May 1997

‘y: I I L r / iSSm wwwzjWKg MmBtHimwl iiEy”«‘“«» ijittwwvuS MAY 1997 Rs 25 'AEDITORIAL Zarthusti Professionals in North America Professionalism hasaZoroastrianface submitted a subjective introduction to to seek out young Zarthustis who have in North America. A profile of over 100 themselves while others are featured trained on this continent and will carry achievers in the US and Canada titled through a third person report, adds the torch forward in the next millen- “Zarthusti Professionals in North variety and vibrance to the effort. nium. America. ” the supplement in the sum- This is sue of Parsiana presents these The exercise of publishing a direc- mer 1997 issue of the FEZANA Jour­ nal, displays Zoroastrian virtuosity in mission for reprinting the supplement ourfirst step in developing a panorarnic academics, accounting, army intelli- ' ' '' " ““ gence, defence science, et al. This is Th is i s su e Of Parsiana presents these professionals of North America. Per- toryofZarthustis of North America was plus a couple of pages from the main snapshot of the community. From the issue was graciously accorded to not intended to be a directory of all the Parsianaby the FEZANA Journalcom- professionals in North America nor a summary of the most successful indi ­ viduals. The proponents of the brain drain layout and design differ IromParsiana's theory would stand on a firm wicket were they to analyze the roots of many of these individuals who. after opting to this 92-page issue are considerable we pursue higher studies in North America, I have benefitted from the tremendous columns here, career options available on that conti ­ nent and chosen to settle down there. However, not all success stories pro- , .. . , filed here are of migrants. They include did when we had brought out the spe- ously of theirtime to local, national and the second generation of immigrants cial issue on North American Zoroas- international voluntary community work who are trying to balance their profes- trian Entrepreneurs in January 1996. in the true spirit of Zarthusti principles, sional commitments with the religious The common subscribers of both the The spirit of voluntarism is very much and social values ingrained in them. The background and determination Parsiana, with their subscription being of the professionals surfacing in this extended by one issue, supplement is supposed to represent only a cross-section, and but a fraction of the community settled there, ac ­ knowledges the author Dolly Dastoor who also happens to be the president of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associa ­ tions of North America (FEZANA). When compiling data for their 1996 directory, of the story of the immigrants who Zoroastrians in North America, they came to this continent, which we were were able to glean details and focus on . „ areas of interest, particularly the talent nal (Spring 1997). This issue goes a cover story was volunteered by Goolita within the youth. The editing and for- step further. It looks at what the second Wadia-Shave, a professional artist, and matting of most source materials was generation of immigrants including those assistance in analyzing the census data by FEZANA Journal publisher Roshan who came as students, are involved in. was volunteered by a professional de- Rivetna, the section on the engineering If you suspect a bias towards the new mographer, RashnaGhadialy. I acknowl- profession is courtesy Rustom Kevala, generationofyoungerprofessionalsand edgethecontributionsoftheseandmany chairperson of the FEZANA publica- their involvement in the creation of others over the years. tions committee. The presentation of Zarthusti dynamism on this continent. From the following pages, it is not big picture we are now zooming into details. The zoom shot of the business mittee. In fact they even arranged to community {FEZANA Journal, Winter send us the processed film to simplify 1995) was one such attempt, and this is work lorParsiana. Therefore, the types, another. We have made an attempt ¦ ¦_ ........ ¦; here to profile a representative cross ­ normal format. ” Since the paper and section of the community through per ­ printing costs involved in bringing out sonal knowledge, announcements in ¦ " . _ ¦ i the FEZANA Journal and on the Inter- have been unable to include our regular net. The response and the depth of talent was a humbling experience. Zarthustis in North America are not Those of our readers who are not subscribers of the FEZANA JournalvjWl only deeply involved and excel in their surely appreciate this venture as they own profession, but also give gener- did when we had brought out the spe- magazines will be compensated by alive among Zarthustis. We have amongst us governors and international chairs of service organiza ­ tions, be it the Rotary, the Lions, the Kiwanis, Shriners or Zonta. Our own organization FEZANA, together with the FEZANA Journal is operated most suc ­ cessfully by professionals who volunteer their time and talent generously, issue after issue. The volunteer professional efforts of Roshan Rivetna and Rustom Kevala are much appreciated in the pro ­ privileged to read in the FEZANA Jour- duction of the Journal. Art work for the nal (Spring 1997). This issue goes a Enterprise in the New World Dolly Dastoor The story of the “Zarthusti Profession ­ als in North America ” is a continuation From the following pages, it is not i I Parsiana is edited and published by Jehangir R. Patel tor Parsiana Publications Pvt Ltd at C/o H. L. Rochat, K. K. (Navsari) Chambers, 39 A. K. Nayak Marg, Fort. Bombay 400001 and printed by him al Kaiser-E-Hind Pvt Ltd, 300 Perin Nariman Street, Bombay 400001.the variety of professions in which Zarthustis of both genders, are involved. Today, in North America, we have professionals in all aspects of com ­ munity life, in academia, in the both hardware and software manu ­ facture, as well as policing the indus ­ try for ‘software piracy ’. The only profession that has not been profiled here as a group, is the priests, governmental and non-govemmental Even though we are blessed in North agencies, in hospitals, space and computer industry, financial and accounting, science and technology, in the armed forces, in the arts and humanities, in music, dance, literary arts, films, TV, sports, in architec ­ ture, the press and the media. The Zarthusti community has tradi ­ tionally been associated with ‘serving professions ’ like doctors, engineers and lawyers. In the US and Canada these three groupings represent over 35% of the community, whereas the performing and visual arts have been generally neglected — they represent only 2.5% of the community. In preparation for this issue, attempts were made to seek out and promote the artistic talent of the conununity. I was overwhelmed by the response of artists who use their own medium of expression to promote Zarthusti themes, be it in dance movement, martial arts, music, painting or the written and spoken word. We have highly acclaimed classical ballet dancers, black belt karate champions, martial arts specialists, renowned composers and conductors of sym ­ phony orchestras, world class pho ­ tographers, and authors. There are over 300 physicians and dentists listed in our directory (and I am sure there must be an equal number not listed). If, to this we add all the other health professionals like psychologists, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, speech and audio therapists, and others, we can easily form a good size Association of Zarthusti Health Professionals in North America. Another profession that has attracted Zarthustis in large num ­ bers is the high-tech computer industry. There we find the mem ­ bers of our community playing key roles in the cutting edge of technology of design, research, in 2 Parsiana May 1997 Census Committee through their respective local associations. In 1996 the North American Directory was published which also listed profes ­ sions of many Zarthustis. While many people chose to list their pro ­ fessions, many chose not to do so. On the basis of existing replies, the following major categories of profes ­ sions were identified by Rashna Gha- dialy, who has volunteered to analyze the existing census data. The variety of professions in which North American Zarthustis are involved ranges from accountants to yoga teachers, environmental engi ­ neers to music conductors, attorneys, chefs, M.D.s, car salespersons, com ­ puter scientists, auto mechanics, bank tellers, dry cleaners, journalists, travel agents, 7-11 owners, pilots, flight instructors, microbiologists, statisticians, sociologists, home ­ makers and many, many more. The FEZANA Census had a question on profession of the respondent and spouse. The following results are based on a preliminary analysis of 1949 respondents, which may be skewed because of a low response rate for the question on profession. Please note that this analysis only includes Zarthustis. Those who checked non-Zarthusti were deleted from the analysis. Beloy/v, neurologist Niloufer Baria of Vancouver [page 56] and accountant Meherji Madan of Maryland [page 8] America with several scores of dedi ­ cated priests, none practice it as their only profession. However, a special issue of the Journal is being planned to be devoted to Zarthusti priests of North America, who serve the spiritu ­ al needs of their communities most generously with fervor and devotion. Immigrants add richness to the cul ­ tural and social diversity as well as to the economic growth of the host community, and the Zarthusti immi ­ grants and their progenies have cer ­ tainly added their own contribution through the professions they work in. I am sure that this miniscule commu ­ nity already makes a significant con ­ tribution towards the GDPs of US and Canada. I invite you to celebrate the success of our young, growing and dynamic conununity through this special issue showcasing the Professionals of North America. Starting in 1992, FEZANA attempted to get a count of the number of Zarthustis on the North American continent. Towards that end, Zarthus ­ tis have been asked to send informa ­ tion on themselves to the FEZANA I'FARHANG MEHR Lawyer, Economist, Educator and Public Administrator Professor Emeritus of International Relations, Boston University Newton, Massachusetts With LLB and BS degrees from University in 1956. After teaching Tehran University, Professor Farhang positions in political science at Kenyon College (1957-58) and the University of Missouri (1958-1959), Adenwalla started his long and dis ­ tinguished career at Lawrence Uni­ versity as an Assistant Professor of Government in 1959. He served as Associate Professor of Government for two summers at Wesleyan Uni­ versity, and was Director of the Asso ­ ciated Colleges of the Midwest India Studies Program for three years. In 1962 he was awarded a Howard - Rashna Ghadialy Foundation Fellowship for a year at the School of Oriental Studies at Lon­ don University. On a ACM Non- Westem Studies Research Fellowship funded by the Ford Foundation, Aden ­ walla researched the Swatantra Party in India during 1967-1968. This research continued in India in 1969 I with a Lawrence University Summer I Research Grant. In 1991, Adenwalla I was awarded the Lawrence Excel- I lence in Teaching Award. I A prolific writer, Adenwalla has pub- I lished widely on subjects ranging I from “Gandhi and Indian National- I ism ’’ [Modern Age, 1959] and I “British Responses to Indian Nation- I alism ” [chapter in the book Studies I on Asia, 1964], to “The Hostage Phe- I nomenon ” [Commerce, March 1981] ¦ and “India and the US; Political Areas of Understanding ” [Com­ merce, July 1982]. With his breadth of expertise in the political arena, Adenwalla is a popular speaker and has given a plethora of Topping the list, nearly a third of all respondents reported a career in busi ­ ness, including accounting, finance, management, sales, human resources, and clerical. One in five were involved in the engineering and technical field. The latter includes Zarthustis in numerous computer fields, technicians, mechanics, pilots, flight instructors and a variety of other technical areas. Medical professionals, comprising of doctors, nurses and therapists accounted for close to 14% of the Zarthusti professionals. Homemak ­ ers were about 9%; retired persons and students, each made up 6%. Teachers, artists, entertainers, social scientists, lawyers, self-employed, physical scientists, combined, added to under 15% of the total. sales. ACADEMICS 1 !S- endowed chair is the most presti ­ gious recognition in academia, and is awarded to only very selected distin ­ guished faculty members. With a BA (Hons.) from the Univer ­ sity of Bombay, Adenwalla went on . to get a Ph.D. from Northwestern MINOO ADENWALLA Political Science Educator Appleton, Wisconsin Minoo Adenwalla, specialist in polit ­ ical philosophy, constitutional law, and South Asian and British politics public lectures at universities and has been a Professor of Government at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, since 1959. In 1989 he was elected to the Mary Mortimer Chair in Liberal Studies, one of six endowed professorships established by gifts of over one million dollars to the university. Election to an political science conferences in the US, UK and India. In 1967, he trained groups of India-bound Peace Corps volunteers, in Wisconsin. In 1976, he was nominated to participate in the State Department ’s Scholar Diplomat Seminar Program on South Asia, by the Center for South Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin. Mehr went on for an LLM from Lon­ don University, a Ph.D. from Southampton University, and an LLD (honaris causa) from the Uni­ versity of Pennsylvania. Farhang Mehr has held numerous administrative positions including; President of Pahlavi (Shiraz) Univer ­ sity; Chairman of the Insurance Pools, Regional Corporation for Development (RCD); Managing Director and Chairman of the Board, Iran Insurance Company; Vice-prime minister for Economic Affairs; act ­ ing and deputy Minister of Finance; Executive Under-secretary, Ministry of Finance; Director General of Eco ­ nomic Affairs, Ministry of Finance; Governor for Iran in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC); Director General of Petroleum Affairs and Foreign Rela ­ tions, Ministry of Finance; Chair ­ man of the Department of Industrial Relations and International Con­ tracts, National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). He also served as Advisor to the Minister of Labor, and the Minister of Economy. Among Farhang Mehr ’s academic positions are; Professor Emeritus of International Relations at Boston University; Professor National Uni­ versity, Military Academy, Tehran University, College of Insurance and Pahlavi University. He is also on the Board of Trustees of Kerman Univer ­ sity, Institute of Computer Sciences, Institute of Political and Strategic Studies, and College of Insurance. A dedicated Zarthusti, Farhang Mehr was a founder and executive secre ­ tary of the Tehran Sazeman-e Javanan-e Zarthusty (Youth organi ­ zation), Member and Chairman (for 12 years) of Tehran Zarathushtrian Anjuman; a founder and Director of 4 Parsiana May 1997 I! I Farhang Mehr: lawyer, economist, educator J I 1 g h ’ SI li i w i Beheruz Sethna: first Indian to be US University President the Ancient Iranian Cultural Society; Jt. Secretary of the First World Zarathushtrian Congress and partici ­ pant in the third to sixth world con ­ gresses; honorary president of the Sixth World Congress; a member of WZO, ZAGBA and ZAGNY; a par ­ ticipant in several North American congresses, and Gatha and Avestan conferences. Farhang Mehr has published nine books and over sixty-five articles on legal, economic, political and Zarathushtrian subjects. He has given dozens of interviews on Mid­ dle East, Oil, and the religion of Zarthustra on leading news networks, and lectured widely in the US, Cana ­ da, England, Iran, Pakistan and India. He received a prize from Reza Shah for educational achievements, and was decorated eight times under the Shah, including the first rank Homayoon with Sash and the second rank Tadj. Married to Parichehr, the Mehrs have three grown children. His father was Mehraban Mehr, Chief Accountant of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) for 40 years, and served on the Zoroas- trian Anjuman of Tehran for fifty years. His mother was one of the founders of the Tehran Zoroastrian Women ’s Association. BEHERUZ N. SETHNA President, State University of West Georgia Carrollton, Georgia As President of the State University of West Georgia (with a student enroll ­ ment of 9,(XX), 300 faculty and a total budget of $70 million), Beheruz N. Sethna was the first person from any ethnic minority to become President of a predominantly white or racially integrated University or College in Georgia. He also probably has the distinction of being the first person of Indian origin ever to become Presi ­ dent of a University in the US. Originally an electric Engineer from IIT, Bombay (1971), Sethna has, among numerous other post-graduate degrees, a Ph. D. in Business (1976) and a Master of Philosophy (1975) from Columbia University, NY. He also attended the Institute for Educa ­ tional Management at Harvard. With prior experience at a senior level in multinational companies such as Lever Brothers and Proctor and Gamble, Sethna started his career in academia at Clarkson Uni­ versity in Potsdam, New York where he became Chairman of the Depart ­ ment of Marketing and MIS. He then moved to Lamar University in Beau ­ mont, Texas, where he was Dean of the College of Business and subse ­ quently Interim Executive VP for Academic and Student Affairs. Beheruz has received numerous national and international honors. He was the recipient of a Fulbright senior scholarship, and along with 6 Parsiana May 1997Olympic band, performed in the opening ceremonies, played the clar ­ inet in the closing ceremonies, and also played in several other official Olympic events. ” Both Anita, and son Shaun, a junior in high school, who is also close to the top of his class “have been a tremendous joy and pleasure in our lives, ” says Sethna, “We have indeed been blessed with the quality of our children. ” his wife, Madhavi (to whom he has been married for over 22 years) win­ ner of the Washington Times Foun­ dation National Service Award in 1996. He has the unique distinction of national honors for instructional innovation by the Decision Sciences Institute for six consecutive years. He is also the author of over 50 scholarly papers and a book. Research Methods in Marketing and Management, and a top-rated teacher in undergraduate, graduate and exec ­ utive courses. Sethna is active in the community. A Rotarian with perfect attendance for almost 13 years, he is also on the dis ­ trict board of Boy Scouts of America and Leadership Beaumont, is a past PTA president, and member of city panels and mayor ’s task forces. He has made over 100 regional, national and international appearances, on TV, radio and in the press. “I am enjoying my administrative responsibilities, ” says Sethna, “Yet somehow scrape some time to teach and do research. ” “We did enjoy the Olympics, ” he I says, “My University was a training site for two Olympic teams, and « Madhavi (who is a faculty member at j Carrolton Tech, has three Masters degrees, and is the recipient of numerous national and university teaching awards) was a technology volunteer at the airport. “But the Olympics will always be most special for my daughter Anita (a freshman at Georgia Tech, and graduated as valedictorian of her high school) — she was an official Olympic torch bearer and carried the torch along a main street in Carroll ­ ton. It was about 1:30 am, yet the crowds cheering her on were so large that the police cars had to keep push ­ ing them back! “It was a great night. Particularly significant was her route — she car ­ ried the torch to the entrance to my university where I was waiting to welcome her officially. As if that were not enough, she was in the KATAYUN KAPADIA Chartered Accountant. Cherry Hill, New Jersey Katayun K. Kapadia was bom in I Mumbai, and I came to New I Jersey I 1979 after her I marriage to I Kersi Kapa- I dia. Since I her arrival, I she has been I active in the J Zarthusti community and involved in the activi- B ties of the Zoroastrian Association of Pennsylva ­ nia and New Jersey. Katayun matriculated in 1967 from the J. B. Vachha High School in Dadar, Mumbai, and obtained her Bachelor ’s degree (Hons) in Com ­ merce and Economics with a major in Accounting from Podar College. Katayun was active in the North Bombay Jaycees and won the Out ­ standing Jaycee Award in 1978. She was employed with the Universi ­ ty of Pennsylvania for 16 years, start ­ ing as a Staff Auditor in 1980, and working her way up to Associate Director, University Audits. Current ­ ly she works in the Corporate Audit Department at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, a pharmaceutical company with offices world wide. in accounting, business •: A Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and a Chartered Accountant (CA), she was elected President of the Philadel ­ phia Chapter of the Institute of Inter ­ nal Auditors (550 members) for 1995, and led her Chapter to achieve the Gold level of excellence in pro ­ fessional development. Katayun lives in New Jersey with her husband Kersi and teenage children Zarin and Farrokh. She also teaches Zoroastrian religion to 11-15 year-olds for ZAPANJ. Katayun was the co- chairperson for the Ninth North Amer ­ ican Congress hosted by ZAPANJ in | the Philadelphia area in 1994. Katayun was elected Secretary of FEZANA in 1993. Katayun enjoys the challenge of balancing her family responsibilities, her professional career, and her active involvement in the Zarthusti activities of ZAPANJ and FEZANA. MEHERJI K. MADAN Auditor, Accountant, Consultant Chevy Chase, Maryland Meherji K. Madan [photo on page 2] currently serves as Control Spe ­ cialist in the World Banks front office of the VP and Controller, hav ­ ing transferred there from the Trust Funds Accounting Division. This has brought him full circle, having earlier left as Senior Manager in Price Waterhouse, London, to embark on his Washington DC career at the World Bank in Internal Audit ­ ing, as their first Computer Audit Manager. In the intervening years he held senior appointments as VP and Gen ­ eral Internal Auditor at two major financial institutions in Washington — Sallie Mae, and Perpetual Savings Bank. Madon has also consulted with many US Federal Agencies and done public service. Meherji, has a B.Sc. (Honors) in Economics from the London School of Economics, with a major in accounting, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. 8 Parsiana May 1997He played a major role in organizing and producing the full length color docu-drama On Wings of Fire, star ­ ring Zubin Mehta, and is currently working actively to complete distri ­ bution of the film in North America. A serious music listener, who studied the pianoforte passionately as a youth (he is an Associate of the Royal Col­ lege of Music, London, and a Licenti ­ ate of the Trinity College of Music, London) Meherji also served as Music Consultant for the film. For many years he has been deeply committed to the American Red Cross efforts and served on the DC Chap ­ ter ’s Board, and numerous Commit ­ tees. He is also an avid squash player, gaining some recognition as a quali ­ fied referee of the top game. SHAVAK R. MAD AN International Accounting Oakville, Ontario With over forty years in public accounting, including as a partner in the international accounting and con ­ sulting firm of Deloitte & Touche in Canada, Shavak has been responsible for serving both multi-nationals and owner-managed businesses in all sectors of the Canadian economy. He is the National Director of the firm ’s Japanese practice in Canada, and an elected Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, which is the highest designation the profession can give — an honor awarded in recognition of Madon ’s service to the profession and the community. Deeply involved in Canadian com ­ munity affairs, Shavak is a member of the Board of Governors of Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospi ­ tal since 1992; chairman and mem ­ ber of the Board of Arbiters, on numerous occasions for the Ontario Ministry of Environment; Director of the Royal Canadian Mint (1988- 1994); member of the Federal Min­ ister of National Revenue ’s Advisory Committee on Goods and Services Tax; a high-ranking member of the Masonic Order (since 1960) and the Shriners (since 1976). Shavak is married, and both sons are also Char ­ tered Accountants. SHAHROKH (SAM) MEHTA Corporate Finance and Business Syracuse, New York I I § I I I I Shahrokh Mehta is the founding part ­ ner and owner of Integrated Tech ­ nologies, LLC, a multi-discipline consulting firm operating in New York State. Shahrokh has a diversi ­ fied background in corporate finance, multi-product manufacturing and business consulting. He started his career in public accounting in Karachi and after serv ­ ing two years with a leading Ameri ­ can offshore drilling corporation, transferred to Tehran in 1965 to start a multi-million dollar offshore drilling operation in the Persian Gulf. While in Iran, he spent five years with Pars Toshiba Corporation, and later joined Carrier Corp, and became Managing Director of the entire air- conditioning operations in Iran. After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Shahrokh and his family transferred to Carrier ’s world headquarters in Syra ­ cuse. Shahrokh led the consulting prac ­ tice of Coopers & Lybrand in upstate New York for 5 years and in 1993 formed his own consulting practice. Integrated Technologies, LLC spe ­ cializes in four areas; Business Assessment and Strategy, Organiza ­ tion Development, Process Redesign and Optimization, and Information Systems. The firm is dedicated to improving business performances of its clientele, and has been responsible for keeping over a dozen corpora ­ tions and thousands of jobs from leaving New York State. Shahrukh has a bachelor ’s degree in business and is an alumnus of Har ­ vard Business School ’s Management Development program. His clientele include IBM, Coming, Kodak, GTE, DEC, and over 100 other businesses. Shahrokh ’s wife Gool, who first came to USA as a foreign exchange student in 1956, has taught both at College of Home Economics in Karachi and later at Tehran Interna ­ tional School. Son Kershaw is with IBM in software design and develop ­ ment. Daughter Parastu (Dubash) is profiled elsewhere in this issue. Both children were bom in Iran. 1 ACTUARY YASMIN S. PAVRI Actuary Houston, Texas Yasmin Pavri is a Fellow of the Soci ­ ety of Actuaries (FSA). To become an FSA one has to pass a lengthy series of challenging exams adminis ­ tered by the Society of Actuaries (SOA) or the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS). In the US and Cana ­ da combined, there are fewer than 20,000 people who have reached either Fellowship (all exams passed) or Associateship (partial list of exams passed). In a broad sense, an actuary express ­ es likely future results of actions, in monetary terms. How much money will an employer save on health insurance if the annual deductible is increased from $100 to $200? What is the impact on pension costs if the retirement age is lowered from 65 to 62? How much should residents in Texas be charged for flood insur ­ ance? These are typical questions an actuary is asked. Actuaries have tra- 10 Parsiana May 1997Current ditionally worked for insurance com ­ panies, consulting companies, gov­ ernment and colleges. growth areas for actuaries are man ­ aged healthcare and investment expertise for asset/liability matching. Yasmin works in the Houston office of Milliman & Robertson, a consulting firm with offices throughout the US. Her area of expertise is pricing and financial projections of health plans. She works with insurance companies, HMOs, employer self-funded health plans, and government health plans such as Medicaid and Medicare. A graduate of Purdue University with a Masters in Statistics, Yasmin taught mathematics at Kingswood School in Houston, and later became an associ ­ ate actuary. BEHRAM MEHELLI DINSHAW Actuary Palatine, Illinois Behram Mehelli Dinshaw, originally of Karachi, has attained the highest achievement as an Actuary by becoming a Fellow of the Casualty Actuaries Society (FCAS) in the US, and has been nominated a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA). This outstanding achieve ­ ment at the young age of 26 years, distinguishes him as one of the youngest Actuaries in America, and his singular achievement is a matter of great pride and honor for his par ­ ents, family and community. A student of the Karachi Grammar School with a brilliant academic record, Dinshaw proceeded to Drake University (known as the Harvard of the West) in Iowa, in 1988, for high ­ er studies in Actuarial Science. He get shooting, graduated in 1991 with a BS in Busi ­ ness and Public Administration Magna Cum Laude. Notable among his many awards was the Drake Uni­ versity Presidential Scholarship, Excellence in Actuarial Science Award, nomination to Beta Gamma Sigma Professional Business Honor Society, and being placed on the Dean ’s Honor List every semester. Upon graduation, he was invited and offered Actuarial position by major US Insurance Companies. He opted for Allstate, where he worked in their Head Office in Northbrook, near Chicago, as an Actuarial Analyst. Since then, he has climbed up the corporate ladder, and today is a Senior Actuary in Allstate ’s indemni ­ ty Company, the biggest insurance company in the US. He is the senior manager in charge of the pricing of two-thirds of the country, including all the big premium and strongly reg ­ ulated and legislated states. With hard work, dedication and lead ­ ership, Behram rose fast in the com ­ pany, and in 1996 also successfully passed all the professional exams to achieve the ultimate goal of full Fel ­ lowship of the Casualty Actuaries Society. Behram plays golf and racquet ball, and is an avid builder and flier of both free flight and radio controlled model aircraft. He also takes keen interest in air-rifle and air-pistol tar- ADVERTISING ANAHITA PRINTER Account Executive Mississauga, Ontario Anahita Printer received her B.Com from McGill University in Marketing and Accounting in 1992, and set out to pursue a career in Advertising. After a brief contract position with United Distillers working in Market Research, Anahita set out for Toron ­ to, where she joined Lackey Corrunu- nications, a small, full service advertising agency. Here she began her training in the professional world of advertising and into her current position as Account Executive. Anita began in Public Relations, coordinating and administering a variety of PR campaigns and execu ­ tions, from developing media databases to writing press releases, as well as putting together event promo ­ tions. Next, she moved on to becom- Photo left, Behram Dinshaw. Below, Anahita Printer (center) with co­ workers from Lackey Communica­ tions, at a ‘pedal-cart’ race for a charity fund-raiser. 