
appeal, ” Readers ’ Forum, Parsiana, No
vember 1994), I would like to add the
names of Navroze and Nina Eduljee whose
international money order for $ 50 was
received much later — on December 27,
1994. B.T. DASTUR
“James Darmesteter...”
How enterprising of Parsiana to devote its
November 1994 issue to The Future. What
wedidn t realize was that poor Anquetil du residing uncomfortably in crowded colo-
Perron would be retrospectively made its ' '
victim (“James Darmesteter, the French
Dastur, ” Parsiana, November 1994).
“Boney ” Napoleon ’s expedition to
Egypt was in 1798; Anquetil ’s to India, in
quest of the/Ivetta, was in 1754. The latter ___ ___________
had been made aware of the existence of clerical jobs in banks as of yore,
our sacred texts through tracings of some -
sheets of the Vendidad manuscript kept
chained to a wall of the Bodleian Library
must be encouraged by Parsi industrialists
to look forward to creative and promising
careers in their organizations. The BPP can
assist small scale enterprises among the
youths by not only providing initial finance,
preferably through the Small Scale Finan- ‘
cial Corporation, but also by furnishing
Mehta, Mr Minoo Shroff and others.
^o also our Parsi educationists like Dr
(Ms) Mehroo Bengalee should stimulate
Parsi youths to shed listlessness by instill
ing in them the spirit of enterprise and ?
. HOSHANG DOONGAJI 1
out checking on the dates. Thank you for
putting the facts straight.
“To think anew” ____ _ ___
You are absolutely correct in predicting schemes drawn up by experts like Dr F. A
that many of our fire-temples will be ex- - - --
tinct in the next 30 years — I would say
even 25 (“To think anew, ” Parsiana, No
vember ’94).
However, I have to differ from you on
one salient point. There is no apprehension adventurous activity.
of many of our housing colonies becoming
vacant. Persumably Godrej Baug may not “A Zoroastrian again”
its high rents; but there is no doubt that the
other colonies will be fully occupied, be
cause still there are hundreds of Parsis
have so much demand in future because of Being the head priest of the Bangalore
Parsee Zoroastrian Anjuman for over 50
years and a priest with strictly orthodox
views, established by religious dogmas and
customs, I come across many problems in
my day-to-day duties amongst the small
Parsi community of Bangalore. I therefore
took the opportunity of a visit to Bombay
last December to call on a few elders of our
community for advice and guidance on
2 Parsiana February-March 1995
I
i
nies like Chikalwadi.
I also wish that you had elaborated more
on the youth of our community. I perceive
an awakening or a ‘new thinking ’ among
them. Quite a few among them have be
come enterprising and are not seeking only religious matters. I called on Mr Jamshed
Guzder, president of the Bombay Parsi
At the farewell function of the Bombay Punchayet (BPP), Dastur (Dr) Jamasp I
Parsi Punchayet ’s last Holiday Programme Asa, Dastur (Dr) Firoze Kotwal and ‘
for Youth in Khareghat Colony, the candi- Dastur (Dr) Hormazdyar Mirza after
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4 Parsiana February-March 1995
question of Mr Wadia ’s so-called navjote ;
was discussed. Here there appeared to be a j
complete volte-face. The Dastur spoke very ’
highly of the nobility ofMr Wadia and the
making appointments with them.
I was very warmly received by Mr
Guzder. After some pleasantries, my first
question to Mr Guzder was why the body of
a lady married to a non-Parsi allowed
to beconsigned to our Towers of Silence.
To this he replied that he had acted as per
the resolution passed by a majority of five
to two by the trustees of the BPP. He further
stated that the dead body was consigned in
a particular dokhma, not in regular use, and
the Punchayet took no responsibility for the
performance of the obsequial ceremonies.
However, he said, some last rites were
performed by some priests. To this statement
I remarked that those priests might have
been influenced by money power.
My next question to Mr Guzder was
regarding the mockery of the navjote of Mr
Neville Wadia who was brought up as a
Christian. How can a Christian be con
verted to Zoroastrianism, which practice
was taboo in our religion? To this he replied
that permission for this special navjote was
given by our learned dasturs (“A Zoroastrian
again, ” Parsiana, October 1994). I then
brought up the subject of the letter addressed
by Mr Wadia to Mr Guzder, as president of fearless orthodox mobeds like me to act
the Punchayet, wherein he requested per
mission to take advantage of the Parsi in
stitutions in Bombay. A reply to this letter
has not yet been sent to Mr Wadia. Here I
emphatically told Mr Guzder, if permission generously of their time as well as mom
is granted to Mr Neville Wadia, a precedent for the good of the community. Are we nc.
will be set and this will create a problem for able to produce akabars today of a similar
me in Bangalore as well as to mobeds all
over India with views similar to mine. For
example, a family in Bangalore who had
openly renounced our Zoroastrian faith
some years ago may, in a forseeable future,
demand to take advantage of our religious
entire Wadia family, who have done so
much for our community charitywise. He
gave his opinion as to how the navjote can
be performed as he felt that Mr Wadia had
expressed his genuine desire to embrace the
Zoroastrian religion. Here I sadly said to
myself that our holy scriptures were over
looked, as an exceptional case for a wealthy
and highly placed individual.
After meeting Dastur (Dr) Kotwal, 1
called on Dastur (Dr) Mirza whom I found
tight-lipped and noncommittal regarding
the so-called navjote of Mr Wadia. We
talked about very old matters like the per
formance of navjotes of Parsi offsprings at
Vansda by the late Dastur Framroze Bode.
I returned to Bangalore with a sad and
heavy heart, with a strong feeling that our
present senior dasturs are unable or unwill
ing or spineless to guide our community
strictly according to our scriptures. Whom
are we to look forward to for guidance? It is
therefore imperative for straightforward and
according to our beliefs and conscience.
We revere the memory of the benevo
lent sethias of yesteryears, who acted as
true akabars of the community, donating
I
stature? Do we have to depend on akabars
who are willing to accept donations for the
Parsi community from non-Parsis, which
in actuality is nothing but “consideration ’
for services rendered?
I pray to Ahura Mazda that the commiti
institution in Bangalore. I am head priest of nity does not have to stoop to this form o(
Bangalore and will fight tooth and nail if begging or largesse for its existence,
this situation ever arises during my life
time.
With the short discussion I had with
Dastur (Dr) JamaspAsa, I gathered that he
was not in favor of any obsequial ceremo
nies being performed on Parsi ladies mar-
Ervad NADIRSHAH P. UNWALLi
Head Priest. Bangalore Parsee Zoroastrian Anjumat
‘Restoring our cemeteries”
Every few issues we have appeals fo
funds, for the upkeep of aramgahs (“Re
ried outside our community. Regarding the storing our cemeteries, ” Readers ’ Forum
so-called navjote of Mr Wadia the dastur Parsiana, October 1994)4okhmas, bungli
or closed dadgahs from which the sacra
a-
said that he had only endorsed the opinion
earlier given by Dastur (Dr) Kotwal in this
matter.
I had lengthy discussions with Dastur
(Dr) Firoze Kotwal. Regarding Parsi ladies money on the betterment of the living
married outside the community he still stood the peace of the dead.
by his earlier view that he was against the
performance of any religious last rites on
such ladies after their death. These ladies
cannot claim to be Zoroastrians after mar
rying outside our community. Then the
fire has long since been shifted.
Now, the question before the com mu
nity is, or should be, whether to spei,
To my mind, and I know I am treading
on sentiments, let us come to some proM
table solution about these immovable prcl
perties, spread all over India. The peopB
who should be looking after them havl
¦1
moved to greener pastures. So, P
should not these immovable, unused L
properties be converted into gar- 6
dens, parks, hostels, monuments and F
handed over to the municipalities of
that region, in memory of the Parsis
who once lived and prospered there? r
It will be good public relations — ¦
the Parsis ’ proverbial charity will i
be forever immortalized. Moreover, |
the future upkeep of these proper- r —
ties will be the responsibility of the Q » _
municipalities concerned.
The funds can then be utilized
for housing, scholarships, free food,
or any other need of the community
wherever they have congregrated
specially in Bombay.
Without public participation and care,
these immovable properties will be vandal
ized again and again and their looking after
become a recurring expense to the commu
nity. Or they may be just appropriated by have to be thought of so that they can be
hooligans.
Examples I can give are of the Jewish
Cemetry at Marine Lines, Bombay, which
is now a park where all people come for rest
and recreation. There is a Paisibawdi (well) “Pricstly talcs”
in Neemuch from where all people used to I read about Dastur Meherj irana and Dastur
fill water —now the land around it has been ____
enclosed with a park and water distributed Rogers (Books, Parsiana, April 1994) and Akbar might have heard about Mfcherjirana.
by pipes to some parts of the town. have some more information about Dastur So when Akbar held a meeting at Sikri to
B
iT^ V’
s.
Meherjirana for the readers of
Parsiana.
Dastur Meherjirana was a son of
Rana Jesang whose real name was
Hoshang. He was also an adopted
son of his uncle Ervad Vachha.
’ Though his date of birth is not
known, we know that his son was
Ervad Kekobadrana.
The first signature on a docu-
ment of 1566AD in which the priests
of Navsari agree to perform reli-
‘ gious ceremonies properly, is that
’¦>< of Dastur Meherjirana himself.
X. Again, a document of 1570, which
.. J bears the signature of Dastur
Meherjirana, confirms that no
priests should drink toddy when engaged in
the atash behram.
As chief dastur of Navsari he was well
known in the surrounding areas as well as in
Div and Iran. The behdins of Navsari pre
sented him a piece of land at Piplaiwadi in
1571. In a letter brought by Faredoon
Marzban from Iran to the Zoroastrians of
India the first addressee is Dastur Meher
jirana. When Emperor Akbar invaded Surat
in 1572 he came te^ Surat and camped at
Konkra Khadi. There is no record of a
Kookadaru in “Priestly tales ” by Homi meeting between Akbar and the Dastur but
~ -’”1s'!, I*
> f
AX
‘W
ft
i
7s;
5 1 ’
¦'3: '
*• - X ,
A
A
J
Meherjirana at Akbar’s court
¦ I
I'
i
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U:
Immovable properties, belonging to in
stitutions or individuals have become very
difficult to maintain. A rational policy will
used for the greater good of the greatest
number. , ,
Ms SOONU JAL
Neemuch
“Priestly tales’
t
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discuss aspects of different religions (1576-
79), Meheijirana was invited and he im- _____________ _ ___
pressed Akbar by explaining the Zarthoshti my knowledge the Parsi community has not
religion.
Meherjirana died on November 1,1591.
^n 1595, the 40th year of Akbar ’s rule, the should posthumously honor an outstanding
Meherjirana ’s son Kekobadrana. The doc- i "¦ *' _____
uments also reveal that before that 200 Sabavala should take the lead,
bighas of land had been presented to Dastur bhikhaji m. adenwalla
Meherjirana by Akbar at Arli, three km
west of Navsari. Dr kersi bilimoria
Bilimora
Even at that time he was a most efficient T
artist and used to do a lot of paintings. To Parsiana is read by both young and old
Dubai, London, Canada and USA that
done anything to honor him. ”
I agree with Mr Aga that our community
Emperor presented 100 bighas of land to artist like the late Pithawalla. In this, emf
with great interest and enthusiasm.
I only wish that your magazine does not '
encourage too many controversies. Be
cause of my experience of 50 years, I have
noticed that controversies divide the
nent persons like Mr Aga and Mr Jehangir communtiy and do not unite it. I rather
hope to see more scholarly articles about
our religion, culture and history as were
published during the first eight to 10 years. ¦
Also, I would suggest that you should
not forget Karachi and Pakistan. Karachi
comes next to Bombay in importance for
here, too, we have a sizable community
and you should print more news about
Karachi, since quite a number of Karachi L
Parsis have migrated to all parts of the f
world, and they would like to get Karachi *,
khabar.
May Ahura Mazda give you strength,
vigor and endurance to work with a cheer
ful heart and a resolute will all your life!
Amen. I wish you all the success you so
well deserve during the next 30 years and
beyond. Hazaran hazar afrin bad\
Ervad GODREJ D. SIDHWA
Karachi
Into the Future
Our racial heritage, our temperament and
the vicissitudes of time have built our
communal characteristics. We Parsi Zoro-
astrians take life cheerfully and strive to
make the most of it. Our culture is exotic,
receptive and imitative. The virtue of char-
“Tell us about Pithawala”
In response to my letter, under the above
caption, published in your esteemed jour
nal ofOctober 1994,1 have received a letter _ __
dated November 30, 1994, care of your ity preached by our holy Prophet Zara-
address, from the well-known architect, Mr thushtra has been built into the tissues of
Jamshed Burjor Aga, throwing light on the every individual, and has spread all over the
artist Sorab M. Pithawalla.
I quote below a few extracts from Mr
Aga ’a letter:
“I have to state that Sohrab is no more _________
but to the best of my knowledge is survived community .
I congratulate the monthly publication
world.
Parsiana has played a very active part
in this process and contributed its share to
the cultural and religious heritage of our
by his wife who is a social worker and, I ___1__ J______2/. _______
possibly, by a daughter. Mr Pithawalla and of Parsiana for completing 30 years ’ ser-
I studied together over 50 years back in Sir vice to the community and I am sure it will
J. J. School of Art (architectural section) complete another 30 years with the same
zeal and devotion. It was heartening to I think all of us know more orless about
and I think that we passed out together in
1937 as diploma holders in architecture.
Whithei; Parsianal
oiiu uouiiuii. 11 was iiciu iciung lo 1 uiinK ail 01 US Know more or less about ouf ,
know during my various lecture-tours to past history and if not, we can go and read!
With the compliments of
RASHID KHODADAD & COMPANY
1 - Gen Thimayya Road (East Street), Poona 411001
Tel: 640529/656246
8 Parsiana February-March 1995
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the history that the late Rashid Shahmardon
and I have published in Persian magazines
and books for the last 40 years. But you
Parsis who have been compulsorily away
from Iran, the birth place of Zoroaster,
know Gujarati, Urdu, Hindi, Marathi, En
glish and other local languages better than
Farsi. So is it not better to have our Farsi
writings and articles translated by some
Farsi language scholars so that you could
get informed about your ancestors?
We are familiar with the present Zoro
astrian position and status but we have to
act in such a way that a Zoroastrian in any
part of the world knows the needs of his
brothers and sisters at the other end of the
world. The information each newspaper
and magazine obtains from here and there
leads automatically to a knowledge of the
conditions of our co-religionists and their
whereabouts, including those who have
prestige and position, and hence the possi
bility of guiding and helping other less
fortunate Zoroastrians. Zoroastrians at all
levels will build our community into the
future — specially the youths — and we
have to lead them the right way and prevent
them from erring and being misled, keep
them away from the minds and thoughts of
bandits!
If you intend to have more Iranian sub
scribers and more readers, please try to
have some pages of your publication in
Farsi as do Pak-e-Mehr and Pak-e-Kankash
magazines published respectively in Canada
and USA. These publications are Farsi
publications, yet they have some pages in
English for the interest of other readers. I
also emphasize and recommend that you
have Farsi historical, cultural and religious
writings translated into English to increase
your readership.
Mobed (Dr) JEHANGIR OSHIDAKI
Adoption among Parsis
It is a misnomer amongst Parsis that a Parsi
can adopt a child: adoption is unknown to
Parsis. If at all a child is adopted, it does not
inherit the estate of the adoptive parent.s as
a matter of right, but only through the
instrumentality of a will.
In the case of Jehangir vs Kaikhushru
reported in ILR 39 BOM 296 (PC) a claim
as a “son ” was made by a palak son under
the will of a Parsi, but his claim was
negated. The case went up to the Privy
Council and the question was raised whether
such apalak could inherit under a will. But
their lordships decided the case on other
points and observed that however interesting
the question, it was not necessary for them
to pronounce any opinion on it.
Tehran
Gallery
Chemould
Jehangir Art Gallery
1st Floor
M. G. Road
Bombay 400023
Tel: 2844365, 2833640
Fax: 2836058
f
i
• Contemporary
paintings in oil,
acrylic and
water-colours
*
Etchings,
wood-cuts,
lino-cuts and
lithographs
*
I
s
I
Custom-framing
in attractive
Chemould Frames
*
Restoration of
old and damaged
paintings
i
f
10 Parsiana February-March 1995
- f »In the Kersaji vs Kaikhushru case re
ported in 31 BOM LR it was observed that
although in Baroda State the custom of glorious past, a perilous present and a dim They are fast learning their own lessons in
adoption prevailed, such a custom could future. h.n. vakil survival tactics. Are we then not capable of
not be recognized in British India in respect , constituting a global Zoroastrian body
of succession to immovable property. SaVC OUT (Parsi) SOllls (think tank), with representatives of all
shades of views from these countries, to
work out the ways and means of surviving
ans are now convinced that demographically through the next century with our Zoroas-
our days are numbered and that the demon
tions to produce great men or whether they America, the UK, Pakistan, Australia, the
will become a decadent community with a Middle East, Hongkong and (soon) China.
future. H. N. VAKIL
Save our (Parsi) souls
Parsis have largely contributed to the Irrespective of our divergent leanings on
progress of the nation. This microscopic scriptural matters, all of us Parsi Zoroastri-
community has produced world renowned
personalities in the last 100 years.
Unfortunately, the population of Parsis of death is staring us in the face. If we
is dwindling day by day and it is becoming
a dying community. To preserve the popu
lation the government should immediately the demon will only have our history to
pass a legislation in Parliament to allow
Zoroastrian Parsis to adopt a Zoroastrian
Parsichild.lt should clearly ban or prohibit proved to be mere paper tigers and could
the adoption of a non-Parsi child.
For example, under the Hindu Adop
tions and Maintenance Act, 1956 even a
bachelor or unmarried female Hindu can
adopt a child. A corresponding right should the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) is bliss- imbecility to argue that they are only man-
be given to a Parsi bachelor or unmarried fully concerned only with housing the agers of trust funds. If there are no Parsis
female to adopt a child. (doubtfully) poor of the community and left in the next few decades, who will be the
By such proposed legislation the adopted settling their (personal) scores, and the managers and who will be the beneficiaries
child will get all the rights that an adopted Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of such trusts? They both must change their
child gets under the Hindu Law and the rich of India is concerned with small-town sta-
tradition and heritage of the Parsis will be bility and salvaging derelict properties from
preserved in the country.
It is for the present generation of Parsis
to think whether they will create condi-
trian identity intact? Can we not include
therein our Iranian brothers and sisters
who, no doubt, are better able to survive continue our lackadaisical communal atti
tudes and leadership, in the next few decades because of their regenerating capacity and
liberal views, and can therefore teach us a
stare at, with a smile of glee and sarcasm, thing or two on survival?
that the scions of such a noble Prophet I have said this before but will repeat
that this objective of survival should be
not save even their own souls while fanta- made the primary responsibility of the BPP
sizing about a perfecting world order!
I ask you, Mr Editor, where are our
leaders and where are their followers? If and are globally recognized as such. It is
jointly with the Federation, as they consti
tute our primary and traditional leadership
constitutions and election mandates so as
to effectively assume global leadership
responsibilities, and democratically consti
tute this think tank jointly with our ffag-
encroachers, who is going to be concerned
with saving our Parsi souls?
Parsis are alive and kicking in North mented global comipunities, including
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12 Parsiana February-March 1995
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Telegrams: "MANUSCRIPT'
therein scholars and clergy. Otherwise all
these communities may tend to evolve in
their own way, and leave behind a legacy of
total bankruptcy for future historians who
will research the causes of our inertia.
Pending the information from such a
think tank, we should start with some
drastic socio-religious reforms as appro
priate to stem this slide into oblivion. Our
orthodoxy, and its associate leaders and
sects responsible for this debacle, have so
stretched themselves on a limb, after a
century of negative attitudes, that now that
the chickens have come home to roost they
have lost all credibility in a vanishing
community. Historically, this collapse of
the community will squarely rest on their
shoulders, as also on our tradition-bound
clergymen who only now, at this late hour,
appear to be relenting to retrieve lost ground.
I urge that now this matter be dealt with
seriously and expeditiously. Once formed,
this global Zoroastrian think tank will have
five major issues to resolve, each hope
fully by a separate international represen
tative committee which will:
•Conduct scientific research into the his
torical causes responsible for our spiritual
degeneration and demographic annihila
tion;
•Isolate and emphasize the positive factors
for our future restoration and totally reject
the negative aspects;
•Draw up a balance sheet of the assets or
potentials we can muster and the dead
weight liabilities that we can no longer
carry (This may need a careful review of
all our community institutions, with astrong
bias in favor of our need to survive world
wide);
•Look carefully and deeply into the future
to decide what changes in the socio-reli
gious norms of the community must be
introduced to harmonize with rapid global
changes, and how our available assets can
best be deployed to promote such changes;
•Draw up a global Zoroastrian project for
survival which must be implicitly carried
out by Zoroastrians everywhere, without
unnecessary chatter, arguments or diver
sion.
Every alternate year we must then sci
entifically assess the progress made to
wards survival and,if necessary, readjust
our priorities.
If such an inclination does not exist
within the BPP and Federation bodies, then
let our social and business leaders like the
Wadias and Palkhivalas be persuaded by
the BPP to assume this noble responsibility
and initiate our revival in a businesslike
manner. If even that is not done, then all
Wanted
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14 Parsiana February-March 1995
¦our fragmented community groups the
world over will, I fear, independently evolve
into the shape and form viewed by them as
pertinent to their individual survival, with a
modicum of cultural and religiou.s identity.
If there are some better ideas, please let
us hear from your learned readers and, if
necessary, modify the above drill.
HOMI B MINOCHERHOMJI
Toronto
Dharamshala expansion
The Mengusi Dharamshala of the Delhi
Parsi Anjuman (DPA) was established in
1950 and the Kaikhushru Pallonji Katrak mb—
Dar-e-Meher in 1961. Both these institu-
tions continue as a meeting point for the
Zoroastrians of Delhi and surrounding ar
eas.
Much before the establishment of these
two institutions, however, our forefathers
had the vision to establish a small plot of all having the same underlying message:
land as an aramgah which is still being that truth and honesty had to be upheld at all
costs, that success had no meaning if the
means used to achieve it were immoral.
maintained by the DPA.
The first grave in the old, now disused
graveyard behind the Dar-e-Meher dates Today, he remains a constant source of
back 103 years when some of the Zoroas- inspiration for the achievement of the same
trian settlers in Delhi hao come in a bullock goals: a role model.
cart from Aligarh/Hathras, which were But apart from this beautiful personal
then prosperous cotton trading centers in relationship, he will be remembered by his
patients who, on his passing, spoke of him
as “God ’s man, ’’ of his immense kindness,
and compassion for their vulnerability in
sickness. To the staff in the hospitals he was
courteous and polite, believing that this
achieved more than impatient, high-handed
and dictatorial behaviour. And to the poor
and needy he was one for whom the desire
to alleviate their suffering had become
almost an obsession.
He was a man loved by many but, above
all, respected by all. He died — as he had
lived, especially in his last years — gently
and peacefully. We, his wife Villoo and
immediate family, will forever love and
miss him deeply.
¦«
were
North India. The Parsis were working in
various cotton mills there.
In our endeavor to give better amenities
and facilities to our anjuman members, the
surrounding area has now been spruced up
by levelling 5,000 sq ft. This additional
land has been made available, equipped
with flood lights, for members to hold their
functions.
The facilities at the Dharamshala are
continuously upgraded and renovated from
time to time. Recently, thanks to a Zoroas
trian philanthropist, the entire electrical
wiring and fixtures of the agiary have been
renovated and the latest up-to-date equip
ment installed.
It is further proposed to increase the
facilities and rooms at the Dharamshala to
enable it to be of greater assistance to
fellow Zoroastrians. In this effort the DPA
would welcome donations as the Dharam
shala is used extensively by visitors not
only from India but from variou,s parts of
the world. dadi e . mistry
Vice President. Delhi Parsi Anjunian
Tribute to a father
Al the time of his demise on September 8,
1994, Dr Kawas N. Baria, 77, had retired
from his private practice and the hospitals
with which he was associated: St George ’s,
B. D. Petit Parsee General and Breach
Candy. A product of St Xavier ’s College
and G. T. Hospital from where he obtained
his MD degree, Baria faithfully gave of his
services to all sections of Bombay society,
irrespective of class or community.
We, his family as also his many patients
and friends, will remember him for his
integrity, his
strict adherence
to principles, his
impeccable
honesty. To me,
he was a beloved
father, a cher
ished compan
ion. My most
vivid memories
of childhood arc
of everyday ex
periences with
him, some poignant, others humorous, but
M
&
MsSHIREEN ISAL-BARIA
Edited by Arnavaz S, Mama
Always remember
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S Ketayun & Bomi
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Wellington Street
Bombay 400002
Tel No. 2069636, 2057242
Jamshedi Navroze
Mubarak and
Best Compliments
From
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Buying and Selling
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Contact; 4950936
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Ground Floor, Gamadia CIny
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1
I
17 Parsiana February-March 1995
I
*J
Events and
Personalities
Damania Airways sold
The rumors were flying as thick as the jets
over Santa Cruz airport. Damania Airways
was not doing well. An aircraft was being
impounded for non-payment of taxes.
Jehangir Damania, the company ’s joint
director and the chairman ’s cousin, was
resigning. The airline was
for sale.
According to one front
page newspaper headline
titled “Damania takeover to
be clinched soon? ” the Sin-
ghanias were to buy the
ailing airline.
Initially the airline ’s
chairman and managing di
rector, the dapper Pervez
Damania denied the airline
was for sale, stating in a press
release, “It is very much a
Damania group company. ”
However, by mid May, front page news
paper reports stated the airline had been Airlines
sold to the Madras based NEPC group
which also runs the NEPC Airlines.
Jehangir Damania, who was looking
after the financial matters of the Damania
group of companies, resigned from the
companies “in pursuit of better prospects, ”
according to Pervez ’s brother and director
Vispi Damania. “We acknowledge his ser
vices with gratitude and wish him all
success in his future endeavors, ” said
Vispi according to a news report in Mid-
Day (March 1, 1994).
In mid-December 1994 the Damania
group had extended its brand equity into subsidiary to undertake brokering in shares,
debentures, bonds and government securi
ties listed on the National Stock Exchange.
poses to expand the scale of operations and financial services. The Company also plans |
become an active player in the financial to enter the fee-based activity of offering|
- - • !
DCML has projected a total income of|
K
I
become an active player in the financial t
market, ” notes Business India (December advisory service to its clients.
5-18, 1994). The finance raised from the
public will be used by DCML to “strengthen Rs 23 crores for the first year of its opera-j
tions. The corresponding net profit is esti-i
mated at Rs 9.7 crores, with an earning perl
share of Rs 5.11. The level|
of investor confidence in the!
new Damania venture canf
be gauged by the fact thatr
firm allotments for 30.111
_ lakh shares have been made!
to NRIs/OBCs, Tourism Fi-I
nance Corporation of India,!
State Ba^k of Hyderabad
and CRB Associate Man
agement Co Ltd.
the capital base, augment the long-term
resources required to meet the needs of the
J
I
M
s*
.i'
/<¦
V’-PCiB
'Si ri
aji
issued by Ms Homai N. Modi, trustee are
“Competitors are requested to cove
¦outstanding contributions from social reformers like the late Mr
Maneckji Hataria, India, who did a tremendous lot for bringing
about religious awakening among the Zoroastrians of Iran; Arbab
Kaikhushru Shahrukh and Master Khudabaksh of Iran who did a lot
for religious awakening by starting religious classes and writing
small books; and Prof Aga Poure Davoud who devoted over half a
century of his life to the study of Avesta and the translation of the
holy Gathas and Yashts in Persian. Social reformers upto the Pahlavi
regime may only be covered, ” states an explanatory note.
The prizes will be awarded by an international panel of judges.
The first prize of Rs 25,000 is sponsored by the World Zarathushtrian
Trust Fund through the offices of the WZO; the second prize of Rs
20,000 is sponsored by the Zartoshty Brothers Charitable Founda
tion and the third prize of Rs 10,000 is sponsored by Babubhai Shah.
Essays must be submitted, by post or in person, on or before July 31,
1995 to the Joint Honorary Secretaries, K. R. Cama Oriental
Institute, 136 Bombay Samachar Marg, Opposite Lion Gate, Fort,
Bombay 400023. One or more consolation prizes may be recom
mended by the panel of judges.
Anyone is eligible to enter. The essays should be in English or
Persian and should not exceed 25 typed double spaced foolscap
pages. Contestants are required not to mention their name on any
page of the essay but to write it on a separate piece of paper. For
further details, participants should write to the KRCOI.
Parsi Pukar
“We, a band of few earnest workers, are comtemplating to publish
a fortnightly newsmagazine, which will express the views, beliefs,
feelings, opinion and sentiments of the large part of our community
generally called orthodox. ’ The news magazine will be named
Parsi Pukar.”
With these word.s the orthodox group of K. N. Dastoor, C M
Patel, Ms Pervin Mistry, B. K. Mistry, Noshir Dadrawala, Adi
Doctor and others circulated an eight page circular announcing the
launch of the newsmagazine “shortly. ”
¦ “The term ‘orthodox ’ means those faithful of the
religious way of life with all its
viz, sudreh kushti; manthra [ ___ ___ ____ u<7miiii
the rites and rituals; the stringent moral code prescribed by our holy
scriptures; and hoonakpashani—the preservation of the racial gene
by resisting conversion and mixed marriages, ” says the brochure
which was published with “a view to determining how far and how
much the orthodox of the
our venture. ”
In answer to the
leaflet states: “Orthodox
CROLl^REYNOLDS
TWO^TAGE VACCUM PUMPS
'V
'C
100
oc
X
•o'
S
20
community,
wno nave the earnest craving to preserve and protect the Parsi
components, tenets and traditions,
prayers; the divine atash; the dokhma;
community are prepared to back us up in
query ‘why an orthodox newsmagazine? ” the
organizations are in plenty; but they are
a burning desire to serve, and courage to stand against the yellow
journalistic attacks of the faithless.
“Time ha.s come when the community needs an orthodox weekly
or fortnightly newspaper or newsmagazine with a clean and honest
pohcy of preservation and protection of our way of life and our
religious tenets and traditions, which alone can avoid ourextinction ”
A policy statement in the brochure ,
cation will provide material, information and knowledge
common topics, the religion, rituals, Ilm-c-Khshnoom. The publi
cation also proposes to have a childrcn-,s column and will present
the Mahabharata
and other lore.s and legends. Those desirous of more information
. -------vF.gai.iiaiiuiif. die in plenty; out they are
disorganized and fail to rise to the occasions due to lack ofconviction,
courage to stand against the yellow
community needs an orthodox weekly
common topics, the religion, rituals, Ilm
state,s that the publi-
: on
-c-Khshnoom. The publi-
21 Parsiana February-March 1995
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580
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contr 5lsTt“ ......... ..........
*athlete Enj^ineer
Daruwala
r
same
(Top) Medora with his Parsi flap and
athlete Engineer
(Below) Coins between the 31st and 4()th
year of Akbar’s reign, Patel and sprinter
I
F'
t
j
should write to: Parsi Piikar, C/o K. N.
Dastoor, 4B, Dhun Apartments, 66, Worli
Hill, Bombay 400018.
The present orthodox organ Deen Paratt
IS a monthly edited by Dadrawala and
Doctor.
Medora’s Parsi flag
The Macedonians have their own flag, the
Israelis have theirs, why not the Parsis. ”
reasons 75-year-old Jehangir Medora, a Ca
nadian Zoroastrian of Indian origin, who has
designed “a Parsi flag for Parsistan, ” as per a
report in The Afternoon Despatch and Cou-
p?,'?.?: "O’ comkknities^
he centre of the flag on its golden strip.
Mp/lnro loU^ ___________ • . __
old record of 13.1 seconds.
Engineer followed up on heCwinning
cky Athletic Meet held on February S'
fl ’'"?’'?’ I’ll"- ran th ’^loo meVrs
picking up in the process, not only the top
nriTf* nf De ™tOMrk/vAj-] 4-1 ^‘‘
on four managed valiantly.
Was the title a take-off on Waiting for
Godotl we asked Mehta. “My title seemed
to give off a familiar ring when I chose it, ”
laughed Mehta, “but no. Waiting for Gopal
was not an adaptation of Samuel Beckett ’s;
title. Though in a sense, ” she went on-
tience... a kind of dogged waiting for...;
answers, for th? kind of certitude we all
the Philatelic Society of India, Paymaster need that there is someone out there whii
cares what happens to us. ”
She went on after a pause! “But in place
of the tramps in Beckett ’s play, mine fea?^
tures a child, Gopal. And where we adultt
fail, a child ’s f.aith can make the miraclt
has pledged to donate these stamps and
museum which the department of posts
proposes to set up at the Bombay GPO by
end- 1995. The museum, in addition to its
permanent hall, will have a gallery for happen. ”
-..K-t. r . . ¦ , so as tQ encourage
the hobby of stamp-collecting.
A further contribution of the community
to Mahapex came in the competitive class.
)
i
24 Parsiana February-March 1995
We learnt that Waiting for Gopal is basef
on a Bengali folktale which used to
Swami Vivekananda ’s favorite story in hit-
childhood. The narrative line is simpte
Sir ¦¦
¦¦I
al
*Gopal, a son of a poor Brahmin widow,
IS afraid to walk alone tlirough the dark
teeming forest which he must cross every discioline and
day to ge, to his school in the next village n" 1 “I'".’.'’"’ ‘be school
His mother assures him that his cowherd
brother, also called Gopal (one of Lord
Krkhna s names), will be with him on the
traih “You only have to call him. ” The
boy ’s faith condenses the blue god into
form, and Gopal trustingly walks the jungle
with his newfound ‘brother ’ every day.
At school, teacher Premadasa is a clever. Expansion for 7CU
tubby, avaricious man and on the anniver- " - ** lOr ZiCrS
sary of his father ’s death his pupils are
expected to bring expensive gifts for their
guru. Gopal ’s gift, a small pitcher of curds .zu. uu„uai reoort the
given 10 him by his forest companion, is al profils of R 27s3 iaih,
first scorned by the teacher and his wife - f
‘‘" “’dy discover that it cannot be depleted authorize'd ’ cap'ital tom
eLiid P lOOIakhs.bv.-i™ ’/™™.
vliipiicci.
The astonished teacher and his wife set
out for fee forest with Gopal to find this
brother ’ who can ‘give in such inexhaus
tible measure. ’ But this time the cowherd
will not appear, though Gopal calls him
again and again. Furious, Premadasa has
just branded Gopal a liar, when :
heard; ‘For
brother, but your teacher has'ir.ar
to go before he can see my face. ’
We point out to Mehta that she I
introduced other elements in the simple
”®^iib7rs, a'gTrf^s^righuo^^el'diild^i^o^d^.' ’ tii'cM wi™!)”