12 Parsiana May 1997Advertisement courtesy; Mr Jamshed N. Guzder Under the auspices of the MAZDAYASNIE MONASTERIE and the ALL INDIA SHAH BEHRAM B AUG SOCIETY (for Scientific and Educational Research) in the world The one and only 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 and 3634274 A/c 141 1 B A S i J- is f 4 petuated; and our Ancient Mazdayasnie Faith will continue to survive and flourish, “From Gayomard unto Shoshyans ” as is stated in the Avesta. USTADSAHEB BEHRAMSHAH NOWROJI SHROFF (b.3/8/1858 ing our way to the Fire Temples for the Bombay, d.7/7/1927 Surat) had the good performance of Ceremonies to honour, - • ¦ ¦’ and for the glory of, our dear departed family members, it is appropriate on this occasion to giveGREETINGS FOR THE SHENSHAHI NEW YEAR on 22nd Au­ gust to all our Fellow Zoroastrians every ­ where. On this occasion ZOROASTRIAN COLLEGE THINKS ALL THE GOOD PERSONS WHO ARE ITS PATRONS AND WELL-WISHERS. WE THANK ALL PERSONS WHO HAVE GIVEN GENEROUS DONATIONS TO HELP KEEP EVERGREEN THE MEMORY OF THEIR LATE FAMILY MEMBERS. Lives of Great Men all remind us We too can make our lives sublime; And, departing, leave behind us, Footprints on the Sands of Time. At the Zoroastrian College the Fravardegan Ceremonies arc performed in Memory of all the Good, Righteous and PARSEE LUSTRE ON INDIAN SOIL As the June ’97 issue of Parsiana is due to be released during the Farvardegan Cer ­ emonies days performed according to Shenshahi Calendar in the month of Au­ gust, and many Zoroastrians will be wend- Destiny to learn the Ancient Cosmic Wis ­ dom from the Saheb e Delaan of Demavand Kuh in Iran. During his lifetime he taught many Parsecs this occult inner wisdom of our sacred religion. He tried to prepare the Community for the advent in the 20th Century of SHAH BEHRAM VARZAVAND SAHEB, the Spiritual Rainidar Saheb, Prince of Peace of the Aquarian Age, whose coming is referred to in the Buhman Yasht. He accomplished this through the Ilm e Khshnoom Institute and theZoroastrian Radih Society founded by him; through lectures and books. It was his vision to create a College, or Centre for Spiritual Education; where a group of Zoroastrains would live together in har ­ mony with Nature and in Obedience to the Cosmic Laws and Divine Will of AHURA MAZDA. Thus the Message of Holy Prophet Zarathustra, for every soul to at ­ tain Frasho Kerciti — Union or At — one — ment with PAK DAD A AR AHURA Honourable persons who hefve had the MAZDA through Manashni,Gavashni and good Destiny to give their support to the ............................... ' Educational work of the College, and in Memory of those persons for whom gener- BELOVPZD 4, J'iti SHAH 9 t> I 1.; •< 'Photo Caption: Upper: Mr. Rustom Degamwalla ateruiing the Fravardegan Ceremonies at the JAMSHEDJI NUSSERWANJI MEHTA MEMORIAL PRAYER HALL (Lower) Ervad Noshirwan Dastur, Panthaki Saheb of Kukadaru Dare Meher and his son Ervad Adil Dastur, performing the Fravardegan Ceremonies in the 7DR0ASTRIAN COLLEGE. Kunashni would be practised in reality on this Earth; and our Community would prosper and become “Abaadi ” and “Sukhi ”. OUS hearted charitableZarathushtrians have KAIKHUSROOARDESHIR MASTER, given YADGARI DONATIONS. It is t appropriate on this occasion to record some of their achievements during their lifetime was a spiritually highly advanced intellec- Lincoln ’s Inn London, his legal acumen on Earth, so that younger present day tual and occultist of an independent turn of and integrity of character made him highly Parsees and future generations can learn from their lives and emulate their ex ­ ample. Thus the Glory and the “Khoreh ” — Lustre the “Parseepanu ” which has been the hallmark of distinction that has made our numerically tiny Community so highly respected by people of all countries in the World, will be preserved and per ­ the last Parsec Q.C., Barrister at Law, (b. ll-U-1897 Satara;d.l9-7-1991 Bombay) was a spiritually highly advanced intellec- mind. A firm believer in the Laws of respected by the British Colonial Judi- Natural Sciences, his keen perception and sharp discernment of human nature and character made him par excellence, “A Judge of Men. ” A mathematician, musi ­ cian and sportsman, he was a lover of Art and Beauty. Educated at St. Xavier ’s Col­ lege and later Edinburgh University and ciary; for many years he remained the President of the Tanganyika Law Society and Tanganyika Parsee Anjuman. He was renowned for his largesse and charities. He constructed the Parsee Prayer Hall and Cemetry in pious memory of his mother. After retirement he settled in Poona. HeAdvertisement courtesy: Mr Jamshed N. Guzder was a Perfectionist in all that he Thought, COL. DR. DINSHAH PESTON.H F.R.N.S; L.C.P S • MBBS' MD- Spoke and Did. In 1977 he became a GHADIALI (b.28-11-1873 Bombay: d. D.M.R.; L.M. & a’.R.P.; was a World Founder Trustee of the Mazdayasnic 30-4-1966 Malaga, U.S.A.;) was a Parsee renowned personality. He had many firsts Monastcric; and later at the ripe age of Scientific Genius. During his early life in to his credit. Decended from 14 genera- over four score years, a Founder of the India he was a keen Theosophist. A Scien- tions of Hakims of the Royal Darbar of the Zoroastrian College. He was a firm be- tific Researcher in Natural Laws he pio- Shahs of Iran of the 17th Century he was licvcr in a sound Liberal Education for nccred SPECTRO CHROME METRY the the first F.R.N.S. qualified IndianDoctor. men and women; during his lifetime and Science of Colour Therapy with Scientific He combined Holistic Health Methods in after his death at the age of 94 years a large precision, in U.S.A. He established in practice using a combination of Allopathy, part of his property was given for the Malaga New Jersey, his Research Centre Ayurveda, Hakrimry —Unani,andSpectro benefit of the Zoroastrian College whose from where he published many books and Chrome Metry. He pioneered the teaching weekly lectures he attended religiously till journals,and whcreheconductedhisunique of Microbiology in Bombay University, the age of 91 years. His Birth Centennary lab. experiments. The Ku Klux Klan per- He was a Founder of Mazdayasnic is being celebrated during 1997. secuted him through the F.B.I. for being a Monasterie, and the First Dept. Head of the Zoroastrian College Alternative Medicine Dept, through which he pioneered the COL. DR. DINSHAH PESTON.H GHADIALI (b.28-11-1873 Bombay: d. 30-4-1966 Malaga, U.S.A.;) was a Parsee Scientific Genius. During his early life in India he was a keen Theosophist. A Scien ­ tific Researcher in Natural Laws he pio ­ neered SPECTRO CHROME METRY the Science of Colour Therapy with Scientific precision, in U.S.A. He established in lab. experiments. The Ku Klux Klan per ­ secuted him through the F.B.I. for being a non-white man; and destroyed all his pre ­ cious life work; including his machines, research records and books. He was put in teaching of the Holistic Health Sciences - ' ' , ¦ - .7.1. she excelled in athletics, sports, classical argued his own case in the American Su- Indian dancing and Western Classical preme Court and won by curing the Judge ’s Music. An Opera Singer by training, she daughter, saving her life by Colour ________ _____________ ____ „ was also an avid Beautician, Gardener, Therapy, which the American doctors had College, Royal Institute of Science, Grant ’ and Social Worker. Born of religious- failed to do, and had pronounced the girl Medical College, G. T. Hospital, Bombay, minded Zoroastrian Parents — her father, would die. The President of U.S.A, pub- Coombe ’s Hospital Dublin and Zoroastrian Jamshcdji Tehmulji Constable was a licly apologised on behalf of the American College. He passed away at 91 years, scholar with several books and research -¦ < ¦ • • — papers on Zoroastrian Religion and Parsec History to his credit — she set a role model example ofbeing the Perfect Wife, Mother been destroyed by the American F.D.A. MRS. AMY KAIKHUSHROO MAS­ TER (b.30/6/1.913;Bombay;d. 17/12/93 Bombay) was a charming and accom ­ plished Parsce Lady. A keen Girl Guide, jail on false charges by the F.B.I. He failed to do, and had pronounced the girl would die. The President of U.S.A, pub- National for falsely persecuting and imprisioning him; but it was too late, as by then most of his work in the U.S.A, had Method. Students, from many Countries, many of them qualified Surgeons and Doc ­ tors themselves, flocked to Z.C. to learn at is feet. He was connected with St. Xavier ’s MR. KAIKHUSHROO KUTAR nee MR. KERSI KATKI, (b. Nargol; d. May 1996, Bombay;) was a humble devout upright pious Parsce gentlemen. His life and Lady of Society. As President of the However it survived in India through Dr. regulated like clock work. He served for Tanganyika Council of Women, Dara R. Hakim whom he had trained per- over half a Century in the Firm of Sorabji R.S.P.C.A. Dy. Terr. Girl Guides Com- sonally in 1939. He is one of the Inspiring & Co; in Bora Bazar, Bombay; and you missioner and only Asian Lady Municipal Persons of the Z. C. Alternative Medicine could set your watch by the punctuality of Corporator of Dar cs Salaam, she had to Dept, through which the Science of his opening and closing the Office. He was her credit the construction of the Head- Spectrochrometry has been spread to many an honest and sincere follower of Late quarters buildings of the R.S.P.C.A. and countries. The Austrian based Albert Ustad Saheb Bchramshah Nowroji Shroff. Girl Guides in Dar cs Salaam and at Schweitzer International Award was con- Throughout his life he was guided by his “Sangam ” in Poona after 1964. She was f----- ’ • ................................. possessed of a highly intelligent and pen ­ etrating mind; endowed with a golden voice, good character, noble lineage, and pupil Dr. Dtira R. Hakim in 1990. she was very fond of books, reading, patronising Spiritual and Religious Edu­ cation and concerned about the welfare of Bombay) the first Indian Doctor to qualify Mobeds. She founded theZoroastrian Study in Mcdical /Micro Biology, in England, Dara R. Hakim whom he had trained per ­ sonally in 1939. He is one of the Inspiring Persons of the Z. C. Alternative Medicine Spectrochrometry has been spread to many countries. The Austrian based Albert Schweitzer International Award was con ­ ferred for the first time in India in his clairvoyant adoptive mother Coomamai Kutar; and on her direction, he donated a part of his land near the Sanjan Riverside to the Mazdayasnie Monastcrie to enable the Zoroastrian College Research Centre to be constructed and got going. He firmly . - . . believed “Parsce Thy Name is Charity. ” Mobeds. She founded theZoroastrian Study in Mcdical/Micro Biology, in England, MR. HORMUSJI BEHRAMH Circle in Poona in 1964; regularly inviting p -• — — — — — — — — — — “1 VANIA (b. 30-1 -1885 Bombay; d. 24-1 - scholars and priests to enjoy her gracious I ^ADGARI ,<„ • > was an Engineer by profes- hospitalily whilst delivering lectures un- DONATION OF RS./$/£--------------------------- eventful life he der her patronage. She was instrumental in Im Pious Memory of Ervad/Osta/Osti/Behdin| held numerous iobs annoinimenK with establishing the Athornan Aid Trust and Kamdar Aid Trust in Poona for the welfare • of the Mobeds and Agiary Kamdars. In 1977 she bacamc a Founder Trustee of Mazdayasnie Monasterie Charity Trust; and later a Founder Comm ittee Member of the Shah Bchram Bang Society. Her lively and keen interest in attending to details of day to day management of the administra ­ tive affairs and finances of the Society and the College, and her zest were unmatched till her dying day. honour and memory as an appreciation for his Scientific Pioneering Genius on his DR. DARA RUSTOM.II HAKIM (b. 22-10-1904 Bombay; d. 4-11-1995 held numerous jobs appointments with Please find enclosed my Cheque/| British Companies and travelled and over British India and the Princely States. He was a devoted and close follower of Ustad .. Saheb Behramshah Nowroji Shroff, and regularly attended his religious talks. He I had a profound store of ancient I Mazdayasnic Wisdom, Ancient Avestan I Nirangs, powerful prayers and “ttirikats ” I which he quietly put into practice. He I lived to be a hundred. He had a sharp memory and was very active. When he was J conlinued on page 21 B ank Drafl/Cash in favour of SHAH BEHR AM | BAUG SOCIETY. Please send me the Sec. 80G/Tax Exempt dona ­ tion receipt. My name _______________________ ____ Address Tcl./Fax/E Mail No. bing an Account Coordinator and Inside Sales Rep servicing the Toronto Star Community sections. This provided her an opportunity to gain greater insight into the newspaper medium. The next step provided an oppor ­ tunity to broaden her background as a production coordinator. Projects , included preparation of magazine Z and newspaper ads and flyers, packaging, and working on pro- W motional campaigns including M radio and TV. In her current role as Account L Executive, Anahita overseas the complete project for her clients, that include Agfa Film, Air Canada Vacations, and many more. Anahita also volunteers with the Mississauga Hospital Foundation. She plans to pursue an MBA and eventually put her knowledge and experience to use on the client side or towards her own business. ARMED FORCES ABAN NARIMAN DARUWALLA Weapons Systems Scientist Riverside, California Aban Nariman Daruwalla is one of the few Zarthustis who made inroads into the US Federal Government. She is a Department of Defense offi­ cial specializing in the reliability, maintainability and availability of weapons systems. She has been in civil service for the past 17 years, prior to which she was on a post doc fellowship at the University of Michigan in East Lansing, where she studied under the world-renowned test and measurement expert, the late Dr. Robert Ebel. On completion of her fellowship, she was offered an assignment at Ft. Lee US Army base in Petersburg, VA. Aban received a doctorate in research design and statistics at Memphis State University, in Ten ­ nessee. She received her indoctrina ­ tion into government civil service at the Quarter Master School, and the Army Logistics Management Center at Ft. Lee, receiving specialized training on defense weapons sys ­ tems, and is an expert on radars, O >—1 co Sands Official Seal of the naval Warfare Assessment Division, Corona, C A. launchers, fire control systems, mis ­ siles, guns and more. She conducted basic research on weapons perfor ­ mance, weapon systems readiness, soldier/equipment interface, and cost and training effectiveness analysis. In a short while she was ready to move on to face awe inspiring chal ­ lenges which she discovered at the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in New Mexico. She found herself working with the Pershing missile which was tested at WSMR. She also participated in and conduct ­ ed studies on the Patriot missile, in the European and Korean theaters. Very soon Aban was at: the Rhine Main Base and Grafenwoehr, Ger ­ many; the US army base in Livorno, Italy; army bases at Seoul, Pusan and Tegu in Korea (where she had the opportunity to visit the demilitarized zone, DMZ, between