I had to flesh out the tale ” explains in ha L' avenues
Mehta. We talk of the moving ’friendship memh^'"^'
between Gopal and Kabir And^the episode f r participa-
in which Gopal ’s father is evSed tom hk u’”” ‘"“oducing new
land and property by a UndlXZ? ! ato^we?' *' "
tiniized him because he refused to nive new b“X'’“Say^^^^^^
77 fulfilment of certain
H. R.
With such a huge cast Padamsee ’s main
problem, as Mehta saw it, was maintaining
lo call him. ”
--- gv/u IIIIU
rorm, and Gopal trustingly walks the jungle
could have been i----- ' —
ers could have been deployed during
hearsals to collect the children, set the scene
and maintain order, leaving Padamsee free
to make her creative choices. ” And she
added, “Working with children is a most
more supportive. “Teach-
re-
hearsals to collect the children, set the
to make her creative choices. ” And she
added, “Working with children is a most
challenging and rewarding experience. ”
bOi
A.t school, teacher Premadasa i
1 ¦¦
sary of his father ’s death his pupils
l^e Zoroastrian Co-operative Bank Limited
(ZCB) has turned in fine figures for the year
31, 1994. According to its
----- . posted
against Rs 27.81
------------ its
Rs 50 lakhs to Rs
67th anni^al report, the bank has
for^the year ’92-’93. ItTasXo doubled kc
100 lakhs, by a unanimous resolution passed
by Its members at a special general body
meeting held on April 8, 1994. The sub
scribed and paid-up capital of the ZCB also
doubled in the year under review from Rs
Happy
New Year
a voice is
you I am always here, little
------- -—3 many rounds
a special genera] body
^‘^’¦‘bed^and paid-up capital of the ZCB also
20.16 lakhs to Rs 41.74 lakhs. '
u aspire.s to raise its share-
as holdings by another Rs 33.27 lakhs bv
March 31, 1995 to reach Rs 75 lakhs the
amount prescribed by the Reserve Bank of
India to continue the Bank ’s licence to
carry out bookings under section 22 of the
bas Banking Regulation Act, 1949, notes the
ZCB chairman.
With the grant of licence under this
the ZCB will be able
LORD’S
CENTRAL
HOTEL
»
is evicted from his
1 who vic-
I to give
P^^Pcrty by a landlord
- - MVZIUOVU lU M]
false evidence against a Muslim tenant.
By introducing the character of Noo-
pur, ’ we ask Mehta, “haven ’t you given
Matheran 410102
I
norms of the Reserve Bank.
SPOTLIGHT
Ms Bachi Karkaria, editor of
: vent to your feminism? ”
Mehta is up in arms. “One doesn ’t have
0 be a trendy feminist to speak up about
the trauma of cancelled childhood C
is achild bride, awaiting with drpnHfCi"' ‘^^rauay i imes, has
a,OU, suangei, her Sna -----------------
Ukc her away from her parents ’ home ” hlcej c a by lhe Honolulu
What did Mehta think of the sehooi '’“'‘"^"'"^“f'heEast-WestCentre-in
production of the play? “There was a “™P''“aive, powerful
wealth of Ulent on stage," she said. “Some and ridu ” “ AIDS
s7o “'a)L “™d
j markable as Gopal and his mother /
i teaser ’s garrulous wife (whose tongue
I
Telephongs
Matheran - 021483-228
Bombay - 3867776
xr.a uduii ivarkaria, editor of The Me-
(MOS) and the bi-
----- 1 conferred
Fund Achieve-
Noopur weekly Bombay Times, has been
I rr"»r» z-l w * xi_ ** c _
come to
parents ’ home. ”
' school
.. - » y ¦ was a
wealth of talent on stage, ” she said. “Some
are natural actors. Sadiq
i were re-
---------- As the
i wiici,wnose tongue runs
I on hkeDraupadi ’ssari ’) Radhi Mehta did
I very well. And Akshay Halwe made a che-
ninlP n Ia m
rubic Krishna. ”
jZ? Parsiana February-March 1995
— in
I
and the diversity ofher interest in
, notes a write-up in
the Indian Express of December 9, ’94.
Prof Nowshir JungalwaUa is a nominee for
the Ainerican Biographical Institute ’s Man
contribution to
public health, informs
a press release.
Ife
IZOROASTRIANS ABROAD
ICS scholarships
The International College, Spain (ICS), a
picturesque institution 10 km north of
Madrid, “is rated as one of the best English lism? Religious
medium schools in Europe and also one of
the most expensive, ” notes Dr Dinyar
Pestonjee, professor of organizational be
havior at the Indian Institute of Manage
ment in Ahmedabad, in a letter toParsiana.
Pestonjee has written to Jamshed
Guzder, Bombay Parsi Punchayet chair
man, and to Parsiana, enclosing a letter
from ICS founder Manouchehr Farhangi,
offering scholarships to two young Zoro
astrians -
13 and 16 years. The candidates should
have very good levels in English, maths
and science, stipulates Farhangi . The schol
arships will include boarding costs in the
school and will cover up to grade 12,
provided the students behave well and
maintain their academic performance.
Pestonjee further notes that Farhangi is
willing to provide his knowhow for the
establishment of a non-sectarian interna
tional school and is keen to launch a foun
dation for ancient Iranian/Zoroastrian cul
tures to be managed by scholars. Accord
ing to Pestonjee, Farhangi has already I wish thcic
identified 14 scholars from Europe and - .........
elsewhere who are doing good work on
Zoroastrian culture. His aim, it is said, is to
build linkages with Zoroastrians in
Hongkong and the countries ot the erst
while USSR as also to get information
about Indian research on Zoroastrianism.
Writing in the 10th anniversary souve
nir of the ICS in 1990 Farhangi had ex
plained the motivation behind the estab
lishment of the school: “(I) had olten won
dered what particular factors motivated
Sahakian (top),
Anoushiravani (left)
and Farhangi and tht
ICS Campus near
Madrid: Students
from “40 nations
study, talk and play
together "
International Baccalaureate Diploma and
Certificates.
Housed in a splendid modern building
with three hectares of landscaped campus,
the boarding and day school offers primary
and secondary education for children aged
three, upward to 18.
The faculty of the ICS comprises mul-^
tilingual international teachers directed by
sctive or our cuiuij>, ut™., an independent board of 'rustees chairet
cultures I believe that the by Farhangi. There are no religious ot
other affiliations. Its facilities include fouf
laboratories for biology, chemistry, phys
ics and general science, a computer centet
art and drama studios, a music hall, f
library, an indoor gymnasium, a self-ser
vice cafeteria and dining room, apart fron
the general classrooms. Basketball, vol
nations to go to wars which decimated
millions of innocent people and devas
tated whole nations. Was it fanatic nationa-
~ ¦ ¦ ¦ i differences? Racial
prejudice? Territorial ambitions?...
“I do not subscribe to the view that
human beings are naturally aggressive and
that violent conflicts are unavoidable. I
believe in the basic decency of human
beings irrespective of our colors, creeds,
countries or c-------- - -----
most effective way of eliminating con
flicts among individuals as well as nations
is for them to meet, to exchange views, to
bullUiaiauiMa tv uwv ------------- ,i_ 5 •
__a bov and a girl — aged between begin to understand one another s aspira
tions and to try and sympathize with one
another ’s problems. My own very small
contribution towards realizing this com
mon understanding is this international
school. Here you meet students from 40
other nations and study and talk and play
together and exchange views in an atmo
sphere of friendship... During the past 10
years I have never heard of a quarrel among
students, connected with racial or religious
or national differences.
“I hope we, in this school, are contri
buting to international understanding, and
were thousands more of such
schools as ours. ”
The school offers courses that lead to
the American College Board tests, the
International General Certificate of Sec
ondary Education, the International Col-
lege Spain Graduation Diploma and the
leyball, tennis, football and athletics c<
be enjoyed outdoors.
When a group of Iranians and ont
American left Iran in July 1980, they ds ‘
cided to set up a school for Iranian childrtt
who had been attending internation(
schools in Tehran, The Iranian goveri
ment had closed all foreign school!
notes Ms Hykondookht Sahakian in ti'
souvenir. When the school opened, ini
tially in Estepona on Spain ’s southed
coast, on October 1, 1980 there were (•
Iranian students and one American, I
full-time teachers, six part-time teachej.
and one copy of each text book which hfe
to be photocopied, recalls Sahakian. Bit*
she adds, “the school ran smooth|
|N!
,4’
Vc ¦
¦* j
Sri? 13
¦
28 Parsiana February-March 1995
*11*11
¦ •)a
routine and an academically sound base.
Now, who will be the lucky two Indian
Zoroastrians to benefit from Farhangi" s offer?
cease to synchronize even for the short
duration of four months.
FEZANA’s seventh AGM
The FEZANA annual general meeting pre
ceded the Ninth North American Zoroas
trian Congress in Philadelphia. With 17 of
its 21 member association.s represented,
Ms Dolly Dasloor of Montreal was voted
in as the Federation ’s second president.
Sarosh Contractor of Houston is the in
coming treasurer and Mehran Sepheri of
Northern California is assistant secretary,
as usual, on the eve of Jamshedi Navroze Minoo Treasurywalla and Ms Katayun
— new' year ’s day according to the Fasli Kapadia of Philadelphia continue as vice
president and secretary respectively. Out-
Each of the 12 months has a quoted going founder treasurer Framroze Patel
tribute from a scholar of Zoroastrianism or
some teaching from the scriptures.
During the four years 1992-95 Hormuzd
roj, had coincided with March 21 for all
WZO calendar
For more than ten ycar.s the World
Zoroastrian Organisation (WZO) has pub
lished its unifying Zoroastrian calendar for
all the three sects ol Faslis, Kadmis and
Shahenshahis. Providing the days and
months according to all the three reckon-
ing.s together with their Gregorian coun
terparts, the WZO calendar was delivered,
because of dedicated personnel and the
students. ”
J. V. Hutchinson, director of the ICS
(1983-S6) reeall.s the May 19S3 transfer of
the school to a bitterly cold Madrid. ‘¦ Three
serni-retired lorries brought all our worldly
belongings from Estepona to Madrid...
Fariborz Anoushiravani confronted
unique and magnificent central heating
apparatus whose spare parts were simply
no longer on the market and the building
workers drank brandy at regular intervals
to keep warm...
‘‘In early September 198.3 we all stood
outside to welcome 43 rather apprehensive
students. The conversion ol a startling dispensation,
building into a school which did not look
like a school — a staggering and successful
achievement with the exception of the
central heating apparatus and the dining
room door — in four months, was a great
factor in our eventual success, ” notes
Hutchinson ’s good-humored account of
initial problems and the spirit in which
they were circumvented or solved.
Those early adventures have since been
replaced by a thriving student body and a
1.
replaced by a thriving student body and a
qualified faculty. Field trips, drama, skiing been effected in this direction, the w'orld
and other activities depicted in the souve
nir reflect the changeover to a well-settled
was presented with a plaque in apprecia
tion of his eight years of dedicated service.
Although the census survey is yet to be
completed, a preliminiary analysis was
the three systems of reckoning. There had submitted by Ms AnahitaSidhwa. A sample
been hopes that the opportunity would be “
siczed by an enlightened community to
arrive at a single, unified system of cali
bration. Except for North America and comprising the largest segment of the popu-
Karachi where some tentative progress has
tbb ’ /Kr'ow..thwworld
Karachi where some tentative progress has
survey of 1,319 Zoroastrians revealed a
preponderance of males in the community
(51.7%), with those in the 20-40 age range
community has chosen to remain divided.
Next Jamshedi Navroz.e the calendars will
lation. Females have a slight edge below
the Jif.2 0 .and. g ver Jj^. .ape.of 60. ye^s
lation. Females have a slight edge below
the age of 20 and over the age of 60 years.
The funds and finance committee chair
man K. Harvesf has sent out a fund
4*
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A qualified and experienced General Manager for an
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an establishment since the last 20 years.
Candidates between 45-50 years, having general background of
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independent decisions and manage the whole group, need apply.
Compensation will be amongst the best in the Industry.
Ex-servicemen will also be considered.
Ap £^P.ti£teQ£^ Jp;
The Advertiser
Parsiana (Wanted)
GPO Box 892
Bombay 400001
30 Pars/ana February-March 1995M/s R. B.
Godiwalla
and Family
Wishes all
Parsi Patrons
A Very
Happy and
Prosperous
New Year
For the tastiest
food in town;
with moderate
rates too; none
to beat the
Godiwallas!
Just give us
your budget and
weTl fit you in.
Telephone Nos
3765842, 3762065
3765360
raising letter. Welfare, religious, student
aid, properties and general are proposed as
the five endowment accounts. Interest on
the corpus would be used for programs
under these heads. While the member
anjumans have agreed with the suggestion,
according to the FEZANA. Journal, they
have argued that the appointment of a fund
manager to monitor the funds, must pre
cede fund-raising. The urgent need for a
corpus was underlined by the welfare com
mittee chairman Kaemarz Dotiwalla as
more appeals were received than could be
met, as reports the Journal. One proposal
was the celebration of a community Zoro
astrian Unity Day by all the Federation ’s
member associations.
The Youth Helping Hands and Sports
Committees are being consolidated under
a single committee; Zoroastrian Youth of
North America. While the Zoroastrian
Association of California (ZAC), the Cali
fornia Zoroastrian Council (CZC) and the
Traditional Mazdayasni Zarthosti Anjuman
(TMZA) have cooperated in the drafting of
the new committee ’s terms of reference,
Mazda Antia and Jim Engineer of Chicago
are in the process of developing a strong
youth network. The 1995 Youth Congress
is being planned in San Francisco under
the combined auspices of the Persian Zo
roastrian Organization (PZO) and the Zo
roastrian Association of Northern Cali
fornia (ZANC).
FEZANA is now a recognized pub
lisher, having been allocated the ISSN and
ISBN numbers thanks to Dr Pallan
Ichaporia of the Research and Preservation
Committee. Ichaporia, who conducted field
research in Israel on the Dead Sea Scrolls,
urged FEZANA to launch a research jour
nal to publish such findings.
Information on a unified Zoroastrian
calendar was distributed by Dastoor, as per
the mandate of the 1993 AGM. Member
associations were urged to publicise the
same, hold discussions at the grass roots,
conduct a referendum and submit the re
sults to FEZANA.
Rohinton Rivetna chairs the council on
inter religious affairs with the aim of
increasing Zoroastrian involvement in
interfaith dialogue. He has also been asked
to pursue the aim of forming a World
Council of Federations and seek UN
recognition as a non-governmental
organization (NGO).
The first six months of 1994 witnessed
a shortfall of about $ 1,610 for theFEZAAA
Journal despite advertisement revenue and
small donations. The 64 page fall issue
notes that the goal of 80 percent paid
RATAN
SURVEYOR
&CO
Engineers,
Contractors
& R.C.C.
specialists
of repute
for over forty-five
years.
Arbitrator in
civil
engineering
disputes
I
fc
Piramal Mansion
Dr Dadabhoy Naoroji Road
Fort
Bombay 400001
I
!
Phone: 2619670
I
!
i
32 Parsiana February-March 1996(
I
subscriptions is still far away. LoCdl politics in London
The team of Ms Roshan Rivetna, Jim The London borough of Redbridge elected
Engineer, Adel Engineer and Dr Hooman Labour candidate Filly Maravala by a
Sotoodeh led by chairperson Dr Rustom thumping majority of 1,600 votes over his
Kevala give freely of their time and facili- closest Conservative rival last May, in
ties which include computers, fax and forms a letter to Parsiana. He has been
telelphones. It produces four issues a year allocated work on three committees in
with a wealth of information on activities, local government —that of social services,
studies and a cross section of opinions on
the continuing evolvement of the Zoroas
trian community in NA. Each issue has a
theme, announced well in advance, on
which interested readers may contribute.
The cover story thus reflects many shades City of London, Maravala was secretary
of opinion and a variety of aspects of the and house secretary of the Zoroastrian
central theme. In addition there is in-depth Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) between
news about FEZANA itself, several pages
reserved for the youth — their concerns,
ideas, opinions, etc — letters to the editor,
milestones and sundry news items of glo
bal interest.
education and of the management servi
ces committee of which he is vice-chair
man — during his current four-year term.
A communications analyst with an
American insurance company based in the
1986 and 1992, notes his biodata. Cur
rently invol
ved with the
New Premi
ses Commit
tee in fund-
raising for a
larger pro
perty to re
place the pre-
.. -Ji Zoroas-
trian House
in Compayne
* Gardens, Ma
ravala writes, “My dream is to see an
Worldwatch for the CNN
“Producing each story, setting up inter
views, talking with reporters, directing the
crew — all the details that go into the
making of a news story for a global TV
network ” is routine for Ms Parisa Khosravi , |
international assignments editor for the
CNN network in Atlanta, USA.
The Iran bom, Chicago and Paris edu- i
cated journalist has thrice been nominated established place of worship, preferably
for the Emmy Awards. Her 1992 nomina
tion for Famine in Africa had won her the
Robert F. Kennedy Foundation Award and with his wife Hutokshi, Maravala organizes
was shown at the New York Film Festival, ’ ' "
informs the FEZANA Journal (FJ).
Khosravi ’s seven-year tenure with CNN ________ __________ ____ _
has ^en her to major world events. She hailed from Navsari. Settled in the UK
since 1967, the Maravalas have two sons
and two daughters. Joining the British
Labour Party in 1985 Maravala became
secretary for the Loxford ward and then its
organizer, before he was elected vice presi
dent of the Ilford South Constituency of
the party. According to his biodata,
xxr 1 • ’• -------- -------- " ”1'“ v>’vxiikFVA^uv'iivy Ht
JU 19-hour days Khosravi the annual Labour Party conference in
------, ----J 1993 where he had the opportunity to
economic situation, the status of women in exchange views with the late John Smith,
anchorwoman Susan Rook for an interest
ing perspective as an Iranian woman jour
nalist, informs the FJ. Though Iranian
women are required to cover the body and of Redbridge,
hair, Khosravi found them working along
side the men as engineers, doctors (women
outnumber men in medical schools), sci
entists and teachers. There are nine female
legislators in the country and women drive,
vote and walk safely on the streets, reported residential roads, improved street
in 1979 just prior to the revolution.
I
an agiary, which would be the first of its
kind in the Western hemisphere. ” Along
musical functions and social evenings to
raise funds.
Aden-born Maravala ’s parents had
lived in Moscow for the six months leading
to the coup that undermined the integrity
of the Soviet Union, covered the environ
mental summit in Rio de Janeiro, the Gulf
War, the dismemberment of Yugoslavia,
the famine in Somalia...
A particularly poignant assignment was
Maravala represented his constituency
and her crew covered the election, the
Iran and was herself interviewed by
then party president.
Though Maravala ’s ward constitutes
8,500 people, his sphere of representation
is said to extend cover 234,000 constituents
His election manifesto stated he favored
“more nursery provisions in local schools,
lower charges for meals and home help for
the elderly and handicapped, traffic
management to ease all traffic problems in
, - & ----------------- .
• ,who had left Iran with her family cleansing, cleaner environment and lower
--------- rents for Council tenants. ”
35 Parsiana February-March 1995
With compliments
of
MOUNT VIEW
HOTEL
Main Road
Panchgani 412805
Tel: (02168) 40305
4«
MATRtMONIAL
Matrimonial alliance
Invited by parents of a
handsome Zoroastrian
boy, aged 27, 6’,
well-settled in family
business spanning across
India and abroad..Girl should
be pretty, home-loving
and from a respected family.
If interested write with
complete details and recent
photograph (returnable) to:
The Advertiser
Parsiana,
Matrimonial (Feb-Mar/13-95)*
GPO Box 892, Bombay 400001
‘Please make sure the reply envelope
bears the reference number cited1
I
ZOROASTRIANS ABROAD
Community survival
in North America
The Zoroastrian Societyyf Ontario task force
_ ___ ' ! surviving
as a viable community in North America
The Zoroastrian Society oj untarlo i
examines the chances of Zoroastrians
directive of the last World Zoroastrian
Congress (in Bombay in 1990), a more com
prehensive picture will be forthcoming.
A task force of five was set up by the
executive committee of the Zoroastrian
Society of Ontario (ZSO), pursuant to a
resolution passed at their annual general
meeting in 1993. It was empowered to Analysis
address the problem of assimilation and ‘
preservation of our identity in North
America, to examine the issue in all its
aspects and to report back to the commu- , . , .
nitv with a list of recommendations and an munity. These include population decima-
action plan.
After deliberating on its own, the task
force, consisting of Yezdi Antia, Homi
Homji, Jamshed Mavalwala, Vispi Patel
and Keki Shroff held two open forums. At
these the problem was defined and ana
lyzed with a view to compiling a list of
recommendations for consideration and
implementation by the community.
values to children is not automatic through
the community. It can mainly be done by
special,efforts made in individual homes
and for this, the parents need a lot of
support.
The increasing trend towards mixed
marriages, a phenomenon not peculiar to
the North American scene, is a further
cause for concern, especially as there is a
perception, and only a perception, that
even in the absence of significant social
barriers in North America, the offspring of
such unions tend to drift away, both in the
religious and social sense, from the com
munity. Only a more scientific study can
establish whether such perceptions are in
deed valid.
Recommendations
From its preliminary review of past events
and current trends, the task force confirms
the view that unless miraculously saved,
the community is in real danger of losing
its identity, characteristics and individual
existence over the next couple of genera
tions. This fact must be forcefully in
grained upon the consciousness of the com
munity so that above all else, they are^,
constantly aware of the fact that if oui^
demographic numbers are lost, then all
else that we are currently engaged in doing
will also die a natural death.
Unity within the community is abso
lutely essential if we are to meet this
Apart from the extremely low birth rate,
the task force took cognizance of the other
historical factors which seem to have re
stricted the population growth of our com-
tion, with potential adverse long term ef
fects on future growth, caused by massa
cres in the past centuries and other major
tragedies in the form of natural calamities
like the famine and plague in India.
Other sociological, biological, eco
nomic and psychological factors include
an unfavorable age distribution (the mean
age indicating an increasingly ageing com
munity), fall in marriage frequency, edu
cation and advancement of women, advent
of Drosnerity and desire to maintain a high challenge together. As one member of the
i . . ... . , . 1 C______________ _____ klinri
Standard of living by limiting births, a
desire to afford higher education to a
smaller number of children, late marriages
The Problem Defined
While the focus and mandate of the task
force is in the context of North America, a
global view was deemed necessary to un-
nity In India, which *is where the largest and extreme urbanization.
....................... While some of these factors hold true in
the North American context, in the ab
sence of regular social interaction within
the community resulting from a lack of
vibrant community life and few social and
derstand the demographics of the commu-
task force wrote elsewhere, “neither blind
orthodoxy nor rabid liberalism should be
tolerated ” in the search for solutions. These
arguments “have been divisive, regressive
factors leading to our present predica
ment, ” generating more heat than light in
the process. “No excessive weight need
be given to change for the sake of change
whether in ecclesiastical or social matters.
Care should be taken not to throw out the
baby with the bathwater and not to lose
sight of the forest for the trees. ”
There is a crying need for a strong
religious revival movement within the
number of Zoroastrians reside, the slide in
our number has gone from a high of ap
proximately 1,15,000 in 1941 to about
60,000 or less in recent times. At the
present rate, the Zdroastrian population in ,
India is expected to decline to 22,000 by cultural institutions, the risk of being
the year 2020, which may lead to a loss of assimilated by a dominant host culture is
official status as a recognized community more pronounced.
for census purposes in India. In India and in Iran, we lived in large
While the decline in India is partly enough groups so that our children could
find a supportive Zoroastrian atmosphere community, with a deeper appreciation ot
and culture. Quite a substantial part of the
religion was transmitted by public institu-
attributable to migration to the West, the
major factor continues to be a low birth
rate, unable to generate “replacement popu
lation ” to offset the triple or quadruple tions and frequency of public rituals.^ In
number of deaths in any given period.
Currently, there are no reliable statistics
for Zoroastrians in Iran or Western coun
tries. Perhaps with the contemplated glo
bal survey of the community, pursuant to a
North America, contacts between families
our history, culture and heritage. What is
needed is a shift away from western
materialism and moral values, to a
reorientation towards the principles of
are few and far between. Even in the same simplicity, frugality, honest hard work,
city, it is difficult to meet for educational public service and dedication, as the
or religious purposes due to the distances guide posts of our daily life as incul-
involved. The transfer of the religion and cated by the Zoroastrian religion and
guide posts of our daily life as incul-
36 Parsiana February-March 1995
»4. An intensive educational program should constant and frequent social interaction,
be launched to raise the awareness of the especially between the younger members
community to the real threat of impending of our community, so that they develop a
extinction, and to counter the general apa-
as practised by our worthy ancestors.
Some more specific recommendations
emerged from the task force ’s delibera
tions:
1. A detailed census and demographic thy and indifference by a program of stud
enumeration should be initiated by ies in our history, religion and culture, so
FEZANA through its member associations
to keep an accurate count of our demo
graphic change every two years.
2. Our youth must be actively encouraged 5. Consideration should be given for the
to be an integral part of the mainstream of
all our community activities. More par
ticularly, they must be inducted to serve on
the governing bodies, such as the execu
tive committees and sub-committees of
FEZANA and member associations. This
will heighten their awareness of the critical
issues facing the community and enhance
the process of their identifying with it as
they gradually assume greater responsibi- by asking for donations,
lity for the future preservation of our com
munity.
3. Parents should encourage their children
to marry early and to marry within the periodicals and pamphlets at a central well
community. To that end they should take a publicised location in North America, with
more pro-active role in subtle match- a catalogue and pricelist to sustain that
making, otherwise the potential of marriage service. Seed money will also be required
outside the community will become a self- before it becomes financially self-support
fulfilling prophecy. A defeatist attitude in ive.
this regard should be replaced by a more
positive outlook.
that there is better appreciation of the
reasons why our heritage and noble reli
gion are worth preserving at all costs.
sense of belonging, affinity and loyalty to
their community. Events like religious fo
rums, youth recognition nights, career in
formation seminars, fund-raising activi
ties, etc, should be organized to bring our
young people together as often as possible.
8. Most importantly, to offset the all perva
sive effects of Western culture, commu- ' production and distribution to all house
holds of a steady stream of booklets, tapes nity members, particularly parents of young
and videos suitable for various age groups
pertaining to our history, culture and reli
gion. The material has to be accurate, brief and observances which can be introduced
and simple for the average reader. To
create interest, seed money must be found
to distribute this free of charge in the first
instance and then continuing the program
Zoroastrians, must be provided with a list
of suggestions regarding daily routines
6. A central Zoroastrian Information Ser
vice must be established which keeps a
stock of all old and new publications,
I. Creative thinking must be applied to
devise more opportunities to bring about
and implemented to impart a distinctive
flavor and identity to a Zoroastrian
household. These can be in the form of
religious and social activities and customs,
practised individually or as a family unit
when appropriate (see box).
9. There should be a closer and closer
integration between Zoroastrians from Iran
and India, not only for the sake of unity but
because both groups can learn from each
other ’s experiences. Those from the Indian
sub-continent can take a leaf out of the
book of their IraniaJl counterparts in their
attempts to preserve their language (Farsi)
and culture. Those from Iran could revive
and resume certain religious pr^tices and
4'
With best compliments from
R. K. & SONS
R. K. ENTERPRISES
(Dealers in all kinds of building materials)
R. K. ROADLINES (Auto Divn)
(Dealers for Hero Puch/Hero Gizmo/Hero Cycles)
Address:
6-C-D, Hermes Elegance, 1988, Convent Street, Camp, Pune 411001
Tel: 658428/644878 Fax: (0212)-648543
38 Parsiana February-March 1995
%%•
-
identity. Our appreciation should go be
yond expressions of verbal gratitude to
more tangible means of support.
12. Our community organizations, espe
cially our youth, should be encouraged to
take part in interfaith activities so that the
Zoroastrian faith has a higher profile and
respect in the North American environ
ment, our children learn more about our
own faith as they learn about others and
observances which,due to past religious other communities, such a.s the Jewish
persecution and political oppression, may
have fallen into disuse in recent times.
10. More open forums should be held
periodically to deal v ilh this issue of sur
vival, so that it remains in the spotlight as
a high priority issue. Such forums will
serve to provide an opportunity to con
stantly assess and re-evaluate progress
made to date and to introduce new ideas
that may be forthcoming. Members of and a mainstay for our preservation and they are instilled with a sense of pride
community, who have more experience in
dealing with a similar situation, should be
invited to share their experiences and
solutions with us.
11. The community should appreciate and
recognize the role played by the mobeds in
the service of the community at much cost
of time and money. They are the vital
thread that holds the community together
Suggested Daily Observances for a
Zoroastrian Household
*
Wearing the sudreh and kusti and
It is recommended that the community kept. Such a place could serve as a focal
rediscover and observe within each point for religious observances where
home such domestic, cultural and socio- family members can individually or
religious practices as are our derived collectively pray at appropriate times,
heritage and viewed as our particular
identification. This should be done while reciting the kusti prayers each morning
the first generation of immigrants are
still around or it will be irretrievably
lost for good.
More specifically such suggestions
include:
* Setting aside a religious corner or
room in the home where religious
artifacts such as an oil lamp, portrait of house by burning incense and sandal-
the Prophet, incense burner, etc are
and night and, where practicable, before
meats and after using the washroom.
* Encouraging family members to re
cite at a minimum, the Sarosh Baj
prayers before embarking on the day ’s
activities and before retiring at night.
Lighting a fire and censering the
*
wood on appropriate days.
which comes with the awareness of Zoro
astrianism being recognized as one of the
world ’s major religions.
13. Finally, we need to evaluate the expe
riences of our past in juxtaposition with the
needs of the future. The community need,s
a well thought out action plan as it charts
its way through the earlier critical decades
of its existence on this continent. No such
plan can be devised in the absence of a
scientific assessment and study of its socio
religious needs for the future. To that end,
serious consideration should be given to
invite a researcher like Dr (Ms) Huzan
Kharas, who has already expressed a de
sire to be involved in such a project, to
North America to undertake, at a minimum,
a pilot study at a Tnajor North American
Zoroastrian center of population such as
Ontario.
X
OUR WORLD OF VACATIONS—1995
LALA TOURS announce the opening of bookings for 1995 package tours
EUROPE
DAYS U.S. $
7
10
12
15
17
SOUTH PACIFIC
U.K
580
800
940
1125
1225
DAYS U.S. $
19
22
23
24
28
1365
1535
1650
1665
1680
Switzerland
Italy
France
France & Spain
Germany & Austria
Scandinavia
Greece
Greece + Cruise
THE MIDDLE EAST
Israel
Egypt
Egypt & Israel
Turkey
4
5
6
8
13
13
13
14
15
8
11
9
9
17
14
330
350
415
650
825
1000
1225
1025
1400
865
1335
845
815
1985
1175
DAYS
9
15
11
14
9
13
Australia & New Zealand 16
17
Australia
New Zealand
U.S.$
800
1600
1250
1550
1100
1550
1780
1980
East & West Coast
SOUTH AMERICA
AFRICA
Mauritius
Mauritius & Singapore
Kenya
Kenya & Tanzania
THE AMERICAS
U.S.A. & CANADA
East Coast
DAYS U.S. $
5
6
8
9
9
315
455
520
595
610
7
8
7
12
450
550
750
1770
DAYS U.S. $
12
18
21
11
15
957
1580
1585
1130
1980
3
3
8
6
8
8
300
420
1300
West Coast
DAYS U.S. $
5
8
10
11
14
375
555
790
1120
1215
*AIR FARES AS APPLICABLE
CRUISES
Bahamas
Mexico
Alaska
ASIA
Thailand
Thailand & Singapore
Thailand & Hongkong
Thailand, Singapore & Hongkong 10
Thailand, Tokyo & Hongkong
Thailand, Japan & Hongkong
Thailand, Malaysia & Singapore 13
Sri Lanka 7
Sri Lanka, Thailand & Singapore 10
China
DAYS U.S, $
245
335
1565
11
13
2
4
6
8
8
9
H K I Al A APO Capitol Cinema Building, Murzban Road, Bombay 400001.
II. r\. LML« (X W. Tel:2045094/5744/3006. Telex: 011-83680 LATO IN. Fax: 022-204 6925
200
400
425
630
1200
1950
785
400
620
1770
1815
1815
Note: Subject to GOI/RB1 approval.
BTQ passengers only.POLITICS AND POLICY
I
THE CASE FOR ACCEPTANCE
Intermarried Zoroastrians can no longer
be denied membership of the Poona Parsi Panchayat
Arnavaz S. Mama
“The trustees of Poona Parsi Panchayat...
are hereby directed to manage the trust
affairs as per the provisions of the scheme
settled by the deputy charity commissioner
(with appellate powers) vide his orders
dated February 14, 1980.
“The trustees are hereby directed to con
sider the application of Shri Mehta as per
the provisions of the scheme and
intimate the final decision to him
within one month ’s time.
“A report is hereby submit
ted to the first joint charity com
missioner, Pune for considering
of starting suo-moto inquiry
under section 41D of the B.P.T.
(Bombay Public Trusts) Act
1950 for removal and suspen
sion of the trustees who have
taken a contentious view in re
spect of the implementation of
the scheme... ” reads the order of
S. S. Pendse, deputy charity
commissioner (DCC), Pune,
dated February 25, 1993.
Though the Poona Parsi
Panchayat (PPP) trustees con
tested the decision before the
joint charity commissioner
(JCC) the rebuke from the DCC
paved the way for the eventual
acceptance of Cmdre Lovji
Mehta, director of the J. N. Petit
Technical High School, as a
member of the PPP. Born of
Parsi Zoroastrian parents, pro
fessing the Zoroastrian faith,
Mehta ’s entry had been barred by the PPP
trustees because of his non-Parsi spouse on --------
the strength of article 5(i) in the original and Eruch Irani (below) Anklesaria and
amalgamated trust. However, I am unable
to accept the said contention. I have gone
The new streamlined constitution had
been provided when the PPP and the . • ...
BuriorieeManekji Talukdar Building Fund through the said constitution and I find that
sought permission to amalgamate under t ,
the PPP banner as both trusts provided quite proper to rnanage the dayAo-day af-
nearly identical services to the same set of
beneficiaries. The DCC M. G. Madan had
noted in his judgement of February 14,
sought permission to amalgamate under
the provisions of this constitution (are) not
fairs of the trust. Moreover, the mode is by
way of election. Now when the trustees are
to be appointed by election it.is necessary to
lay down detailed rules and
regulations as to the mode and
manner in which the elections
are to be held, otherwise it is
likely to create disputes and
confusion at the-tiine of holding
elections, leading to unnecessary
litigation between parties. I <
therefore feel that there should '
be a comprehensive scheme lay
ing down all these rules in detail
so that there is no difficulty in the
management and administration
of the said trust. I therefore hold
that it IS necessary to frame a
separate scheme for the amal
gamated trust..."
The DCC whittled down the
old anjuman committee system
of trustge elections comprising
four registers to a single vote per
adult member. He provided for
three classes of membership viz i
ordinary, life and donor mem-
bers. The board of seven trustees
was required to elect a chairman,
vice chairman, secretary, trea
surer and assistant secretary from
among themselves each year of
The main protagonists in the battle of the
constitutions: (left to right, top) Mehta
its three-year tenure, shortened from the
original five. |
Pesi S. Anklesaria, Pesi A. Chindy,
Gujarati constitution of the Panchayat of Davierwalla
1951. More than that, the judgement ex
posed the fact that the PPP was functioning
under a constitution that had been nullified
and replaced by the DCC 14 years ago.