north and south Korea); Ft. Shafter, Hawaii; and Guam airforce base. During eight years of service with the army, Aban worked on a range of weapons from the Shorad Air Defense missiles like the hand-held Vulcan, Chaparral, Red Eye and Stinger missiles, to surface-to-air missiles like the Improved Hawk, Pershing and Patriot. For new challenges she chose the navy, and moved to the Naval Weapons Station at Seal Beach, Cal ­ ifornia. After studies on the Trident II (D5) submarine missile which was still in the manufacturing phase, she was ready to conduct evaluations at contractor sites. The Trident II (D5) is the most A prestigious weapon in the world, W that had a nuclear warhead, in the W pre-Perestroika era, and was car- ried on a submarine. Because of 4 the enormous size of this weapon, / new submarines had to be built to accommodate the missile. Aban next moved to her present loca ­ tion, the Naval Warfare Assessment Division in Corona, CA. Here she was exposed to surface ship guns, fire control systems, and their accompanying radars. This time she , had hands-on training for the equip ­ ment on various ships of the US Navy. She has taken ship rides on aircraft carriers to cruisers. During her 17 years in civil service, she has been recognized five times for excellence in service which is accompanied by substantial mone ­ tary awards. Aban is also very active in professional societies on base and within the community. Aban is very quality conscious (she was taught by the world-renowned quality expert. Dr. W. Edwards Deming) and finds this to be substantiated in the teach ­ ings of Zarthustra. She has also taken courses by Steven R. Covey. Due to her efforts as base coordinator for the American Society of Quality Control (ASQC) during National Quality Month, the base is now a sus ­ taining member of ASQC. In 1995, she was the guest editor for the spe ­ cial supplement issued to mark the occasion, in which Keki Bhote pro ­ vided the lead article. She is active with the Military Operations , Research Society (MORS) and con ­ tributes technical articles in govern ­ ment journals and technical bulletins for the fleet, on weapons systems. Dr. Daruwalla was admitted to the Uni­ versity of Iowa as a Fulbright Scholar 16 Parsiana May 1997in 1962. Upon arrival she applied for other aid and received concurrent ones for her research and training. She firmly believes in repaying the community from which she bene ­ fited, and is on the Board of numer ­ ous volunteer organizations: Habitat for Humanity, Girl Scouts and the local PBS station. She also works individually with women who need direction in their studies. An avid traveler, Aban likes to dis ­ cuss the role of women in the coun ­ tries she visits. She is very partial to their needs and strengths and con ­ stantly encourages them to take their rightful place in the home, the soci ­ ety and their country. ADI M. MANECKSHAW Programs Manager US Department of Defense Waldorf, Maryland Adi M. Maneckshaw, PE, who will retire shortly after 28 years of service with the US Government Department of Defense, was bom in 1939 on “the same night that Britain was bombarded by the Germans. ” “My name is Adi,” he claims, “short for Ardeshir or ‘lion of the battlefield ’, which is why I enjoy challenge and never give up a bat ­ tle. ” Sent to boarding school in Khan- dala, near Pune, at age 4, he recalls his days at Billimoria High School in Panchgani as the most memo ­ rable of his life. “I established values, goals, morals, drives, dis ­ ciplines that I carry with me to this day. ” Though he belonged to the group of recognized mischievous troublemongers, he enjoyed life to the fullest, participated in all athletics (hockey, soccer, cricket and tennis), . and was elected Senior Prefect. He spent an unforgettable four years at Nawrojee Wadia College, Pune. “We were the young men, full of confidence, vim and vigor, who sat in the last row (they were called LLB or Lords of the Last Bench), and were sent to Principal Dr. Choksy ’s office on more than one occasion. ” He remembers these as the “carefree, fun loving days of my life. ” Maneckshaw came to the US in 1962 to the Indiana Institute of Technolo ­ gy. “After paying tuition, room and board, I was left with 50 cents to my name. But with faith, courage, sheer guts, good friends (Vatcha, Talati, Dubash, Irani) and luck, I was able to find work to put myself through a BS in Electrical Engineering from Illi­ nois, and 4 years later received Pro ­ fessional Engineer status in Wisconsin. He started his career with Uncle Sam at the US Army Weapons Command during the Viet Nam era, and was later selected by the US Department of Defense to go to Industrial Col­ lege of the Armed Forces to study Management in Washington, DC. He later completed a Juris Doctor from Illinois and a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Pacific Western University at the US Naval Weapons Station, in California. status On being promoted to the US Naval Academy in Maryland, as Manager of the Engineering Division, Maneckshaw supervised the design, construction and takeover of the Engineering Studies Complex (Rick- over Hall), and was the recipient of the USNA Superintendent Award. Nine years later, he transferred to the US Naval Weapons Station in Cali ­ fornia, as Director of the Mainte ­ nance Control and Engineering Division, and implemented major energy saving programs, including research on wind generation which was acclaimed in the San Francisco and Concord newspapers. After subsequent promotions — to Manager (of 180 million dollar design and construction contracts), and Chief of Engineering and Construction in Virginia, Maneckshaw started a new Master Planning and Engineering Field Division, and was in charge of developing the total field support for engineering design, construction, field inspection, utility conservation and economic analyses. Maneckshaw is currently Pro ­ grams Manager in Charge of the Eastern Region, Europe and sec ­ tions of the Far East. Married to Carol Rosenberg, they have three adopted children, and four from his previous marriage. “All are pursuing graduate work at univer ­ sities or gainfully employed, and contributing to my DOD payroll! It finally paid off!” remarks Maneckshaw. He contributes his services gener ­ ously to the community through Elks and Lions Club, Kiwani, Jaycees, B’nai B’rith and Knights of Columbus. He attributes his success to his par ­ ents, friends from his schools and colleges in India (especially the Parsi Union Engineering and Science Fra ­ ternity), his Parsi friends at Indiana Tech, professors, mentors, bosses and family members. “They all were a great influence and naturally are still a part of who I am today. ” Among Maneckshaw ’s early jobs were a four-year stint as Shop Engi­ neer with the C&NW Railroad in Chicago, Plant Engineer with Gener ­ al Dynamics, and Project Engineer with the Chicago Sanitary District. He started in the Army as a Senior Electrical Engineer at the US Weapons Command in Rock Island, responsible for testing major arma ­ ment and radar systems going to Vietnam. 17 Parsiana May 1997I saS? e course in Fort Leonard Wood, Mis ­ souri, and is now stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, where she is a Platoon Leader in the 68th Engineer Com ­ pany (Combat Service Support). At He feels his values were well estab ­ lished before he came to the USA, while his philosophies in life have developed over the years. ‘Maneck- s^aw ’s Rules of Thumb ’ as he affec ­ tionately calls them include: ' Act positive, be positive, think positive and smile. Be caring and loving, but not gullible. Never say “No” to a challenge. Be honest, ethical and truthful. Use diplomacy only if needed. Persistence is paramount. “Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 % perspiration. In my case it was 100% perspiration. “There were smarter people than I, j who never made it to the US or went up the ranks, because they lacked vision, ambition, goals, dis- . - cipline to work hard, manage pro- grams with every inch of will and motivation to succeed. ” h S Not the least of Maneckshaw ’s |H qualities is a good sense of humor. |H As the only Parsi in his agency, he M has taught his American colleagues F to greet him in the morning with * “Sahebji Adi-bawa, Kem Chevo ”. CAINAZ AND KESHVAR VAKHARIA US Army New Orleans, Louisiana Twins Cainaz and Keshvar Vakharia were bom in Mumbai, India in 1972. They spent a year in India and then went to Tehran, Iran, where their father. Captain Adi Vakharia was transferred. After spending 7 years in Tehran, the family left Iran and returned to Bombay. In 1980, their father was transferred to New Orleans, Louisiana where the family still resides. Keshvar attended Mount Carmel High School in New Orleans and then went to Loyola University, New Orleans, on a ROTC scholarship. She graduated in 1995 with a BS in Biology and was commissioned into the US Army Corps of Engineers. She attended her officer training ARTISTS DESIGNERS FEROZA FITCH Bethesda, Maryland Graphic Artist Every mother learns that fine art very soon. Grocery shopping, sick kids, unpaid bills, endless tasks that amount to a full time job in them ­ selves. Now pile on running a home-based business (Feroza is a I- graphic designer), toss in a healthy f’ dose of volunteerism (she was sec- retary of ZAMWI for the past four e years), and you have what is typi- cally ‘today ’s woman. ’ Feroza was bom in Mumbai, and 4 lived in Nigeria for four years, before migrating to the US in 1970. M She graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a liberal arts/art g history degree. S In 1978 (now married to her hus- I band, Mark), she borrowed $3000 from her family, leased equipment, gj hired a helper, rented an office in downtown Washington, and estab ­ lished a company called Lexicon ' Graphics. It was hard work — many sleepless nights and long periods with not a single day off. Mark, a programmer, would go to his job each morning, and come to the shop every evening and on week ­ ends. Shopping was often done at 2:00 am! Home-cooked meals were a forgotten commodity. Eventually, it paid off. Feroza had to expand her offices downtown, and hire a larger staff. The client list included national associations, ad agencies, universities, hotehs, and others. The company specialized in designing brochures, identity pieces, conference materials and annual reports. It won several national design awards. When the Fitch family grew with the births of their two sons, Feroza decided to downsize the business. • # Juggle, juggle, juggle. .1^ Fort Hood, Keshvar has been involved in road construction and building projects. Cainaz attended Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans and then Tulane University, also on a ROTC scholarship. She graduated in 1994 with a BS in Biology. She was commissioned into the US Army Intelligence Corps. She is currently stationed in Weisbaden, Germany and has just returned from a tour of duty in Turkey. She is currently the Executive Officer of the 302nd Mili ­ tary Intelligence Company. Their parents Adi and Arnavaz and younger sister, Mazarin, reside in New Orleans, and are active partici ­ pants in the Zarthusti community. l^ise men taO From left, dental surgeon Yazdi Turner, Adi Davar of the World Bank and Russy Sumariwalla of United Way International. Russy joined United Way of America in 1971 as senior consultant and rose to the rank of senior VP for Research, Development and Program Evalua ­ tion. He took early retirement in 1991 as senior fellow. Strategic Insti ­ tute. Over his 20-year career at UWA Sumariwalla consulted and lectured extensively and authored over 200 papers, books, reports and studies on philanthropy and volun­ tarism, nonprofit accounting, budget ­ ing, planning, evaluation, needs assessment and services classifica ­ tion. He served as senior consultant for UWA’s Management and Com ­ munity Studies Institute (MACSI) since its inception and directed/par- ticipated in several MACSI studies. As senior fellow, Sumariwalla was responsible for developing, directing and guiding various projects and . studies and for organizing and con ­ ducting seminars and symposia. He also provided technical assistance to local United Ways and major natio ­ nal philanthropic organizations. Prior to joining UWA, Sumariwalla was Senior Planner with the five- county Bay Area Social Planning Council. He has also served in an advisory capacity with: National Center for Charitable Statistics, Internal Revenue Service and State Charities Regulation Offices, Nation ­ al Charities Information Bureau, American Association of Fund- raising Council, and many others. Russy began his career in 1961 in Amherst, MA, as a Graduate Research Associate, University of Massachusetts, Office of Institutional Research; and Assistant Director, Peace Corps Training projects for Senegal, Niger and Ivory Coast. He holds a BA, MA and LLB from Uni­ versity of Bombay, LLM from the University of Virginia School of Law, and MA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He also undertook further studies at Harvard, the Hague Academy of International Law, and in France. He is married to Anita (nee Hurlimann) of Basel, Switzerland. EVOCATORS ABAN HOMIERANI Elementary School Principal Aberdeen, South Dakota Bom in Porbunder, India, Aban Homi Erani attended school in Panchgani and Ootacamund, and received a BA from Sophia College in Bombay in Philosophy, Education and Psychology in 1963. Following a 3-year teaching position at Cathedral School in Bombay, Aban and husband Homi moved to Kodaikanal in 1969, to help manage the family-owned Carlton Hotel for 4 years. In 1974, the family relocated to Madras, and Aban worked at the International School there. In March 1980, the Eranis moved to the US. Aban went back to college and received an MA in Special Edu­ cation and an MS in Elementary Administration. She taught Special Education in Pierre, South Dakota for two years. When the family moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota, she went to work for the Aberdeen School District. She In 1980 he taught Gifted Education for two years and then became principal at Simmons Elementary School in Aberdeen. She is now in her twelfth year as principal and has grown pro ­ fessionally in many ways. Aban and Homi have three children and two grand-children. MEHRABAN KHODAVANDI Educator Kohler, Wisconsin Mehraban Khodavandi was bom in Tehran, Iran, in 1947. He received a BA and an MS in Rehabilitation Administration in Tehran. He moved to the US in 1976 where he received his Ph.D. in Educational Administra ­ tion and Studies in Behavioral Dis ­ abilities from the University of Wisconsin (UW). finished his postdoctoral education in Adult Education. Mehraban was a teacher of Zoroas ­ trian Studies at Zoroastrian high schools in Tehran, and at Sazemane Fravahar (Zoroastrian Youth Organi ­ zation). From 1978-1980, he was a project director at UW and con ­ ducted educational research projects. Khodavandi joined the Lakeland College faculty in 1981 as Chair of the Department and Professor of Education and Psychology. In 1991 he established and directed a special ­ ized project — the Urban Teachers Outreach Program for minority stu ­ dents. In 1993, he was promoted to Dean of the Graduate School at Lakeland. In his present capacity he provides administrative leadership for graduate studies, the award ­ winning Compton program (that pre ­ pares individuals of color for teach ­ ing positions) and also serves as liaison between the College and the North Central Association of Col­ leges and Schools. Mehraban lives with his wife, Jahan, and his two sons, Babak and Jamsheed, in Kohler, Wisconsin. 4^ 4^ Service, is notfting but [ove in wortfchtfies. - Deen Parast, August 1996 41 Parsiana May 1997SHEHERNAZ JOSHI VERAHRAMI Educator N. Potomac, Maryland Shehemaz Joshi Verahrami is Execu ­ tive Coordinator of the International Legal Studies Program at George Washington University Law School and also of its International and Comparative Law Program which is rated amongst the top ten inter ­ national law programs in the country. She is also responsible for the overall coordination of managerial, aca ­ demic and administrative matters pertaining to the activities of the International Rule of Law Center, which was established to promote the rule of law and democratic pluralism. She finds her job extremely reward ­ ing both in terms of intellectual stim ­ ulation, creative thinking and personal friendships. Working with foreign attorneys has been a learning experience. Her students are all prac ­ ticing lawyers in their own countries, in some instances, senior legal advi ­ sors in their governments, who have been sent to GW for specialized train ­ ing. Her job entails reviewing and making decisions regarding admis ­ sions, academic advising, administra ­ tive counseling, supervision of scholarship programs, and extensive liaison with domestic and internation ­ al law firms, the US government and international organizations. Director of the program, Thomas Buergenthal, one of the world ’s lead ­ ing authorities on international law and human rights recently asked She ­ hemaz to assume more of a leader ­ ship role in regard to his work with the United Nations Human Rights Committee and the State Depart ­ ment. Shehemaz also has a keen interest in human rights and intends to pursue another degree in the area of human rights and women and development. Bom in Indore, India, Shehemaz moved to USA with her parents in 1973. Throughout high school, in Washington, DC, she was active in school and extra-curricular activities. 42 Parsiana May 1997 Association agement from a supportive husband and family, and most of all by just being around our children. We have realized that our greatest strength lies in the presence of our children and in the belief of our faith. ” As layout editor of the yearbook, she received the Scroll Journalism Award of Distinction from Columbia Uni­ versity, and as member of the chorus and orchestra, performed one year at the White House Christmas Concert. Upon graduation with a BA from George Washington University, she was hired by the World Bank to col ­ laborate on a consultancy project establishing school quality trends in 118 countries. After a dual MA in International Affairs and Middle Eastern studies, Shehemaz did a 7- month internship with the UN Envi­ ronment Programme. One of the highlights of her internship was the hosting of World Environment Day at the Smithsonian in 1987. Follow­ ing her internship, she worked as Special Assistant to the Director of the UN Development Programme. Shehemaz served as President of the Zoroastrian Association of Metropolitan Washington for two terms, and as a Trustee with four dif­ ferent Boards. She was the first youth to form the Washington Zoroastrian Youth Group, and has an abiding interest in issues facing the North American community and in FEZANA. Married to Farhad Ver ­ ahrami, she has a daughter, Anahita. “I juggled it all, ” says Shehemaz, “I T took an active role in our Zoroastrian Association, participated in profes ­ sional organizations, worked 12 hour days, and spent time with my family and friends. I was superwoman on the go! My ‘career ’ was never an issue, that is, until I became a mother. Then my world ’s collided. My daughter was bom and I was con ­ fronted with raising a child in an environment far different from that of my own childhood. All of a sud ­ den, everything else paled in compar ­ ison, and I was faced with the issue ofbeing a ‘working mother ’. “I underwent a lot of soul searching as I adjusted to motherhood, and it has led me to believe, albeit very ten ­ tatively, that the juggling act can be successful. It can be done with verve, energy, tremendous help and encour- GENEALOGY RUBINA JAMSHED PATEL Genealogist Silver Spring, Maryland Bom in Lahore, Pakistan, Rubina Jamshed Patel earned an AB degree in Biology from Hood College in Maryland, and an Sc.M. and Ph.D. from the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins University. Rubina worked I I I From left, educators Aban Homi Erani, Shehernaz Joshi Verahrami and Mehraban Khodavandi. at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, DC, where she continued her post-doctoral research on rapid methods of identi ­ fying mycobacteria (the causative agents of tuberculosis and leprosy) using DNA probes. For the past five years, Rubina has put her professional life on hold to enjoy her “most important project — her son Jamsheed. Last year she started an annual tradition of explain-husband James is Associate ing the NoRuz festival to Jamsheed ’s classmates, complete with hands-on setting of a traditional NoRuz table. She is also the coordinator of chil ­ dren ’s classes at ZAMWI. Rubina ’s husband Dr. Lovelace VP of Academic Affairs at the Uni­ versity of Maryland Biotechnology Institute. Rubina ’s latest love is genealogy. While tracing her own family history after her parents passed away, and discovering the connections of all her relatives, she came across a computer program which organized the materi ­ al, constructed family trees, and cre ­ ated customized relationship lists. « I I While adding people to her family file, she realized that interconnec ­ tions extended in all directions, not only in Karachi, but also Mumbai, Surat, and Yangon (Rangoon). The tree was actually more like a web. What started as a personal quest • became a giant jigsaw puzzle of the community in which she grew up, the Parsis of Karachi. To date, she has • entered over 5,000 people and has discovered extensions of several families not only in India, but glo­ bally. No only is the transmission of medical disorders within her own family of interest to her, but on a more general level, she wonders allergies, heart disease, diabetes and whether certain biological character ­ istics are present in higher frequency important information to the family within the community than in the surrounding populations. Rubina feels genealogy is important for our community: “Learning about relatives and the veritable web of a small population is rather fascinat ­ ing. Those to whom I’ve sent infor ­ mation about their families have been pleasantly surprised and delighted. It has encouraged them to provide more names and information to complete their family trees. But more importantly, in the years to come, and especially in the western diaspora, should a young adult want piled a preliminary genealogy of to know about his pedigree, a few key strokes would display several 11 11 1 generations, at once giving him a sense of belonging or rootedness. At one time, family connections were general knowledge; today one is less likely to know the extent of his kith and kin. As our repositories of wis ­ dom, i.e. the older generation, pass on, family information is being irre ­ trievably lost. Now is the time to establish a genealogical archive, so future generations can see the proud heritage from whence they came. “Genealogical archives are also a means of maintaining living history, providing a study of migration pat ­ terns, and showing population trends. Knowledge of familial traits such as G-6-PD deficiency can provide physician. ” Apart from her own family and the genealogy of Karachi Parsis, with information provided by ZAMWI’s Brigadier Panthaki, Rubina was able to trace 32 generations of priests in the Panthaki family. From the chart it immediately became apparent that just one family had provided more than 500 mobeds over the past six centuries — an awesome example of faithful transmission and selfless service to the Zarthusti community of India. With Panthaki, Rubina recently com- Udvada priests, tracing the nine clans descended from Mobed Nairyosang 4 a a I r Dhaval (Sanskrit scholar of the 12th century) to present times. When the Panthaki family chart was compared to the Udvada genealogical record, it was possible to tell at which juncture in history, Ervad Panthaki ’s ancestors left Udvada and settled in Saronda. Eventually they hope to document the genealogy of all priests of the Indian subcontinent. Some descendants may now be scat ­ tered the world over, so any informa ­ tion provided by readers, will be greatly appreciated. It will be a part of recorded history which future gen ­ erations can behold with pride. 43 Parsiana May 1997GOVERNMENT FEE JACOBSEN Secretary of the State Senate (Retd) Pierre, South Dakota Fee Jacobson came to the US from Mumbai in 1968, at the age of 22, a few months after her marriage to Jerry Jacobson (whom she met in Mumbai at the Peace Corps office). By a strange coincidence of events, she and her husband, found them ­ selves responsible for a 10,000 acre family ranch, with herds of sheep and cattle. Fee learned very fast, what it was like cooking 3 meals a day for over 12 people at each meal with snacks for two coffee breaks. This was a far cry from a sheltered schooling in Presentation Convent in Kodaikanal, with the ‘ayah ’ to look after ones every need! After two years of the sheep ranch. Fee got her license as a real estate agent, then worked as a stock broker, and finally as a secretary in the South Dakota state legislature in 1970 for the Pres ­ ident pro tern. Fee steadily moved up through the ranks to be voted secretary of the state Senate, a position she held from 1987 until 1992, and again from 1995 till her resignation at the end of the session in 1996. Fee lost her job for two years when the Democrats had control of the Senate! As chief administrator for the Senate, she oversaw the duties of 1 clerk, 2 assis ­ tants, Senate page, Sergeant-at- Arms, in addition to directing the business of the Senate while in ses ­ sion. This included reading aloud the titles of bills from her podium in front of the chamber. The soft-spo ­ ken Jacobsen called the Senators ’ names, recorded the votes and made sure the Chamber was run according to its rules. At present. Fee works as an Assistant Curator at the South Dakota State Historical Society Museum. An avid gardener, she also coordinates the Young Gardener ’s Club of the City of Pierre ’s recreation department. Fee and her husband ran a successful Soft-Serve Ice Cream parlor for 11 years, with their sons Eric (26) and Zak (20). Fee also volunteers for the American Cancer Society. Jerry is a Data Administrator in the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications in the South Dakota state government. HEALTH SERVICES FARRAH MAHRUKH SHROFF Holistic Health, Professor Vancouver, British Columbia Farrah Mahrukh Coomi Shroff is a university professor who teaches pub­ lic health and social sciences in the Ontario Midwifery Education Pro ­ gram, recently rated as the world lea ­ der in midwifery education at Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto. Her research focuses on holistic health care, health policy and social justice issues — on which she is cur ­ rently writing a book. Her first book (on midwifery and state regulation in Canada) will be published this year. Among other academic projects, she continues to work in women ’s health, HIV/AIDS, midwifery and commu ­ nity health. Shroff has presented papers at academic gatherings around the world, including Aus ­ tralia, New Zealand, South Africa and England. She has won numerous athletic, academic, leadership and service awards. Bom in Kenya of parents from India, Farah has worked in many countries as a health researcher, educator and planner. Speaking fluent French, Spanish, English, and a few other languages, has facilitated her work in Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba, India, Nigeria, South Africa, the Canadian Arctic and the USA. Farah feels her Parsi roots have given her the curiosity to know more about the world, as many cultural influ­ ences have shaped her (Indian, African, Latin American, Canadian, etc.). Mostly, she is grateful to her extended family, especially her grandmothers, for raising her with lots and lots of love. Feeling a sense of connection with our community is really important to her: “I love the eccentricities of our community, especially that silly sense of humor so many of us have! I also really appreciate knowing about our history and how we have survived through the centuries of migration and changes. ” This love of the community has prompted her to initiate an oral histo ­ ry project in which younger Zarthusti women interview elder women in the community. She is keen to find peo ­ ple who are interested in pursuing this (seedling) project with the small group that has already been formed. Interested persons may contact Farah at (604) 221-7660, or by e-mail: fshroff@acs.ryerson.ca . This ‘Renaissance woman ’ is also an athlete (gymnastics, soccer, race walker), and does yoga, martial arts and Arabic and Kathak dance. She also loves to sing and write jjoetry. And is in the process of starting a consulting business to provide health research, policy and planning to var ­ ious groups. Life for her is about “laughter, love and light ”. This above all; to thine ou>n sebf be true, find it must follow as tfie night the day, thou const not then be false to any man. - Shakespeare’s Hamlet 44 Parsiana May 199''A SzTi iV* I I fee I Jacobsen, secretary of I f/ie Sfflfe Senate in Pierre, I South Dakota. usee page 44] fessional organizations, has written and published several articles in community and professional journals and has been an invited speaker at numerous conferences. She has also been appointed Notary Public and Justice of Peace by the State of Mas ­ sachusetts. Khorshed has won awards and professional recognition in her field of insurance contract law and music. Married to Dr. Firoze B. Jungalwala [profiled under “Scien­ tists ”] Khorshed has two grown chil ­ dren and has been living in Sudbury, Massachusetts since 1971. INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT! INTERPRETER MINOO GUNDEVIA Interpreter, French Teacher Ste. Emilie, Quebec Minoo Gundevia was introduced to the work of interpretation purely by chance. About eight years ago, Societe 1’Automobile du Quebec was searching for an interpreter from French to Gujarati. Someone called the National Association of Canadi ­ ans of Indian Origin, and that is how Minoo got introduced to the Societe. The Societe, in turn, gave his name to the Ministere de la Justice, for whom he still works from time to time. the At Minoo questions Societe, interprets from French to Gujarati j for a driver ’s oral exam. And at the Ministere, he does ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ simultaneous inter ­ pretation, once again, from Gujarati into French and vice versa. Most of the cases he has worked on were •criminal ones (eg. smuggling drugs). Gundevia works as a French teacher, and has worked as a journalist, and TV cameraman. Having aspirations to be an actor and writer, he has acted in several plays and a French TV serial and has written a feature length screenplay. I IN^y RANCE KHORSHED F. JUNGALWALA Contract