1980, “It is suggested on behalf of the
applicants that this constitution of the PPP
should be treated as the constitution of the
Maneck N. Anklesaria, Nozer H. Homeji,
Dr (Ms) Roshen N. Minocher Homji and
Ms Homai Pudumji were named as the first
board of the amalgamated trust and were
charged with the implementation of the ’
i
40 Parsiana February-March 1995new scheme. The new constitution changed
the tenns of membership. It declared, “Any
male or female adult person belonging to
the Parsi Zoroastrian community and re
siding within the vicinity of Poona district
shall be eligible to become member of the
said trust and eligible to apply for election
of trusteeship and vote at the time of elec
tion and attend general body (meetings) of commissioner (CC) under the 1951 consti-
the trust. ” The anti-intermarriage bias of tution in early 1992. He claimed that mon-
the old scheme had been rejected. So also eys collected by him as member of ZYA for
the specific purpose of providing a tube
well at the doongerwadi had been amal-
property, and swept the new constitution
given for the amalgamated trust under the mai me ivoi constitution had been re
carpet. After 14 years however an appeal placed years ago. “At one time the board
against the 1980 constitution is time barred,
as notes former trustee Jamshed Bokda
walla.
The matter came to light when youth election under the 1980 scheme is held.
the PPP trustees when they first realized
that the 1951 constitution had been
decided we ’d resign voluntarily and seek
the charity commissioner ’s advice. (May
be) function as an interim board until a new
activist Eruch Irani petitioned the charity Subsequently, due to external interferences
from people who were not Panchayat mem
bers, they stated that this (1951) constitu-
wasclause28(,i)ofehel951>cheme„hich .he specific pZers)“.’X'“XwoX°
2™“™™35years well at the doongerwadi had been amal- eachwantingtofollowadifferentscLrae "
Xh“: B°^<*-a"arecoun.ssomeofdreideasd.a,
member of the PPP for two years continu
ously, and has no arrears of subscription, is
eligible to stand for election as trustee.
These two aspects of the new scheme ____ ______________ _
may have rankled with the then trustees of Boman Amaria, Murzban Kekobad, Din-
the PPP, known for their conservatism on ‘ '
socio-religious issues as well as the stand- ____, __________ _
offbetween themselves and Poona's youth original constitution and, not finding it
tution in early 1992. He claimed that mon-
miscellaneous head and no account of the affected his cotrustees.
collection was provided despite several re- Davierwalla ’s board, by a majority of
five to two (Bokdawalla and D. Irani dis
served with a legal notice the PPP senting), refused to accept the 1980 scheme.
re-
five to two (Bokdawalla and D. Irani dis-
^ustees (Minoo and Parveen Davierwalla, Being in the minority, “we accepted the
shaw Anklesaria, Dara Irani and Bokda
walla) sought the authentic copy of the
body, the Zoroastrian Youth Association applied for a copy from the CC. The CC’s
(ZYA). office informed them that the PPP
The then PPP board had the options of required to function under its 1980 cor.
appealing against the new scheme or of tution and that the 1951 constitution
going its own way and forgetting about an longer applied, informs Eruch.
amalgamation with the Talukdar Fund. It
chose a third; It proceeded with the amal
gamation, accepted the Talukdar Fund
(ZYA).
m^ority view but minuted our objection in ‘
each and every meeting, ” says Bokdawalla.
Two legal opinions were taken on which
scheme was valid — one from A. J.
Castelino, an advocate of standing and the (
was other from Justice Jamshed Sanjana (retd). /
consti- ¦ ¦ ¦ -
—1 no
“It came as a shock to the board. We
were elected according to an invalid consti
tution, ” Bokdawalla recalls the reaction of scheme
The first opined in favor of the new scheme;
the second of the old one, informs M.
Davierwalla. It i% said that subsequently
noted solicitor Burjor Antia was consulted
who also advised the acceptance of the new
I
f
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!is therefore deemed necessary and he has IVIchtd tskcS Oil th© PPP
The ding-dong battle between Commodore
“In the circumstances, I feel that it is not Lovji Mehta and the PPP had been going on
necessary to turn the miscellaneous appli- for nearly five years. Mehtahadbroughtthe
cation into an application under section
41A as directed by the learned Joint Char
ity Commissioner Pune. As the trustees of council meeting in Delhi in 1990. There the
the Poona Parsi Panchayat have accepted PPP trustees had registered themselves
bound by their 1951 constitution, clause
5(i) of which specifically debars Parsi
Zoroastrians married outside the commu-
The increasing controversy claimed its
casualties. Anklesaria resigned from the requested to file his application,
board in end 1993 for personal reasons. A
by-election to fill lhe vacancy was held in
June 1994 with nominations from Firdosh
Kayani and Farokh Irani, a donor member
of the PPP who has been divorced from his
non-Zoroa .trian spouse. “Kayani came to
know that the election was according to the the scheme of 1980 and assured to admin-
1951 scheme which was invalid and with
drew stating that he didn ’t want to partici
pate in what was illegal. Therefore F. Irani
came in uncontested, ” says Bokdawalla.
On the heels of F. Irani joining the
Panchayat board, both the Davierwallas
and Kekobad resigned. Davierwalla says
he did not want to work with a man who
was married outside the community. It
may be noted however that F. Irani was
divorced from his non-Zoroastrian wife
some years ago. [F. Irani says that when he
became a donor member of the Panchayat under the abovesaid constitution of 1953 announcing that he was being deprived of
in 1986, “the old trustees knew I was (sic) for a five-year term 1992-96. his rights as a Parsi Zoroastrian because he
married to a juddin. ” He says that objection “We on taking office under the same old was married to a non-Zoroastrian. Shortly
was first raised against him in 1991, when constitution 1953 (sic) to our surprise dis- thereafter he learnt of the existence of the
he wanted to contest for trusteeship though covered the existence of a scheme dated 1980 constitution in which it “became very
he was by then a divorcee. “They black- February 14, 1980 by Shri M. G. Madan, clear that I could be made a member with-
mailed me to withdraw my form — talked Dy Charity Commissioner, Bombay the out any hitch. ” *
me into withdrawing my nomination, made legality of which is questionable and in
it into such a public issue, I knew (there practice has never been implemented and
was) no way I’d get the seat... When
Dinshaw Anklesaria resigned (in 1993) the
seat was vacant for six months. In June ’94
there was election for one post from the
donor register. Firdosh Kayani and myself non-Parsi/Irani Zoroastrian) of a full au-
gave our nominations. By a majority deci
sion (we were) both declared eligible to
contest. Subsequently Kayani withdrew in
my favor and I was declared (elected)
unopposed. ”]
Thus a truncated Panchayat board of
only four trustees faced the DCC for the
final hearing of Mehta ’s application for
membership on July 18, 1994. “Out of the
seven trustees of the trust four trustees
have resigned and one is newly elected and
therefore there are only four trustees at
present. And out of them three trustees gibility of membership. In spite of that my
cotrustees have recently admitted as a
member who is not eligible being married
to a non-Zoroastrian which even under the July 31, 1992; Mehta ’s first letter to the
scheme could have exercised their discre
tion in the best interest of the trust.
“Following the scheme I will fail in my
paramount duty as an elected trustee to
issue before the Federation of Parsi Zoro
astrian Anjumans of India ’s executive
ister the trust accordingly, there is no ne
cessity to issue directions in the matter.
Hence... the inquiry is ordered to be dropped nity from membership of the Panchayat.
with no order as to costs. ” Faced by such an irrefutable argument the
Mehta ’s membership was accepted by Federation had demurred from interfering
the PPP board on December 29, 1994. The
next day, the penultimate day of his term,
the only dissenting trustee, Amaria ten
dered his resignation from trusteeship. His
letter to the JCC notes,
“I, the undersigned life member of the
PPP duly elected as one of the trustees public interest representation to the DCC
under the abovesaid constitution of 1953
in the “internal affairs of its members. ”
Mehta had promised that if he got no
redress from the community, he would
pursue his claim through the media and
the courts.
Accordingly Mehta says he put up a
“We on taking office under the same old
constitution 1953 (sic) to our surprise dis
covered the existence of a scheme dated
February 14, 1980 by Shri M. G. Madan,
About the same time PPP’s Dara Irani
had also discovered this scheme, says
Mehta. “So I put up a second^etter to the
DCC saying there is a later scheme of 1980
followed till date.
“Now in Misc Enquiry Appl No 40/
1993, three trustees (of which one again is under which membership cannot be denied
NOT eligible having been married to a to me... and I would like to know what the
DCC had done to my original letter (as) I
had received no reply from him or the
PPP... As a follow up on my letter the DCC
asked for comments from the PPP and
thorization of seven trustees who consti
tute a board of trustees have taken it upon
themselves to follow the scheme without
valid authority of the general body and there was a difference of opinion between
therefore illegal and invalid.
“It is the paramount duty of an elected
trustee to uphold in letter and in spirit the
wishes of the author trustees who were all
men of eminence and highly respected by membership and paid his subscription
our Parsi/Irani Zoroastrian community.
“Of the six trustee.s left, three more subscription returned
elected trustees resigned in protest on eli-
the existing trustees at that stage. ”
A blow by blow account of Mehta ’s
pursuit of his PPP membership:
November 10, 1989; Mehta applied for
May 19, 1990; membership refused and
have filed the application ... that the trus
tees accept the scheme of 1980 passed by
Deputy Charity Commissioner M. G.
Madan, and they have stated that it is
legally binding on Poona Parsi Panchayat
and they are prepared to administer the
trust under this scheme, ” states the judge
ment of DCC R. V. Mogare. It further uphold our constitution of 1953 (sic) in
notes, “The applicant has stated (in writ
ing) that now that the majority of the board
of trustees of the PPP have accepted in
writing to the court that they accept the
scheme of 1980 the court may take cogni
zance of this acceptance. No further action
June 6, 1990: Mehta wrote to PPP asking
for grounds of refusal
June 13, 1990: PPP replied justifying
fusal on grounds of intermarriage
re-
DCC
September 15, 1992: Mehta ’s second letter
to the DCC
“The DCC decided the case on the basis
of documents I produced (and) the reply
the PPP made in writing — two trustees
said they accepted the 1980 scheme and the
letter and spirit and the best interest of the
trust...
“In view of the above I hereby submit my (five) others said the 1980 scheme was not
resignation for acceptance to you Sir, direct, applicable to them and the DCC had
the acceptance of which may kindly be
communicated to me at the earliest, please."
no
business to put up a new scheme. At the
initial hearing when I was heard — I argued
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my case in person and they were heard
through their lawyer — (some) eminent
Parsis (Brig Noshir and his wife Mini Grant,
Ms Tehmi Grant, Brig and Ms Jambu-
sarwalla, Maj Edulji, Dr Sam Dalal, Yezdi
Marker, Eruch Irani) were present in court
and said they wanted their presence recorded
because as members (of the PPP) they
wanted to see the 1980 scheme accepted.
DCC S. S. Pendse said, ‘There ’s no ques
tion — the 1980 scheme is the only legal
scheme, ’” quotes Mehta.
The matter however did not stop there.
Narrates Mehta, “A little later (on March
17,1993) the five aggrieved trustees put up
a case in appeal to the JCC saying the DCC
had no business to pass the order that he did
and that they were not heard in full and
arguments on both sides by lawyers had not
been carried out. They tried to bring in a
stay order, that being married to a non-
Parsi I couldn ’t be considered a Parsi and
therefore had no locus standi in the matter.
In between they raised the red herring of
asking my name to be removed from the
case. I argued that I’m the prime mover.
Only on my application that the whole case
started and therefore most essential that I be
a party in the case. On March 23^ 1993 the
JCC gave an ad interim status quo until the
case could be heard and passed it back to the
n-
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DCC saying that the applicants say they
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By the time the case came up before the
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vacated the office and there was a new
incumbent. Also, Anklesaria had resigned
and Farokh Irani had become a trustee in
his place, triggering the resignation of the
Davierwallas and Kekobad.
“So at the time of finalizing the second
time at the DCC’s court (o\i July 18,1994)
there were Dara Irani, Jamshed Bokdawalla,
Boman Amaria and Farokh Irani. Of these
four, three (D. Irani, Bokdawalla and F.
Irani) told the DCC that they accepted the
1980 scheme by majority vote. When I was
asked, I said if they accepted the 1980
scheme and gave it to the court in writing,
I had no objection.
“The judge signed that it has been ac
cepted in his presence. I gave in writing on
the same paper that I had no objection to
the case being dropped now that they had
accepted the 1980 scheme.
“After this order was passed I put up my
letter to the board that in view of the 1980
scheme being aq#:epted by them I be made
a member and gave a fresh life membership
subscription to which I was told my mem
bership would be considered only after I
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withdrew the other case pending in the
small causes court which I had simulta
neously filed. I did that and ipy member
ship was accepted on December 29, 1994
— two days before the existing board ’s
tenure ended. ”
Mehta took up his assignment at the J.
N. Petit Technical High School eight years
ago, after 33 years in the Indian Navy.
Nisha and he have been married 32 years
and have a daughter Scheherezade (30)
and son Rayomond (28) who are well into
their respective careers with Thomas Cook
and Nerula ’s Fast Foods. Both children 1
had been duly initiated into the Zoroastrian <
faith.
A major contention in the debate is the
PPP’s hitherto ambivalent application of
article 5(i) that pertains to the bar on
intermarriage. [Article 5(i) in translation f
notes,; ‘Parsi ’ signifies any male or female
Parsi/Irani who professes the Zoroastrian
faith. However, any Parsi or Irani man
whose wife or mistress is a juddin and any
Parsi or Irani woman with a juddin husband T
or paramour are debarred from member
ship of the Panchayat along with their
spouse/paramour and the children of such
unions.] “They Conveniently forgot that
they had members married to nonrParsis to
whom they said nothing at all. There was no
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*was invalid. One withdrew. Then the sec
ond withdrew stating that because of old
atie he can't pursue the matter, ” further
informed Bokdawalla.
In his second term as trustee, advocate
and notary Dara Irani leads the new team at
the PPP whose predominant qualities at
first call are enthusiasm and youthfulness.
The other members are vice chairman
Farokh Irani, secretary Eruch Irani, joint
secretary Ms Shiraz Anklesaria, treasurer
another development, ” Davierwalla alludes
to Anklesaria ’s resignation.
“The case is still pending with the JCC.
We asked for specific hearing. We were
given the dale February 1, 1995. We are
correct definition. The old trainers bad in
mind that when people marry out the lacili-
lies would be diluted," Davierwalla voiced
his conviction.
Davierwalla said that in trustee meet
ings they had sought to sort out the matter
break in that membership, ” says Mehta
alluding to the American wife of Perviz
Grant, the son of Dr Keki and Tehmi^rant.
According to Bokdawalla, - ------
Hormuzdiar Noshirwan Kaikobad Dastur
of Lovj, arise when two nassessalars on the old
:fr^ “onh^ia^^;^'ont “s’s,o„erlsver,
Panchayat including free quarters and edu
cational help for the children, informs
Bokdawalla. “The head nassessalar was
married 22 years ago. Since then so many
boards have come and gone and nobody
objected. Subsequently a second nassessalar
with a juddin wife was employed seven or
eight years ago... T-------
the sachkar and there is no overt objection
from the priests, ” says Bokdawalla noting
that these are “double standards... What we
die geneml body would Lnow... U was
karse. haiLra glDara retraced the various schemes and
suggestions that over the years had been
UwLuUanagar land. The first intention had echoed by his co-trustees Kayani, Fyokh
been to sell plots of the land but the peq^le ’ ................ ” ’
had objected. Hence the Panchayat de
cided, by a majority, to'give the land to
Tata Housing to develop. The negotiations
reached the draft MOU (memorandum of
understanding) stage which was then re
jected by the PPP as Tata Housing were
asking for over Rs 600 per sq ft on which
they would charge interest at 21 percent.
“We asked for simultaneous construction
of ownership and lease rent flats for the
poor. They were to recover the cost of
construction of the lease flats from the
ownership flats but they asked for 15 per
cent supervision fee as ag2unst the market
rate of five percent. They then came down
to 10 percent. Then in the MOU they
wanted the PPP to liaise for permission. ”
“Tata Housing ’s terms were not accept
able. The deal got knocked down at the
MOU stage... That was one point when
there was general agreement among the
trustees, ” notes former trustee Bokdawalla ties (like hostels), provide educational in-
with a laugh — an oblique comment on the
dissensions that rocked the 1992-94 board.
pursued by the PPP for the development of people ” ready to serve thejommumty , js
Irani and Anklesaria. Boman Irani makes it
a point to note, “We have trust in each
Eruch ’sdescriptionofthepresentboard, the experience of the old. They have the
as “full of youths and positive thinking right to rectify us when we go wrong but not
to put us down. Everyone should have the
chance to put one ’s thought forward. ”
Dara says they have been promised do
nations for the object of building a
other ” and adds that his service will be “for dharam ’shala and a hostel. “There ’s never
been a time when Parsis don ’t donate when
work is done. From centuries it ’s been so, ”
adds Eruch. Describing his work as a youth
activist in getting washbasins, toilets, un
derground and overhead tanks and a pump
for the J. J. Agiary, Eruch noted, “We went
to the community and asked for so many
bricks, so much cement, etc and got the
work done in the Agiary. (I) had excess
funds, so I came to the PPP to do work.
That ’s the main reason why I’m sitting
here — to do work. ”
According to Dara every month about
five Parsis are buying flats in Pune. This
influx could strengthen the community.
Though not everyone is aware of the events
which have been shaping the PPP in the
“I will fail in my
paramount duty as
an elected trustee
to uphold our
constitution of
1953 (sic) ”
Zoroastrians, not for Parsis or Iranis. ”
Daruvala wants to use “the good offices of
the PPP to see that in colleges our boys get past months Dara notes a tremendous in
admission, give them infrastructural facili-
formation. Secondly, we ’re all young.
Definitely we have our ideas. We respect joined, ” he says.
crease in membership of the Panchayat
from about 1,000 in July 1994. “In the past
six months about 300-400 members have
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54 Parsiana February-March 1995
f
I
4
I
IPOLITICS AND POLICY
THE
PUNCHAYET'S
PRIORITIES
The BPP press conference covered a
range of topics including the issue of recognizing
Neville Wadia ’s navjote
Five months after Neville Wadia, octoge-
narian philantrophist and doyen of the high priests had already said Wadia ’s objections from the orthodox and people
Wadia family, had his navjote ceremony navjote was permissible. Desai pointed out like High Priest (Dr) Firoze Kotwal, the
performed at his son ’s Juhu residence, the that the BPP trustees had taken religious BPP had resolved that if the family-of lhe
trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet decisions both in the case of Joseph Zoroastrian woman married outride the faith
(BPP) have decided to accept the five high Peterson ’s navjote and the Roxan Shah I
priests ’ opinion and recognized his initia- episode.
tion in the Zoroastrian faith. This means
Wadia is entitled to enter the Godavra
Agiary , managed by the BPP, and have his engineer ’s navjote in New York and said he specially earmarked dokhma.
body consigned to the towers of silence at would not be given the benefit of any of the
his death.
A month earlier, speaking to members
of the Press at a mammoth three-hour Shah, a Parsi Zoroastrian woman married
conference held at the BPP offices after a
gap of exactly one year, BPP chairman
J amshed N. Guzder and trustee Eruch Desai
both said the question of Wadia ’s admis
sion to the two punchayet run institutions
was “under consideration. ”
Guzder informed the Press
that he had raised the subject
of Wadia ’s navjote at the
Federation of Parsi Zoroas
trian Anjumans of India
meeting in Delhi on January
28 and 29, 1995 at which,
though conflicting points of
view were offered, more
delegates seem-ed to favor
accepting Wadia into the
fold.
Zoroastrian Studies (ZS)
founder Khojeste Mistree,
who represented the ZS
newsletter Ushta, asked the
trustees if they were going
“adjudicate ” on religious matters when five silence. Subsequently however, despite
filed an affidavit stating that tlfe deceased
was a Parsi professing Zoroastrianism and
The BPP had passed a resolution ex- hadbeenmarriedundertheSpecialMarriage
pressing their disapproval of the American Act, the body could be consigned to a
BPP run institutions meant for Parsi Zoro
astrians; while in the case ofMsRoxan
r
B
‘i
57 Parsiana February-March 1995
%
A
*
Guzder noted that the trustees were dis
cussing the Wadia issue with a wide-rangi ng
segment of the community, but that in
the meantime Wadia had been welcomed
into the portals of the H. B. Wadia Atash to a Hindu, the BPP
had refused her Bahram as well as in the Nusserwanji
family the right to Hirji Karani Agiary at Cusrow Baug, of
consign her body which Guzder is the chairman. “Neville
to the towers of phoned and asked me if he would be per-
mitted admission and f- said of course, ”
Guzder told the Federation executive
The subject of Wadia ’s navjote was
raised by Maneck Chena of The Bombay
Samachar when he enquired why Guzder
had not answered, even after four months,
Wadia ’s letter informing him of the
navjote and enclosing a statement by
public notary and former BPP trustee
Shiavax Vakil that the navjote ceremony
had been duly performed. The dis-
cussion took place at the tail end of lhe
meeting. “Neville wrote the letter to me and
Wadia addressing a gathering at Rustom
Baug after being felicitated by the colony
residents on becoming a Zoroastrian¦Fj
i
conference due to business commitments, lakh donation by the Zartoshty Brothers for
’ fostering Zoroastrian scholarship was an
nounced by Guzder. “I opened this enve-
,8»
I
I
e
5
s
i
“has to travel consistently, ” said Guzder
he was the managing director and vice
chairman of Tata Housing. “Whether he lope addressed to me and found inside a
chooses to resign or not is not for me to cheque for 23 lakh rupees, ” said Guzder.
state, said the chairman. According to According to the Punchayet press release,
the two objects of the trust are “helping
persons who are willing to study (the) Zo
roastrian religion on a higher basis to be
come scholars ” and secondly, “helping
persons ‘who become scholars in the said
field and will continue serving the com
munity by ... teaching and preaching. ’”
A committee has been formed consis-
as
:r.
Godavra Agiary: the only only one
under the BPP
Godrej for the costs. A decision to seek the
advice of a legal counsel on the subject was
then he left for London, ” explained Guzder. also turned down by a majority, said Guzder.
He believed the purpose of the letter was to
confirm the discussion and “no reply was
necessary. ” As an individual trustee he did
not feel he should write.
At this point BPP trustee Ms Silloo
Kavarana interjected that Wadia had not
sought the advice of Guzder or the other pertain to levelling, sewage, parking, roads
trustees prior to having his navjote per
formed.
When asked by the Press when a deci
sion would be taken in Wadia ’s case, Desai
replied, “Within a month ’s time. ”
Mistree was asked to state his views on
the navjote but refrained from doing so as Navroji Godrej came forward and con-
he felt this was not the correct forum. Mistree
also criticized the role of the Press at the
conference stating that members of the Press had a 50 percent allocation right,
were imparting advice to the trustees in
instead of restricting themselves to asking
questions.
Rumors of Jamsheed Kanga resigning
as a trustee were unconfirmed by
Guzder at the press meet. Kanga
who was not present at the
informed sources Kanga has resigned from
the CER (formerly the Committee for
Electoral Rights and now named the Com
mittee for Economic Revival) over differ
ences with Pali Poncha and BPP trustee
Dinshaw Mehta, both office bearers and
party activists of the CER that Kanga co
founded with lawyer Dadi Engineer 15
years ago. One major point of difference ting of the high priests, priests and scholars
was over whether the House of Godrej
should pay for the development costs of
Godrej Baug.
A debate look place at the conference on sociation) co-founder Nadir Modi; the other
the development cost aspect with the trustees
airing their differences. According to Guz-
der the trustees by a vote of four to two, with
one abstention, had decided against charging principal of the Dadar Athornan Boarding
"" . . . . Madressa; and scholar Dr Homi Dhalla. ,
Guzder asked if the Press had persons to
recommend, which caused one of the rep
resentatives to point out the absence of any
person from ZS on the committee.
“We were not even consulted, ” stated
Mistree, “even though we are the pre'mier
to frame a scheme. A sub-committee has
also been formed, chaired by lawyer and
YCZA (Young Collegiate Zoroastrian As-
members include Ervad (Dr) Rooyintan
Peer, principal of the M. F. Cama Athornan
Madressa; Ervad Ramiyar Karanjia, vice
Desai, Kanga, Minoo Shroff and Dr (Ms)
Mehroo Bengalee carried the majority.
Poncha, representing The Zoroastrian.
said that not levying a charge on Godrej
meant a loss of revenue of around Rs 50 educational institution ” leachingthcreligion
lakhs to the BPP. Land development costs Poncha said he was amazed at me exclu- Poncha said he was amazed at the exclu
sion of Mistree while Noshir Dadrawalla,
representing the Jam-e-Jamshed Weekly
1
58 Parsiana February-March 1995
and such costs, explained Poncha. Desai, representing the Jam-e-Jamshed Weekly
however, explained that in 1979 when a and the DeenParast monthly claimed there
housing colony adajacent to the doonger- continued on page 73
wadi land.s wa.s first proposed, few donors
came forth. In those rather bleak days when
the Punchayet ’s image was at a low ebb, Godrej Baug
structed several buildings. On the flats
constructed and paid for by them, they
The agiary under construction at
Relations between Godrej and some of the
trustees and members of the CER were
strained when in 1985 Navroji Godrej de
cided to stand against Guzder, a CER sup
porter, who was seeking a second term
as a BPP trustee.
'T'he happy tidings of a 23 .
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I
P
A , ' S'i-POLITICS AND POLICY
Oh Calcutta!
The controversy over the navjote
of two children of Parsi women has split
the Calcutta community
as
asking Mehta Agiary panthakis to perform
3ny navjote ceremony and what connec
tion they can have with the Hall.
“I write this letter with a heavy heart
I had consulted all the authorities in this
matter before I had contacted you. ”
According to the trust deed dated De
cember 19, 1955 between Edu^i Shapurji j
Olpadvala and the trustees of the CZCRCF
the ground floor of the Olpadvala Memo-
.... rial Trust Hall is to be “used and occupied
Can a community institution hall be used to the navjote ceremony of (her) son Rahul by such members of the Parsi Community
ceremony^of a child could not be performed in the Hall as the of Calcutta and its suburbs as may require
I the use thereof for the purpose of giving
‘For your information I have to state that marriages and navjote ceremonies or of any
.,1 „ r. _ r T other ceremonial functions of the said com-
i or charge
also discussed this whatsoever except a reasonable charge for
matter with our the use of electric lights and fans therein or
Mehta Agiary high thereon provided however that the allowing
priest. Reverend of such use of the said ground floor and
Bapuji is a saint and garden and grounds for the purposes afore-
if there were more
high priests like him
our
would have a longer and they shall be entitled at their absolute
life and prosperity . I discretion either to allow or disallow such
use or impose any conditions on any indi
vidual member or members of the said
and handed over my community in respect of such use except
application for the the charging of any rent or other monetary
Hall, stating at the '' "
same time that the
Hall was for the
the navjote ceremony of (her)
born of a Parsi mother and non-Parsi father Mehta Agiary panthakis have protested and
and at what price? This is the question that they would not work any more in the Agiary. lectures, holdings meetings, celebrating
confronted the Zoroastrians of Calcutta a “For your information I have to state that —<-
few months ago. I had contacted a Parsi priest from Jam- v. m
According to a report in the Calcutta shedpur to perform the ceremony. I had munity free of any rent fee
Zoroastrian Com- , ....... •'
munity ’s Religious I
and Charity Fund I
(CZCRCF) newslet- I
ter, the Calcutta I
Gavashni of Octo- I
ber-November 1994, I
“the community ’s I
mind is exercised at I
present about the |
navjotes of two chil- f
dren of Parsi moth- I
ers and non-Parsi '
fathers. ” The two
cases involved the
children of Ms Soo
na Dilip Dhankani
described in the
newsletter as “a
young Parsi widow ” At the Dhankani navjote (LtoR) Nilufer
and Shirin r ¦ -¦ —
Swapan Poddar.
Dhankani ’s father
Dinshaw Medhora wrote to the CZCRCF
asking to book the hall to which P. T.
Dustoor, the office manager, replied that daughter had also intimated"\T vour
“the hall is at present available for Sth / ‘
January, 1995.” Medhora was requested to
personally call at the office to confirm the _______ _____ n x a,u ixo
booking by signing the special booking 20,000 the navjote ^remony “c^*b^“n^
rpoictpr Thp IpHof _ ________ _ ______ _______ • y , , ------- vrw., vujvvvvu lU UIVVCl VlllUli V
formed. I am surprised that a demand of being performed in Calcutta even though
r u r> •'Ten such a nature has been made when the the uiuu pncsi Ervad Baouii Desai renort-
Ar (deed) states that it is free edly raised no objection, Dhankani (and the
351. Accordingly, Dhankani called on the for... Parsis. What would v - •’ ’ •’‘“’“‘‘‘"Hana me
Srr Sd IE® booking, states^a do if the ceremony is performed by such a formed in Jamshedpur by Behrani Zardia
CZCRCF^ir^ dh payment. Would they not protest and stop a senior officer in the New India Assurance
CZCRCF by Medhora: “Some tme later work in the Agiary? Company who during the muktad usTd te
f'h™ phoned that I should call on “I shall be obliged if you will reply to pray with Bapuji in the agiary In a letter
em. I was not m good health (so) I asked this letter in detail and let me have the Homi P. Bodhanwalla vfcr^iresident of
my daughter to call. She was informed that relevant rules of the Anjuman... I am not Jamshedpur Parsi AssociatioS, noted, “I
60 Parsiana February-March 1995
I had contacted a Parsi priest from Jam-
¦
<
"T
V
z
Ha
, •
I
1
and Prakash, Dins haw, Dhun & Neville
Medhora, Soona Dhankani and Rahul
register. The letter noted, “the amount pay
able for Parsi booking is; donation Rs 101,
said or any of them by such members of the
said conimunity shall be under the control
community and at the absolute discretion of the trustees
and they shall be entitled at their absolute
then contacted the
Anjuman authority
4’
consideration for such use. ”
The trust deed further specifies “the
word ‘Parsi ’ as used in these presents shall
navjote ceremony of ordinarily mean a person bom of Parsi
my grandson Rahul parentage and also professing the Zoroas-
and that I had dis- trian religion and in all cases of doubt and
cussed the matter difficulty as to whether any person deser-
priest. From this it
will appear that I had not tried to hide my
motive for reserving the Hall. Further, my
1
whh th^giary high ving to have the benefit ofthe said charitable *
institution is a Parsi or not or otherwise
arising from or in relating to the use of that
word the opinion of the majority of the ‘
trustees shall be final and conclusive and
Anjumanofficeaboutthenavjoteceremony. shall not be liable to be called into question
‘My daughter Soona was further in- '
formed by your office that if I paid Rs
on any account whatever. ”
As the two Calcutta priests Rusi Dustoor
and Soli Kotwal, objected to the ceremony
the third priest Ervad Bapuji Desai report-
your panthakis Poddars) decided to get the navjote per-
do if the ceremony is performed by such a
payment. Would they not protest and stop
work in the Agiary?
“I shall be obliged if you will reply to
this letter in detail and let me have thehave arranged with Mr Zarolia and every
thing in Jamshedpur is lined up. The Hall at
the Parsi Hostel will be reserved on De
cember 28, 1994 either in my name or Mr
Zarolia ’s name and you may kindly reim
burse the charges accordingly.
“Regarding accommodation we can only
reserve the guest room in the hostel for
27th and 28th as two rooms are not avail
able. The charges may be paid accor
dingly.
“Kindly note that the parents of the
child have to give an undertaking in writ
ing that the child will practise the Zoroas- __ ____
trian prayers and will perform the basic Meher Modi
ceremonies. Kindly note that without this
undertaking the navjote cannot be per
formed. The undertaking must be signed
by the parents. ”
Zarolia had earlier, on November 6,
1994, performed the navjote of Ms Sonia
Poddar at the Jamshedpur Hall. As this
event led to a controversy in Jamshedpur,
Dhankani ’s navjote was held at Zarolia ’s
residence on December 28,1994, instead of
at the Hall as originally intended.
According to Gavashni “The subject
was raised at the recent Anjuman meeting.
Arguments for and against were intense
and cogent but, fortunately, not heated. The
mobed sahibs have insisted on the tradi-
(
Navjoting Rahul: Zarolia (left) and
early for interfaith marriages involving Parsi
women to become more acceptable?
“Speakers, both for and against, at the
AGM that Sunday called for a full-fledged
discussion on the subject. Our trustees
cannot call such a meeting. They are elected
only to administer the Calcutta Zoroastrian
Community ’ s Religious and Charity Funds
and allied trusts. The initiative will have to
be taken by one of our Calcutta institutions.
The Parsee Club may have its own disputes
to settle at present, but what about the PZA
or the Stree Mandal, or even the Youth
League or the CPADC? Main speakers
could be invited, the discussion thrown
open to the assembly (hopefully a very
,, I
vote taken at the end. After that the trustees
could be requested to act according to the
*
... . I--------- T'- 'O’- VllM^VlUliy a vciy
Uonal point of view, and the majority of large assembly of Calcutta ’s Parsis), and a
Parsis follow their lead. A minority group, '
however, is pressing for a change. This has _________
been happening in other cities in India as general verdict.
well as abroad. Delhi, London and American
communities follow their own rules. Our
community has accepted alteration in so
cial customs. Hardly anyone wears Parsi
dress at navjotes, weddings, funerals and _______.tuviv uitic la nu uuKiima
on visits to the Agyari. We have forgotten othermeth'ods can be followed ThemobT^
many of the purification ceremonies and ‘
customs ’ that prevailed earlier in this cen
tury, and traditional rites on auspicious
occasions. Change is inevitable. The ques
tion is, has the time come or is it yet too
“Another subject also needs the com
munity ’ s consensus. The dokhma. The Vada
Dasturji of Navsari has said that we cannot
follow both dokhmenashini and burial in
the same city. Where there is no dokhma,
have abided by that ruling and do not per
form the funeral Ceremonies on such oc
casions. A meeting could empower the
trustees to find a suitable solution.
“Both decisions have to beiaken by the
k into \ stylish
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2
Icommunity. Just blaming the trustees is not
the way out. Zoroastrianism calls on us to
exert our Vohu Mano. Stalwarts in the
community can take up the challenge and
help us to use our minds...
“A lively question and answer session
followed the Chairman ’s main speech. We
give below, not the sum, just the substance
of what some of the speakers said.
“Jimmy Majoo
An elderly Parsi gentleman and his daugh
ter, a young Parsi widow married to a non-
Parsi, wanted to have her son initiated into
the Zoroastrian religion. For that purpose
the Zoroastrian gentleman wanted to hire
the OMT Hall for the navjote ceremony and
reception.
“The person concerned was advised that
due to objections from the priests of the
Agyari, the ceremony could not be per
formed at the Hall.
“Bowing to the wishes of the learned
priests, the family has decided to have the
ceremony performed elsewhere, and there
wa.s no reason why the Kall should not be
gi ven for the purpose of the reception at the
concessional rate for Parsis. To this the
trustees replied that even then the Hall
could not be given.
“The trustees decided that the navjote in
question was not a ‘navjote ’ according to
the present Parsi laws but that it became a
‘conversion. ’ This could not be equated
with tenets of the trust deed and, accor
dingly, they could not provide the Hall to
the party in question as is usually done for
Parsi ceremonial purposes at the usual
concessional rates.
“Jimmy Majoo continued, laying stress
on three points:
“1. There should be no discrimination
by the trustees with regard to the use of the
Hall, which is meant for the Calcutta Parsis,
on account of sex, and both male and fe
male should be treated equally.
“2. There was no rationale in refusing
the use of the Hall for the purpose of re
ception on the occasion of a navjote cer
emony which was not recognized by the
learned priests, when the Hall i.s being
given freely for celebrating wedding recep
tions of weddings which are also not rec
ognized by the learned priests.
“3. The Parsi community is a dying one.
Last year there were 26 deaths and only .5
births in Calcutta. According to Parsiana
magazine, during the period February/March
1994 to September 1994, there were 563
deaths and only 128 births in Bombay.
Therefore, it was a pity that in case where
female Parsis, who married outside the com
munity, not only wanted to retain their reli
gious beliefs but also wanted to bring up their
children in the Zoroastrian faith, were pre
vented by orthodox views from doing so.
“Pinkie Lilaoonwala
Marriages between Parsis and non-Parsis
had taken place at Calcutta. These are not
recognized by the authorities concerned.
Nevertheless the Hall had been given at
concessional rates.
“Jimmy Italia
My nephew and niece have also married
outside the community. We have to settle
such matters among ourselves. If rules are
there they should be followed.
“The board at the Agyari reads; ‘Entry
for Parsi Zoroastrians only ’ and this should
be respected. Invite eminent speakers to
enlighten us.
“Minoo Writer
The trustees should not be burdened with
changing of the rules and regulations. If this
was done in Delhi and Jamshedpur, it must
have been done with the full consent of the
community. *
“If this has to be done, a proper-forum
With Best Compliments From
1
Mrs Dina Dara Sukhia
and family
And
B
victory Theatre
2429 Gen Thimayya Road
Camp, Pune 411001
R
64 Parsiana February-March 1995
I
*should be formed and let the commu
nity give their votes to the trustees who will
then decide whether the rules should be
changed or not.
“If the trustees are backed by the
community ’s decisions, then posterity will
not point a finger.
none of their acts can be challenged. The
trust deed, in this regard has created an
impenetrable legal shield for the trustees,
contest on the issue of the justifiability of
the refusal of the trustees to let the hall to a
Parsi lady, wed to a non-Parsi, for the
navjoteofher children. Adopting the present which can be pierced only if the trustees
interpretation of the law, there seems to be
little force in the arguments against such
action.
“This may be supported on two grounds, depart from any of these requirements.
Firstly, the deed creating the trust confers
‘absolute discretion ’ upon the trustees ‘ei
ther to allow or disallow ’ the use of the hall .
act malafide, which is not the case here.
The impugned action being based on
long-standing custom cannot be said to
“Deena Ardeshir Firstly, the deed creating the trust confers and hence is obviously a valid exercise of
There should be no reason why one person ‘absolute discretion ’ upon the trustees ‘ei- their discretion, in law.
should be discriminated against when the ther to allow or disallow ’ the use of the hall. “Secondly, it should be noted that the
Hall is given freely to Parsis at practically Such a provision conferring absolute power deed refers to the ‘Parsi Community. ’
no cost. After all, it is for the old man and ( ' .
his family who want to celebrate a happy the discretion is exercised in a manner
occasion.
“Homi Gotla and Numi Mehta drew
attention to our dokhma. The trustees ex
plained why their suggestions could not be
implemented. Since the trustees and the
speakers were of the same basic view, there
was no controversy.
“The AGM ended in understanding and
harmony, and everyone proceeded happily wrong in it, per se, as long as it does not
to the refreshments that had been laid out at
the OMT Hall. ”
In the December 1994-January 1995
issue of Gavashni, a writer, Phiroze Eduiji,
offered “a legal view ” of the incident.
“The recent meeting of the Calcutta
Anjuman saw a rather fierce and emotional
on the trustees is valid in law, provided that Whatever may be the emotional argu
ments on the Parsi identity, a question of
law cannot be decided thereby. The long- keeping with the purpose of the deed, and
without arbitrary action or unjust alienation standing custom has settled the law on
of any of the intended beneficiaries.
“A trust is after all an arrangement for
(the) benefit of a certain class of people,
and if the trustees, who have taken up the
obligation, in their discretion and wisdom,
act in a certain manner, there is nothing the Privy Council in Saklal v. Bella, AIR
1925 PC 298, following the judgement of
the High Court of Bombay in Dinshaw
Manekji Petit ’s case, 33 Bom. 509. It is
not our place to consider the rationality of
such a custom. By its existence, the child of
a non-Parsi fathest and a Parsi mother is
serve to contravene the trust. Moreover,
the trust deed, which is the supreme docu
ment, itself confers ‘absolute ’ discretion on
the trustees, no legal norm can be said to
have been sacrileged. So, as long as the
trustees uphold the sanctity of the objective excluded from the community and hence
ofthe trust, and are in good faith, impartial, from all benefits available to members.
this point, that the Parsis in India do not
proselytise, that the community is a closed
one, and that only a child of a Parsi father
may be admitted to the community. This
has been accorded judicial recognition by
*
Wishing A Very Happy 30th Anniversary
and Continuous Progress and Prosperity
M/s Framji Rustamji Choksey
Estd: 1850
(Partner Sorabji Eduiji Cooper)
Goldsmith & Art Jewellers
(Approved Valuers by Govt of India for Jewellery)
Shop: 253, Sheikh Memon Street, Bombay 400002
Phone: 3425422, 3442639
Residence: 585, Khan House, Chira Bazar, Bombay 400002
Phone: 2051118, 2063099
65 Parsiana February-March 1995k
MATRIMONIAL
Matrimonial alliance invited for a 34-year-old
boy, having his own automobile business
and separate accommodation, from a slim
and attractive girl. Upcountry girls and girts
with either parent Parsi Zoroastrian may
also apply. An early reply with a contact
number along with a recent photograph
(returnable) would be appreciated. Write to:
The Advertiser
Parsiana, Matrimonial (Feb-Mar/6-95)*
GPO Box 892, Bombay 400001
‘Please make sure the reply envelope
bears the reference number cited here.
MATRIMONIAL
Parsi boy, aged 31, interested to
migrate, commerce graduate and
doing business in Bombay, invites
correspondence from girls in UK,
USA, Canada or Australia.
Please write to:
The Advertiser
Parsiana, Matrimonial (Feb-Mar/8-95)*
GPO Box 892, Bombay 400001
‘Please make sure the reply envelope
bears the reference number cited here.
MATRIMONIAL
Parsi parents seek alliance for
daughter, 31 years, fair, slim
graduate with cultured tastes and
a generous and affectionate
nature, with Parsi bachelor, under
38 years, having a Green Card or
citizenship of USA. Please reply
with a photo and phone number to:
The Advertiser
Parsiana, Matrimonial (Feb-Mar/9-95)*
GPO Box 892, Bombay 400001
‘Please make sure the reply envelope
bears the reference number cited here.
I
1
I
Ladies!
Your face has to
last a lifetime...
So treasure it!
Enliven dull and sallow skin with
nature ’s bountiful & beneficial
products like herbs, vegetable
juices, fruit pulp & nourishing
oils & enjoy a relaxing facial.
Look great & feel good without
ugly spots & blemishes.
By appt only: Mrs H. Dastur
Tel: 3863784
There is no dispute as to the existence of
this custom at the time of the settlement of
the Olpadvala trust; hence it cannot be
argued that such children were within the
contemplation of the settlor as possible
beneficiaries. Hence the action of the trust
ees cannot be faulted upon any ground. ”
(Editor ’s explanatory note: In Saklat vs
Bella the Privy Council ruled that the trust
ees had the right to grant entry to Bella, the
daughter of a Parsi mother and a Goanese
Christian father. The discretion lay with the
trustees, stated the Privy Council.)
A mother’s anguish
Zoroaster spread a wonderful religion. He
did not distinguish between anyone or any
thing.
Neither did my parents. I grew up with
the belief that there is one God and that the
relation between man and God is personal
and wonderful.
Ten years ago, I married a man whose
religion was not the same as mine. I had a
son — Rahul. A child with whom my bond
is equally wonderful.
I wanted him to grow up-as I did, in my
faith, in my religion. I am a Zoroastrian
parent and wish that my child be a Zoroas
trian too.
I approached the concerned authorities
of Calcutta to do his navjote. But despite
talks and reasoning, some of the mobeds in
the agiary felt it was “unheard ” of, “unholy ”
and that I was “spoilng my son ’s life ” by
doing his navjote.
I was greatly pained by the attitude taken
by the parties concerned. The Parsi com
munity is diminishing and one would have
thought that any steps taken to bring more
of our children, born of one Zoroastrian
parent, would be in our interest to maintain
our heritage. Why then, was the burning
question, do we perform the navjote cer
emony of the girl if later we are going to
totally disregard her contribution to the
community?
However I did not wish to unneccessar-
ily complicate matters and in deference to
the mobed sahibs ’ wishes I had my son ’s
navjote done outside Calcutta -- at
Jamshedpur in December 1994.
My family and I were made to feel very
welcome there and we wish to thank the
Jamshedpur community for braving the
change and for taking steps to save our
ancient and wonderful heritage and culture.
My son and I feel very happy and blessed.
Ms Soona Dhankani
MATRIMONIAL
i
Matrimonial alliance
invited from good-looking,
cultured, educated girl,
prepared to stay in a
big and industrialised
city of Gujarat, for a
good-looking, fair, 5’4”,
30-year-old boy,
MBA from USA, self
employed and earning
handsomely.
Apply with biodata and
photo (returnable) to:
The Advertiser
Parsiana, Matrimonial (Feb-Mar/7-95)*
GPO Box 892, Bombay 400001
e
r
‘Please make sure the reply envelope
bears the reference number cited here.
I*
Sardar Dastur Schools’ Trust
runs three renowned schools
right from pre-nursery to SSC,
imparting high level of education
through English medium, with
separate hostels for boys and
girls, and best mess facilities
(veg and non-veg). The schools
have an excellent record in the
field of academics including
computers, as well as
extra-curricularactivities like
karate, Indian and western
music. Students are sent up
for Hindi, Marathi and Drawing
government exams.
Special concession to deserving
Zoroastrian students may be
considered. Parents desiring to
enrol their wards in the schools ’
hostels are requested promptly
to write to or contact
The President
Sardar Dastur Schools’ Trust
2 Lt Col Tarapore Road
Poona 411001
for the hostel prospectus.
I
t
I:
ITRADITION
Sing a song of
MATRIMONY
The joy of a wedding lay in the
active participation of the guests
Adi Doctor
¦ <<
Wedding is said to be “a significant event.
Before it the woman cries, and afterwards
the man. ” That may be today. But in the
good old days of goyans (female singers)
and grandmas, things were different. The
bride and the groom joined family mem
bers in singing special songs for the occa
sion.
Alas, today, while the lagan nu custard
(special dessert served at wedding feasts)
still holds its ground, the other relic of the
past,/agan nageeto (wedding songs), have,
by and large, disappeared from Parsi wed
dings, barring a few exceptions in the couple of tunes but not the lyrics. But the
mofussil areas of India or some regions
like Karachi where customs of yore con-
¦ tinue to be observed. A timely collection
of some of these little known songs on
audio cassettes, issued by the Cowasjee
Foundation
and Zoroastrian Studies (ZS)
have, as I learnt later, also sought
to preserve this legacy.
When the Editor inquired if I
would do a piece on the subject, I, a
hardboiled bachelor, gleefully said ‘Yes, ’
little realizing what I was in for. Visits to
libraries were of no use, except for a slim garland of roses round her neck). It went on
booklet. A few kind souls directed me to and on, every time ending with the word,
some not-so-young ladies in various Parsi Movanaji. *
colonies, most of whom went blankety
blank after the first line of the verse. One
nonagenarian, however, did remember a
Another favorite was, Arrij aaje to
hame adarayaan, ne kale to hame
parnwana; Dharaa paraa hahif kartaa naa
neparni nepastata naa. Aadosipaadosi ne
hhulta naa ne parni ne pastata naa... (Oh,
we have got engaged today and will be
married tomorrow. Do not fus.s too much,
lest you regret it after marriage... do not
forget your relatives and friends, lest you
repent later...) ”
One of my prized possessions of child
hood was a hand-wound HMV gramophone
that was brought out from the cupboard
*
h
w
<£3r
<5
A
915^0
poor thing was barely able to let out an
emphysemic croak.
Thus, I was about to press the panic
button and chuck in the towel when help
came from a totally unexpected quarter —
my memory!
During my school days,
my late-lamented father
used to sing songs from old
Parsi nataks (plays), Hindi only on festive occasions. While most of
films and some old wedding
songs. He would chortle with
gusto at the oddest of moments :
after returning from work,
before retiring for the night,
etc.
One such old festival song
uBim
^<
'C
the 78 RPMs were more than welcome, the
very first mandatory record that had to spin
on the turntable was Jxioked upon with
dread. Inspite of all my pleadings, it was
compulsive listening to Soonamai Goyan ’s
Sakhi Suraj hhale ugiya re (the benevolent
sun has risen). Father would turn down all
that has rolled down memory protests against playing thi.s disc, saying,
•*' - “Pahele sagan nu geet to joiye (it i.s neces
sary to begin with an auspiciou,s song). ”
Since there were four members in our
o
lane is Movanaji. To this
V day, I don ’t know what it
k means or whether it is the
refrain or the title of the family, it was played almost every quarter
'yy song. But it was my
b \ favorite. It went some-
k \ thing like this: Arre,
pehlan ena pug peelo ne
gale golah no har re,
Movanaji. (O, first
apply the turmeric to
her feet and place the
on each birthday, and also on Pateti, Navroz,
etc. Many years later I realize that it was
one of our wedding songs!
It went like ‘this: Soonabai Goyan was
late for her appointment. The old lady of
the house kept grumbling, “Barne dholiyo
hi aavi ne he th ne char hi waga (the
drummers have already presented them-
J
69 Parsiana February-March 1995»
selves at the door and it ’s four o ’clock). ”
Then the crowing of the cock is simulated
by a girl ’s voice. Suddenly a female voice
pip-squeaks, “Maiji, maiji, aain Soonabai
Goyan aayanl (“ma ’am, ma ’am, here
comes Soonabai Goyan)! ” Promptly is
Soonabai reprimanded: “Oh maiSoonabai,
ketlun badhun avvarun keedhun. Chalo
weki jaav. (Oh my, Soonabai, how late
you ’ve made it! Come on, begin immedi
ately)! ”
Then in almost one breath, Soonabai
lets out a shrill cacophonous yell: “Sakhi
Suraj bhale ugiya re...” Words start pour
ing ceaselessly, making one wonder at
Soonabai ’s phenomenal lung power. Alas,
the voice that could shatter glass wouldn ’t
allow me to catch the words, except for an
occasional “wadi ” or “atash behram. ” It
was only very recently that I stumbled
upon the lyrics which run into pages! No
wonder the singer was in a tearing hurry to
complete as many verses as possible on a
78 RPM!
According to a rare \iC'a\!i,Gujarat Parsis
— From Their Earliest Settlement To The
Present Time (AD 1898) by Kharsedji N.
Seervai and Bamanji B. Patel, Sakhi Suraj
was “one of the most popular marriage
songs. ” Only a few lines therefrom are
given here:
“Sakhi suraj bhale ugiyare. Wariman ugiya the present day local clones of Madonna,
re! Dadaar Hormazne baare, Kehvenaala- ~ -
bhale veyashe! Sakhi suraj bhale ugiya re!
A hand-wound HMV
gramophone was
brought out from the
cupboard only on
festive occasions
the socio-religious cum cultural life-style
of the 19th century Parsis, ” notes an intro
duction to the cassette. “Often the lyrics
reflect various aspects of Zoroastrian doc
trine which have been interwoven into the
fabric of these melodies, ” it is further
clarified.
Prior to this effort by ZS, the Cowasjee
Foundation in Karachi had introduced an
audio cassette, Zoroastrian Religious and
Cultural Program featuringZagan na geeto
on one side of the tape with some basic
prayers and devotional songs on the other
side.
The wedding songs of yore had such
simple, catchy tunes that they were sung
by young and old. What ’s more, one felt
that there was a wedding in the house and
joined in the festivity. What a far cry from
Aavse maaro vaago laine, Paherse pyara
saparasji
Ke chakchakti phool thaal bharine. Novar
vahu shangarva kaaj.
Hira maneck, motino haar, Paheravyo tarn
jodane kaaj;
Melavyo haath novar vahu saath, Janamnu
sukh jovane kaaj.
(“There ’s a garland of marigolds, roses
and Champa, so that this good assembly is
adorned; the ladies will come with new
clothes which the groom will wear. For the
new bride a shining tray laden with flow
ers. You will offer the couple necklaces of
diamonds, rubies and pearls; the groom
will hold the bride ’s hand so that they may
enjoy lifelong happiness. ”)
Mubarak, Mubarak, Mubarak
Shubh ghadi, shubh din, aaj mubarak
Roj mubarak, mubarak, mubarak.
Anand harakhthi vadhavo umberne.
Chok-chadanthi sajavo gharne.
Phool, toran saath sangaar mubarak.
Shubh ghadi, shubh din aaj mubarak,
Roj mubarak, mubarak, mubarak.
>
Tina Turner and Michael Jackson, belting
- , out senseless, dissonant noise at Parsi wed-
Atash Behramne Baare-Kehvenaala-bhale dings. Will some resourceful Parsi take it
veyashe. upon himself to start the fashion of playing
Avan Izadane baare-Kehvenaala-bhale lagan na geeto at Parsi baugs, so that the
veyashe. ....
Shanhanjeeaaine baare-Kehvenaala-bhale
veyashe.
Bawa sasrane baare-Kehvenaala-bhale
veyashe. ”
(“The luck-bringing sun has risen, he has
risen over our garden; he has risen at the
gates of God. Now the cool west wind
brings blessings and the luck-bringing Vahu avi
sun shines over the atash behram, over Vahu avi ..
the gates of Avan Yazad, over the Beej6 saaI6 haathma ramsh6 galgoto.
upon himself to start the fashion of playing
right ambience is created once again?
Snatches from three wedding songs;
Vahu avi re Vahu bhale re avi:
Vahu avi re Vahu bhale re avi
Vahu avi re Vahu sare re dahare —
Vahu avi re Vahu muharat vare
Vahu avi re Vahuna haathma loto,
re Vahuno martabo moto.
re Vahuna haathma loto,
marriage porch, over the gates of the [“Welcome to the daughter-in-law on this
on and on.
Some of the other marriage hits sung by
the women of the house comprised Vahu
avi re avi, Gota gulab champano haaar,
Shubha sundario, Dhanya dhanya chhe She has come and she is carrying^a lota
divas aajno. These songs for festive
sions have been recorded for posterity
an audio cassette, Khushali Na Geet Ne
Garba, brought out by ZS. Most of these
verses are redolent with advice, admoni
tion, guidance and tips. “Besides serving
as a mode of entertainment, these songs
provide a rich source of information about
father and father-in-law... ”) And so forth.
auspicious day.
She has come as per the muharat (auspi
cious time).
She has come with a lota
She has come and her status is big.
70 Parsiana February-March 1995
occa-
on
The next year in her hands will be agalgota
(a cute babe)].
Gota Gulab Champano Haar
Gota Gulab Champano Haar, Bhali mijlas
shobhavva kaaj;
Mali chhe thaath lokoni aaj, Juo aa hall ma
aaje.
Tan ni dorosti ne man ni abadi,
Dadar ape tamone
Sukh samp, dhun ape mubarak/
Shubh ghadi shubh din aaj mubarak...
Bhali a din ni rahe abadi,
Gharma tamara khushali,
Sarveni duao thae mubarak.
Shubh ghadi, shubh din, aaj mubarak...
(“May this auspicious day and moment
bring fulfilment for you. Decorate your
household with flowers and chalk design,
and may happiness always cross your
threshold. We wish you good health, peace
of mind and prosperity^May the Good
Religion flourish and may all your good
wishes be granted.)
Statement of Ownership
& Other Particulars about Parsiana: Form IV
(See Rule 8)
Place of Publication: Bombay
Periodicity of Publication: Ten issues in a year
Printer, Publisher, Editor: Jehangir R.Patei
Nationality: Indian
Address: 285, J. Dadaii Marg,
Bombay 400007
Proprietor: Parsiana Publications Pvt Ltd,
39 A. K.Nayak Marg, Bombay 400001
Shareholders holding more than one percent of the total
capital: Jehangir R. Patel, Veera J. Patel and Simin J. Patel,
address same as-above.
I, Jehangir R. Patel, hereby declare that the
particulars given above are true to the best of
my knowledge and belief.
Sd. {Jehangir R.Patel)1 March 1995
:. 4’-
I
r
>
ITHE PUNCHAYET’S PRIORITIES
continued from page 58
was a “deliberate attempt to keep out Zo
roastrian Studies. ” He said that Dastur (Dr)
Kaikhusroo JamaspAsa had written a letter
stating ZS/Mistree should be excluded. The
BPP trustees Guzder, Desai and Mehta said
the exclusion of ZS was an “oversight ” and
there was no deliberate attempt to keep ZS
out. Rusi Dalal, president of the Zoroas
trian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) who
represented its newsletter, termed the omi
ssion an act of “negligence. ”
BPP chief executive Rustom Anklesaria
pointed out that “65 percent of religious
lectures presented to those attending the
BPP Holiday Youth Program have been
given by ZS... the trustees have nothing Mehraban Zartoshty: fostering
against Zoroastrian Studies. ” The decision Zoroastrian scholarship
to include any person on the committee
would be left to the chairman. Nadir Modi,
noted Mehta.
The legal tussle whether the chairper
son of the BPP should assume office by
seniority or by election is still pending the
written judgement of the Bombay High
Court judge. Guzder noted that adjourn
ments had been granted by the divisional
bench of the High Court awaiting the writ
ten judgement. Asked if there was a time
limit forjudges to deliver the written judg
ment, Desai replied “there is no time limit. ”
Both Guzder and Desai had vied for the
chairmanship, with Guzder being elected mitted to permitting the shift. The group
~ has obtained a stay from the courts against
shifting the fire. Guzder said talks were on
with trustees of other fire-temples as well.
In the meanwhile, the residents of Panthaky
by the majority vote of the trustees. Desai is
the seniormost trustee.
The BPP will net Rs 17 to 18 crores from
the lease of a plot of land in Khareghat
Colony, on which the old Fever Hospital Baug have approached the BPP lo subsi-
once stood. The highest bidder, noted ar
chitect Noshir Talati, will have the right to
develop the 17,000 to 18,000 square feet
available for building. Poncha noted that _
the price which worked out to around Rs monthly which was supposed to replace it,
9,500 per square foot of FSI (floor space Guzder said that due to the heavy workload
on the administrative stall, the publica
tions had been neglected. He promised that
the Bimonthly would re.start. One of the
index) was “a fair market price ” for a plot of
land on which flats could only be sold to
Parsi Zoroastrians - probably at Rs 15,000
a square foot or more. Poncha is the former correspondents pointed out that a similar
managing director of Tata Housing. reply had been given at the last press
The money received Irom the lease would conference when the question was raised,
be used for repairs and new housing but Guzder said this time things would be be used for repairs and new housing I "
constructions for the weaker sections of different,
the community.
Poncha noted that though the trustees
had a merit rating system for the allocation
ofnew flats, there was no similar system for Congress in January 2000. No decision
transfer of tenancy in the existing struc- has yet been taken regarding the Sixth
tures. Although the BPP has filed nuttier- World Zoroastrian Congress. One possible
OUS suits against tenants tor alleged viola- venue, Tehran, has been lui ned down
tions ofthe Bombay Rent Act, "not a single as many from India may not attend
f
suit have we won, ” noted Mehta. Poncha
asked how many of the 4,000 flats con
trolled by the BPP had been surrendered?
“Two in the last four years, or not even
two, ” he stated.
While work on the Godrej Baug agiary
is continuing (“the frame structure up to
the dome level is completed ” say.s the press
release), there is still no sign of those op
posing the shifting of the Doongaji agiary
in Bharuch changing their stand. Despite
several meetings and discussions, the leader
of the opposition, Sam Sethna, is not com-
dize the cost of an agiary in that Bombay
suburban colony, said Guzder.
When asked about the non-publication
of the BPP Quarterly and the BPP Bi-
The Federation of Zoroaslrian As.socia-
tions of North America (FEZANA)
has offered to host a World Zoroastrian
has yet been taken regardir
World Zoroastrian Coni
venue, Tehran, has bi
as many from India ¦iV
and American Zoroastrians may not be
granted visas to visit Iran.
Dalal of the ZTFE said that his associa
tion was to host a Wodd Youth Congress in
July 1997, and invited the BPP and other
anjumans to send delegates.
The BPP press release stated that the
response to the third child subsidy scheme
announced by the BPP “can be said to be
rather poor. ” Of the 12 cases, only five
were eligible. The scheme is to be further
advertised.
Towards the end of ’.he conference,
Guzder paid tributes to individual trustees
and lauded their substantial contributions.
Bengalee had laid emphasis on youth edu
cation programs, Kanga had used his for
midable contacts to assist in property mat
ters, Desai ’s legal and other contribution
was “very effective, ” Kavarana was viewed
as a mother of the community and Mehta
was an indefatigable worker who person
ally looked into grievances and visited the
trouble spots.
Guzder started the press conference
with an apology for not holding press meets
and anjuman committee meetings as he
had promised to? do when becoming
chairman. An anjuman committee meeting
was to be convened shortly, he said.
¦
THE DINA
Where only
the best will do
Contact:
Bombay: Mehta 2024005,
Nayyar 6040298
Mahableshwar: Jal/
Mehernooz (02168) 60246
Dina Hotel,
Mahableshwar 412806
I
73 Par nans FebruayMar..-The press conference was attended by
trustees and staff members of publications.
Extracts from the official BPP and N. N.
and R. N. Wadia Trust press releases:
I ' "¦ construction of 12 additional flats of two R
+ K with the provision of a lift.
The residents of e) Development of B. S. Panthaky Baug
r» « , D «I 1« kt / A Architect Dara Mistry has submitted plans
I antnaKy Dauy IldVc for the approval of BMC (Bombay Mumcl-
Housing approached the BPP pal Corporation) authorities for three build-
a) S. B. Bharucha Baug, Andheri (West) . iKoiHi-zo tho rnct ‘"8®’J® buildings having 140 flats of
In the multistoreyed building of 178 flats, tO SUDSICllZe 106 COST two R + K, and one building of 48 flats of
six one room and kitchen (R + K) flats and of an 30131^/ th GT© n"® t premise so nthegrou n
one flat of two R + K remain unallotted. ® floor of 6,000 sq ft for a banL The esti-
There are so far 14 flats vacant, ie posses- ——— mated cost for this project, including cost o
sion of which has not been given due to rhe building, of the construction of B. P.
certain cases being under review, or en- For the proposed project of two owner- Road and compound wall, cf the new drain- ,
.......................... • age system, storm water drains as also other |p
of an agiaty there
For the proposed project of two owner
gaged couples whose flats will be released ship buildings on the extended plot M in _ .
...........................Godrej Baug, architect RusiKhambatta has unforseen expenses, is estimated to be about
been appointed. He has started on the work
of preliminaries and for obtaining permis
sion from various authorities.
three months prior to the date of their
wedding, or because of cases shortlisted
and placed on the notice board.
Rs 9 crores.
b) Godrej Baug
One R + K flat in Q building and one in T c) Mobed quarters
building at Godrej Baug have been allot
ted from October 1994. So far 35 (Q=24 +
T=11) cases have been shortlisted out of Press. Fourteert flats have been occupied,
which possession has been given to 11
cases in Q Building. For T Building, NOC
(No Objection Certificate) was received on
December 31, 1994 and possession to the
11 allottees will be released shortly. For
the 13 cases of Q building, possession has
not been given due to reasons mentioned in
item (a).
f) Blue Hills — Pune property
The Charity Commissioner ’s approval was
received for accepting the development offer
Sixteen mobed cases have been shortlisted of Tata Housing Development Co at Rs
and cleared on the notice board and in the
3.25 crores. Agreement was executed and
sanction under Section 37(1) of IT Act was
also received. Tata Housing have started
development work and they have so far
paid three instalments totalling up to Rs 75
lakhs, as per schedule.
d) Development of building no 786 in the
Dadar Parsi Colony
The estimated cost of this project is one
crore rupees. Piling work is completed and
further work is progressing. The project is Housing project at Vasai
expected to be completed by December Since the lands and FSI available with the
1996. Develpoment would be by way of BPP will get exhausted afte^construction
I
D. B. MADAN & CO
99
I
“MADAN HOUSE
50, MOORE STREET, MADRAS 600001
PHONE : 5340667, 5340687 & 5340727
TELEX : 041-7088 DBM IN, 041-7820 DBM IN
041-6883 DBM IN
: (44)5341559
J
FAX
CABLE : GENITS, MADRAS
Shipping Agents For:
FESCO International Shipping Pte Ltd, S. A. Panama
Black Sea Shipping Company, Odessa -- Ukraine and
Clearing & Forwarding Agents
f:
74 Parsiana February-March 1995Khareghat Colony, Panthaky conditions. Architect B. Sachinwalla from Building Nos
_ _ 2 ¦ ¦ • ; Vasai is looking after the development of 1)693-696
still about 2,633 applicants on our waiting this plot and obtaining the necessary sane- 2) 17, 20,21
... . ------------- ----------.1---------- — —
construction will start as soon as possible. 4) 9, 12
_ ___________ A senior architect will be appointed to 5) Godrej Bldg
sonably priced plot at Village Valiv of Tai supervise the project. Ultimately, thiscoloqy
....................on the total area of four acres may well
consist of 200 to 250 flats. The trustees
have decided to complete this project on
high priority.
of flats at
Baug and Godrej Bang, and since there are
still about 2,633 applicants on our waiting this plot and obtaining the necessary sanc-
list, the trustees have decided to purchase tions. Once such sanctions are received,
land for further constructions. After visit
ing different sites, they have located a rea-
Colonies
Dadar Parsi Colony
Panthaky Bang
Gamadia Colony
Gamadia Colony
Vasai. Prior to this, the trustees had inquired
of all the applicants on the waiting list
whether they would be willing to go to the
surburbs. Of the 790 applicants who res
ponded favorably, 18.5 have opted for
Vasai itself. Hence, BPP has purchased a
plot of 6,170 sq mts non-agricultural
(NA) land (approximately l'/^ acres) lo
cated adjoining the main road known as
Vasai-Ambadi Road, joining the National
Highway Number 8 which is a distance of
about 2'/j km from this plot. The plot is
about 5'/j km from the Vasai railway sta
tion in the east, and adequate bus and
rickshaw transport is available for
commuting.
Apart from this NA land, the trustees
have further decided to purchase 2'/., acres
of an adjoining plot.
On the available plot of 1acres NA
land, nearly 70 to 80 flats of approximately
100 to 800 sq ft each can be constructed. It
is proposed to construct large size flats in
order to induce the allottees to go there
with a view to offering them bcu.-’- living
Master Bldg Navajbai Contractor
Banaji Bldg Baug, Mahim
6)BldgsB, N, R S. B. Bharucha Baug,
Andheri
So far the common experience has been
that occupants are not willing to contribute
up to 50 percent of the cost of such major
repairs, which results in delay. The total
cost of such major repairs is likely to be of
the order of Rs 8 crores or more.
Revision of merit rating system
From the experience gained so far the trusi-
ee.s have decided to review the cate-gory wise
Merit Rating System that exists, and to
constitute a committee for the same.
The following ladies/gentlemen have
been invited to be on the committee:
Edul Bharucha, Prof K. C. Sheriar, Fall
Poncha, Ms Homai Modi, Pesi Jegus, after the maintenance of the five colonies of
Nariman Mehta, K. N. Randelia (Voltas Cusrow Baug, Rustom Baug, Bai Jerbai
and Ex-ITC). The committee will be Baug, Nowroz Baug and Ness Baug. The
headed by Chairman J. N. Guzder and trustee committee generally meets once every two
Ms S. K. Kavarana will also be on the months and the minutes of the meetings are
committee. ratified by the trustees of the BPP.
All the buildings in these Bangs are now
more than 50 years old. Mr Neville Wadia
takes keen interest is^ the maintenance of
The BPP since 1953 has formed a commit
tee consisting of three senior trustees and
three representatives of the Wadias to look
living
Major repairs to old buildings
In the five year program chalked out for
carrying out major repairs to old buildings, these colonies by paying frequent visits to
priority has been given to the following old the Bangs. In 1985 he had fonpulated a
buildings: scheme, supported by the trustees, for get-
Customer is.
^always Light
When he entrusts his Household
Packing, Shipping, Removal,
Storage,.,, all his problems to
B.C. Buhariwala & Sons,
Make the right Move, Cali:
Buhariufala & Sens
5 J. N. Heredia Marg, Ballard Estate, Bombay-400 038.
Tel.: 2615451 “
Door to door
Service
2613137 Tlx.: 011-75139 BCB IN. Fax: 22-2620785
BRANCH OFFICE:
1310, Pragati Towers, Rajendra Place, New Delhi-llO 008.
Tel. Nos,: 5711876, 5713540. Tlx.: 031-61928 BCB IN
Represented throughout the World by more than 600 offices
4’
•f
?I
ting the buildings repaired with the coop
eration of the tenants who were to share the
cost of repairs on a 50 percent basis with the
trust. This scheme was very successful and
with the cooperation of the tenants all the
buildings in the various baugs have been
repaired and now present a neat appear
ance.
The rents and the permitted increases,
etc, received from the tenements are based
on old standard rents. Since the rents are
very meagre and the expense of labor and
materials has enormously increased, the factory. The trust has granted concessions
trust is recovering service charges and car
parking charges from the tenants as follows:
Service Charges
Cusrow Baug
Rustom Baug
Parking Charges
Rs 75
Rs 160 Car
Rs 150 Scooter Rs 25
Rs 60
Bai Jerbai Baug Rs 75
Ness Baug
Nowroz Baug
Rs 160
For all the five
baugs
functions which are attended in large num
bers by Parsis and members of other com
munities.
A few years ago the trust took up the
work of constructing an additional R.C.C.
tank to augment the water supply of the
colony at an approximate cost of Rs
3,40,000. The cost was met by contribu
tions of Rs 500 per tenement, and the bal
ance amount was utilized from the one
month ’s voluntary contribution per year
received from the tenants of Cusrow Baug.
in the recovery of service charges from colony,
widows and retired people who cannot af
ford to pay full service charges.
For games, social and welfare activities,
pavilions have been constructed in Rustom _____ ____
Baug and Cusrow Baug. Both pavilions Welfare League has also worked
have a badminton court. Gymnasiums are
also available at both these baugs. Children ’s __ ____ ______ __ __ num mu
garden^ have been provided at both baugs. funds gathered during the Diamond Jubilee
LT.r... .1, J ... functions. Guzder has donated Rs 50,000
u
I opened this
envelope addressed
to me and found
inside a cheque for
23 lakh rupees ”
Fifty thousand rupees was contributed by
This has improved the water supply of the
The trust has recently repaired the roads
and filled up the asphalt joints in concrete
road surfaces at a cost of Rs 34,800.
The Cusrow Baug United Sports and
_____ I out a
scheme for taking up various projects for
the improvement of the colony from the
u. J- jr Wadia for the children ’s garden at Rustom towards this project. Wadia has donated Rs
The amount thus obtained IS utilized for Baug. The existing mortuary building i *
employing staff to collect garbage twice a Nowroz Baug is being utilized for
day from each flat, to employ watchmen ducting cultural and social activities,
and malis for maintaining gardens, street
lights, staircase lights, lifts, waterpumps,
sanitary fittings, repairs to drains and gut
ters and premonsoon repairs to roofs, etc.