Specialist Boston, Massachusetts Khorshed F. Jungalwala is a consul ­ tant with the Concord Insurance Group, Inc. She holds degrees in his ­ tory, political science and law, and is also a Licentiate from the Trinity College of Music, London, in piano and voice. At present she is a Direc ­ tor on the Board of the Third World Scholars Consortium and the Presi ­ dent of Community Concerts Associ ­ ations — an affiliate of Columbia Artists Organization of New York. Khorshed is the recent past-president of the Zoroastrian Association of the Greater Boston Area. Khorshed is currently on the Research and Preservation Commit ­ tee of FEZ AN A and has authored a paper in the first issue of the commit ­ tee ’s journal which was published recently. She is also the co-chairper- son of the Zoroastrian Education and Research Society, a non-profit orga ­ nization, which will be sponsoring the coming North American Interna ­ tional Avesta Conference in Boston. Her interest in music, religious phi ­ losophy and archaeology has taken her to many exotic areas of the globe. She has arranged seminars (such as the Harvard Series) and conferences on Zoroastrianism and for other pro- ZAREEN KARANI LAM DEARAOZ International Management Winchester, Massachusetts Zareen Karani Lam de Araoz is the Founder Director and Professor of International Studies (Intercultural Relations) at Lesley College, in Cambridge MA. As President, Karani Lam & Associates, Managing Across Cultures, she is an inter ­ national management consultant and trainer, with expertise in cross- cultural team-building, leadership and facilitating communication across cultures, specializing in Indo­ US joint ventures. Zareen comes originally from India, is based primarily in the US, and trains and consults in Europe, India, Japan and the US. She is also the Interna ­ tional past-president of the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research, that comprises 2000 inter ­ cultural specialists in 60 countries. ’ Zareen has worked closely with US corporations entering India, and with Indian corporations collaborating with the US. She has trained US cor ­ porate presidents, regional VPs and managers entering India, as well as the US Ambassador to India in 1992. She has conducted pre-departure briefings for directors of multi-nation ­ als, regional VPs for SE Asia and managers relocating to India. With her deep insight into the Indian man ­ agerial culture and its changing 49 Parsiana May 1997 tOrganizatic'i norms, as well as a sensitive under ­ standing of American, Japanese, Ger ­ man, Austrian and Swedish managerial culture, she is often invit ­ ed to conduct workshops in these various countries. Her clients include DuPont, AT&T, Polaroid, Proctor & Gamble, Telco, Voltas, Air India, and many others. For the past six years she has also been working with the UN Industrial Development Organizaticn in Vienna, training people from 92 countries in Leadership and Cross- Cultural Management. She also trains physicians and health-care per ­ sonnel, and diplomats, and is present ­ ly an NGO representative in the UN. Zareen has a sensitive understanding of the Zarthusti culture and value con ­ flicts and transitions of Zarthusti fami ­ lies inunigrating to the US. She was VP of ZAGBA (1986-1987), and a representative to FEZANA. She has • given great thought to issues of leader ­ ship and community building in Zarthusti communities. Her great ­ grandfather was the founder of the Karani Agiary at Cusrow Bang, Mum ­ bai, where her father, the late General Noshir Karani was a Trustee. Zareen has a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, a Law degree (LLB), a MS in Comparative Education, and a MS in English Literature and Ger ­ man. Her husband, Alberto, an engi ­ neer and economist, who was with the UN, is a researcher in Inter ­ national technology transfer at the University of Massachusetts School of Business; and her son, Farokh, is an International Business Develop ­ ment Manager with Smartel, a Tele ­ com firm in Boston. JIMMY MISTRY International Procurement Manager Mississauga, Ontario Jimmy Mistry is International Pro ­ curement Manager, with Stone & Webster engineering company. He was previously with Bechtel Corpo ­ ration, responsible for major interna ­ tional projects. This included purchasing of plant equipment and materials, contract management and administration, international customs, transportation and logistics, inspec ­ tion and expediting from worldwide vendor ’s facilities to project loca ­ tions. Jimmy gave up his marine career when he immigrated to Canada in 1969. He started with a shipping company in Toronto, who transferred him to Miami to help with operations From left, Firoze and Khorshed Jun- galwala, Jimmy Mistry and Zareen Karani Lam de Araoz of cruise ships of the Norwegian Caribbean Lines. He was also trans ­ ferred to Vancouver to help set up cruise line operations for the West Coast. He later moved to Bechtel Corporation, that took him to Edmonton, Tokyo, Algeria, Toronto, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Italy, Saudi Arabia and St. John. “I met a lot of Zoroastrians every ­ where I went, ” says Jimmy, “even in Papua! ” Jimmy ’s recommendation to young, budding engineers today is to remain very flexible, adaptable, and willing to take on new opportunities that come along in today ’s never-ending, ever-changing modus operand!. They should never be afraid to learn new and vastly different things — every bit helps. And above all, learn how to get along with everyone in their organization, starting at home! 50 Parsiana May 1997 LJOURNALIST slices of toast sometimes, a can of spaghetti some afternoons, or a slice of pizza when I absolutely could not resist splurging. I was hungry all the time. At Columbia, I shrewdly picked assignments I could walk to, so I would not have to spend the dollar or so it took for a round trip on the New York subway. I survived by the grace of God and the kindness of strangers who had just become friends. The experience weakened my body but toughened my mind. I wouldn’t recommend deliberately suffering this sort of privation to anyone, but I can testify that when pushed by cir ­ cumstances, the human spirit can accomplish the impossible. I not only survived, 1 thrived. I went on to get a job at the weekly India Abroad, then at the Courier- Post, a daily newspaper in suburban Cherry Hill, near Philadelphia. There I started on the most awful shift — working on the copy desk from late night into the bright sunshine of morning. It was a job and an income I desperately needed, to replenish both my body and bank account. To satisfy my craving to write, in my spare time, I wrote for the paper ’s op-ed pages articles on various inter ­ national topics. I was encouraged by the man who edited those pages. What a great country, I recalled PORUS COOPER Journalist Cherry Hill, New Jersey My name is Poms F. Cooper and I work as a journalist. I am currently Assistant New Jersey Editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer, one of the largest and most respected metropolitan newspapers in the US. Directly or indirectly, I supervise about 40 reporters and editors. I assign news stories and I edit stories. I help decide if an event becomes a story in the first place. Some days I feel I am quite influential! My journey to this important position at this paper in this land, so distant from my beginnings in Mumbai, still remain a wonderment to me, more than two decades since I nervously set foot in the TWA terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. I came to New York to attend Columbia University Journalism School in 1975. I was already work ­ ing as an editor and writer and doing very well at the Times of India, when the bug to travel abroad bit me. I suppose what kept me going in America was that at every turn, my abilities and hard work and desire to do well kept getting recognized and rewarded, often to my utter surprise. At Columbia, along with a master ’s degree, they threw in the Taylor thinking. Here I was, someone who Award for being the best foreign stu ­ dent in the Class of 1976. More sig ­ nificantly for me then, the nice bronze medallion came with $500 in cash. It was the most money I had seen in one place that challenging year, and I desperately needed every penny of it. .The money was to enable me to trav ­ el to the South, which had for long fascinated me because it was the arena for a historic battle for human dignity. Instead, I used the money to buy food. Yes, all year, because of an unfortunate loss, I had barely enough money to make myself just one small meal a day — an egg and a couple of couldn ’t get around Cherry Hill with ­ out getting lost, and somebody was trusting me to set the paper ’s direc ­ tion on the Middle East and China! Then, as it so often happens with suc ­ cess, luck lent a hand. One after ­ noon, as I fitfully tried to sleep, with traffic noise outside and a pillow on my head to simulate darkness, the phone rang. I reached grumpily for it, and there was the editor, asking me if I would like to fill a vacancy on the paper ’s editorial board. Goodbye night shift. Years later, I would move to the Inquirer, where again I started in a relatively humble position on the copy editing desk. I sought to apply to their editorial board, but was told there was no vacancy there for me. I took a chance. The time seemed to be right. The Courier was coming under increasing stress, the Inquirer was the next logical step up. Here, too, I have benefited from run ­ ning into people who have encour ­ aged me. To promote me, these kind people sometimes had to overrule the preconceptions and cronyism of oth ­ ers evidently not so well disposed toward a guy with an accent, from India. The higher I have risen in this profession and at the Inquirer, the clearer I have seen the racial and other fault lines in this society. Even a great metropolitan newspaper is not exempt from them. A combination of core values has sustained me throughout: the integri ­ ty, diligence and community spirit I absorbed during my Zarthusti upbringing in a Parsi colony in Mumbai; the sense of fairness and charity my parents demonstrated every day — especially their feelings for the underdog; the patience and life wisdom that I think I imbibed from the great Hindu culture of India; the can-do spirit that is demanded in America, and now, the love of my wife and two children. NEVILLE BILIMORIA Litigation and Corporate Law Lombard, Illinois Neville Maherji Bilimoria, born in 1970, is the recipient of India Tri ­ bune ’s Nehru Award for academic and leadership excellence in the Indi­ an community, the Zoroastrian Out ­ standing Youth Award, as well as several other awards and scholar ­ ships including the Kappa Alpha Pi Award from Northwestern Universi ­ ty, given to students displaying aca ­ demic excellence, leadership and community service. Neville was valedictorian of his class of 550 stu ­ dents and an editor of one of the top six high school newspapers in the nation. He was also co-author of two 51 Parsiana May 1997 L- W J From left, laun/ers Neville Bilimoria and Cyrus Mehta and librarian Aban Rustomji Youth Program providing support to inner city youth of Chicago. Maestro Zubin Mehta is his long time friend and idol, second only to his wife, Ami, and his close family. CYRUS D. MEHTA Immigration Law New York, New York Cyrus D. Mehta practices law in New York City. He has his own thriving practice in midtown Manhattan and books. Voices of Conflict [Adama Books, New York, 1988] and Voices of Hope [Adama Books, New York, 1987]. He spent one summer studying phi ­ losophy and ethics at Harvard Uni­ versity. He graduated from North ­ western University with a BA in Phi ­ losophy, in 1991 and was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. In 1994, he received his Juris Doctor degree from Northwestern University employs two attorneys and four para ­ legals. His firm is at the forefront of immigration law. He represents busi ­ nesses, individuals, refugees, bat ­ tered immigrant women and people in deportation proceedings. Bom in Mumbai, he graduated with a BA from St. Xavier ’s College, Bom ­ bay University, and got his MA from Cambridge University, and later a Master of Laws (LLM) from professional Columbia University. Extremely active with the American Immigra ­ tion Lawyers ’ Association (AILA), Cyms played a major role in its lob­ bying efforts against cuts in legal immigration last year. Their efforts also dented some of the harshness in School of Law, where he held the prestigious position as a Note and Comment Editor for the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. During his law school career, Neville has been associated with several prestigious law firms. Currently, Neville is an associate with the 90-attomey Chicago law firm of Cas- siday, Schade & Gloor, which prac ­ tices corporate, malpractice defense, products lia ­ bility, construction, environmental, labor and health care law. Neville focuses his practice on hospitals and physicians in all areas of litigation and corporate law. Neville has written and published the punitive law Congress managed many legal articles. His article on to introduce against illegal immi- Lawyers ’ Committee for Human Rights. He also counsels SAKHI for South Asian women, an organization that advances the cause of battered immigrant women. Cyrus writes a regular immigration column in News India-Times and appears on a TV program. His views are sought by the press on immigra ­ tion matters, and he was recently pro ­ filed on Japanese public television. Cyrus regularly conducts training workshops for advocates that help battered immigrant women and social workers. He is currently championing the cause of immi ­ grants with mental disabilities who are unable to become citizens. In his spare time, he plays the violin and viola, and has just joined a New York lawyers ’ orchestra. LIBRARY SCIENCES 1 to introduce against illegal immi- AIDS Discrimination in Employee grants and refugees. He has been Medical Plans won him a 2nd prize and national exposure in the Detroit College of Law Review ’s National Labor Law Writing Competition. Neville has been playing the piano for over 20 years and is an avid bas ­ ketball, football and golf player and a sports enthusiast. During law school, he was involved in the Cabrini Green nominated to chair the Young Lawyers Division of AILA nation ­ wide for 1997. Cyrus ’ firm has successfully repre ­ sented corporate and individual clients under novel and difficult cir ­ cumstances. Deeply committed to human rights, his firm has done pro bono work for the New York based ABAN HODIWALA RUSTOMJI Library Media Specialist Houston, Texas Three rows of houses, a high com ­ pound wall, kids playing kick-the- can across the Agiary describes Parsi Colony in Quetta, Pakistan. A place where everything happened and nothing occurred. Under the umbrel ­ la of delicious fruit trees, caring aunts, and concerned uncles, Parsi Colony fostered community. Parsi Colony was family where each mem ­ ber was valued. This colony was Aban ’s first home. Aban Hodiwala Rustomji, an adven ­ turer and an avid reader, has a pas- 52 Parsiana May 1997of Librarians in Houston and thb Delta Kappa Gamma, Lambda Alpha Pakistan ’s representative at a Juliette Chapter. Low Conference in Switzerland. As the pace of technological change quickens and timely access to infor ­ mation becomes essential, Aban wants to establish a database for FEZANA where Zarthusti literature can be accessed from one central location. She would love to hear suggestions from a computer-savvy person who could give tips on the design, readability and accessibility to get this project on the internet. For all her firsts, it is her family which comes first in her life. Her son Arish is presently working at Coating Engineers, Inc. and daughter Nerina sionate zest for life. Her educational journey started in her early teens as l.„. Low Conference in Switzerland. Balanced by her mother ’s high expectations and her father s empha ­ sis on education, Aban claims many firsts: the first Parsi student to win a scholarship from Baluchistan Uni- versity, the first to get the S.P.I.L. Gold Medal at Karachi University, and of course, the first to race to a prime spot in a parking lot! After graduating with a BA from Kin­ naird College in Lahore, Aban accom ­ panied her husband Purvez to the US in 1964. She worked on her Masters in Library Science and started her library career at Loyola University in Chicago as a reference librarian. In 1969 she returned with Purvez to Pakistan and obtained a job as a senior high school librarian at the Karachi American School. It was at K.A.S. that Aban drew upon her S US expertise to increase & the library standards for overseas schools. Her H adherence to these high standards earned her a ¦ position on the library | accreditation team for American Schools where she trav- eled to Tehran, Bahrain and Athens in order to establish and certify library collections and Ten years later, Aban and Purvez immigrated to Houston where she attained her secondary , W V • teaching certificate and serves as a Library Media Specialist at Spring Woods High School. Aban continues to explore the challenges of finding innovative, efficient ways to share resources. She is an advocate for both libraries and public education and has been president of the Council Overseas JI L7 t Bsi MB pS U' Growing up in yuena s rarei vuiuuj has provided Aban a foundation for her values. Living in America has made her aware and active in her community. She realizes, like many Zarthusti immigrants, that she has the best of both worlds. She supports programs which draw the community together, such as Purvez ’s plan to establish a Zarthusti Colony built around the Center in Houston, and FEZANA’s goal to make the Zarthusti community in North Amer ­ ica a dynamic, thriving family. Purvez ’s plan to MANUFACTURING t’ 1*= w I : 1 ©I I * If 1. ¦ilB KERSI MANECKSHA DORDI VP Manufacturing Thorould, Ontario Kersi Dordi, [photo left] NP Manufacturing at ExoIon’s Canadian Foundry, was fea- tured in The Standard tt [October 7, 1995] a local ' newspaper in Ontario, in an article entitled “Back from the Brink ” which credited him with turning around the failing foundry. Dordi is a major player in ' ' pulling the foundry opera- Imi tion out of its tailspin, ” says ^¦the Standard. “For the more than 50 people who work at ¦ the Exolon foundry (which manufactures abrasives for ¦ sandpaper, grinding wheels, and drills), circumstances at ^^¦the foundry had them fret- ting for their livelihoods ... ^^|and they were bracing for ^Hthe day when the company ^¦padlocked the gates. ” Things began to look up when Kersi Dordi was trans- ^^¦ferred from ExoIon’s New York foundry to take over as ^¦GeneralManager. Dordihas overseen 1 ¦s I y vsiaiu is at Columbia University. Purvez has worked relentlessly for the last ten years to build the Zarthusti Cul­ tural and Heritage Center at Houston. ............ “Kersi more than $1 mil ­ lion in spending to clean up environ ­ mental problems and upgrade machinery. With his engineering know-how and experience, and with his concern and involvement with the employees, many of whom had been 53 Parsiana May 1997with the plant for two or three genera ­ tions, Dordi was able to turn it around. Almost 200 jobs could have been affected. The Standard quotes a production superintendent as saying “I don’t know if this plant would be here today if it wasn ’t for Kersi. ” Dordi credited the foundry ’s employees for turning a disaster into an operation with a promising future. Dordi is now VP of Manufacturing for ExoIon’s Canadian operations and the Tonawanda operations in New York, and is on the Board of Directors for the Norway Operations. Originally from Surat, India, where his family still resides, Dordi has an MS in Engineering from the Univer ­ sity of Pittsburgh (1974) and an MBA from the State University of New York. He lives with his wife Sama, and 10-year-old son, in Amherst, New York. MARTIAL ARTS JEROO JAMAJI Gymnast, Martial Arts Montreal, Quebec I came to Canada at age 5 in 1976. Ever since I was a child I always loved athletics. At 7, my parents enrolled me in gymnastics classes. For the next ten years I trained rigor ­ ously and achieved high rank as a competitive gymnast in Quebec. As my gymnastics career came to an end, I desperately started looking for another athletic activity that would engage me. In college, I found noth ­ ing that would spark my interest. Luckily, when I entered McGill Uni­ versity, another Zarthusti, Shernaz Kotwal told me about a Martial Arts course that she was taking. I tried it. And thus was bom my involvement in this sport. When I initially enrolled in the Con­ cordia University Martial Arts pro ­ gram, I never would have thought it would become a passion and life ­ long pursuit. My interest grew as I realized that learning martial arts was not simply a physical endeavor, but also an intellectual and spiritual one. My training in martial arts is multi ­ disciplinary. We study different sys ­ tems from around the world. A typical student in our club could become proficient in Wing Chun (a self-defense system from China), Capoeira (a system developed by African slaves in Brazil), Kali (a Fil­ ipino warrior art), Boxe Francaise (a fusion of English boxing and French Savate), Shooto (a modem wrestling form from Japan), and Tae kwon Do (from Korea) to name a few. Each student must depart on his/her own journey to find what is workable for him in philosophy, technique, tactics, strategies and principles. Martial arts has given me so much more than just technical skill in fight ­ ing. It has taught me about different people and cultures. It has fostered my personal growth by making me more self disciplined, confident and focused. After six years of training, I am a black belt student and an assistant instmctor at the Concordia Univer ­ sity Martial Arts Club. It has acquainted me with some of the best martial artists from around the world. I am now considered a senior stu ­ dent, but I know that to be an expert takes years and years of training. I graduated in Physical Education with a certificate in management from McGill University in 1995.1 currently work with a special program for potential high school drop outs. AZITA (OSHIDARY) KANAI Karate Vancouver, British Columbia ‘The Way of Empty Hands ’ is the lit ­ eral translation for the word Karate- Do. What this means is that you never have anything in your hands to physically hurt anybody, or in other words, you never start an attack. If you take this one step further, it also means that you must never hold any ­ thing evil in your mind or your heart against anyone. This to me is very close to Zoroastrianism — you must 1’ 1 Azita (Oshidary) Kanai with the late Master Gogen Yamaguchi, founder of the International Karate Do Goju Kai Association » never hurt anybody and you must always have Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds. As the late Master Gichin Funakoshi said: “To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the highest skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest skill.' I began this journey exactly 17 years ago and soon after I learned that this is a life long journey, a way of life. I first began studying martial arts to keep in shape and to be able to defend myself. Before choosing to stay with Karate, I tried other martial arts, namely Tae Kwon Do, kickbox ­ ing and Kung Fu. They each had something to offer, but I found that for me. Karate was the best as it was unique and offered more. Like any beginner, I was excited to leam how to block, kick, punch and strike and see and feel my body get stronger every day, but at the same time, as a young Zarthusti girl who had just immigrated to Canada from Iran, I had to battle with the cultural difficulties that faced me — “Nice girls don’t do Karate! ” Once I fell in love with Karate and set a goal for myself to reach the level of black belt and to become a champion, the desire, ambition and 54 Parsiana May 1997persistence set in. I put all the diffi ­ culties that I was facing Jjehind me, and focussed my energies on one thing — my Goal. With three years of hard work, sweat, blood and tears, I earned the level of black belt and was the first student in a club of approximately 200 students to do so. In the three years follow­ ing, I competed in as many competi ­ tions as possible to earn the title of number 3 Canadian Women ’s Cham ­ pion in 1986. Karate gave me the strength — phys ­ ically, mentally and spiritually, to endure, to persevere, to believe in myself and to reach the goals that I had set. It gave me patience, courage and the strength to never give up, as nothing worthwhile is attained easily. One of the most important things that Karate taught me was that no matter how strong a person you are and regardless of how much you have achieved, you must always be a Good citizen, a Humble person, and have Respect for all human beings. In 1987,1 got a scholarship to further my studies in Japan. While there, I went to a Karate School, where I started again as a white belt (begin- '' --------------- J -J ner) and earned my first degree black family and friends, unfamiliarity belt within a year, and my second ...................... degree a couple of years later. I have been teaching Karate for 8 years. I hope to give back to the art by passing down to my students the teachings of this beautiful art. I would also like to encourage my fel ­ low Zarthustis to study Karate and its teachings, as I assure you it will definitely benefit from it. I would like to conclude with a teach- ________ __ _____ _ ing of the late Master Chojun chiatry and holds a clinical Associate MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS Zoroastrian Center, and played a major role in its formative years. Shida is currently the president of California Zoroastrian Center ’s Board of Trustees and dedicates a great deal of her time to serving the Zarthusti community. Meanwhile Ardeshir, who always, since his childhood, had pursued another dream — to build or be involved in building a Dar-e-Mehr — seized the opportunity of the initial excitement of the community and became deeply involved in the con- struction, fund raising and finally the inauguration of the new Rustom Guiv Dar-e-Mehr. He served as the chairperson of the construction com- ARDESHIR ANOSHIRAVANI Psychiatrist SHIDA ANOSHIRAVANI Pharmaceutical Chemist Corona Del Mar, California Shida and Ardeshir Anoshiravani were both bom in Kerman, Iran, in the same Zarthusti neighborhood (Eish-abad) where they occasionally saw each other and played as chil ­ dren. Their families (Anoshiravanis and Farhangis) both emigrated to Tehran for bigger and better things. They met again about 15 years later (not entirely by chance) and Ardeshir ’s childhood dream of mar ­ rying her was fulfilled after receiving mittee and worked closely with Iraj the blessings of their parents follow- Mavandadi, another ing a 2-year engagement. A few months later, in December 1970, they arrived in New Jersey for completion of their studies. Shida had a bachelor ’s degree in chemistry and Ardeshir had secured an MD from Tehran University. They both were able to achieve their education ­ al goals with the types of stmggles and hardships common to any new immigrant family, such as missing with the American culture, and other visible and invisible obstacles. Shida obtained her Master ’s degree in pharmaceutical chemistry in 1971 while she was pregnant with their first child, Arash. Ardeshir became a board certified psychiatrist in 1975. They moved to Southern California in 1978 with their two children Arash, 6 and Ara, 3. Ardeshir is in private practice of psy- Miyagi, founder of the Goju-Ryu Professorship at University of Cali- Karate-Do (the style that I practice): '“Do not be struck by others; do not strike others; and avoid trouble at all costs ”, which means “Be strong, never be defeated; the strong must care for the weak and seek peace and quiet; never be belligerent. ” over fornia, Irvine, and also is Medical Director of the St. Jude Hospital out ­ patient program. From the beginning they both became deeply involved in the affairs of the Zarthusti community in South ­ ern California. Shida worked closely with Farangis Shahrokh and the board of trustees of California Mavandadi, another committee member and the contractor, and Keki Amaria, an architect, during the period of construction. Later on, he was elected chairman of the Board of Directors for California Zoroastrian Center. Son Arash is a second year medical student at Harvard University. He is a winner of the 1996 FEZANA Out ­ standing Zoroastrian Student Award. Ara is a senior at the University of San Diego, and has already secured a job at a major accounting firm in Los Angeles. ROHINTON BALSARA Cardiac Thoracic Surgeon GULNAR BALSARA Pathologist Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania Rohinton Kakobad Balsara was bom in 1935 in Mumbai. After early edu ­ cation at Wadia Vachha School at Dadar, Mumbai, he moved to banga ­ lore and completed European High School and his Senior Cambridge exams. He obtained an Interscience degree from Government Intermedi ­ ate College in Bangalore and joined Mysore Medical College from where he obtained an MBBS degree in 1960. After a short stint in government ser ­ vice, Balsara went to Ottawa, Canada on a Tata Travel scholarship, and did 55 Parsiana May 1997I ... From left, Shida Anoshira- vani, Rohinton Balsara and Daryoush Jahanian and Associate Professor at Allegheny quently, he moved to Jewish Hospital University Medical College in in Cincinnati, Ohio where he com- “ “ pleted his general surgery training. His love of cardiac surgery brought him to Philadelphia in 1967. After completing his training in pediatric and adult cardiac surgery, he joined the staff of Temple University as an Assistant Professor. He is currently a tenured full Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, and Orthopedic Surgery. A member of numerous professional societies, both national and interna ­ tional, he has published widely. His scientific interests include surgery of the chest and repair of congenital heart defects besides heart transplan ­ tation. He has traveled extensively in the Orient and Europe on medical missions. His aim in life is to help the poor and, as such, volunteers his time to different institutions in India where he not only lectures, but has also trained junior surgeons. His hobbies include cross country travel, wildlife safari, and fishing. He is a life member of ZAPANJ and served two terms as its Joint Secre ­ tary. In 1994, he was Chairman of the Hospitality Committee for the North American Zoroastrian Congress in Philadelphia. Recently, he was elected VP of ZAPANJ. In 1970, Rohinton married Gulnar (nee Goawalla) an MD, pathologist 56 Parsiana May 1997 his internship in