The response of the tenants is very satis-
employing staff to collect garbage twice a
_ in
con-
50,000 for the construction of a ring-well in
the central lawn, so that the greenary of the
lawn can be improved by utilizing the well
water.
Rustom Baug is situated in a very vul-
. . - - - nerable locality and during the last riots
enthusiasm. The big central lawn in Cusrow there was communal tension in this^area. It
- ---------- ------------------ 1 was, therefore, decided to strengthen the
Nowroz Baug is being utilized for
The Cusrow Baug United Sports and
Welfare League celebrated the Diamond
Jubilee of the Baug last year with great
Baug is utilized on such occasions to hold
SORABJIRUSTOMJI & CO.
Exporters & Stockists of Sandal Wood,
Sandal Wood Oil & Other Essential Oils
9
I,
78 Parsiana February-March 1995
4’
Sales Depot
Durlab Bhavan, Shop No 4, R. M. Roy Marg
Charni Road Junction, Bombay 400004
Tel: 3856675, 3821637
Fax; 3738161 Cable: INSANDAL
Sales Depot & Factory
Hooseinbad Compound, Champsi Bhimji Road
Old Anjirwadi, Mazgaon, Bombay 400010
Tel: 3738343, 3728346
II
BOYS’ TOWN
Public School
Nasik 2
Recognised as a Public School
by the Department of Educa
tion for Indian Merit Scholars.
Excellent Climate - All-
round Education.
A new two-storeyed dormitory
with attached bathrooms, study
and lounge rooms has just been
completed to house 180 boys.
All Academic Subjects —
Technical Subjects: Work
shop Technology, Mechanical
& Electrical Maintenance,
Carpentery & Farming. Train
ing in Self-Government
through Elected Boys ’ Office
bearers. Games — Physical
Training - Daily Assembly
with Congregational Prayers
— Weekly intensive Zoroas-
trian-Geeta-Koran classes -
Excellent Modern Kitchen
and Dining Room facilities.
Moderate Fees. Concessions to
Deserving Students.
Apply to
THE MANAGING
TRUSTEE
P. N. MEHTA EDUCATION
TRUST
Cooks Building
324, Dr D. N. Road
Bombay 400001
existing compound walls and provide extra
lights at an approximate cost of six lakh
rupees, which has been shared on a 50 per
cent basis between the tenants and the trust.
There is an R.C.C. building consisting
of ground floor and four storeys occupied
by servants. In view of the acute housing
shortage, in 1988 the rooms vacated by
servants on the ground floor were con
verted into single room tenements and al
lotted to seven deserving applicants. Since
some more rooms have been vacated on the
first floor, the trust has completed the work
of converting the first floor also into three
double and one single room tenements. The
work has been completed and the flats will
be allotted soon.
A few years ago the G.I. pipelines sup
plying water to blocks A to E were found
to be decayed and due to leakage of water
from these underground pipelines, there
were complaints about shortage of water
supply. The trust carried out the work of
laying above ground G.I. pipelines at a cost
of Rs 57,530, 50 percent of which was
contributed by the tenants. The water sup
ply to these blocks has improved consider
ably, and there are now no complaints.
The surface of the maidan at Rustom
Baug had many boulders which projected
above ground level. This was risky for the
players of games like football, cricket, etc.
The trust took up the work of removing
such boulders.
The existing mortuary building in
Rustom Baug has been repaired and con
verted into a hall, now known as the Neville
Wadia Hall, which is being used for a
children ’s nursery, religious classes and
other social activities. Wadia had donated
Rs 50,000 towards the cost of repairs of the
same.
A bore-well has been provided by the
trust in the maidan from which water is
being distributed to the various gardens in
Rustom Baug, including the children ’s gar
den. This has improved the ecological ap
pearance of the Baug. Wadia had contri
buted Rs 50,000 from his personal funds
towards the cost of the bore-well.
Nowroz Baug is the oldest baug. There
were many complaints regarding shortage
of water, especially from the third floor
tenants. The trust took up the work of
constructing an additional water tank, which
i was completed at a cost of Rs 5,64,450.
Fifty percent of the cost was shared by the
tenants and now there are few complaints
regarding shortage of water.
As per the Development Control Plan of
Greater Bombay, the existing 40’ road in
I front of the Baug is to be widened to 60’. In
<9r
With best
compliments
from
NARIMAN
NALLASETH
Pvt Ltd
PLUMBING
ENGINEERS
CONSULTANTS
27, Tamarind Lane
Rajabahadur Compound
Apollo Street
Bombay 400023
Phone Nos: 2650066 & 2652986
Fax:091-022-2655834
i
If
80 Parsiana February-March 1995
k1990, the trust had proposed to construct a
new building having 11 shops on the ground
floor and 10 flats on the upper floor by
utilizing the FSI of the setback area. Some
of the tenants of Nowroz Baug had objected the Nowroz Baug Maintenance and Devel-
to the same, stating that their light and air opment Committee regarding improvement
" .1-1-1- -1. J works to be done in the Baug. The trust will
pay the trust the balance amount of Rs
1,82,01,465, as approved by the Charity
Commissioner.
Detailed discussions have been held with
would be affected, in view of which this
proposal was dropped. Subsequently, there
were changes in the Development Control
Rules and Transfer of Development Rights
are now being made available in such cases.
An auction sale was conducted in 1993 in
the Charity Commissioner ’s office and the
trust was able to obtain an offer of Rs
2,14,15,975 for FSI of 10,321 sq ft from
Tata Housing. An advance of Rs 32,14,510
has been received from Tata Housing which
has been invested according to the direc
tions of the Charity Commissioner.
The existing compound wall has been
demolished and a new wall has been con
structed 20’ away from the old wall. The
work of reconstruction of the main gate has
been delayed as this requires skilled work
manship to restore the old stone slabs of the
ornamental gate to its original shape. The costing Rs 56 lakhs. The tenants have also
The BPP will net
Rs 17 to 18 crores
from the lease
of a plot in
Khareghat Colony
The trust had issued a circular in 1987
requesting the tenants to pay an amount
equivalent to one month ’s rent once every
year as voluntary contribution, so that the
trust could utilize the amount for each baug
for common amenities like repairs to water
mains, street lights, roads, etc. The initial
response from the tenants was satisfactory.
From this amount and other contributions
from the tenants, the trust has carried out
the work of repair of the roads at Rustow'
Baug, Bai Jerbai Baug, Ness Baug and ''
Cusrow Baug. The trust was also able to
carry out many other works for the benefit
of the tenants by partly utilizing the amount
received as one month ’s voluntary rent, the
balance being spent from the trust ’s funds.
The buildings at Ness Baug are now in
need of major repairs. Estimates for the
same are being obtained from architects
and the needful will be done after the the
financial details are sorted out.
The number of cars in Bai Jerbai Baug
are now increasing and there is a shortage
carry out in phases, at its own cost, repairs
and replacement of underground water
mains, strengthening of the compound
walls, providing fire-hydrants, repairs to __________________ _
the old structures and construction of roads of parking space. The footpath opposite ‘C
setback^ portion has been developed and agreed to contribute towards the repairs of
which the corporation will issue
Certificate which will be handed over to i ............ 1__.. 2
Tata Housing Development Co, who will the cooperation of the tenants.
Block is proposed to be modified, so that al
t ------------------------------ least 20 more cars can be parked in this
wdl be handed over to the corporation after the buildings and have proposed to collect area. Estimates for the same are being
a 1 DR money for a future sinking fund. The repair worked out. '
In view of the acute shortage of accom
modation, cases of induction of unautho-
the buildings and have proposed to collect
work will thus be taken up in phases with
Dc-introducing Lhe Prestigious & Oldest
Exhibition Gallery of Designer Furniture
©ratotng Moorn
Interiors Showroom
14. K. Dubash Marg. Raia Ghoda. Bombay 400023 Ph: 242986
82 Parsiana February-March 1995
8U t'ars/a/ia rcu/uaij, ..H
*rized persons have increased. There are
some tenants who are holding on to more
than one flat and some are keeping their
flats unoccupied as they have migrated out
of India. The trust has been forced to take
legal action in nearly 100 cases.
Response to the
third child subsidy
scheme “can be said
to be rather poor ”
Parsi Punchayet Matrimonial Bureau
It was felt necessary to up-date the bio-data
of prospective applicants on the live regis
ter of the Parsi Punchayet Matrimonial
Bureau: hence 261 male and 119 female
applicants were written to, enclosing a de
tailed questionnaire. To date 96 males and
32 females have responded with a feed
back.
The VIII All India Zoroastrian Youth
Congress was held at Ahmednagar from
November 25 to 27,1994 and as in the past,
seven eligible male and female applicants
were
Saiyan Column and Dharamshalla
Major repairs were carried out during the
year to the Boyce Dharamshalla and the
Sanjan Memorial Column, amounting to ponsibility of running such day-care cen-
Rs 1,33,803. ters.
4) There is a lack of adequate accommoda
tion at Bombay Parsi Punchayet and N. N./ from the Matrimonial Bureau
R. N. Wadia Charities colonies/baugs for sponsored by the BPP to attend the confer-
such acitivity.
Looking to these factors and having
considered all aspects of the matter, it has applicants and to provide free board and
been finally decided that the proposal of lodging. Whilst matrimonial alliances
starting new day-care centers be dropped.
----------- But the already existing scheme of mo-
requirement of the residents, because the netarily helping families whose children
Day-care centers
In his White Paper Guzder had proposed
the opening of day-care centers in baugs
and colonies. The matter was dealt with at
some length and all the pros and cons of the
proposed scheme were considered in de
tail:
1) A day-care center is not an immediate
ence. The Ahmednagar Youth Asso
ciation was kind enough to host these
may or may not materialize through
such visits, the concept of facilitating
. „ Parsi youth of one city to meet the
services of the existing baby sitters/day- .are going to day-care centers, will be more youth from all over India in a relaxed
and friendly atmosphere over a number
of days
care centers in their colonies are available widely publicized and extended in order to
to them. give assistance to more needy families, of days, is a phenomenon which '
2) The non-recurring and recurring cost of Accordingly, an advertisement was given brings young people together and
a day-care center would be approximately in Jam-e-Jamshed and The Bombay Sa- makes them conscious of community
Rs 1,40,000 and Rs 1,16,000 per annum -----'¦-----’’---------- " .
respectively.
3) There were also other problems in
volved in the Punchayet taking direct res-
in Jam-e-Jamshed and The Bombay Sa- i '
machar of January 8, 1995. Monetary as- problems,
sistance of Rs 300 per month per child is
given to a family whose child is going to a
day-care center.
Thirty-six marriages and two engage
ments have taken place through the matri
monial bureau so far.
With Best Compliments From
DINSHAW SHAPOORJI
& COMPANY
414/3, Kasarwadi, Bombay-Poona Road
Pimpri, Pune 411034
(212) 779656
0146 204 DIN IN
662052
“Truck ”
Pimpri Phones 778373, 778055
Fax
Telex
Poona Phone
Poona Grams
Branch Office 92C Mohamedali Road, Bombay 400003
Phone 3432497, 3423977, 3435392
Telex 011 76597 DSA IN
Bombay Grams “Motor Truck ”
TRANSPORT CONTRACTORS
LUXURY COACH & STAFF BUS OPERATORS
*
84 Parsiana February-March 1995I
THE FUTURE
Acceptance
for the enlightened
As Zoroastrians learn to accept
and tolerate each other, their clout in world
affairs will increase
Ali A. Jafarey
ancestral religion under the Rivayats' ‘law
of return ’ will be accepted first, and de
sired and worked for later. This will pave
the way for the propagation of the good
religion as a universal religion for all !
mankind. Non-Zoroastrians will be allowed
to enter fire-temples and other religious
sanctuaries. This will attract many Indians,
particularly non-Zoroastrian friends of
Parsis, to the Good Religion.
A semi-missionary movement to intro
duce the religion to non-Zoroastrians may
start. In addition to a few aging dastur
scholars, the average priest will be much
better educated and of better understanding
than those of the present generation. Aves-
S'
During a visit to Karachi in 1965, a friend
proudly showed me a magazine. The name
Parsiana was very attractive as were some
of the articles. Two years later the same
friend visited me in Tehran. He again
showed me a copy of Parsiana. I com
mended it and as a reward, on his return to
Karachi, he subscribed to it in my name.
That made me addicted to Parsiana.
Some years later I visited India and
when in Bombay, I went to and have realized that the ex-
see the Editor. His father tinction is not very far away,
turned out to be none other The change in view has mo-
than my close friend Rati tivated even the conserva-
(Rutton Patel). We saw each tives to look for solutions to
other at B.V.S. Parsi High outstanding problems. 1 see
School and used to meet daily the magazine ’s part as a great
in the afternoon either at the achievement and take this
Physical Culture Institute or opportunity to appreciate the
ChinaCreek,aswimmingand contribution ofeach and every and more standardized rendering. They I
boating resort. This added to / person whose name has ap- will become the guide for a spiritually and r
my addiction to the magazine. peared and currently appears
That makes me a Parsiana on Parsiana's, editorial board.
reader and an occasional con- “ ‘ What do the next 30 years by the increasing interest of the youth in ft-
tributor for, at least, the last 25 years. I portend? I feel quite optimistic. I have religion and science. R
have found Parsiana instrumental in closely observed and later actively parti ~
broadening the Parsi outlook which owed
its narrowness to an inherent tradition.
It, and other publications like The Bom
bay Samachar, have given courage to
many among the silent ‘minority ’ to ex
press their views and inform the less-in
formed ‘majority ’ of the need to bring an
overall change to the microscopic commu
nity in a macrocosmi ’c world — a world
which is changing fast through interac
tion, interchange, intercommunication, in
termixing, intermarriage and intervention.
Parsiana's now familiar features, regular
ized over decades — Readers ’ Forum,
Events and Personalities, Zoroastrians
Abroad, Books, Milestones, articles on
religion, history, business, and other to
pics of social importance, advertisements cepted. Reclamation of Iranians to their
that reflect Parsi enterprises, and even
matrimonials — have played a prominent tan and Pazend prayers in rituals will be
part in enlightening the community. translated for the faithful, an act which will
Parsiana should be lauded for its part eventually drop off irrelevant parts that
in helping to change the views of those only lengthen a ritual without spiritually
who were awaiting the miraculous appear
ance of a savior to save the community
from extinction and turn it into a universal
religion. Many of them have understood
the present rate of decrease in population
7
enriching it. Illogical and unscientific I
taboos against women will be removed
one by one, and they will be ordained — on :
par with men — to full priesthood. Train- -
ing and ordaining oFpriests and priestesses
will undergo drastic changes. Taro and i
nirangdin will be confined tq a narrow
circle, only to disappear in face otdeclining .
facilities to consecrate bull ’s urine. Cre- i
mation and burial will replace dokhme- |
nashini.
The Gathas, embodying the ever-fresh i
divine message of Zarathushtra, will be
understood more and more through better ¦
86 Pars/ana February-March 1995
will become the guide for a spiritually and
materially rich and progressive life. All K -
these changes will gradually be wrought •
3-
Those opposed to these changes will P
become more vociferous but when they b
see their own children going over to the S
other side, they too will slowly go silent. It <
is very easy to attack, condemn, excommu
nicate and blaspheme others, but very dif
ficult to treat dear ones the same way. |
cipated in the reformist movement among
the Zoroastrians in Iran for the last 40
years. They were, under their progressive
leaders, well on the way to changes when I
returned to Iran in 1956.
It is based on my observation and
experience in Iran and my association Already many parents who had disclaimed |.
with Parsis in India and Pakistan, and now
with those in Western countries that I fore
see the following changes: The Parsi com
munity of “a blue-blooded race of Ka-
yanians ” will give way to a Parsi commu
nity consisting of persons born of two
Parsi parents, one Parsi parent, non-Parsi
spouses, and adopted children from non-
Zoroastrian parentage. Zarathushtrians-
by-choice will, slowly but surely, be ac-
I
or disinherited their children have been |
quietly reconciled, after the lapse of a few I
years, with their liberal, reformist, and/or I
intermarried children, especially when they
have bonny babies. F
Yet the traditionalists and the orthodox R
will survive. Reduced to a minority, they k
will continue with their mode of life, per- |
haps with more vigor, a vigor that could
infuse a new generation with the under
standing that will enable them to co-Zarathushtrians have also taken an unpre
cedented turn towards the ancestral creed.
ing favor among the people of Iranian
stock, especially those in diaspora. I see
the day not far when first a larger number The atmosphere, tense with expectations, is
of ‘bom ’ Zarthoshtis will dare to come
exist with the reformists and the progres
sives. Diversity will be tolerated to main
tain unity.
While Bombay will remain an impor- of ‘bom ’ Zarthoshtis will dare to come very suitable, very promising. Things are .
tant center for Parsis in India, Los Angeles, forward in its favor, then others will find changing for the good. The moment stands
San Francisco, Chicago, New York and
Washington in the United States, Vancouver
and Toronto in Canada, London, Paris and
Hamburg in Europe, and Sydney in Austra
lia will rise to prominence. And Tehran in
Iran will grow into an outstanding center.
So far the movement started by a small
group of persons to propagate and preach
the Good Religion to all without any
discrimination, and to accept those who
through their solemn understanding and
free will choose the religion, has not gained
the momentum that would stir every
Zarthoshti, particularly the Parsis. It will,
very soon. The uproar by some against the
movement is doing one thing for sure: it is
making the movement known throughout
the Zoroastrian community ! This will turn
more and more attention towards it. People That movement is the Zarathushtrian As- — health and happiness through gathic i
will soon be more interested to have a first sembly. Those who receive copies of its enlightenmeht.
hand knowledge of it than read monotonous bulletin Spenta and many of the readers
allegations against it. That will help turn
the tide.
The next 30 years will see the move
ment grow by leaps and bounds. It is gain-
reasons to ‘reconcile, ’ come closer, and uniquely opportune, amoment which should
unite with those in the movement. Already
signs of a thaw are seen within the rigid
quarters of those who have been openly electronic elasticity, will be expanding its
opposing it or secretly plotting against it.
not be lost.
Meanwhile Parsiana, with its increasing
international role. It will devote equal time
and space to Zarthoshtis in Iran and the ‘
Western countries who will be then out
numbering those in India by at least two to
three times. Its columns for Zarthoshtis in
India too will gradually take on a more
universal look than the present dominating
ethnic order. :
The changes, drawing the growing com-
. munity together and lending strength to
expand it on a universal basis, will provide
the Good Religion of Zarathushtra Spitama,
the Manthran, divine thought-provoker
There are overtures for rapprochement, supreme, a bright future, a future of ushta
Training
and ordaining of
priests and priestesses
ivill undergo
drastic changes
Ali A. Jafarey, who studied Avesta and Pahlavi (
under Dr Manek Pithawalla and Dastur (Dr) M. N.
Dhalla, obtained his dSctorate in Persian litera- i
ture from Karachi. He has authored 11 books on i
of Parsiana, are acquainted with it and
its increasing and expanding activities in
various countries.
Recent events in the homeland of the Zoroastrianism in English and Persian.
Difficulties in reading?
T
Ifs time you saw a professional optician.
It’s time you came to Baliwalla Homi.
One of the finest optometrists and contact lens practitioners
Baliwalla & Homi
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Fax: (022) 206 4363 • Parel: J.Merwanji Street, Parel, Bombay 400012 Tel: 412 6051
88 Parsiana February-March 1995
I
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s
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' ITHE FUTURE
THE DIARY OF ZEUS CHINOY
A peep into the thoughts
of a 21 st century attorney-at-law
Berjis Desai
I
Bombay, August 17,2025; “We celebrated
Catherine ’s 32nd birthday .The kids en
joyed the visit to the agiary at Breach
Candy. Cath was equally excited. So was
1.1 had a sense of personal satisfaction too.
The trustees of the agiary, our clients, have
secured a landmark decision in their favor,
holding that the spouse of a practising decision to bring in the crematoria. Cath
Zoroastrian had the right of entry into an ' """
agiary.
“I recollect that when I matriculated, in
2004, a lot of excitement was generated in
the community by the verdict of the Su-
the Bombay High Court which had held the course, ‘we ’ includes our spouses of what-
children of all ‘mixed ’ marriages to be
Zoroastrians. Four years later, the Bombay
Parsi Punchayet (BPP) permitted non-Zo-
roastrians to have full access to the bunglis agiary. Considering that she is only the
at doongerwadi during all ceremonies. The
first decade of this century was indeed
epoch-making. I think it was in 2009 that
ford. Thanks to T^c Zoroastrian Founda
tion we can afford fo pay substantial sala-
the first crematorium started functioning at
the Towers of Silence. What a shindig was
created when the Bombay municipality ries to our fulltime priests and priestesses,
served a notice on the BPP to close down
the towers on grounds of public health and
environment! Only quick thinking on the
part of Parsis saved the situation with the
What a remarkable change in th§ status and ,
quality of our priests! Mr B, my senior
partner, says he just cannot believe this
transformation. Perhaps it was triggered ,
off after the behdins also became ordained '
as priests.
“The kids gorged themselves at ‘Land
mark, ’ the authentic Parsi cuisine restau
rant. We had super delicious stuff from an |
I 4’
I;
feels that Parsi funerals are a moving affair, as priests. |
I agree. Particularly after we did away with “The kids gorged themselves at ‘Land-
the ‘khandiya ’ system. It is now almost a mark, ’ the authentic Parsi cuisine restau- |
privilege to be a pall bearer. rant. We had super delicious stuff from an |
“Recently The Times carried details of impeccably vegetarian establishment. Mr k
preme Court upholding the judgement of the 2021 census. We are 97,300 now (of B just shakes his head m disbelief that
- ........................ ’ ¦ ' ' ---------------- f nearly 70 percent of Zoroastrians are now
ever religion and our children). veggies — out of choice, and with a true
“I was very impressed with the way understanding ofthe teachings of our faith.
Nina intoned prayers this morning at the
third woman to be ordained a priestess, she
is doing really well. Cath mentioned that
she holds a doctorate in Avesta from Ox-
“Rounded off the evening with an en
grossing movie based on a true life reincar
nation story. Which reminds me, Nina ’s
paper on Zoroastrian belief in reincarnation
was very interesting. ”
COf'A^
...
90 Parsiana February-March !995
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INSTITUTIONS
COVER STORY
The gift from
Hongkong
The Jokhi family ’s over 4.5 crore
donation to the B. D. Petit Parsee General
Hospital may be a harbinger of change
Arnavaz S. Mama
Quietly the congregation gathered in the to ' ' ...... .....
waiting room of the B. D. Petit Parsee the ShapoorjiF. Jokhi Memorial Wing (JW)
General Hospital's (PGH) new intensive ’ ..............
cardiac care unit (ICCU) as (he voice of
Dastur (Dr) Kaikhusroo JamaspAsa inton
ing the jashan prayers wafted over the
public address system from one of the theHospilarsvintageheritageexterior.lt
................. ... . will house the radiology, ECG and patho-
witness (he formal inauguration of
on January 11, 1995.
ThecentralJyaiT-con(lilioned,two-stOTeyed
structure at the apex of the L-shaped PGH
ha.s been outwardly designed to blend with
inner riHnns. The grey and off-white decor will house the radiology, ECG and patho-
and subdued lights were a perfect foil for logy depanments on the ground floor, four
the colorful embroidered borders, starched
daglis and shining black pugrees which
were the order of the day. Conmunity
members had responded in strength to ________ ___ ____________ _
the invitation of the executive committee fullyboraebytheJokhifainilyofHongtong ’
.,f nz-i, ._j ... _ J. . The project was initiated when the late
operation theaters (OT) on the first floor
and a I2-bedICCU on the second. Equipped
with slale-of-the-art technology, (he JW is
said to have costmore than 4.5 crore rupees,
of the PGH and its president, Homa Petit.
I
SHAPOtMtJI lAKJRJI JOKHI MEMORIAL WIFW
W*
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92 Pflrsians Febniay-March 1995
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Shapoorji Jokhi had offered the PGH a colleague Keki stepped into the breach not
donation of 1.5 crore rupees in 1989. In his only to honor Shapoorji ’s word but, at the
welcome speech Petit recalled that the first
intimation had come to his father, the late
Dinshaw Petit, via noted physician Dr
Farokh Udwadia. .Shortly thereafter Sha
poorji, “a man of few words but decisive, Contractor) and the doctors who shared
and knowing exactly what he wanted, ” as
described Petit, “came of his own accord to
the Hospital to offer his munificent dona
tion because he had been a patient of the Top: Exterior of the Jokhi Wing and its
Hospital. ” Shapoorji ’s rags lo riches career entrance through the PGH
as a businessman in Hongkong had not Grouped far a memorable occasion
affected his principles or his priorities, (seated) the Jokhi family - Roxy.
“Simplicity and genuineness coupled with Rustom, Javer, Keki, Berges and Freny
1 a total dedication to the cause of the poor (standing) Mehta, Siddique, Jagiis. Sir
and the needy ” had led him to create Avan
Baug in Navsari before offering this hand
some donation lo lhe PGH. When Shapoorji
eurrenl tally, to triple it!
Petit complimented the philanthropists
and professionals of various disciplines:
the architect who designed the JW (Hafeez
lheir expertise in equipping it (Farokh
Udwadia, Furdoon Soonawala, Tehemton
Dinshaw, Homa and Abort Petit,
Bhatkena, Bomi Balsara, Maneck Cugrul
and Parekh (Photos; Supursiar Video tads)
¦ passed away within months of making the A ghmpse of the Hospital through the
offer, his younger brother and business foliage (Photo vatghese w. Fernandez)
¥
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'‘Itulion will “endeavor to cover these costs
by improved maintenance practices and
ted that the maximum additional running
cost of the JW would result from its
central air-conditioning and the municipal better management of financial resources. ”
taxes on the new construction. The former
would be offset to some extent as- the
existing ICCU and OTs are also air-
conditioned. “Therefore its not a com
pletely new major load though of course the
areas are much larger and therefore the
operating costs will increase, ” concedes
the president.
The increase in the size ofthe ICCU and the best in Bombay today... When the
the number of OTs has also meant an community sees the services being
increase in the suff. Mock trials are being given by the Hospital, I am sure it will
run to familiarize them with the state-of-
the-artequipment. Petithopes that the insti-
In the final analysis one “always has to
accept quality with a price tag, ” he avers.
"If you have to provide the facility of
modem techniques, move widi the times,
the additional tag is always there... We
have had people from every single hosp
ital in Bombay requesting to see the JW. I
am proud to say our ICCU is probably
I
I
i
I
Statue of PCiH founder Bomanji Petit
(Photo: Varghese W. Farnahdez)
support us, to see that the increased
financial gap is bridged by donations...
_____ “Tlierearemanypeople
offering donations for
J____equipment, for brick and
¦ mortar. If tire community
< 1 keeps insisting on (giving)
fci WW,; only for equipment and
milH wards, one day the Hospi-
tai will become Lite grave-
yard of machinery. The
Hospital is basically a ser-
vic? industry. We require
sophisticated equipment.
Udwadia, Parviz Hakim, Jimmy Sidhwa
and others), the civil contractor who bore
the burnt of many an internal change with
out demur (Cyrus Unwalla), the electrical
contractor (Adi ,Sagar) and RCC specialists
(Cyrus Watchmaker and Noshir Kotwal).
Also very involved in all the nittygritties
were the PGH’s project coordinator (iiruch
Kapadia) and members of the Hospital ’s
executive committee and building sub
committee - Homa and Aban Petit, Hec
tor Mehta, No.shir Parekh, Zarir Bhathena
and Janisheed Kanga. Orchestrating their
efforts was Pesi Jagus whose coordinating
genius outdid his own meticulous technical
perseverenee, as noted Petit.
Briefly and modestly Keki Jokhi noted .
that he had “donated from the estate of (his) |
late brother ” and thanked all members of j
his family who had supported his resolve to
fulfill “Shapoorji's dream. ” Suitably, the
function had been held on the late
Shapoorji's 82nd birthday when, coinci- j
dentally, the PGH too was in its 82nd year, !
noted Petit. :
After the ribbon-cuUing, thanksgiving, ;
back patting and lunching on the delicious
traditional fare served buffet style by
Neville Godiwalla, one question contin
ued to nag; where are the resource.s to
maintain the Jokhi Wing?
At a subsequent interview Petit admit-
(
¦
E?f~"
%
Jokhi (left) draped by
F’etit with the traditional
shawl and readying to cut
the ceremonial ribbon
State-of-the-art
equipment for the
operation theater
(Photos: Superstar Video Labs|
lb
I but there must be some balance. Working
S capital must also be provided. The costs
I of electricity, food, taxc.s, wages, are
I rising. Every three years we face the trauma
I of wage demands. The cost of medicines,
I diagnostic facilities, etc arc increasing
I all the time. It puts a drain on the llospi-
I tai ’s finances unless people give
I towards the corpus for running the Hospi-
94 Pacsiana February-MafCh 19951
tai or donations-in-aid. ”
Reacting to the generally circulating
criticism; aapune kai PGH ne nuthi aapvu.
Taan tau buddhu khavai jaich (we don ’t
want to give anything to the PGH. There
everything goes into other pockets), Petit
notes with some asperity, “There are never
any specific instances. People don ’t realize
that loose talk can harm the institution
without any fault of that institution. In the
process the poor and middleclass will suf
fer. If there are any specific instances which
i.
"We require
sophisticated
equipment but
working capital
must also be
provided"
11
w
are brought to my attention, I will certainlly
look into them and take the severest action
necessary, ” he adds, giving some vital sta- ....... <«. v..,
tistics(see What it costs to run the PGH”). ration ’s development plan for the city, “we
of the community ’s needs. As the PGH
property is declared to be under the hospital
zone of the Bombay Municipal Corpo-
i
i
Eight members of the managing com
mittee — Hector Mehta, Pesi
Jagus, Sir Dinshaw Petit, Zarir
Bhathena, Yezdi Malegam, . ............
chief executive officer Dr another hospital in exchangeTor a donation
can ’ t use it for any other purpose like housing
or commercial activity, ” says Petit. Hence
the PGH management is toying with the
idea of “leasing out part of the land to
Nissar Siddique, and general
manager Kersi Sirvala to
gether with Homa and Aban
Petit —have been constituted
i nto a core comm i ttec to create
a master plan for the redeve
lopment and refurbishing of Hin'duja, we can tie up with it^for free
which can put our institutio'n onto a very
firm footing. We ’re talking in terms of 60 to
70 crore rupees or more. That way we can
do much for the community without losing
the identity of a Parsi hospital... If the new
hospital is a super speciality hospital like
*
Exterior view ofthe Jokhi Wing
A. section ofthe ICCU
JamaspAsa (right) and Dastur Meherji-
rana (right, rear) conducting the jashan
ceremony (Photos: Superstar Video Labs)
the Hospital. Its aim i.s to
provide strategic directions,
identify the needs and pri
orities ofthe Hospital in the
next two decades. Set up about
a month ago, the committee
has been given six months to logy and X-ray departments, the ICCU and
present a report, says Petit. the OTs. But there is^o likelihood of i
One of the preoccupations increase in the total number of beds. Oui
ot the committee will be *
finding ways and means of
funding the Hospital. “The
trust deed prcclude.s us from
providing medical facilities
lo non-Parsis with the excep
tion of accident cases where
we are bound to provide
treatment under the Supreme
Court verdict of 1992. tWe
give all emergency and lifc-
service to PGH patients. Alternatively,
separate trust with a commonality of be
nefits (with the PGH) could set up a diag
nostic centre with cosmopolitan usage.
The core committee will also decide on
the use of the areas vacated by the patho-
, a
97 Parsiana February-March 1995
present a report, says Petit.
the OTs. But there i!^*no likelihood of
an
-------^ac
ting an average occupancy rate of 85-89
percent. Petit says there is “no point in
expanding when the community is dwin
dling. ”
Nor is there any intention of providing a
psychiatric ward. “Contrary to popular per
ception there are not that many patients
to justify a full ward," say.s Petit. He cites
the case of the Petits Diwana Fund where
they are contemplating a cy pres application
expanding when the community is dwin
psychiatric ward. “Contrary to popular pi
to justify a full ward," say.s Petit. He cites
saving treatment before shifting them to
cos-
say .s
another hospital.) So there can be no cos
mopolitan wing within the Hospital," say.s
Petit. However, the Hospital ha.s FSI (Floor
Space Index ) which could provide lor many
lo divert the fund.s for lack ot takers under
the current object. “Besides, ’’explains Petit,
a psychiatric ward would need a separate
structure and separate trained staff. We had
one or two cases of severe depression. They
needed psychiatric care but they had to be
Ii
I
4
4
I
I
shifted out of the Hospital as one of the
them tried to jump from the second floor! It
is more a social rehabilitation problem than
medical. ”
The much maligned old chronic ward on
If you provide
modern techniques,
the ground floor of the doctors ’ quarters ITIOV© With th© tilTl©©
had been vacated by the Hospital manage
ment in February 1994, along with other
patients, as the management was worried
about its ability to meet the patients ’ needs
during the then prevailing imbroglio with
labor. When that was sorted out and the
Hospital reverted to normalcy in March
’94 the chronic cases were placed in the
respective wards in the main building where
supervision is better and treatment avail
able more quickly, as notes Aban Petit.
“We will certainly provide for the medical
needs of the elderly, ” says Homa Petit projects currently preoccupying Aban.
while clearly demarcating the medical Having renovated the female ward on the
function from the “non medical custodial ground floor a couple of years ago (paint
care ” of an old people ’s home which, in his
view, is the job of welfare agencies.
Asked to comment on the nature of the
relationship between the staff and the pa
tients, Petit says, “I think its okay, consi
dering that there are 280 patients and we
are talking in terms of four relatives per
patient and about 500 staff members. Some installation of a new electric laundry and
friction is bound to be there, given the the appointment of a housekeeper cum
varying social and cultural backgrounds, laundry supervisor, Aban Petit hopes that
the perennial complaints about bad linen
will become a thing of the past.
A plan to gradually implement visiting
hours is on its way. Perceived as a “cultural
change — people talk about the PGH’s
homely atmosphere, ” as notes Petit, the
discipline will be enforced in easy stages.
A plus point for the nursing home is that
a relative is allowed to stay and is provided
with the comfort of a bed. But Petit admits
that the well-to-do and the insured are go
ing elsewhere. Together with a larger num-
Ours is a.very demanding community, ” he berofcompeting hospitals is the increasing
adds with a smile.
A sit-out for patients in the garden which
has undergone a dramatic change and is
now a colorful haven, and a cafetaria for
the benefit of patients ’ relatives are two
((
the additional tag is
always there ”
ing, retiling and now, new beds) and re
paired the enormous roof last year to stop
the monsoon leakage, the management is
currently engaged in painting the exterior
woodwork thanks to a donation. The pas
sages and room.s of the nursing home are
next on the agenda. With the very recent
problem of commuting which leads people
to opt for neighborhood hospitals, he says.
Besides, some of the cosmopolitan hospi
tals provide specialized services which the
PGH, with its limited clientele, would be
unable to sustain.
The ICCU and the physiotherapy de
partment are the most sought after, the
latter because of its well trained therapists
as also because of the large number of
fracture cases among the community, says
Petit.
Despite the languishing condition of the
Parsi Lying-in Hospital and Surat ’s Parsi
General Hospital, both of which have a
dearth of patients,'Tetit foresees a bright
future for the PGH if one of the -earlier
mentioned schemes fructify. Admitted that
t
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98 Parsiana February-March 1995
h
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the community is dwindling, Petit says,
“Whatever members of the community are
left, let us try to give them first class facili
ties. The objects of the PGH will remain
relevant especially as the economic status
of the aging community declines. I envis
age a great role for this institution. ”
on the second floor, Rs 100 for a special day
visit and Rs 150 for a night visit. The
respective rates for the patients on the first
floor are Rs 15, Rs 80 and Rs 150. Only in
Annexe A (commonly termed the nursing
home) are the doctors free to charge market
rates, if they so desire. However, there are
those who prefer not to do so.
The community fails to realize the quan
tum of benefits the institution offers them,
say the Petits, relating with a wry laugh how
some people claim they choose the PGH on
the basis “fce je Hospital ne be anna male te
khura (let us help the Hospital earn a little). ”
While Petit notes that “Charity is the
basis of the PGH,” he explains that each
case seeking free or concessional admis
sion is assessed over several criteria: the
number of family members under one roof,
the total income from all sources, the na-
when they have to be sent out for specialised ture of the residential premises, etc. For
needs.
•According to the rules of the Hospital the
There is “no point
in expanding
when
the community
is dwindling ”
What it costs to run the PGH
•Average cost per patient per day to the
PGH is more than Rs 500.
•Of the Hospital ’s total 284 beds, 115 are
either totally free or the patients are charged the free patients and those who pay Rs 35
¦ are treated totally free, which includes
medicine and diagnostic facilities, and even
if they need to be sent out for treatment, the
tab is picked up by the PGH.
•The patients in the Rs 50-100 category
have to purchase their own medicines but
get concessions on diagnostic facilities even
f;
at the rate of Rs 35 or Rs 50 per day
depending upon individual circumstances.
•There are 45 beds on the first floor at Rs
100 per day; six beds at Rs 125 per day; six
beds at Rs 155 per day; six beds at Rs 230
per day; six beds at Rs 240 per day; 22 beds
at Rs 270 per day ; 15 beds at Rs 280 per
day; 3 beds atRs 335 per day; 14 beds at Rs --------- .
375 per day; one bed at Rs 450 per day; five needs. example a patient living in an ownership
beds at Rs 480 per day; four beds at Rs 525 ’According to the rules of the Hospital the flat, provided by his ex-landlord who
per day; one bed at Rs 600 per day; four ground floor patients are treated absolutely wanted to develop his own property, would
beds at Rs 675 per day. free by the doctors and surgeons. not necessarily be debarred from the con- *
Only the last nine beds are fully paying, ‘On the first floor the surgeon is entitled to cessions, says Petit. References from inde-
as per the present tariffs and outgoings, a maximum charge of Rs 1,200 for a major pendent social workers, salary statements
adds Petit. operation and on the second floor to a and income tax returns all need to be
•Actual working deficit of the Hospital is
about Rs 60,000 per annum, net of dona
tions.
•Apart from the bed charges themselves.
free by the doctors and surgeons.
•On the first floor the surgeon is entitled to
a maximum charge of Rs 1,200 for a major
operation and on the second floor to a
maximum ofRs 3,000. The surgeon ’s daily reviewed and corroborated via the Hos
visits are free for the first 10 days after the
operation.
•Consultants charge Rs 35 per normal visit
pital ’sown paid social worker. Joint honor
ary secretary Hector Mehta supervises this
part of the work, notes Petit.
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COMMENT
U nderstanding
our history
A reading of the texts reveals that though Zarathushtra ’s
message has been passed down faithfully, rituals and practices
have been dragged beyond their historical context
Shahin Bekhradnia
among those in Khaze ’s publications of as monarch, and the beginning of the genu-
Yazdi poets. Both brought me up to speak ine rehabilitation of Iranian Zoroastrians.
Persian, understand Dari (the language The European sources go back to the 17th
century when traders and missionaries be
gan to travel through Iran on the way to *
India. Notably Sir John Chardin, J.B.
Tavernier, John Fryer and Corneille le
Brun each mention the wretched conditions
of the Zoroastrians in Iran.
If we consider what was wjitten earlier
and compare it to G. N. Curzon in 1892,
and again to E. G. Browne in 1893 and
The search for a background, the quest for
roots, is a common characteristic for sec
ond generation emigres like myself. It is
important for people — particularly for spoken nowadays only by YazdiZoroastri-
children who feel divorced from the envi
ronment where they are being brought up
— to understand the source of their differ
ences. In the case of Iranian Zoroastrians,
our whole history over the last 1,300 years
has recently been replayed with the advent grate with the host culture of Britain, that
of the Islamic Republic.
It is probably rather difficult for non
Iranians to imagine the insecurity felt when
the regime changed, or what it might feel
like to be persecuted. However, there must Tehran produced amongst those Zoroastri-
be today very few Iranian Zoroastrians
who do not share the collective memory
passed down through oral history. I have
interviewed many older Zoroastrians who
can still remember being thrown off don
keys by Muslims, or stoned and jeered at
because of their religion. As a child it was
these kinds of stories that lodged in my
subconscious, as indeed they have for many about her childhood. My father would join
Iranian Zoroastrians, thus constituting a
collective historical memory of persecu
tion. My memories of hearing these stories
go back to my childhood, and I will digress conveyed while at others what we were told
a little at this point to give the context for
my upbringing in London.
My parents were the first Iranian Zoro
astrian family to settle in the UK where I understanding of our Persian Zoroastrian
was subsequently born. My father is a true background in which the experience of
patriot and fiercely proud of his Iranian and persecution and hardship played a promi-
Zoroastrian heritage. He, a village boy,
and my mother, resident in the priests ’
quarters, both attended the Marker schools
in Yazd where their Zoroastrian education For those who have no access to oral The improvement of conditions was
was thorough. My mother is considered by history, there is a collection of written dramatically achieved because of the
many as an embodiment of Zoroastrian accounts by European visitors to Iran prior Pahlavidynasty ’sappreciationofZoroas-
virtues. Her father was a well-known dastur to 1925. The significance of this date re- trianism. But few young Iranian Zoroastri-
in Yazd, whose poems are to be found lates to the crowning of Reza Shah Pahlavi ans today fully appreciate the enormous
ans) and I was steeped in our rituals, festi
vals and history.
It was precisely because they were in
exile, both arriving without any know
ledge of English and thus not able to inte-
they maintained their traditions so faith
fully. As a result of their migration to
Britain at the end of World War II, they did finally to Napier Malcolm in 1905, we
not acquire the fashions and graces which form the impression that whatever we may
have been told by our own families merely
touched the surface of the true suffering of
our grandparents, despite Maneckji Ha
taria ’s important achievements on their
behalf.
To give you an example let us consider
one ofthe less pitiful accounts by an author
mentioned above; “Some years ago a heavy
-
¦4'
*
ans who began to pour in from Yazd and
Kerman in the 50’s and 60’s.
On winter evenings, my brother and I,
and also my two cousins who came to
England when I was still young, would sit
on the Persian carpeted floor and play cards,
or fivestones with my mother while she
interspersed her playing with anecdotes poll tax was imposed which drove many fc,
away; within the last 20 years a wealthy I
Parsi (here he means Ttanian Zoroastrian)
IR
in this, telling us stories of life in a desert
village. At times the impression of an idyllic has been murdered in the open streets at the i
childhood interspersed with festivals was instigation ofthe mullahs, and his murderer I
has escaped scot-free; they are compelled L
to wear sober-colored garments, and may
not ride or keep open shops, or possess {
seemed too horrible to believe. Over the
years from the many things we were told or
overheard we unconsciously acquired an property; a higher price is extracted from
them than from Mohammedans; they are ,
forced to conceal their means, and to restrict j
their commercial operations for fear of f
nent role. The photos in the family album exciting hostile attack; while in the streets,
also helped to convey an understanding of they are constantly liable to insult and
our background and to stimulate curiosity, personal affront (1892:241).’’
For those who have no access to oral
accounts by European visitors to Iran prior
to 1925. The significance of this date re
lates to the crowning of Reza Shah Pahlavi
102 Parsiana February-March 1995
4I
I
I
k
dcbtowedby our community to the untiring it is normal for the younger generation to
efforts of Hataria and other Parsis, without reject and challenge the perspective of the
whose intervention in the mid-19th century preceding generation and their relation-
our community in Iran may not have sur- ship with those wielding power. Indeed
vi ved. It is only by hearing from the people this would have been true of many young
who benefitted from charitable Parsis such
as Peshotan Marker that we are able to
imagine the love and compassion they lively few incidents of religious bigotry the face of renewed persecution. I think
showed towards their co-religionists. taking place in Tehran where most of the that this search is particularly prominent
amongst our younger generation of Iranian
living. It is true that in Y azd there were still Zoroastrians precisely because of their own
Iranian Zoroastrians prior to the 1979 Is
lamic Revolution, since there were rela-
events have reawakened in Iranian Zoroas
trians both at home and outside Iran, a real
awareness that they are different.
I believe that a process is under way to
search for information about the culture
and ideas that have led to such a deter
mined and tenacious stand against Islam in
taking place in Tehran where most of the
Iranians, particularly, but also Parsis, approximately 30,000 Zoroastrians were
can see close parallels nowadays to what
happened throughout Zoroastrian history isolated examples of religious intolerance, present experience and its unsettling
in Iran since the 7th century conquest by but since only about 4,000 people lived
the Arabs. A graphic account of what there, very few came into contact with
happened to the people of Bokhara, who
resisted Islam at first, is to be found in
Narsakhi ’s History of Bokhara-, and short empathy for the stories of hardship re
excerpts of other sources can be found in
Dr (Ms) Mary Boyce ’s excellent compila
tion. The difficulties of preserving the faith what they were being told. In fact in the
soon after the Islamic conquest are de
scribed in the Dadestan e Denig and im
plied by the Shkand Gumanik Vicar. In this
context then, we can understand the migra
tion of those first pioneers who left Iran and that security for granted, experiencing no
landed in Sanjan, thereafter becoming discrimination or injustice, and leading appears to be such a fundamental differ-
known as Parsis. Through the present ex- fulfilled lives. Some of the more educated ence between the Parsi and the Iranian
periences of Iranian Zoroastrians, we are
given an excellent reference point by which older generation ’s high regard for and ap- wards all things religious,
to locate and understand the continuity of predation of the Pahlavi regime, taking a
the Zoroastrian experience. radical political stance. However, experi-
Some anthropologists have argued that ence has changed all this, and political about the Parsis was when they met them in
effect on themselves, their parents, fami
lies and friends. Because we are all literate
today, because of the political stimulus for what had once been rampant prejudice.
Thus the young generation had little asking questions, and because those of us
outside Iran have access to material writ
ten in English and other European lan- counted by the older generation, and some
went so far as to challenge the veracity of guages as well as in Persian, we are able to
investigate the key question of who we are
and what we stand for much more thor- comfortable days of the Pahlavi regime,
many young Zoroastrians in Iran had little oughly than was previously possible,
interest in or knowledge of their back
ground, because they were secure and took Iranian Zoroastrians when discussing the
principles of Zoroastrianism is why there
One of the questions often asked by
fulfilled lives. Some of the more educated
of this younger set began to challenge the Zoroastrian, in Outlook and attitude, to-
The first encounter for most Iranian
Zoroastrians who have formeS an opinion
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the context of the diaspora, probably at one r
of the fire-temples. Certainly this was the I
way it happen^ for me and my brother as I
children in London. During all this time, we I
were regularly taken by our parents to the I
Zoroastrian House' in London, where we 1
always felt misfits, heavily outnumbered I
by our Parsi co-religionists with whom, as I
children, we felt we had nothing in common I
since we couldn ’t speak the same language, I
didn ’t like the food and dressed so differ- I
ently. Without realising how or why, we I
were aware that we had evolved very dif- I
ferently, though apparently we had every- I
thing in common. After being taken to Iran
for our sudreh pushi we realized that many I
of our religious practices were also differ
ent, including the saying of our Avesta. If
today an Iranian Zoroastrian is quizzed
about his/her background, the first defini
tion will refer to national/cullural affiliations j
as Iranian, and then probably will be added
the information relating to religious affili
ation. A Parsi will probably answer differ
ently.
Our differences do not stop merely in
these cultural domains, but permeate the
realm of belief and philosophy. The very
admission of such differences gives rise to
claims and counter-claims of authenticity ,
to criticisms and accusations from both
sides of the divide, and to unnecessary
feelings of offence. And yet, to any person
I who has a genuine and honest interest in
the debate, the issues invariably lead one
back to an examination of our joint histo
ries. Another equally challenging consi
deration must be an examination of the
I textual authorities which we variously use
I to justify a position.
To many Iranian Zoroastrians it comes
as a shock to learn that Parsis have one rule
for men and another for women when it
I comes to the children of mixed marriages;
or for example that they have a belief in the
formulaic efficacy of a certain number of
I ashem vohus or yatha ahu vairyos', or that
they do not regard a fire created by the
I burning of gas as efficacious as a fire
created by the burning of sandalwood; or
that they celebrate Nowruz in July or Au
gust, or that the dokhmas are still in use in
Bombay, or that many of them do not
I regard Iranian Zoroastrians as true Zoroas-
I trians just because they do not wear the
sudreh-kusti.
When some of the delegates (to the First
World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in Los
I Angeles) demanded to know why the criti-
I cal issues of mixed marriages and conver-
I sions were not put on the agenda for discus
sion and resolution, no satisfactory answer
With Best
Compliments
From
A
WELL-
WISHER
106
Parsiana February-March 1995
'V
I
I
f?.'-
I
L-
It'
fc
je
I
I;one ’s daughter, mother or sister. In several
Just like all of us, they too are victims of
was given. Thus we were left with the
impression that difficult issues were simply texts there are
not being dealt with because they were '¦
prickly. And yet we all know that this is not
an honest approach to doctrinal difficulties,
not the way of Asha.
With genuine integrity we should exam-
tual authorities originally written in Pahlavi
but now available in European languages
such as the Herbedestan, the Mainyo e
Kharad, the Denkard, the Dadestan e
Denig,theRivayateHemateAshawahistan ken tradition then
and the Shkand Gumanik Vicar. -------
From a reading of these texts it will munity, they would welcome women priests
become apparent that basic Zoroastrian and they would be exhorting us to marry
ethics and doctrine concerning God and our own mothers, sisters and daughters, to
the dualism within his created world, as
well as the way of Asha have been passed
down faithfullv and intact. However, one - ------------------------- ---------------- - , . .
finds many practices and rituals that might texts while bearing in mind the spirit of claims and points of view it seems
have been appropriate at that particular intelligent free choice articulated by Zo- «™inatinn of the fundar
time in Iran for Zoroastrians, which ma^or
may not i ...
example, in several of the texts there are
explicit references to the strange Zoroas
trian practice of gaining merit by marrying
explicit references to the their own prejudices and personal points of
possiDiiiiy Oi i.... - ------------- ’ view which they tenaciously uphold as being
nity of Zoroastrians, children or adults of irrefutable, by recourse to history In actual
different faiths. In the Herbedestan there fact they may be ignorant of history or
are two explicit chapters dealing with the deliberately misleading us by selective
role of female priests. i-----..
The point I am hoping to make here is the priesthood by reading the TansarNameh
possibility of accepting into the commu-
view which they tenaciously uphold as being
faiths. In the Herbedestan there fact they may be ignorant oj history or
manipulation. If we look at the history of
« ¦ ¦ n"i > T
in translation by Boyce and the Dadestan e
1
vented a whole new corpus of liturgy and
alongside it, no doubt, a whole lot of new f
rituals. It is well-known that the heavy
___ _______ burden of ritual duty on the laity, which in
would*" find them turn had financial implications for them,
accepting new admissions into our com- was one of the reasons why the faith
nity. Apart from the fact that the 15th to
18th century Rivayats tell us of traditions
forgotten in India, there is another argu
ment. If they were maintaining an unbro-
we V—"--I ~ -—
i.
was one
crumbled when the prospect of being re
leased from the rituals while still being
offered salvation, was the alternative pre
sented by Islam.
As a seeker of the truth within our reli
gion, and bemused by the many different
“ i to me
that an examination of the fundamental
teachings within our religion is a reason- r
able way to understand what our forefa-. i
__________ '^hers defended, ©ur attention, then, should |
Most of the individuals who act in this role be focussed on the Gathas, which impart
are priests. ____________________________ our basic values. This is an approach that j
and they would be exhorting us to marry
cite but a few of the obsolete traditions.
It seems to me that the only way to
handle the doctrinal questions is to consult
____:__ . ¦ roaster. The problem with individuals is
still be appropriate today. For that they put themselves up as ultimate
authorities and yet they are not infallible.
With Best Compliments From
PENOSH
94-A, M. G. Road, Pune 411001
Tel: 645162-65
Fax: 645166
Telex: 145-7418
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«¦.
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108 Parsiana February-March ;9P51
IMPERIAL
STORES
Mahableshwar 412806
Tel: 02168-60100, 60101
is endorsed by the Iranian Priests ’ Councils
both in North America and Iran. Their
attitude reflects a more rigorous intellec
tual understanding of our history, and is
concerned with the spirit of the teachings.
I would welcome a less dismissive ap
proach to them by some of our co-religion-
ists, and more open discussion about what
our history reveals. Unless this happens,
our young generation, who like me have
access to all this literature, will conclude
that our small community is being mis
guided by a flock of benighted ostriches,
and in frustration they might give up.
We have the opportunity here, in the
relative intellectual freedom of the West
ern world, and with access to so many
specialised libraries containing our texts,
to make our histojy more accessible to
those who want to know the truth. Speak
ing the same language, our young genera
tion can start a dialogue amongst those
who really care, and who want to preserve
a tradition that makes as much moral,
spiritual and intellectual sense to us today
as it did to those who first chose to follow
Zoroaster ’s teachings.
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Congress. Ms Shahin Bekhradnia belongs to the
Deoartment of Social Anthropology, Oxford, UK.
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110 Parsiana February-March 1995COMMENT
REDISCOVERING ONE'S ROOTS
The demand for change stems from
ignorance of the rationale behind traditions, says the author
Arnavaz Chubb
4
There is a stretch of coastline along the fishing a religious infrastructure begins,
south eastern part of Victoria, Australia,
that is known as the Shipwreck Coast.
Driving along the Great Ocean Road, re
puted to be one of the most spectacular
coastal routes in the world, it is not difficult
to see why this stretch of ocean inspired
such terror in the hearts of ancient mari
ners. Wild seas, dangerous rocks, reefs
which lie beneath the surface of the water,
steep cliffs and heavy mists are said to have
claimed some 80 ships that had travelled
across half the world safely, only to find
disaster so close to their destination.
The name of one of these seafaring casu
alties commemorated at this site held a
special interest for me. It was the Sir been away long enough to suffer from a los.s
Jamsetjee Family. While trying to gather of identity yet. But for the newer genera-
some information about this ship, another tion, born in Australia, the finks are already
name cropped up — the Pestonjee beginning to weaken considerably, and change. We have to change our ways, we
Bomanjee. I was unable to come up with maintaining an identity is something to be
any specific information on either of these
two vessels, but one fact seemed evident —
Zoroastrian entrepreneurs ofthe last century a certain degree help foster that sense of
had already established links with Austra- i
lia, long before the Zoroastrian migrants of enhance it further; but, whether these in
recent years made their way Down Under, themselves will be enough to sustain and
After the end of the British Raj, Parsis perpetuate that identity in a multicultured
were keen to migrate westwards, but perish environment remains to be seen,
the thought of making a former penal colony
their home. No such inhibitions deter the approaching an interesting phase. They have
many new Zoroastrian migrants that come
each year to Australia. Mainly young pro
fessionals, they are working to establish
themselves in this land of opportunity that
is unfortunately now struggling to over
come an economic recession.
The original Parsi pilgrim fathers who seems woefully inadequate. Nevertheless, heritage; surely we would not deny our
landed on the shores of Gujarat would have the first steps on this long and winding road
surely discovered that fife is tough in a new
country amongst new people. Just as those
original migrants sought to gain acceptance always carried the many along, as will
and recognition from the government and probably be the case here as well. And once
people of the host nation and needed to work such a place has been inaugurated, what J. Madressa in Bombay under Dasturs (Dr)
at establishing themselves in a new home, then? Will the religion thrive, will the Zo- *' . ' .'7 .. S 7,... -
so too do the newer economic migrants of roastrian identity be firmly established?
of the Zoroastrian Association of Victoria, she
conducts religious classes for children.
Apathy and ignorance seem the two j
major destructive forces the Zoroastrians |
need to contend with at this point in time, if ¦
This is the stage at which Zoroastrians in
Australia find themselves. The larger
population centered around Sydney in New they are to remain a cohesive community in
South Wales has already inaugurated the theyearstocome. We readily acknowledge
first Darbe Meher in Australia earlier this that the last Parsi left on earth would quibble
year. The second largest pocket of Zoroas
trians in Australia, focused in and around
Melbourne, Victoria, have long debated things? While most Zoroastrians declare
the pros and cons of establishing a place of themselves proud to be Zoroastrians, few
their own, but it is only of late that the have any idea at all what it is that they ought
motivated ones have decided it is time for
some action rather than excuses.
For most first generation migrant Zoro
astrians in Australia, the ties to their mother
country are still strong. They have just not identity. Unless this most basic problem is
addressed, the survival of th^ religion in the
next century remains in jeopardy.
The catchword for the future seems to be
with his own shadow, but having identified
this malaise, what are we doing to remedy
4
to be proud of. Their general misinforma
tion and/or total lack of information on
even the most Basic aspects of Zoroastri- |
anism is the primary cause of their loss of
need to update our practices, we ought to
shed our incomprehensible traditions. We
have to do all of these things, because we do t
not understand them; we have made no {
identity. A bricks and mortar structure may effort to understand them; we have kept »
ourselves in ignorance. And are we aboutto
let ignorance, the tool of Angre Mainyu, }>
become the weapon of our destruction?
Zoroastrianism has a tenacious history.
Its traditions and philosophy have survived
all these centuries remarkably well for it to
be wiped out in the next 30 or more years.
There is undeniable awakening amongst
the Zoroastrians themselves to rediscover
their roots. This quest needs to be encour- E
worked on, it is not spontaneous or instinc
tive any more. A group or association can to
The Zoroastrians of Victoria seem to be
been asked whether they want to establish
a place of their own and if so, what would
be their commitment to this cause. While
the majority have voiced their positive in
clination towards ‘a place of our own, ’
active involvementeven in the initial stages direction. We have inherited a priceless
aged, nurtured and channelled in the right
children their rightful claim to it.
“Do not go gentle into that good night have been taken by the enthusiastic few.
The vision and efforts of the few have Rage, rage, against the dying of the light. ”
Ms Arnavaz Chubb (nee Patel) studied at the J.
f
£
i
L
I
then? Will the religion thrive, will the Zo
roastrian identity be firmly established?
the 20th century. And when these first One certainly hopes so, but chances are that
struggles are over, the greater one of estab- nothing much will change.
112 Parsiana February-March 1995
Hormazdyar Mirza and (Dr) Kaikhusroo Jama- |
cnAca oaminn a nnlH modal in Avocta.Pahlaui at T
I
* 'COMMENT
*
Belgaum's zesty lady
entrepreneur
Pioneer film exhibitor and
hotelier Freny Nanji is still remembered
a decade after her death
If
Tushna Kotwal
n
¦
ill
; J
I
i
*
another son, Jal. But soon fate struck a
fresh blow: Freny lost her husband when
she was barely 22. Too young and spirited
to give up on life, she disciplined herself to
4
far the best dressed lady in Belgaum, she
was also extremely compassionate and
generous. We remember her taking a drive
in her car along with (friend and partner
Nadir) Ruttonji in the camp every day. exploit her talents — of which she had
They would buy bread and feed it to all many. Under her mother ’s watchful eye,
stray dogs and animals under a certain tree Freny learnt choking, baking, sewing,
every evening. She also made it a point to
distribute medicines free to the poor and
needy. She was always ready to help who
ever asked for help, and no one was ever
turned away empty-handed. Her charity
A socialite to the hilt, Freny loved the
needlework, knitting and all the other things
that girls in those days were supposed to
know. But the difference w^th Freny was
that she didn ’t just know these things, she
made herself very good at them.
Veera remembers her powerful and
domineering mother-in-law, of whom she
had once been in awe, with genuine love
and respect. Displaying some gorgeous
kors (borders) done in silk, beads, seed
It
r
t
at all times, the good looking woman with
a zest for life had a vast collection of the pearls, zari and lace by Freny — all quite
most varied and beautiful saris (which she priceless now and truly a sight to behold —
Veera explained their genesis: “When
These were set off with exquisite, perfectly Shirinbai took her afternoon siesta, she
matched jewelry. She always wore heels
and would never fail to chide Veera when
ever she saw her daughter-in-law wearing polishing an entire row of shoes to com-
‘slippers ’with her saris. Freny ’s good taste pleting an intricate and detailed bit of
was evident in every facet of her life and embroidery! ”
she always sought the very best of every-
would entrust young Freny with a task to
complete. It could be anything from
Freny and Nadir Nanji had shared her
parents ’ home with Shirinbai ’s three sis
ters. It was a difficult time and to make
ends meet Freny went into partnership
with the late Nadir Ruttonji (fondly re-
When the horse carriage drove up to the
Bclgaum club in the evening and Ms Freny
Nanji alighted, it had to be six o ’clock.
And at the moment of her departure
members set their watches at 9 p.m. without
so much as consulting the club clock. Yes,
punctuality had become almost a fetish
with Belgaum ’s lady entrep.eneur, pioneer
film exhibitor and hotelier.
She was a true Zoroastrian who be
lieved in the dignity of labor. For her, work
was worship, says her daughter-in-law
Veera. Though not terribly religious (she was carried out quietly and without anyone
visited the agiary on occasions and said her really knowing about it. ”
kusti prayers once in the night before go
ing to bed), she had great faith in God. She good things of life. Impeccably turned out
would always tell Veera, “Tu mahre vaste
bhanech to bus che, mahne bhade nu
bhanvanu nathi joitu (It is enough that you
pray for me, I have no use for prayers that always wore in the traditional Parsi style),
can be bought). ”
No one ever dared to take Freny Nanji
lightly. She was on equal terms with the
district administration, the army and all
her business contemporaries. She met the
late Prime Minister Ms Indira Gandhi on a
couple of occasions as well as Morarji
Desai, was in touch with everyone who thing,
mattered, and never hesitated to speak her
mind,
friend, describes Freny as “a woman of
authority: good, kind, compassionate, but
a strong-willed lady. She would always
stand up for her rights as well as the rights cantonment town cradled by the Sahyadri a shop called N. Ruttonji and Sons in the
of others. Always firm in her resolve, once hills in Karnataka — and worked her way
she decided to do something, nothing could up with qualities of head and heart that still
stop her. She didn ’t care at all about what
‘people would say. ’”
The Mirajkar brothers — Sharad and
Suresh -— who knew the lady in her hey
day, have this to say: “Not only was she by born son at 18 months. Later they had
The only child of Shirinbai and Mail
Ms Bacha Siganporia, a good Contractor (her father was called ‘Mail ’
because the family ran a mail service
between Belgaum and Dharwad), Freny ferred to by old-timers as Nadir baba). A
was born 1901 in Belgaum — the charming close friend of the couple, Ruttonji owned
camp area where they sold confectionery,
icecream, pork products and novelty items
which Freny made herself. Being an expert
needlewoman, she turned out beautiful
serve to inspire people.
Married at 16 to Nadir Eduljee Nanji,
Freny encountered personal tragedy at a lampshades, table linen (in the Irish linen
very young age. The Nanjis lost their first- style), tea-cosies and dolls (many of which
she imported and dressed up). Her sari
f
&
f
1
i
114 Parsiana February-March 1995I
Under the auspices of the MAZDAYASNIE MONASTERIE and the ALL INDIA
SHAH BEHRAM BAUG SOCIETY (for Scientific and Educational Research)
The one and only in the world
Zoroastrian College
Correspondence address: Mustafa Building, (2nd floor). Sir Pherozeshah
Mehta Road, Bombay 400001, India. Tel: 2660214
2662950 after hours: 3644737
Fax: Bombay India 022-2662735-A/c 121
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this affiliation, this unique College is able to provide the
facility to Parsis and all people in every country of the
World to do Research, which is for the Universal Benefit
of Humanity and enable persons doing such original
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Doctoral degree.
The Zoroasfrian College provides a World Wide
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India have availed of this facility to express themselves
at an International academic level. Over 25 persons
have qualified for the doctoral degree in wide ranging
subjects from Avesta Dictionary, Hom Yazad, Iranian
I
I
1. Dr. Meher Master-Moos with Sri Lanka Prime Minister Madame Sirima Bandaranike: and Minister of State for Health; with Dr. Sir. Prof. Albert Koo of Taiwan
and Dr. Eva Grungaard looking on. 2. Sri Lankan former President J. R. Jayawardene being felicitated by Zoroastrian College President. 3. Minister for
Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs in Sr/Lanka, Hon. Mr. KershaspChoksy being Awarded the InternationalMedalofMeritinHonourofLateKaikhushroo
Ardeshir Master O.C. withMrs. FrenyChoksy, Dr. Prof. Sir. Anton Jayasuriya and Dr. Happy Tong of Singapore and the two sons of Minister and Mrs. Choksy
looking on.
MEDICINA ALTERNATIVA INTERNATIONAL was es
tablished in Alma Ata (former U.S.S.R.) in 1962 as the
outcome of an International Health Conference joinly
sponsored by the World Health Organisation, the
UNESCO and UNICEF, with Dr. Victor Inyushin of
Khazakhstan State University as the first Chairman.
The aim of W.H.O. was to promote all the different
methods used in various countries of the World for
preventing ill health and preserving good health. These
include from the Ancient Sciences of Chinese Acupunc
ture, Egyptian Magnets & Pyramids, Sanskrit Ayurveda,
Avesta Manthras, Tamil Siddha, Persian/Arabic Unani/
Hakimry, to the modern Sciences of Kirlian/P.I.P. Com
puter, Radionics, Radiesthesia, SpectroChrome Metry,
Homoeopathy, Bach Flower Remedies, Schuesler's Bio
Chernies, Pendulum Dousing, and other methods.
In the mid sixties the H.Q. of Medicina Alternativa
was shifted to Europe, Holland, with a Dutch Doctor as
the next Chairman, and in the late sixties, the Interna
tional Organisations again decided to transfer the H.Q.
to Sri Lanka with the support of the then Prime Minister,
Mr. Bandaranaike, with Dr. Anton Jayasuriya then
registrar of a Hospital in England being appointed as the
next Chairman; and also given the outpatient Acupunc
ture Clinic at the Govt, of Sri Lanka Kalubowila South
Govt. Hospital. Under Dr. Prof. Anton Jayasuriya's able
stewardship, and with the full support of the President/
Prime Minister and Govt, of Sri Lanka, Medicina Alterna
tiva International flourished in the old soil of this tropical
island paradise whe e many exotic plants bloom. Dr.
Anton established the Training Institute for Acupuncture
in Colombo; and through this institute, doctors from
many countries of Europe were enabled to learn the
Alternative to Allopathy Method of Ancient Chinese
Acupunture during the 196O’s, d97O’s and 198O’s, dur
ing epoch when a visit behind the Bamboo curtain was
well nigh impossible. Thus Dr. Anton succeeded in
knocking the “im” off the “impossible ” and transformed
it into the “possible ”; by providing a Training Centre
Educational Facility for doctors from the Western World
to learn Alternative Methods about which the Medical
Colleges curriculum in most Universities in Europe and
America knew nothing. In this manner, through such
specially extra-trained doctors, the public in countries of
Europe and America received the public health benefit
of getting well and keeping well without having to spend subjects,
money on expensive allopathic chemistry based medi
cine.
During the 198O’s this process of International
Education was continued by holding World Congress
es of Alternative Medicine Methods in many countries
of the world. By this process persons trained in many
different methods of health care were given the chance
to meet and share their respective expertise and learn
from each other. The foundation of Medicina Alternativa
became Broad Based, with the new wave of global _____________ _____________
thinking on the subject of health care that other methods A delegation of 5 of the Seniormost doctors of Tajikistan
" ................................. had attended, including the renowned Dr. Issoumud-
din who treats psychosomatic diseases by Avesta Man
thras, mind control, telepathy through T.V. President of
India Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma sent his Greetings to
the organisers as well as the Governors of Maharashtra,
Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Na^and, Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh, Gujarat, and West Bengal. The World Con
gress opening ceremony was to be presided over by
Padmashree Homi J.H. Taleyarkhan, and Retd. Jus
tice Dinshah Mehta, Minister of State, Marazban
Patrawala, Russian Consul F. Rozovsky and Medic
ina Alternativa International Chairman performed the
Inauguration Ceremony. Dr. Fred J. Fox of England
conducted the first ever training in India of Bio-Testing/
Bio-Therapy method. Prof. Dr. A.R.K. Pillai, President
of the Indian Leprosy Foundation presided over many
sessions and Dr. Harish Dhutia over Medical Astrolo
gy, Dr. (Mrs) Harprakash Sahni over Magnet Therapy
Dr. A. Gosalia over Naure Cure and Herbal Medicine.Dr.
L. Mehra over Neuro Therapy, Dr. Mangala Chavan
over Acupuncture and a host of specialists on other
subjects. The Zoroastrian College has a large faculty of
Zoroastrian Heritage, to Inter Faith Peace Dialogue,
Medical Astrology, Mono-crystals, Spiritual Healing,
treatment of eye disorders, and a widdxange of ofher
The College also provides training facilities for Di
ploma Certificate Courses in a wide range of subjects
from Avesta Grammer and Zoroastrian Scriptural stud
ies to Acupuncture & Magnet/Colour Therapy and Holis
tic Health. The short term Diploma Courses also attract
persons from abroad who are eager to learn the Truths
of Nature and the Ancient Conmic Wisdom.
In January 1995 the Annual Bombay World Con
gress of Holistic Health was hosted and organised by
the Zoroastrian College at the Russian Cultural Centre.
f-
4'
%
could be used as Complementary to instead of Alterna
tive to Allopathy.
In keeping with this global trend, the Go'vt. of Sri
Lanka to its everlasting credit took the bold step of
being the first country in the world to establish a sepa
rate Ministry of Indigenous Medicine; and it was that
far sighted Statesman, President Jayawardene of Sri
Lanka who took the equally courageous initiative to
establish the OPEN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
FOR COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE under Presiden
tial Patronage in Sri Lanka, in 1987. This unique, pri
vately funded University quickly spread its wings over
all the five Continents of this Earth, with hospitals,
colleges, institutes, and training academies being affil
iated to it, in over 120 countries of the world. The
O.I.U.C.M. functions everywhere; by imparting training
in all methods of health care which have withstood the
test of thousands of years time. In India, the Zoroastri
an College was established in 1986. Since 1986 in
Bombay, regularly every year in January through the
Alternative Medicine Holistic Health Dept, of the Zoro
astrian College, World Congresses have been organ
ised which attract many specialists from many Foreign honorary Professors for the Alternative Medicine Dept,
countries and from all over India. In 1987-88, the Zoro
astrian College was the first Educational Establish
ment in India to become affiliated the the Open Interna
tional University for Complementary Medicine. Through
Persons interested in good health may inquire by writing
to the above Mustafa Bldg correspondence address.
i
I
J
ADVERTISEMENT
Iborders were always in demand and every
thing she made was snapped up as fast as
her mouth watering cakes. Her friends
remember that she had many “secret reci
pes ” which she refused to divulge. Freny
had learnt early that to be a successful
businesswoman she had to hold on to her
trade secrets!
To further augment her resources, Freny
hired out furniture to the British army
officers who were posted in Belgaum in
the 1920s. This initial contact with the
British brass grew until Freny became a
regular at the army club where she played
an excellent game of tennis with the offic
ers and their wives. True to her way of
doing things, she won trophies by the paiuiers, oui rnings oia not go as well as
sackful and Veera still wonders if she will she had hoped and realizine her own
eve, be able display all of them. And potent,al, shf bought over th7entirehalho 'thX ’r TudTe
while Freny worW and played hard, the beeonte its sole Lner. It was the oi!? ‘ igh,^^tiSuhTend 1 AeTasI shlw OnVheu
ever resourceful Shinnbai chipped in to theater showing lhe latest English movies return Freny would take up her readme
keep the home fires burning by making in Belgaum, the only theater which ran She often read till about 2 or 3 in thp
Dairy Farm in Bombay.
Venturing out to Sambra, the airforce
ba^ on the outskirts of Belgaum where the capability. In this, as in all else, she^was
entertainment, Freny hired a hall, set up a
shows in the evenings, working the projec-
The home-sick
Tommies
desperately sought
entertainment.
Freny set up a
projector, running
two film shows in
the evenings
partners, but things did not go as well
she had hoped and, realizing her
lar cactus which Freny had in the shape of
a snake ’s head — which had to be fed on
blood!
In the afternoons Freny would sit with
her grandchildren for lunch and enjoy her
time with the family. Lunch was usually
prepared by cooks, but sometimes Freny
herself decided to don the apron and turn
out some exotic dish — much to every
one ’s delight, of course. After lunch a
siesta was a must. At 4.30 she and Jal
would go to the Rex. After seeing to the
work there, Freny would go to the club at
exactly 6 o ’clock, leaving her son to attend
to the rest.
Dinner would be served after nine when
she returned home from the club. After
dinner, Freny and Ruttonji would both go
woman exhibitor.
Loved like a mother and sister by her
staff, Freny ran the theater with exemplary
home-sick “Tommies ’’ desperately sought ably helped by Ruttonji and her son Jal. It
r7 . . touching to see the eyes of her old
projector and started running two film employees mist
tor herself. A big success till the end of the
war, when it was time for the soldiers to
leave Freny closed shop at Sambra and
looked for newer pastures.
With the money from her Sambra ven
ture, Freny invested in a small tumble
down cottage in the camp area of Belgaum.
The cottage was small, but rooted on a
sizable area of land. Over a period of about
two ’ " ¦
into what is Hotel Green today. Aftermost _______ ......... .
of the building was completed, only the kame se pehle main kaam nahin shuru
porch remained. Veera narrates how Freny
often took part in the lotteries held at the
army club. On one lucky day she won Rs
400 from a football pool, and the amount
was used to construct the porch of Hotel
Green. Both Freny and Ruttonji, who by
hotel most efficiently, on Western lines.
over :
her. They refer to her as Indira Gandhi
because she was strong-willed and stern
when it came to business. “No one ever
knew or did business the way she did,”
says Haldankar Purohit, a booking clerk,
who remembers her as being very tough
but also very helpful and kind. “We were
always expected to speak the truth no
matter what — she would never tolerate
lies from anyone. ” Even today, after all
years Freny developed the property these years, he bows to her photograph
t before beginning work; "Unko namaskar
morning before falling asleep.
And Freny spent exactly such a day for
the last time on November 27, 1984. She
was completely in control till the vey end
and sensed that ,^he would be entering
another realm — leaving behind men and
women influenced by the example of her
as they speal^about life, and children touched by ihe flame of
, JI her spirit.
Panchgani
JERROZ
HOTEL
4'
1
karta," were his words.
Freny ’s typical day would begin around
9.30 when she woke up. She would have
her tea or coffee and stroll round her gor
geous garden. Says Ms Shirin Daver, her
contemporary, “Freny was very fond of
1 was
adjudged the best at all flower and garden
shows. She had all kinds of flowers and
, - ’ ' J -------J, * iviij wM.O vviy ivjll
"2t^i T™ r — ’'"r ‘he gardening and for years her garden
with great attention to detail. Many old-
timers who frequented the hotel still smack plants ranging from the common bougain
their lips in mouth-watering remembrance L" . . . .
of dishes past. The service and linen were
immaculate. In fact, it is said that people
who once stayed there made it a point to
transit Belgaum just to sample Hotel Green
again in its salubrious setting.
Around 1940 she bought the Ford motor ____ __
gar^e and converted it into a cinema hall begonias, orchids, roses and gladioli were
__ TrtiFiolU, nU/k __ _ .1 n zj . __ ®
villea to exotic orchids from the north east.
Her dahlias, it is said, had to be measured
across by a measure tape! Friends who
were also keen gardeners would request
her to stop participating in the shows so
that they could get a chance to win! ” She
would import seeds and bulbs and her
Rex. Initially she had two or three
a feast for the eyes. Veera tells of a particu
117 Parsiana February-March 1995
Under Cliff Bungalow
near Parsi fire-temple
Shirinbai Davierwala
Marg
Panchgani 412805
Prop: Dorrabji
STD: 02168
Phone: 40238
ISCHOLARSHIP
When Iran reawakened
to the Gathas
Ebrahim Poure Davoud ’s rendition of the
Gathas enabled his fellow Mohammedans to recognize
the unique message of Zarathushtra
mA
Hormazdiar J. M. Desai
“The Gathas are our oldest national asset Mazdayasni religion thus: “Through piety,
written by the greatest son of Iran. Zara-
thushtra is the first and unique prophet
among the Indo-Iranian people, who intro
duced the worship of one supreme being. It mism, patriotism and friendship with all
is but meet that we should read with ex
treme reverence the portion left to us from
the teachings of such a personage, which ity and joy, rest and comfort, glory and
after so many thousands of years, outliving greatness; and after this period of pleasant
a thousand vicissitudes of time, has at last
come down to us. ”
Thus stated Ebrahim Poure Davoud in
the preface to The Gathas ofZarathushtra
approximately 3,000 years after they were
first sung by the Prophet in ancient Iran. In
the process of his pioneering translation of
the Gathas into modern Persian (via the
translation of German scholar and philolo
gist C. Bartholomae) Poure Davoud awak
ened modern Iran to the life and literature
of its past, its religion, culture and rich
heritage, and motivated it to emulate its
ancient glory and civilization.
“As the author of this translation, I have
not been in pursuit of an elegant style. I
have avoided all efforts to adorn the stan
zas by ornamental composition. What can
be gathered from the sayings of the holy
prophet of Iran, I have written without the prophet.
addition or alteration, ” stated the first —
and, hitherto, only — translator of the and happy earthly existence has ended, the
Gathas, the Yashts and theKhordeh Avesta
into Persian.
Poure Davoud quoted from the German emphasizes one of the attributes praised in
scholar Paul Horn who states, in his His
tory of Persian Literature: “In the Gathas
we meet with the expression of such noble attribute) without which it would never
feelings, such vigorous belief in the true
faith, and such sublimity and excellence of
ethics, that we cannot but praise and ap
plaud the author of the songs. ”
He defined the message ofthe Zarthushti medicine, he qualified as hakim bashi, a
practitioner of ancient indigenous medi
cine. At this time, Iran was struggling for
constitutional freedom and young Poure
Davoud was deeply involved in this move
ment. He started writing patriotic poems
humanity, it is evident that the reward in and songs emphasizing the imperative need
this world is happiness and peace, prosper-
truth, righteousness, eleanliness, effort and
exertion, valor and generosity, charity and
benevolence, learning and wisdom, opti
Poure Davoud: defined the message of
ultimate hope of bliss in the other abode. ”
A patriot to the core, Poure Davoud
the Avesta — vatan parasti (patriotism).
“Our country is in the greatest need (of this
to strive for national freedom.
Attracted to ’studies abroad, Poure
Davoud pursued law in Paris from 1910.
He also studied French, German and En
glish. In Paris he met Madame Bhikhaiji
Cama, daughter-in-law of the Zoroastrian .
scholar of Bombay, K. R. Cama, and learnt
from her the significance of the sudreh-
kusti and certain Zoroastrian prayers. This
personal contact greatly motivated Poure
Davoud. He travelled extensively, meet-
ing eminent orientalists and learning from
them, studying the masterpieces of Euro
pean scholars on Zoroastrian religion and
the history and culture of ancient Iran in
the great libraries of Paris.
The late Dinshah Irani, a lover of Iran
and Iranian literature, was for some years
on the lookout for iV-suitablc scholar to
translate the Gathas into modern Persian.
While in Iran, he was advised to write to
Mirza Abdul Wahab of Qazvan, an Iranian
intellectual then residing in Paris. It was
this great savant who suggested the name
of young Poure Davoud to Irani.
Immediately on receiving a letter from
Irani offering him the work of translating
the Gathas, Poure Davoud left his family
and hastened to Bombay. He stayed there
for over two years, studied Zoroastrian
scriptures with Avestan scholars and com
pleted his monumental work. He familiar
ized himself with the Parsis and their
lifestyle and became a great admirer of the
118 Parsiana February-March 1995
work out its salvation. ”
The poet, author, teacher and research
scholar was born at Resht on March 5,
1886. A student of Persian, Arabic and teachings ofZarathushtra. Great credit goes
, I to Irani for the pioneering lead taken byhim in locating and entrusting this respon
sible work to Poure Davoud.
Much credit also goes to the late
Peshotan D. Marker, whose love for Iran
led him to establish several educational
institutions in Yazd, for all the assistance
and encouragement he gave Poure Davoud
and for getting the Gathas and the Poure
Davoud Memorial Volume printed and
published in the P. D. Marker Avestan
Series. These volumes, financed by Marker,
were published under the joint auspices of
the Iranian Zoroastrian Anjuman and the
Iran League.
Rabindranath Tagore, who had accom
panied Irani to Iran, had requested the
Iranian Government to depute Prof Poure
Davoud to the Vishva Bharati University
them refuge and protection, as if they were
her own children. At no time, we thanked
India for the same. We are founding the
chair in your University as a slight token of ,
appreciation and gratitude for what India consultation with reputed European and
x>zci T vwu w n*v -- - rr Y___J.___tr\ rxri mn cil
to lecture on the history and ancient culture had done m protecting and preserving our
of Iran. The then Government of Iran im- ------- ”
mediately established the chair of Iranian
culture at Vishva Bharati.
When Tagore wrote to thank the Gov
ernment of Iran for establishing the chair,
the Iranian minister for foreign affairs H.
H. Foroughi himself sent a reply: “Dr
Tagore, I assure you, no thanks are due by nition of his unique abilities and scholar-
you to us. I will tell you the reason. Twelve ship.
' '¦ Poure Davoud visited India thrice and
travelled extensively. He was felicitated
and presented addresses by several Iranian
hundred years ago, a part and parcel of our
countrymen, Parsis, had tc leave the shores
of this country under distressing circum- . . . . - .
stances. We drove them out and India gave and Zoroastrian institutes, anjumans and
The Government
of Iran established
the chair of Iranian
culture at Tagore ’s
Vishva Bharati
University
own children. ”
Sad Band-e-Tagore, Poure Davoud ’s
Persian translation of 100 quatrains from
Tagore, was published in 1935.
A year after his return to Iran in 1938, he
was made a permanent member of the staff
of the Ministry of Education — in recog
organizations. These scrolls ot honor were
worded in highly appreciative terms. His
last visit to India was as a member of the
high level Iranian cultural mission.
Poure Davoud ’s ghazals, panegyrics
and elegies are superb. His songs on yatha
Ahu Vairyo and Ashem Vohu are very
popular and sung in schools in Iran. His
poems Yazdagard Shariyar, Ameshas-
pendan, Yalti, Jazire Hormuz, Jam, Ka
Fravahar-e-Darius, all have assured him a
place among the great poets of modern
Iran, as notes the Encyclopaedia
Britannica.
His prose style is simple, natural and
lucid. His sentences are short and to the
point. As a research scholar he studied in
Indian orientalists, and referred to original
manuscripts and innumerable books to
authenticate his statements. As a journa
list, he edited the Iran Shaker with Mirza
Muhammad Qazvini. Later he edited the
Rastakhiz. As a teacher, Poure Davoud
was most popular.
Glowing tributes were paid to Poure
Davoud. Dr Irach J. Taraporevala, whose
English translation of the Gathas is con
sidered to be one (^f the best, described him
as “a rare person, combining within himself
the natures both of a poet and a scholar... ”
Behramgore Anklesaria n^ed his plea-
£
7
4
1^1
'//iiihuG
niiiiiiu
jWtlW
PROTECTION & INTELLIGENCE SERVfCES
Securtty/Manpower Consultants * Armad/Personal Body Guards * Cash/Cargo Escorts (with vehicle) * Kennel squad
Spot payment offered for Indian/
Imported cars
For booking of flats under construction
at Udvada (Near Iranshah)
Main , I Vic.
250, 1/1 Perin Nariman Street, Fort, Bombay 400001, Tel No: 2611926, 2621281,2617331
I
120 Parsiana February-March 1995FOR SALE
Original purple
gara, scalloped
border,
embroidered
in white,
in good condition.
Proceeds to go
to charity.
Those interested
may write providing
their address,
telephone
number/fax to:
The Advertiser
Parsiana, (Gara)
GPO Box 892,
Bombay 400001
sure in the preface to the Yashts, “that for
the first time in the history of (our) sacred
literature, a translation of all the songs of
Zoroaster was made in Iran by an Iranian
who is considered one of the greatest writ
ers today. ”
Qazvini referred to the Gathas as, “a
book which commands equal respect with
the Bible, the Gita and the Quran," and
believed that the translation will go a long
way in making Iranians alive to the great
culture of their ancestors and their lofty
philosophy.
Indeed, Poure Davoud accomplished
what a few decades ago would have been
considred impossible. As Dr Sir Jivanji
Jamshedji Modi in his foreward to the
Gathas fervently notes, “This book will, I
fully trust, bring into closer contact —
contact of head and heart — the Zoroastri
ans of Persia and India with the Moham
medans of Persia... ”
Trustee and joint honorary secretary of the K. R,
Cama Oriental Institute, Capt Hormazdiar Desai
mastered in Persian literature before acquiring his
LLB degree. He was promoted to the Indian Ad
ministrative Service in 1962 from the Maharashtra
cadre which he joined after wartime army service
with the South East 4sia Command. Desai co
founded the National Association forthe Blind and
has published seven books, several of them on the
rights ofthe disabled.
Ik
With compliments from
B. B. GARDA & SONS
4,
10 B. J. Road
Poona 411001
122 Parsiana February-March 1995SCHOLARSHIP
In memory of
Poure Davoud
A'
Unveiling the glories of Iran ’s Zoroastrian
past Prof Ebrahim Poure Davoud kindled in his young
students the desire to understand the ideas behind it
Dr Ehsan Yarshater
They said a learned man is coming to Iran
who knows the languages of ancient Iran
and who has translated the Avesta. I was
studying in the college of literature and
knew the name of Ebrahim Poure Davoud day he began work, Isa Siddique, principal
from his works. In those days ancient of the college, accompaniedhim to class to
languages were not being taught in Iran
and correct information about the culture
and literature of ancient Iran was not avail
able. "
The translation of the Avesta by Poure
Davoud which was printed in some vol
umes in India, and which had yellow paper
covers, was rarely available in Iran. Some possessed a heavy sweet voice. Like his reading a discourse on Mehr Yazad. It
time before that, Hertsfield had taught the ..................
Pahlavi langauge to some people... and the
ancient culture of Iran, like a rider gallop
ing in the distance or like a scene which
appears on the horizon, was taking shape
gradually. But the yearning to know this group ofpatriotic Iranians who were lovers
old civilization which had found place in < ‘ ‘ - - -
some hearts was not fulfilled because there Khan Qazvini, Kazimzadeh Iranshahr,
Syed Mohammed Ali Jamaalzaadeh and
Poure Davoud had come together in Berlin.
Most of them, besides having a passion
for Iran ’s independence and power, were
also scholars and researchers. The late glories of the Iranians or his repentance
At last Poure Davoud reached Iran and
the teaching of the languages and culture
of ancient Iran — a new faculty — was
entrusted to him at Tehran University. The
was no change in his way of working and
his lifestyle. Research in the culture of
ancient Iran and efforts to reopen its glo
ries remained his aim until the end of his
life.
Poure Davoud pioneered the learning
introduce him. The attendance in the class of ancient Iran irilran. His passion affected
was more than usual.
Clad in a dark, decorated, clean suit
Poure Davoud was of comparatively short languages and literature in *many hearts",
stature, had an olive complexion and an ~
eagle-like nose. He arrived in class walk- tneir suoject or teaching and research as
ing slowly, followed by Dr Siddique. He Poure Davoud was. I still remember him
others also. When he was engaged in teach
ing he awakened a love for learning
Few people are as wholly harmonious with
their subject of teaching and research
1
I'
walk, his talk too was calm and slow.
Hence it was pleasant when he suddenly
switched from literary to colloquial lan
guage.
Before the First World War, a select
was no teacher for this discipline — no one
among the Iranians had paid any attention
to it.
The arrival of Poure Davoud infused
life in this new-grown desire. He was
coming from the cities of learning. We Syed Hasan Taqueezaadeh was their leader
- . „ 3 and the periodical Kaveh was the
were eagerly awaiting his arrival so that he ; ' ' - -
might lead us also to the treasure towards mouthpiece of their thoughts and aspira-
which he was travelling. Ancient Iran was tions.
After the defeat of Germany and the
was like an epic from old Iran and his
warm heroic words vibrated in our ears.
Poure Davoud was enamoured of the
history and customs of ancient Iran. He
used to remember the kings of old Iran
with a high head and loved the faith of the
of independence like Mirza Mohammed Aryans and the religion of the Zoroastri
ans. His grief over the downfall of Sasa-
nian rule and the victory of Taaziyaan
shadowed most of bis works. He loved
only that which was Iranian. The most
gripping parts of his writing describe the
T__ :___ _ i-:_ .
over the victory of foreigners. In such
works, his prose is extraordinarily tender
and moving, and they are considered as
salient specimens of contemporary prose.
Likewise it was in such works that the
inborn talent of his poetry was visible in
his prose.
When he finished his work at the col-
which he was travelling. Ancient Iran was
a thought-provoking era for us. The time
gap adorned it in our eyes and made it a uprooting of the Qajarian dynasty in
Iran, Poure Davoud remained in Germany
and devoted his time to research on the
significance of ancient Iran. In this way he lege he would walk home slowly. Al-
“. ' though he was not affluent, some of his
ways were noble and his living reminded
one of the customs of the freeborn. To
students, and to those who required his
books, he was generous. In his talk he
mirror of our longing. Its ambiguity soft
ened our hopes and hid suspected defects.
We had, with the help of limited know
ledge, a powerful vision and broad desire gained contact with Indian Zoroastrians,
constructed a magnificient and glorious
world from the panorama of our history...
In our difficult times, we clung to the
pride of this world...
obtained favor and praise from them and
published some of his works with their
assistance. When he came to Iran at the
invitation of the Tehran University there
124 Parsiana February-March 1995
Inever seemed to care for material things or
matters like salary or privileges. Respect
able, restful and polite, his inner shyness
prevented him from becoming angry and
quarrelsome. Notwithstanding the fact that
the Zoroastrian society gave him much
respect and considered itself indebted to
him, he did not turn to them for benefits.
He seldom went to see anybody and mostly
remained at home where he entertained his
colleagues, relatives and students.
When a friend passes away from this
world, his shortcomings disappear in the
shade of death and his virtues become
magnified. But in the case of Poure Davoud
I do not experience such uneasiness. He
holds high status in the history of Iranian
culture. In his departure a bright face, a
good prose writer and a noble man of the Avesta, a work which is full of ambigu-
Iranian society has been lost to us.
One of the most important services of this task on the basis of great interest and
Poure Davoud in the field of literature is spent most of his life in it. Since their
the Persian translation of Avesta in six publication these volumes have remained a
volumes. The work, in my opinion, is one
of the most important published in Persian
since the beginning of the constitutional
era. Though it may be possible to name
some works of the last 70 years which
might be superior to it in terms of research,
I am aware of very few books which have
The sense of
justice kept him
on the path of
moderation
youths and students.
The secret of the scholarly life of Poure
Davoud was his patriotism. Though the
glories of ancient Iran were fundamental
to it, occasionally heightened love and
devotion gave a touch of exaggeration to
his worlcs. He despised the people who
had invaded and encroached upon Iran.
He considered them ignorant and un
civilized. He did not like their memorials
and his taunts were directed against them.
But the gentleness of his thinking, and
t'
<
126 Parsiana February-March 1995
opened a new horizon of educational re
search in our country. Nor, with regard to the
knowledge of one of the most important the sense of justice which grows from
documents in the history, nationalism and liberality, kept him on the path of modera-
religion of Iran, are there books which can
be considered more worthy of attention
than Poure Davoud ’s Avesta.
It is a precise and reliable translation of
tion, out of conflict with scientific research
and prevented him from indulging in the
fabrication of history.
Besides the scientific services and the
valuable publications which made Poure
ities and difficulties. Poure Davoud took up Davoud popular, his moral characteristics
endeared him in many hearts. One of them
was his simplicity and sincerity. His man
ner and talk were frank and free and he
basic source, perhaps a unique source, of spoke and wrote and acted always accord
information about Zoroastrian regulations
and the ancient fables of Iran.
Another outstanding scholarly service
of Poure Davoud is the creation of special greedy and poweEfhungry. In friendship
interest and the infusion of love for this
field of knowledge, in the hearts of many
ing to his belief. He was devoid of the
cleverness and the cunning which are the
common characteristics of those who are
he was faithful and although the modesty
which was inherent in his nature hindered
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in his legs.
For several years he had been collecting
material for writing a book about “Soshi-
know why, but I felt that he had no hope of
completing it.
On reaching home my hand automati-
the unfolding of his sentiments, it did not hair on his head had started to turn grey
prevent him from encouraging his students and he was complaining about some pain
and praising their efficiency or effort. The
number of his loving friends among stu
dents and colleagues was legion.
His delightful nature made his company yaant, ” the Promised One of the
sweet and pleasant. In the course of his Zoroastrians. I asked him how far it had
calm and serious talk some joke might progressed. He said, very slowly, that there
crop up suddenly and make everyone smile, was little progress these days. I do not
His jokes, though critical, were without
bitterness.
Poure Davoud used to pay attention and
give special respect to female students and cally stretched toward the first volume of
meritorious women He was happy to see Yeshtaha which Poure Davoud had gifted
intelligent, eloquent and deserving girls, to me during the earlier days of his arrival
Perhaps what particularly pleased him was in Iran. On the title page his legible hand-
the difference between the style of these writing had inscribed, “Gifted to Eh-
women and the ways of women with chador saanullaah Yaar Shaatir. ” And I remem-
on their heads. He considered the style of bered the first day in class, eagerly await-
the chador-c\ad women contrary to human
dignity. In the existence of diligent and
productive girls he saw the revival of Iran
from its days of humiliation.
In later years, due to my remaining
away from Iran, I could not visit Poure
Davoud as often as I wished. The last time
I saw him was six months prior to his
passing away. We were sitting in the court
yard of his small house in Aabaan Road.
Though he had just completed 80 years of
age he looked healthy and vigorous. .. The Persian Heritage Series.
ing his arrival...
An edited and abridged version of a personal
tribute in Persian translated into English for
Parsiana, courtesy the Iran Culture House,
Bombay. Editor of the Encyclopaedia Iranica, Dr
Ehsan Yarshater had succeeded Prof Ebrahim
Pou re Davoud in the chair of Avestan and Ancient
Iranian studies at Tehran University. Yarshater
had studied under Poure Davoud in Tehran, and
with Prof W. B. Henning and Prof Dr (Ms) Mary
Boyce in London. The multilingual Yarshater has
also been gene ral editor of the UNESCO sponsored
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127 ParS’ana February-March 1995
Ir-
PROFESSIONS
“ADVERTISING IS A TERRIFIC
PROFESSION”
' Ogilvy and Mather’s director of
international client service,
Roda Mehta reviews the path
she has tread
Homi J. Rogers
r'’
>-
“There are four people an overseas client got admission at on an O&M stint to
talks to when he plans to enter a country Bajaj. She felt that convert the regional
with his product: a management consul- being in Bombay offices into autono-
tant, a solicitor, a government liaison man would better my mous business units
and an advertising agent. ” So observes Ms chances of getting And sKe is just back
Roda Mehta, the feisty 45-year-old direc- hooked to a good Parsi boy, ” laughs Mehta, from Igatpuri after attending a fO-day course
tor of international client service at Ogilvy What her mother dreamt of, however, was in Vipasana, an ancient meditation tech
and Mather (O&M), the fourth largest not to be. Mehta found Bombay truly cos- nique which enables one to experience peace
advertising agency in India. And, judging mopolitan and, shechuckles, “the only Parsi and harmony through maintenance of com-
by O&M’s high profile in this specialized boy in my class was already interested plete silence and a process of self-obser-
market, which is largely responsible for elsewhere. ” vation. It has been this seeking snirit and
the agency s capitalized billing registering
a spectacular 50 percent increase from Rs
114 crore to Rs 162 crore during the last community. “Being in a place like Delhi,
where there are fewer members of one ’s
faith can have its plus points, ” she muses. ^ne acceptea ner very tirst job as a
“For one, you get to know people from all challenge. Viewed in hindsight, though, it
walks of life, and are exposed to various . ... ...
communities and their cultures. ” At the
same time, as Mehta realized, a strong job with Tatas (who, ‘says Mehta, did not
being in Bombay
would better my
chances of getting
hooked to a good Parsi boy, ” laughsMehta. from Igatpuri after attending a'fO-day
What her mother dreamt of, however, was ’ ’ ’
not to be. Mehta found Bombay truly cos
Not that young Mehta ever truly missed
not growing up within the confines of the
vation. It has been this seeking spirit, and
her ability to synthesize her experiences
that has led Mehta from one success to
another, as she seeks out challenges and
ways to meet them.
She accepted her very first job
year (much ahead ofthe industry ’s mean of
37.4 percent), it is apparent that Mehta as
the fourth pillar of the equation has been
doing an exceedingly fine job. From walks ol life, and are exposed to various was that fortuitous break that was to make
Ferozpur, where she was born the third communities and their cultures. ” At the Mehta, in a manner that probably neither a
child of a railway engineer, to her position same time, as Mehta realized, a strong job with Tatas (who, says Mehta, did not
in a premier ad agency is indeed a long feeling for one ’s own religion and people then recruit women in TAS, their admi-
haul. And it has been one with an enviable ' ' ...
track record.
An economics graduate (BA honors) things happen; he provides the link with
from St Miranda, Delhi, Mehta spent her religion. ” For Mehta, the religious links so
early life in the north, before coming to providedrunstrong. “Istill wearmy sudreh-
kusti, do my prayers, observe rituals, ” she
states, adding that the dogmatism our reli
gion is mired in rather saddens her. There graduate who had done a major in opera-
is nothing that has provided me with new . _ -
windows or perspectives, ” laments Mehta,
gets instilled. “The priest becomes like a
pivot in our lives; he is the one round whom
•th
Bombay to do her MBA from the Jamnalal
Bajaj Institute. “I remember our having to
live in tents in Delhi, before the railways
allotted us a house, ” reminisces Mehta on
her early days when her father, Pesi
Hormusji Mehta, having broken away from regretting that even simple questions like
the agrarian trend of the Manchorewalla “why am I here? ” do not seem to be an-
family, held a transferable job in the Indian swered by Zoroastrianism.
Railway Services. “It pleased my parents,
especially my mother (Nargesh) when on explore many paths;
completing my graduation I applied for and impressed her when she was in Bangalore
nistratives services), nor with ICICI (The
Industrial Credit and Investment Corpora
tion of India Limited) would have accom
plished. Employment at ICICI, where
Mehta ’s parents knew the then Deputy
General Manager, Dr Pheroze Medhora,
was a logical move for the young posi
tions research. But fate intervened, and
Hindustan Thompson Associates (HTA)
came head-hunting at the campus. The first
National Readership Survey (NRS) had
just been completed, and HTA wanted
someone to computerize the data base. The
a Vedantic scholar challenge was enthusing. And Mehta, who
„ ¦ ‘ was rejected by the Tatas because of their
The seeker within Mehta has led her to
129 Parsiana February-March 1995
Iof hopefuls with stars in their eyes discov
ered that there was more to advertising than
suitably revised at their instance, as con
sultants to the Ministry of I&B, that
Doordarshan grew rapidly, Mehta recalls
ing men. And, undoubtedly, it was Mehta triumphantly.
who had thrown the floodgates open.
The plums were there for Mehta ’s pluck
ing too. Within two years of joining O&M,
an agency she has now been with for 19
years, Mehta became a media group head.
recruitment policy, was lured away from a
Rs 1,100 job at ICICI to a Rs 750 one
fraught with the challenge she sought, and being clever wordsmiths and savvy servic-
an assurance of growth based on merit and
performance. who had thrown the floodgates open. More accolades were to come her way
The move paid rich dividends: Mehta Theplums were there for Mehta ’s pluck- for her role in the National Literacy Mis
grew, and for well over a decade and a half ing too. Within two years of joining O&M, sion campaign. O&Mwas approached fora
she was the most respected voice in media, an agency she has now been with for 19 campaign on adult literacy in the wake of its
What had earlier been a clerical function in years, Mehta became a media group head, stirring nation-building advertisements
mostadvertising agencies who boughtspace And at just 32 Mehta was accorded a place (“Spread the Light of Freedom ” etc). “On
in newspapers and magazines (often ex
pressly at the client ’s instructions or at the
persuasion of the representative who ap
proached them), was slowly but surely being
converted by Mehta into an essential agency plethora of publications vying for the
service. Mehta brought her knowledge of advertiser ’s rupee. And the 1982 Asiad interviewing numerous people: NOOs, lit-
economics, mathematics and computing games, which had color television coming erates, trainers, those attending adult edu-
into the service to devise modes by which to India, furthered Mehta ’s reach and pow- cation classes, and those not, ” she narrates,
the client could get maximum mileage and ers of selective buying. At the end of this odyssey Mehta deve-
reach for his advertising rupee.
While all this helped to shape her agency, formed to evaluate sponsored TV pro-
O&M (which she had joined after two grams, and it was Mehta, along with her
years of completing her task at HTA), into colleagues, who convinced the Ministry of took shape, with the necessary emotive
a media-buying force, it also helped in
giving media buyers a greater respect
ability in advertising circles. Mehta may
have been the first MBA to opt for a career
in the department of advertising, but with serials and increased revenues for Door-
her positive contribution she ensured that darshan. It was, after brokerage of time was
she would not be the last. A whole new host done away with and the entire rate structure
on the O&M board. With the lifting of the August 16, 1989,1 took the brief, ” recalls
emergency, the magazine boom that en
sued further bolstered Mehta ’s reputation.
It was she who would pick through the members the exact date she started work on
it. “We traveled vastly through six states.
Mehta — an indication of how close to her
heart was this campaign that she still re-
games, which had color television coming
to India, furthered Mehta ’s reach and pow
ers of selective buying.
She was a member of the committee loped a strategy, a brief that substituted the
government handout of macro figures. It
was on Mehta ’s brief that the final ad film
Information and Broadcasting (I&B) after and functional thrust of not just converting
two years of relentless pursuit, to abandon
their lopsided policy of rationing time to
advertisers: the result was better quality help them perform their tasks in a better and
more productive gianner. Even so, the cam
paign would have come unstuck but for
Mehta ’s grit and go-getting ability in again
illiterates but motivating the literates to
offer to teach the lesser privileged, and so
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130 Parsiana February-March 1995
4convincing Doordarshan to put the film on
I air free of media cost. The flattering results
then came in: over 2{X),(XX) respondents religious characteristics, ” comments Meh-
I wrote in from all over the country offering
their services.
For Mehta who had earlier in her life for Mehta ’s “only exposure to Parsi youth
toyed with the idea of undertaking architec
ture, the National Literacy Mission pro
vided a chance to ‘build ’ a new India and
give something back to society. With
globalization and the winds of liberaliza
tion sweeping the country, Mehta will be
further contributing to the country in her
' ' new role by facilitating the entry of multi-
national clients. Her job, as she observes
with characteristic modesty, is to advise
her agency ’s clients on market behavior,
competiton status, strategies, pricing and
distribution. The successes are there for all
to see: Duracell and Seagram have been
launched to favorable responses, while the
Finish giant Nokia and Kimberly Clark are
set to make waves in the coming months.
“Advertising is a terrific profession, ”
--------- ... „ 1 Cl, iiviii iici uiniieu oDservauons, Menta
? concludes Mehta, “for people who don ’t candidly notes that she can ’t spot that much
things differently; who think intuitively.
want to be bound by routine, who look at charity and integrity amongst the youth
things differently; who think intuitively, '
observe and listen; who are sensitive to
humanity and prepared to work 18 hours a
day. ” And would, we enquired, youths from
the Parsi community fit the brief?
“I don ’t think you can generalize on
ing all across, ” she smiles and, with her
own sterling example, one can scarcely
disagree. And as a result of this sobering
ta, giving the question a pass over. It is not, knowledge, and perhaps because of her
however, just an attempt to duck the issue.
Mehta not just
converted
the illiterates
hut motivated
the literates
is the young Parsis who come and join us. Parsis, AustralianParsis...Wehavetomerge
or from the children of parents I know. ” •-*— ------
Yet, from her limited observations, Mehta
, as
the community was once famous for. And
no, she does not generalize on Parsi females
being smarter or cleverer than the males.
“The edge of girls over boys is happen
upbringing (Mehta has spent most of her
adult life in the Parsi bastions of Bombay
and Bangalore where her brother Daraius
stays), she foresees “no problem situation ”
for herself if and when she decides to get
married. “It will have to be a Parsi. I have
very strong feelings about that, ” she muses.
What is however a disturbing trend, ob
serves Mehta, is that the community has no
common purpose or goal. On a visit to
Israel, she had noted that the Jews —another
microscopic community like the Zoroas
trians — had something that bound them
together: the desire to get back to their
homeland. “Israel was like a melting pot of
Jews from all over the world. As against
that, we have American Parsis, British
back into a larger whole or our numbers
will reduce. ” From one who has spent over
two decades looking at numbers, and the
strength they convey both in qualitative and
quantitative terms, this is surely a thought
worth considering. much as her dictum
for success: “Do not lose sight of the means,
while always looking at the ends. ”
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131 Parsiana February-March 1995
IBUSINESS
If the shoe fits
<
A %
o
A single cobbler ’s welfare
has mushroomed into a regular
shoe-making industry
Abraham Mathai
TB! Short for ‘Only The Best. ’
That ’s what Ms Mahrukh Kerawalla
believes in. And ‘OTB’ is exactly what
she ’ s chosen as the brand name of the ladies
footwear range she intends to launch shortly.
What started out as a hobby — making
ladies shoes and scholls (broad-strapped
slippers) — through hard work, grit and
imagination has grown today into a big
venture.
It all began more than a decade ago,
I when a cobbler knocked on Kerawalla ’s
door asking for work. Kerawalla found his
work quite good and since she wanted to __ ___ ______ _______
help him, asked him to make a few more Charmoutpadak Sangh, a cooperative so-
pairs for her friends. Scholls were in fash- " -
ion those days, and Kerawalla got them
made in an attractive range of colors, were always routed t' ough a co-operative the last 10 years in a row. ”
Soon, there were the friends of her friends, society. This also ensured that the producer Kerawalla ’s workshop units
and their other friends asking for similar got a fair deal for his efforts, ” she said. scattered around Duncan Road, in central
. Kerawalla was soon elected chairperson Bombay, the heart of the leather industry.
Onee we booked a stall at the Parsi ofthesociety.apositionshe ’sbeenholding She moved here from Wadala after the
Cobny Gynikhana ’s Winter Fair and for the last 10years. The society, withover riots. “The workers normally live on or
-A Kerawalla. 3,500 members in and around Bombay, is around the workshop premises and in
V,", '"J »«« harassed, ”
And yes, the boutiques .resold them at she said
S? « T?" The 500 or so pairs she makes each
' r. I t Thai s the kind ol month are adapted from designs in foreign
!:'orz±s"':Jeve„
¦>
for one such sale that caught the eye of the
owners of Metro Dawood Shoes. They
asked me to come over with a few samples,
also affiliated to the Khadi and Village
Industries Board. This cooperative society
. supplies shoes to most major shoe shops in
which they liked, ” she reminisces. An ini- Bombay.
• This position means dealing with a lot
tial investment of Rs 10,000 got her a shed _______ ____ ______
at an industrial estate in Wadala. And ever of poor and uneducated peopIe/*But I find
since, she has been making designer shoes, .........................
sandals, slippers and scholls for them.
At the same time, Kerawalla enrolled as
a member of the Jai Hind Sahkari
it a challenge, ” she says. “Yes, sometimes
it can get a bit frustrating, especially trying
to make a person understand something.
But in the end I enjoy doing_what I’m doing,
and it ’s fun. Being here also gives me an
opportunity to help them out. Maybe that ’s
ciety of small leather manufacturers. “This __________ _____ _
was mandatory, because in this trade sales why I have been re-elected to this post for
were always routed t' ough a co-operative ‘ '
society. This also ensured that the producer
got a fair deal for his efforts, ” she said.
Kerawalla was soon elected chairperson Bombay, the heart of the leather industry.
are now
5i
133 Parsiana February-Marcr 'yps
for the last 10 years. The society, with over
3,500 members in and around Bombay, istime back, she had made shoes and hand
bags for the airhostesses of Damania Air
ways. At present, she ’s on the same job for beginning April this year.
Jet Airways. The firm will start with ladies ’ shoes.
Since she only manufactures, she does closed shoes and shoes for little girls. These
shoes will be handmade and for good
pasting of soles and for the final finish-
have taken over at Nagpada, Kerawalla
intends starting out with 100 pairs a day.
not have a label of her own. Her shoes carry
the retailer ’s brand — Metro Shoes.
“That way, Ido not
have to bother about
the selling. It ’s so
much easier dealing
with one retailer. And
the person is assured
\ of exclusivity. Other
wise, you will have
all the shoe shops ex
hibiting the same
ware! Moreover,
Metro Shoes has over
20 shops, and is
growing fast.
I
ing, machines will be
used . “We want to tap
the niche for children ’s
shoes, ” says Kera
walla.
“We have plenty of
raw material and good
labor in India, ” she
says. “Our pairs can
be as good as the im
ported ones. That is
provided we are qual
ity conscious. But of
course there is a price
“Ofcourse, it has its disadvantages. Like, for good quality stuff. My policy is: ‘The
I should have the capacity to bold on to my product should speak for itself. ’ I do not
stocks if the demand is low. ”
Putting in more than 12 hours of work
each day, running her manufacturing unit,
selecting raw materials, dealing with labor, _______,................. ........ .........
checking the finished goods, looking after with the idea of becoming a physiothera-
the cooperative society and, between all i ’ ' ____1_____
this, expanding her company, she is full of school, Kerawalla has the stamina and
ergy required in the business. Born and
bred in Pakistan, with a BA from the Uni-
“Our pairs can
be as good as
the imported
ones provided
we are quality
conscious ”
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135 Parsiana February-March 1995
IBUSINESS
THE RETURN OF
SWABAL
The only survivor of a chain, Cusrow Baug ’s
Swabal Stores has regenerated as a self-service retailer
Sarosh Bana
Everywhere one turns, one sees the gradual just about to give up its ghost altogether,
decline of Parsi institutions. Dwindling
patronage, ebbing interest and the inexo
rable shrinkage of the community have
today left our agiaries, schools, madressas,
sanatoria, even our once bustling neigh
borhoods and shops, bereft of the atten
dance, occupation and clientele they once
enjoyed.
One of the institutions that struggled for
survival against overwhelming odds has
undoubtedly been Swabal Stores. This chain Fund, a trust committed to encouraging Baug on ColabaCausway, all Parsi strong-
" • ¦ ¦ - holds in their heyday. ” Curiously, there
was no Swabal store in the Flora Fountain
area which was actually the original settle
ment of the community in Bombay.
Today, the last one, the store at
im Colaba, remains, the rest having / ,
folded up over the years after hav-
ing been a severe drain on the
¦¦ scarce resources of the Rojgar
Fund. “It was by selling off these
losing propositions that we were
al all able to use that money for
resuscitating the Cusrow Baug
Parsi youth in an effort to gain them even
tual self-employment.
Shirin ’s husband, Sir Jamsetjee
when the trustees launched an eleventh
hour salvage operation that managed to
prop up the Swabal signboard at least at one Jejeebhoy, who is a sprightly 81, adds,
of the outlets. “The first Swabal Stores was set up in Petit
“It was our community ’s eminent social Building, now rechristened Ness Baug, in
worker, Ms Bapsy Sabavala, and my fa
ther, Jehangir Cama, who established the
Swabal Store circa 1934,” recalls 77-year-
old Ms Shirin Jejeebhoy, whose family Ganga-Jamuna cinema at Tardeo, at
now sustains the Parsi Dhandha Rojgar Gowalia Tank, and the fifth outside Cusrow
downtown Bombay ’s Nana Chowk. Other
outlets were established subsequently near
Novelty cinema atprant Road, near today ’ s
of provision shops had in the past a high Parsi entrepreneurship that oversees the
visibility in Bombay but it somehow failed management of Swabal. In fact, Swabal is
to keep up with the times. It forfeited its supposed to mean ‘self-help ’ in Persian,
relevanceandutility along the way and was and the objective of the fund was to train
*
if?*?.
A
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y
fig
1
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« * A
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i
.41.-.
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,1.
Photos Varghese W.Fernandez
138 Parsiana February-March 1995
ISuch thievery underscored the debase
ment of our values and the pathetic manner
in which an ennobling Parsi institution was
brought to ruin. “At one stage, we were
reduced to a level where we had no funds to
even pay off our rent or our suppliers, ”
Jejeebhoy notes. Interestingly, another
trusted employee who comes to his mind
was a Parsi murderer who had served his
sentence. Jejeebhoy cannot recall this
person ’ s name, but says, “We were all quite
widows, by merchandising their homemade wary when he approached us for a job. But
Jehangirji Cama was confident we could
trust the man and employed him as the
driver of our delivery van, a position in
which he served Jehangirji well. ”
Later on, even thieving Parsis were dif
ficult to find to serve in the stores. As a
result, the trustees finally decided to wind
up four of the loss-making outlets one after
shop, ” remarks the Jejeebhoys ’ 37-year-
old son, Rustom, who is one of the trustees.
“At one stage, my idea was to sell off all the
shops lock, stock and barrel, make a clean
break, form a corpus with the money real
ized and invest the amount into housing for
the needy in our community. ”
Shirin Jejeebhoy pointed out that Parsi
philanthropy was very much to the fore
when the Swabal Stores came to be cre
ated. But at the same time, Sabavala and
Cama felt the need to provide vocational
training to the underprivileged sections of foodstuff such as confectionaries, daar ni
the community rather than merely pro
ferring them dole. The Rojgar Fund intro
duced what were termed as hunnar shalas
where instruction was imparted in such
skilled jobs as carpentry, automobile repair,
welding, watch repair, bookkeeping, basic
accounting, shopkeeping...
Sir Jamsetjee recalls at least one work
shop run as a hunnar shala near the Banaji alienated customers by their singular lack Cusrow Baug shop instead. Lalkaka men-
fire-lemple at Thakurdwar, while another of salesmanship, their chronic lethargy and tions that “when we gambled and decided
was located close to the Swabal Stores at disinterest, and even their curtness. “Around to put all the eggs in one basket by retaining
only this outlet, ” the trustees advertised in
Gujarati-Ianguage newspapers like Jam-e-
dedicated Jamshed and Tfk Bombay Samachar —
and even put up signboards — -for Parsi
“They have
things we require
and don ’t indulge in
blackmarketing ”
poll, vasanu, murambo, popatji, cutlets,
patties, custard, pickles and squashes. The
store manager, salespersons and even the
delivery boys were all Parsis and the
Rojgar ’s aim was to induce them eventu
ally to branch out and set up their own
enterprise. ”
Lalkaka regrets that the staff gradually the other and invested Rs 10 lakhs in the
•4(
Swabal Stores founders Cama (left)
and Sabavala recognized the need for
vocational training
us, relatively mod
ern shops with
more
customer service
were cropping up employees, for the full three months during
and our clientele which renovation was being^arried out on
did not take long in
deserting us in their gleaming new avatar on April 1, 1994.
favor, ” he avers.
Rustom Jejee
bhoy concurs, add
ing that even the
outmoded displays
of the provisions
did their bit in turn
ing off customers. The goods were stacked
on moldy wooden shelves and dusty cast
iron racks and in boxes and jars that were
uncompromisingly unattractive. For in
stance, vinegar was retailed from a bulging over. David Menczes-of the Bombay-based
Super Market Consultants which was en-
tube drawn to its mouth and released in the trusted the daunting task of transforming
which renovation was being^arried out
the shop before it finally re-opened in its
“Strangely, not.a single Parsi came forward
and today, all our staff comprises non-
Parsis save for our accountant, ” Lalkaka
maintains.
The new Swabal is certainly a cut above
its siblings of yore, though one cannot help
feel nostalgic for the days when life was
less frenetic and even wretched service was
a hallmark of the times. When one enters
this new Swabal Stores, one at once realizes
that the era of the old musty Parsi shop is
Tardeo. Woefully for the community, the
pioneering zeal and spirit of enterprise that glass dispenser by siphoning it out with a
had earlier pitchforked the Parsis to the
forefront of nation-building, began to container brought by the purchaser. He the place, beams with pride at the 700 sq ft
steadily wither away. Not many Parsi youth nevertheless reminisces about Rustomji
were fired by such a calling any more, but
were content to take a low-salaried 10 to 5
job in a bank or other establishments, or
worse, turn wayward. And with attendance
dropping sharply, the Rojgar Fund ’s work
shops had to be dismantled.
The situation in the various Swabal
Stores was no different. Ratan Lalkaka,
another trustee, points out: “Our shops were
stocked with all provisions from foodgrain
to edible oils and from vinegar to toiletries.
But that apart, we afforded livelihood to shoplifters ate up the sweets and other
numerous poor Parsi women, including items as well.
air-conditioned glass and granite layout
with a blue neon store-sign beckoning pass- Karanjia, who was manager of the Cusrow
Baug Swabal, the feeder store for all the ersby. Both he and the store manager,
remaining Swabal Stores, as a gentleman Reginald Rodrigues, claim that this Swabal
who was scrupulously honest and im
mensely diligent in discharging his duties.
“Unfortunately, the later generation
was not so idealistic, and massive pilfer
age, both within our shop and en route to
home deliveries, soon brought us ever
deeper in the red, ” he affirms. According to Rodrigues points out.
him, these shopkeepers who had turned l.„ ......... *...........
Stores has India ’s highest sale among all
comparable-sized supermarkets in the first
six months of their existence, including the
Sahakari Bhandar. “Our sales average Rs
30,000 per day and increase on Saturdays
and at the beginning of the month, ”
Pravin P. Mithaiwala and his friend
Chandravadan Mathuria live at Crawford
Market and Sikkanagar at V. P. Road, res-
140 Parsiana February-March 1995M. NUSSERWANJI
& COMPANY
Transport
Contractors
94, Mahatma Gandhi Road
Pune 411001
PUNE-BOMBAY
MADRAS-BANGALORE
pectively, but make it a point to shop at
Swabal Stores when they are in the vicinity.
“They have things we require and don ’t
indulge in blackmarketing, ’’ says Mithai-
wala. “Besides, with the items available on
display, even those we forget to include on
our list can be brought to mind as a result. ”
Ms Rita Sidhwa and Ms Huffish Press like
the self-service and mention that the store
clerks are helpful and polite. But add, “The
space is slightly cramped and there is need
for one more cash counter. ”
According to Rodrigues, another counter
is proposed as soon as the requisite com
puter system is inducted shortly. Adds
Jejeebhoy, “We will be setting up a counter
by the door for a Parsi lady, Ms Anahita M.
Bharucha from Lalbaug, for selling Parsi
fast food items. We hope to recover our
investment in the next four years. ”
But despite the encouraging sales,
Jejeebhoy is not certain whether there will
be adequate earnings to gradually restore
the famous Swabal chain again. “Property
rates are far too extravagant in Bombay for
that sort of an enterprise, ” he explains. But
the most telling aspect that has emerged
with the Cusrow Baug Swabal is that an
age-old Parsi institution has been hauled
back from the precipice and not allowed to
die out.
With
best wishes
from
An
Anonymous
Well-wisher
T
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4
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142 Parsiana February-March 1995FOOD
Civilized
decadence
The creation,
presentation and
consumption
of food was serious
business for the
Nawabs ofOudh!
Bhicoo J. Manekshaw
I he people of Lucknow arc gentle,
soft spoken. Their refinement knows
bounds. Their hospitality is perhaps
equalled in India. Their culture
of life is as delightful as that of the people
of Hyderabad.
Their cuisine — the Awadhi cuisine —
is superlative and the most delicate of the
no
un-
or way
*
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-t
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•i
II
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- - «'
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'W,
Z-wc/irtow 'j Jama Masjid (right)
and the chandelier ofthe Chota
Immanihara: recalling past opuleuce
Photos: Varghese W. Fernandez
!
i
!
I
«
144 FeOruery-Warcft 1995three schools of Moghlai cuisine in India. It
is innovative and refined, at the same time
very rich in ghee in certain dishes. It is more
subtle and delicate than the Moghlai cooking
of Delhi, and the Hyderabadi cuisine which
is influenced by Andhra.
Although they all have the same origin
— Persian, Turkish and a bit of the Arabic
— these three schools of Moghlai cuisine
have developed their own versions by adapt
ing the spices and food from areas where
the Muslims have settled. In Awadhi cui
sine, I am told, the spices in most dishes are
never added whole. They are ground and
the juice is extracted and added to flavor
the food. Today it is very difficult to find
authentic Awadhi food, even in good res
taurants and five-star hotels.
At the turn of the century, when the
British divested them of much of their
power, a number of nawabs indulged in a
life of fantasy and pleasure. They employed
special cooks who excelled in one type of
dish only. For example, a dish would be
made to look like pulav, quorma, kababs,
biryani, chappati, chutney, etc, but each of
them would be made of sugar!
In Lucknow, a pulav is considered more
sophisticated than a biryani. A biryani is
easy to make, while a subtly flavored pulav
When he did not
come after the third
reminder, the cook
threw away the dal
and walked out
needs skill, which a discerning palate can
recognize and it is therefore considered a
superior dish. There about 80 variations of
pulavs in Awadhi cuisine. Many of them,
like the gulzar (garden), nur (light), kaku
(cuckoo), moti (pearl) and chambali (jas
mine), are very well known.
There were also more elaborate pulavs.
One such was made to look like a khichdi
— it was made with pistachios cut to look
like dal and almonds cut in the shape office
grains! I believe that once eaten the taste
lingers on and can never be forgotten.
Another was called anardana. One half of
each grain of rice was dipped into an edible
red dye and the other half was left white.
When placed on the table one wondered
why a dish of pomegranate seeds was placed
along with other savory dishes.
For the moti pulav, varak (gold and sil
ver sheets) was pounded and added to well-
beaten egg yolks. This was then stuffed into
the gullet of a dead chicken, tied with a -
thread and heated for some time. When the
gullet was slit open with a sharp knife, lo
and behold — well formed shining little
white pearls appeared! These were cooked
with the meat of the pulav and when mixed
with the rice and placed on the dastarkhwan
(white or colored tablecloth), it looked as
if the dish had pearls in it. In another
version of this dish, the pearls were made .
of small vadis of paneer rolled in varak. The
navratan pulav, for which the rice was
cooked and colored to resemble the nine
precious gems, was also created here.
There is a story about a cook who came
to a nawab for a job. The nawab asked him
what he could cook and what pay he wanted.
The cook replied that he could only cook
dais and wanted a salary of Rs 500. In those
days, at the turn of the century, most other
servants were paid four or five rupees a /
month, and he wanted Rs 500 only to cook
dais! The nawab conceded this, but the
cook had other conditions — he needed 24
hours ’ notice before the nawab wanted to
eat a dal; and then, when the dal was ready.
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146 Parsiana February-March 1995I
chicken, trotter or fish dish with a lightly
spiced thin curry), pulavs, biryanis (the
Persian influence) and kushkct^nce steamed
with whole spices to give added fragrance).
Other seasonal dishes would be the salans
(meat cooked with gravied vegetables), and
dishes made of chicken, quail or partridge.
Different types of dais and rotis would be
served with these dishes along with achars,
chutneys and murrambas. The meals would
white or colored dastarkhwan. In Hyderabad end with sweet dishes, the most popular
the tablecloth is called a dastarkhan. Food being shahi tukra.
is also served on low tables called chowki in
One half of each
grain of rice was
dipped into an
edible red dye
The Persians ate leavened bread —
rotis, but after coming to India and tasting
Nahari is a traditional breakfast dish of the Hindu puries, they started putting ghee
the Muslims. It is made of trotters and head
it should not be kept waiting, but eaten
immediately. Again the Nawab conceded
the demands.
One day when the order was given to
cook a dal and it was made, the nawab was
occupied and did not come to the table
immediately. When he did not come after
the third reminder the cook picked up the
dal, threw it away and walked out of the
household! No amount of searching could
find him. Well done. How many of us
would have the courage to do just that?
Great esteem and respect were accorded
to expert cooks in Lucknow in those days, Hyderabad,
and they were highly paid. Unfortunately
now, in the so-called civilized and edu
cated circles of today, they are called ofthe goat, and eaten with shirmal or kulchas
bawarchees in a derogatory manner. Food (we from Bombay would prefer our own
used to be a high priority in a nawabi brun pau) and is the pride of Lucknow,
household and even in those days they
thought nothing of spending Rs 1,000 to Rs (a type of scrambled eggs) served with equally popular in Hyderabad. Shirmal is
2,000 per day on their kitchen. rogni tikkis (bread made with flour, milk served at all celebrations. Its creator was
Mahumdu and during his time it had be
come so popular that he used to supply a
hundred thousand of these at any one time
for royal banquets and majlis. There is a
on their tavas and hence the paratha was
born. An improvement on the paratha was
the baquar khani roti, and an even greater
improvement was the shirmal. This roti is
Other breakfast dishes are puries, khalina the speciality of Awadhi cuisine, but it is
rogni tikkis (bread made with flour, milk
Most nawabs employed hakims (doctors) and cream and cooked on a charcoal fire),
who were very good. Medicine and food katre kheema masala (mince cooked with
were prescribed by them by just feeling the chopped onion, ginger and garlic), parathas,
pulse of their employers; and according to kababs, jalebis eaten with balai, all washed
the constitution of the family they would down with Kashmiri tea (a spiced tea served variety of this bread called nan jalabi, and
. „ ? with cream and almonds). Lucknow cooks believe that no one can
Lunches and dinners would consist of a produce them as'well as they can.
, I For the epicure chickens were fattened
create dishes, so most families had slightly
different variations of the classical dishes.
Traditionally meals were served on a variety of dishes like quormas, kalia (a
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148 Parsiana February-March 1995
**
Iwith musk and saffron till their bodies were
scented with these fragrances. Then a deli
cate broth was made from these chickens,
and a little rice added to it (much nicer than
my version of piche-pache).
A sweet called malida is made with
semolina (doesn ’t it sound familiar? Surely
it is a version of our own malido which is of
Persian origin). When milk and dried fruit
are added to it it is called panj giri.
Balai or makhan malai is another deli
cious sweet made from rich milk which is
kept simmering. As the cream gathers on
the top it is removed and repeated layers
are put on top of one another. If it is too
thin, a paste of chestnut powder is added to
it. When I saw it being sold in the streets of
Lucknow, covered with varak, chopped
nuts, saffron and kevra I was told by one of
the youngsters that butter is also added to
the milk while it is cooking. I wonder, is this
true?
Once upon a time there were over 120
varieties of kababs, but the recipes were not
passed down and with the slow creeping in
of tandoori food, five-star and fast food
culture, the authentic cuisine of Oudh is
slowly dying out.
In the chawk area of Lucknow, there is
a small shop called Kunde ki Kabab. It has
shabby wooden tables and not more than
After tasting
the Hindu puries,
the Persians
started
putting ghee
on their tavas
and the paratha
was born
eight persons can be seated at a time. They
serve the famous Gulawati kababs. People
were standing in long queues to take them
home. These kababs literally melt in one ’s
mouth.
They are so light that they cannot be
formed into any shape. I saw a paste in a
large thali being scooped up with four fin
gers and slapped on to a large shallow flat
karai and fried for a minute or two at the
most, then flipped over and cooked for a
lesser time on the reverse. They were
served in small plates with parathas which
were not so good. It is a rewarding experi
ence to go to the chawk and eat at this shop
in Lucknow.
While we were eating we heard a deli
cate hammering — rather like the tinkling
sound of the dwarfs working in the movie
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which I
had seen in my teens. We went to investi
gate this unusual sound, and saw three men
hammering away at sheets of silver placed
between two layers of deer skin, making
varak. Half inch squares of silver were
hammered into three to four inch squares of
varak, each thin as a wisp of a cloud. They
would be placed between sheets of paper
and sold.
A little further down we came across
another small restaurant belonging to Abdur
Rahim, where the famous nahari was being
sold. Again long queues were formed for
this dish, but my eye was caught by the
magnificent kulchas being taken out of the
tandoor. I have never seen such flaky,
melt-in-the-mouth kulchas. They, too, were
in great demand and many were being
packed and taken away.
This shop was started by. the present
owner ’s great grandfather, and I was told
by the youngster there that the dish was
made by his father at home and sent to the
shop. While we were there we met a de
lightful ex-army officer waiting for the
With best wishes
from
Nergish and Soli J. Arceivala
150 Parsiana February-March 1995ters (it can also be made with meat) and
turnips. Mince kababs are added and the
subtle flavors of garam masala and keora
are cleverly brought out. It is cooked by the
dum method and was served to us in dc-
were treated with great kindness and a
courtesy seldom found in today ’s world.
We then started talking of the fate of
Lucknowi food and culture. Our friends
bemoaned the fact that their beautiful way
of life was dying out. I felt great anguish lightful, old-fashioned soup plates with
at their complete acceptance of their f ate —
like a kind of death wish — andlbeseeched
them to pull themselves out of their lethargy the subtle flavors of this fabulous dish. 1 he
and do something about it. The great chef meal ended with shahi tukra.
could write about the lost cuisine of the
Nawabs. There was a writer amongst the
nahari, who asked how we came to know
about this shop. When we told him that we
had come across it by chance, he informed
us that it was a very old establishment and
people came from far and wide to eat here;
he himself had been coming here ever since
he was a child.
Awadhi cuisine is synonymous with a
method called dum. The meat, game or
poultry is lightly sauteed and browned in
ghee over acharcoal fire. It is then placed in could write about the lost cuisine of the We were invited the next day to taste the
an earthen pot with the spices, vegetables, Nawabs. There was a writer amongst the very special biryani that the Raja ’s cook
etc, covered and sealed with a paste of flour group and I suggested that he could perhaps made. We accepted the invitation with great
and water and cooked on a slow fire till
done. Biryanis and pulavs cooked in this
manner are opened at the table and the
aroma has to be really experienced to know
the joys of food cooked by the dum method, converted into heritage hotels and genuine
A kind friend invited us to meet a great Lucknowi food could be served there, thus
and famous chef. The time of appointment encouraging more cooks to continue their
was 11.30 in the morning. When we ar- art and save it. Other palaces could be
rived there we were greeted with typical opened to the public for a fee as is done in
Lucknowi warmth. After a few moments
of polite conversation we were asked to
share some light refreshments. The dining interest subsided like doodh na puff’ s on a
room table was laden with food. Shami
kababs with the distinct flavor of fresh
corriander, crisp samosas, sandwiches, hot
jalebis, homemade cakes and a type of
sweet that was a mixture of rabdi and ravo.
Nothing was good enough for us and we shabdegh, a great delicacy made with trot-
shirmal and rotis. I don ’t think that in a
thousand years of practice I could capture
joy, but when we arrived the Raja informed
us that his temperamental cook had refused
to make the biryani. She did not feel like
making it and, what was more, the Raja
yielded to her whim. How utterly delight
ful!
We were served kakori instead. The
dish gets its name from a small town called
Vakori, where a British administrator in
sisted that the kababs be made softer. Due
to their softness they do not travel well and
must be cooked very close to the dining
hot day. room and eaten immediately, else they
One of the places where one can still collapse. According to the epicure, the sec-
have genuine superlative Awadhi food is at
the table of the Raja of Jehangirabad. We
were invited to dinner there and served
help the chef so that his great art would not
be lost to posterity. I believed they should
do this not only for Lucknow but for India.
Some of the beautiful palaces could be
England. For a split second I thought I saw
a spark of interest in their faces, but the
ond lot of kabaljs is better than the first,
and we found it to be true. The second lot
were crisper on the outside and softer on the
inside. It is an enchanting dish^lightly spiced
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152 Parsiana February-March 1995
IWith
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from
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&
Tanya
154 Parsiana February-March 1995
which just disappears in the mouth.
No meal was complete without the ubi
quitous paan (which in Lucknow is called
gilauri) and, in the days gone by, the
hookah. These were filled with milk in
stead of water and mixed with khushbu and
seasonal fruits.
This is what I call the height of civilized
decadence!
These are not Lucknowi recipes but
given to me by other experts.
GULAWATI KABABS
By Salim Mohmed, a cook we had at India
International Centre. Unfortunately, he re
fused to cook anything except what he felt
go — he
ately with slices of lime and kachumbar.
SIR I PAYA
By Ms Charmin Jena. I thought that my
Devji, cook bearer at my parents ’ home,
cooked the best trotters ever. Though his
are good, Ms Jena ’s are superlative.
Neck of lamb kilo — cut into small
pieces)
Sheep s head (1 — cut and trimmed by the
butcher)
Trotters (4-6)
Masala.
Ginger (2” piece)
Garlic (1 — large pod)
Coriander (1 '/2 tsp —powdered)
Onions (2 — large, grated)
Oil (3 tbsp)
Salt (to taste)
Red chilllies (12 — dried) or chilli powder
CA tsp)
Turmeric powder tsp)
Curds (‘A kg)
International Centre. Unfortunately, he
like cooking on any day and had to
was not cooking for a nawab!
Mince (1 kg very fine — almost like a
paste)
Browned onions (100 gms — drained and
minced)
Cashew nuts (100 gms — paste)
S ripe
u. Pressure cook the meats for about 10 min
utes. Grind ginger, garlic and chillies. Heat
the oil and brown the onions. Add '/j a cup
of water and simmer till the onions are soft
and the water has dried. Add groundjnasala
with the remaining dry masala ingredients
less about 50-60 gms)
Clove powder (‘/2 tsp)
Chilli powder (20 gms)
Saffron ('/2 tsp)
Salt (1 tsp)
Sweet attar (2-3 drops)
Butter (150 gms)
Oil (150 gms)
Mix all ingredients except oil and butter.
Heat oil and butter. Form flat kababs with
the mixture and fry till brown on one side.
Turn them over and fry the other side. If you
cannot shape the mixture, just spoon it into
the hot fat with the help of two wet spoons.
KAKORl KABABS
By Kalyan Singh, the tandoori cook at
India International Centre. He worked there
for 25 years and his tandoori food was one
of the best I have tasted.
Mince (1 kg)
Mutton fat (200 gms — rendered)
Poppy seeds (100 gms)
Cloves, cardamoms, bay leaves, carraway
seeds (shah jeera), rose petals (dry roasted
and powdered together — 10 gms)
Salt (1 tsp)
Cashew nut (1 tbsp — ground)
Channa (1 tbsp — roasted and ground)
Almonds (1 tbsp — ground)
Papaya (50 gms)
Chilli powder ('/2 tsp)
Saffron (2-3 gms)
Clove (‘/4 tsp — powdered)
Mix all the ingredients together. Knead
well and shape on greased skewers.
Barbeque on a charcoal fire. Serve immedi-
at
vaiudiiiums, oay leaves, carraway
seeds (shah jeera), rose petals (dry roasted
the oil and brown the onions. Add 72 a cup
of water and simmer till the onions are soft
and the water has dried. Add groundjnasala
with the remaining dry masala ingredients
and saute for three minutes. Add curds and
mix well. Add meat and simmer till it is
cooked, adding the water from the pressure
cooker as needed. The gravy should be
medium thick when the dish is ready. Gar
nish with chopped fresh coriander leaves.
KULCHAS
The cook who was making the kulchas at
Abdur Rahim ’s shop gave us this recipe
when I told him that never in my 72 years
had I seen such beautiful kulchas! I have
not tried out this recipe so I do not know
what the end result will be.
Ingredients (A)
Flour (1kg)
Yeast (25 gm)
Bicarbonate of soda (6 gms)
Salt (10 gms)
Ghee or butter (500 gms)
Milk (800 ml — I think it is a bit too much,
use enough to make a soft dough)
Eggs (2)
Cardamoms (4-6 — crushed)
Sweet attar
Ingredients (B)
Flour (1 kg)
Yeast (25 gm)
Milk (800 ml — use enough to make a soft
dough)
Salt (10 gms)
Method using ingredients (A)
medium thick when the dish is ready. Gar-
Abdur Rahim ’s shop gave us this recipe
whp.n T tnlH kim ______
4
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Melt butter or ghee. Sift flour with salt.
Dissolve yeast in a little water with a pinch
of sugar. Beat eggs, add milk and mix well.
Place the flour on a table and make a well
in the centre. Pour in yeast and the milk and
egg mixture and mix well. Add cardamom
and attar and knead well. Allow to rise. Add
bicarbonate of soda and form into balls.
Method using ingredients (B)
Mix the flour with salt. Dissolve the yeast
in a little water with a pinch of sugar. Add
to the flour with the milk, knead well.
Allow to rise. Form into balls.
Roll out each ball made with ingredients
(A) into the size of a small saucer. Press the
ball from the dough made with ingredients
(B) on top and roll out to the size of a dessert
plate. Cook in a tandoor or an oven till done
— about 10 to 15 minutes.
Note: Use the compressed type of yeast and
not the dry variety. I think the yeast used in
Lucknow was made from the previous day ’ s
dough.
Good luck and bon appetit!
B.Jamshedji
Jivanji
Goldsmiths &
Manufacturing
Jewellers
• >
Estd 1901
Opp Mumbadevi
Zaveri Bazar
Bombay 400002
Phone; 3427464
Bhicoo J. Manekshaw, a graduate of the presti
gious Cordon Bleu School of Cookery, London,
and author of Traditional Recipes of India, has
been associated with many haute cuisine organi-
in fha nmm+r.f
zations in the country.
I
CONTRACT .111.152.94.
156 Parsiana February-March 1995
*a
routinc and an academically sound base.
Now, who will be the lucky two Indian
Zoroastrians lo benefit from Farhangi ’ s offer?
cease lo synchronize even for the short
duration of four months.
FEZANA’s seventh AGM
The FEZANA annual general meeting pre
ceded the Ninth North American Zoroas
trian Congress in Philadelphia. With 17 of
its 21 member as.sociation.s represented,
Ms Dolly Dastoor of Montreal was voted
in as the Federation ’s second president.
Sarosh Contractor of Houston is the in
coming treasurer and Mehran Sepheri of
Northern California is assistant secretary.
Minoo Treasurywalla and Ms Katayun
' as vice
president and secretary respectively. Out
going founder treasurer Framroze Patel
was presented with a plaque in apprecia
tion of his eight years of dedicated service.
Although the census survey is yet to be
the three systems of reckoning. There had submitted by MsAnahitaSidhwa. A sample
.. . “ survey of I,3l9 Zoroastrians revealed a
For more than ten year.s the World
Zoroastrian Organisation (WZO) has pub
lished its unifying Zoroaslrian calendar for
all the three seels ol Faslis, Kadmi.s and
the days and
month.s according to all the three reckon
ings together with their Gregorian coun
terparts, the WZO calendar was delivered,
as usual, on the eve of Jamshedi Navroze
new year ,s day according to the Fasli Kapadia of Philadelphia continue
because ot dedicated personnel and the
students. ”
J. V. Hutchinson, director of the ICS
(19S.3-S6) recalls the May 19S3 transfer of
the school lo a bitterly ct>ld Madrid. “Three WZO calendar
semi-retired lorric.s brought all our worldly
belongings from Estepona to Madrid...
Fariborz Anoushiravani confronted
unique and magnificent central heating
apparatus whose spare parts were simply Shahenshahis. Providing
no longer on the market and the building
workers drank brandy at regular intervals
to keep warm...
“In early September 198.3 we all stood
outside to welcome 43 rather apprehensive
students. The conversion of a startling dispensation.
Each of the 12 months ha.s a quoted
tribute from a scholar of Zoroastrianism
some teaching from the scriptures.
During the fouryears 1992-95 Hormuzd
roj, had coincided with March 21 for all completed, a preliminiary analysis was
the three systems of reckoning. There had submittedby MsAnahitaSidhwa. A sample
been hope.s that the opportunity would be survey of I,3l9 Zoroastrians revealed a
siezed by an enlightened community to preponderance of males in the community
arrive at a single, unified system of call- (51.7%), with those in the 20-40 age range
bration. Except tor North America and comprising the largest segment ofthe popu-
building into a school which did not look
like a school — a staggering and successful
achievement with the exception of the
central heating apparatu.s and the dining
room door — in four months, wa.s a great
factor in our eventual success, ” nole.s
Hutchinson ’s good-humored account of
initial problem.s and the spirit in which
they were circumvented or solved.
Those early adventure.s have since been
replaced by a thriving student body and a
qualified faculty. Field trips, drama, skiing
and other activities depicted in the souve
nir reflect the changeover to a well-settled
or
(51.7%), with those in the 20-40 age range
Karachi where some tentative progress has
been etfected in this direction, the world
community has chosen to remain divided.
Next Jamshedi Navrozc the calendars will
lation. Females have a slight edge below
the age of 20 arHi over the age of 60 years.
The funds and finance committee chair
man K. Harvesf has sent out a fund
4^
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Electro-Mechanical Group of Companies in Dubai having
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Candidates between 45-50 years, having general background of
Electrical, Mechanical and Airconditioning Engineering with a
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Independent decisions and manage the whole group, need apply.
Compensation will be amongst the best in the Industry.
Ex-servicemen will also be considered.
Apply in strict confidence to:
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30 Parsiana February-March 1995◆ ◆ ◆