surgery. Subse- American Philadelphia. They have three chil ­ dren, Anahita, Keki and Zarine. NILOUFER BARIA Neurologist Vancouver, BC In 1977, Niloufer Baria [photo on page 2J graduated from high school, and was chosen as one of forty students from across Canada to participate in the Young Scientist Program in Summer 1977. She entered University of British Columbia and completed a degree as a physiologist and occupational ther ­ apist. A few months later, realizing she needed more of a challenge, she wrote all the entrance exams and applied to medical school. For her internship, she went to Mon­ treal. “It will always be a very spe ­ cial place for me, for it is where I met my husband, ” says Niloufer, “we were both in the Montreal General ER, arguing over an elderly man with abdominal pain. He thought it was gas, and I felt it was diverticulitis. I think neither of us were correct. ” After her internship, she was groomed as a surgical resident: “The buzz one gets rushing off to a trauma and the technical challenges in this male-dominated field, provide me with ample challenge. ” She returned to Vancouver in 1988, and began neurosurgery. She got mar ­ ried in 1989. Her husband was in the middle of a psychiatry residency, which kept the couple very busy. Shortly thereafter, their son was bom. “I enjoyed my residency, but the 24- hour calls, the late OR, not getting home till 8:30, began to take its toll, ” says Niloufer, “I felt resentful that I had to work so hard, and I was miss ­ ing out on my son ’s early years. Nev ­ ertheless, I hung in.” In her fifth year, she took one year off, and had her sec ­ ond son. She returned to residency and completed it, but made a decision that she was not prepared to work at the same pace the rest of her career. At present, Niloufer has a Family Practice in Vancouver. She also does two days a week at Workers ’ Com ­ pensation Board of BC, doing com ­ plex assessments dealing with back, neck and closed head injuries. This allows her to use her neurosurgical skills and training. She is also on the Board of the Vancouver Area chapter of the Federation of Medical Women. ¦‘These life choices have allowed me to find some balance in my life, ” says Niloufer, “I fully enjoy my active sons, and husband. We have just fin­ ished building a cottage in the inte ­ rior on a lake. So there are many weekends when we are away from all the activities of the city. ”DARYOUSH JAHANIAN Obstetrician, gynecologist Kansas City, Kansas Bom in Tehran, Iran, Daryoush Jaha- nian was educated in the Zarthusti schools, Jamshid-e-Jain primary school and Firooz-Bahram high school. After obtaining a medical degree from the University of Tehran Medical School in 1964, Jahanian served a year and a half in the Iranian Royal Army. From 1966 to 1971, he had his internship and resi ­ dency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Washington Universi ­ ty in St. Louis, MO. After a one-year stay in Iran, Jahanian has been a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist in the Kansas City area. Daryoush has always been very active in community affairs. He is a founder of the Fravahar Zarthusti youth organization of Tehran, and its first president. This organization set up religious classes, from which some of today ’s scholars have gradu ­ ated. Currently, over 300 students attend the Friday classes. Fravahar organizes lectures, and has pub­ lished teaching books with colorful illustrations. Other activities of the organization include sports, arts, publications and social functions. Fravahar promoted the publication of two volumes of Persian transla ­ tions of the Gathas by the late Mobed Firoz Azargoshasb, a monumental work following 15 years of endeavor by the learned Mobed. Other publi ­ cations of Fravahar include a bimonthly journal. After moving to the US, Daryoush has served as a trustee of the Rustam Guiv Trust of California (1981- 1989), a trustee and VP of the Rus ­ tam Guiv Foundation of New York since 1990, and its president since 1992. He is a founder (in 1991) and two-term president of the Zoroastrian Association of Kansas (ZAKA) Speaker and author, Jahanian deliv ­ ered a talk on “Ahura Mazda and Zoroastrian Mysticism ” [Gatha Con­ ference, Los Angeles, 1994], “Liber ­ ty and Freedom of Choice ” [FEZANA Meeting, Kansas City, 1995], and “History of Zoroastrians in Iran After the Arab Conquest ” [North American Congress, San Francisco, 1996]. His most recent publication is a book on The Zoroas­ trian Doctrine and Biblical Connec­ tions He teaches religion classes for Zarthusti children in Kansas City, and has given talks on the religion to area schools and community organizations. He cur ­ rently resides in Kansas City, Kansas with his wife Mahin and two sons, Arash and Keyarash. “The most important issue for us in the entire world is the religious edu ­ cation and training of future schol ­ ars, ” says Jahanian, “Despite problems facing us and at times, infighting, I believe the real threat to us is indifference. With all the enor ­ mous obstacles, we have achieved a lot. The future is bright, because we have dedicated members, and we have the will to survive as we did in Iran and India. ” KHURSHED JEEJEEBHOY Gas troen terologis t Toronto, Ontario .. 1 ¦ Khush Jeejeebhoy was bom in Ran ­ goon, Burma. When he was seven, he and his mother had to flee the Japanese advance. They flew out in a military plane while his father walked out. It was 3 months before they heard from him. As his father was now in the military, he attended school in different parts of India, from Simla to Madras. He entered University at 16, studying economics at a Jesuit college in Delhi. This was because he was too young for medical school; Later, he attended Vellore Medical School, graduating with top honors, and winning every prize he was eligible for. After 6 months in surgical residency at Lahore, he left for England. Within 3 years he had his London and Edin­ burgh memberships and his Ph.D. He married a nurse. Olive, from Lin­ colnshire and then left for Bombay to take a position with the Atomic Ener ­ gy Commission. He soon rose to become Head of the Medical Divi ­ sion and was noted for his research in tropical sprue, amongst other things. In 1968, he accepted a position in Toronto. Soon after arrival there, he realized that a huge segment of the population had no access to medical care, so with the permission of the minister at Little Trinity Church, he opened a clinic there. Every Saturday for the next few years, he would be at Little “T”, looking after all who came, with the help of a Catholic nun. Khurshed moved to St. Michaels Hospital in Toronto in 1990, and is now Director of their Nutrition pro ­ gram. Khush has over 40 publica ­ tions, and has supervised trainees from Canada, Switzerland, Australia, China, Japan, Belgium and Spain. His wife. Olive, works at Princess Margaret Hospital on the leukemia service. Daughter Shireen Anne, married to Normand, is a writer, editor and computer expert; son Pheroze John Khurshed, married to Kim, has a Law practice; and daugh ­ ter Farida Mary, married to Mike, is a second year medical resident. Khush enjoys learning everything he can, and excels in all areas. He loves tennis, sailing and cross-country ski ­ ing; took a navigator ’s course and obtained his pilots license. Intensely interested in people and all things around him, he never does anything 57 Parsiana May 1997in half measures. Currently the stock market has his interest, and he has built up quite a good record. His greatest achievement was to go against the medical thinking of the time and enable someone who could not eat, to live for more than 20 years on artificial feeding. Khush is a good friend of the ZSO and most helpful to anyone needing professional guidance and treatment. DHUN NORIA Pathologist, Laboratory Director West Concord, Ontario Dhun Noria wears many hats: wife, mother, friend, physician, teacher, business woman, and community worker. She excels in all these roles. Born in India, Dhun obtained her MBBS from Osmania Medical Col­ lege in Hyderabad, India. Arriving in Canada in 1969, Dhun completed an internship at the Wellesley Hospital and Residency in Anatomic Patholo ­ gy at the University of Toronto in 1975. In 1974 she became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada. Her two children, Sabrina and Zubin, were bom while Dhun was still a resident. In 1975, Dhun joined Central Hospital as staff pathologist, and in 1977 became Chief of Pathology and Director of Laboratory at Central Hospital. In 1985, Dhun accepted the position of Chief of Pathology and Director of Laboratory at the newly opened Scarborough Grace Hospital, a posi ­ tion she currently occupies. She has been on committees too numerous to mention, was President of the Medi ­ cal Staff Association, and on the Board of Directors of Scarborough Grace. Committed to bringing total quality management and continuous quality improvement in medical and non-medical areas, Dhun has effect ­ ed innovative programs at the hos ­ pital. Dhun has provided considerable volunteer service in the health care field. She has been a member of the Metro Toronto District Health Coun­ cil since 1989, and served as its Chair 1995-1996. As Chair, she oversaw numerous projects for hospital restmcturing, in the Metro Toronto area. Her projects can be used as a model throughout Ontario. Dhun was awarded special honor by Yet, Dhun is not a workaholic. She the President of University of Toronto for outstanding services to health care in Ontario. Later that year, she was nominated for the Gardiner Award, from the Toronto Junior Board of Trade, for Volunteer Service to the Community. Dhun the businesswoman owns and operates a medical laboratory, bleed ­ ing station, and EEG, Holter and PET laboratory in Scarborough, and is one of the owners of a medical building. Dhun is also very active with the Zarthusti community and the ZSO. She has been VP of ZSO, and orga ­ nized the Fifth North American Zoroastrian Congress in Toronto. Dhun was the Chair of the Banquet Committee of the ZSO in 1996, its Silver Jubilee year. The unequivocal success of the Silver Jubilee Banquet was, in great part, due to Dhun ’s organizing skills. Dhun was a member of the Dragon Ball in 1997, and helped raise $800,000 for a nursing home. loves the opera, symphony, and quiet weekends fishing with her family. She loves to entertain and invitations to her parties are much sought after. Her family and friends will tell you that when they need her, she is always there — with a smile and the right advice. I cannot think of a better role model for Zarthusti youth, than the example set by Dhun Noria. In the words of Rudyard Kipling: “If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty sec ­ onds ’ worth of distance run — yours is the Earth ..Dhun knows how to do that and more. - By Katy Driver Physicians in the US and Canada A cross-section of physicians in the US and Canada are listed here. This list, compiled with the help of Hutoxi Contractor of Pittsburgh, Dr. Katy Driver of Ontario, and Dr. Katie Irani of Houston, is not, by any means, exhaustive. Rather, it presents a cross-section of the variety of medi ­ cal specialities that Zarthustis have engaged in. Arizona: Armaity Austin, family medicine; Mehraban Irani, pathol ­ ogy- California: Eruch Guard, Hormez Guard, Lily LaPointe, Nergish Surti, Jimmy Vevaina. Florida: Keikhosrow Harvesf, pedi ­ atrics Illinois: Khorshed Bulsara, OB- Gyn; Malcolm Bilimoria, in resi ­ dency; J. M. Jehangir; Hoosh- mand Kadkhodaian; Firdausi Mazda, urologist; Mehroo Patel, family practice; Khushroo Patel, cardio-vascular surgeon; Patel, pediatrician, volunteers her services to help set up the Gram Seva Trust, a new Child Health Care Ser ­ vice serving 41 villages in the Valsad district of India. Committed to pro ­ 58 Parsiana May 1997 Rodaviding total child health and nutrition to this community suffering from mal ­ nutrition and fatal diseases, Roda spends several months each year in Valsad. Avan Vania, family medicine. Louisiana: Farokh Contractor, physical medicine and rehabilitation. Michigan: Baji Gandhi, endocri ­ nologist; Yazdi Sidhwa, OB-Gyn. Massachusetts-. Jasmin Bhathena, pediatric resident; Shireen Engi ­ neer, anaesthesiologist, Tufts Uni­ versity; Shireen Patton, pediatrician. New .Jersey/New York: Darius Antia, neonatologist, Elmhurst Hos ­ pital; Jessy Colah, psychiatrist; Nilufer Clubwala, pediatrics; Sher- naz Godiwalla, pedi-urological surgery; Pouruchishti Hirjibehdin, OB-Gyn; Khushru Irani, Ellis Hos ­ pital; Farzana Irani; Cyrus Kapa ­ dia; Ruby Malva, pediatrician, VP of NTL pediatric society; Ketayun Mama, Emergency Room physician; Monica Mehta, Rehab Specialist; Darayes Mobed, general surgery; Peshotan Kotval, radiologist; Firoz Mistry, cardio-vascular surgeon; Phiroza Modi, internist; Patel, anaesthesiologist; Patel, pediatrician; Behzad Pavri, cardiologist; Freny Sagar, OB-Gyn; Jeroo Sethna, Bayonne Hospital; Farokh Tarapore, psychiatry, Brookdale Hospital; Rusi Udwa ­ dia, Amherst. Nova Scotia-. Farokh Buhariwalla, family medicine; Reeshad Buhari ­ walla, family medicine; Buhariwalla, pediatrician. Oklahoma: Sami Framji, orthope ­ dics. Ontario-. Manijeh Atashband, oph ­ thalmologist, a recent arrival, at the Hospital for Sick Children; Darius Bagli, pediatric urologist at the Hos ­ pital for Sick Children; Tozer Bhe- sania, cardiologist, trained at University of Toronto, in private practice of non-invasive cardiology; Katy Driver, pediatrician, at Hospi ­ tal for Sick Children, specialist in child abuse and non-accidental injuries. She says: “The community should feel proud that in my 25 years as a child abuse expert, I have never Rusi had to assess a Zarthusti child with suspicion of abuse. ”; Dan Mehta, rheumatologist in private practice and at Orthopedic and Arthritic Hos ­ pital, Toronto; Silloo Mistry, pedia ­ trician, practicing in Oakville; Daisy Pavri, pediatrician, practicing in London; in developmental and behavioral pediatrics; Dinshaw Panthakee, orthopedic surgeon in Hamilton; Iraj Zare Parsi, North York; Zubin Punthakee, medical student at McMaster University, Hamilton; Sam Rhadakrishnan, resident in cardiology; Rustom Sethna, geriatric psychiatry, in prac ­ tice at Markham-Stouffville and Sun­ nybrook Hospitals. neuropsychiatry and community out ­ reach; Sohrab Shahzadi, Toronto; Mahrukh Tamboli, family physi ­ cian, practice in Ottawa. Pennsylvania and W. Virginia: Sher- na Bharucha, anaesthesia, Harris ­ burg; Farhad Contractor, inter ­ ventional radiology, mammography. President of TriState Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Alleghe- Niloofar Interest in Katy ny General Hospital; Roda Dalal, anaesthesiologist, Rolling Hill Rising in Love, Light and Life. Johnstown; Arya Homyar Hospital; Khursheed Dastur, neuro radiologist. Merci Hospital; Darius Desai, general surgery, Lankanau Hospital; Erach Engineer, anaes ­ thesiologist, Farhamand, resident; Karanjia, podiatry practice; Khor- shed Karanjia, emergency medical, retired; Minoo Karanjia, ENT, Indiana Hospital; Homi Kotwal, OB-Gyn; Neville Kotwal, psychia ­ trist; Meherwan Mistry, surgeon; Jasmin Mitra, OB-Gyn, Jefferson Hospital; Rohinton Morris, cardio- thoracic surgeon; Behzad Pavari, cardio-vascular medicine; Adi Tam- boli, allergist, W. Virginia-, Jasmine Tamboli, fami ­ ly practice; Behnaz Toorkey, pathol ­ ogist, Frankford Hospital; Niloofar Varjavand, internal medicine, cardi ­ ology, Jefferson Hospital; Taruna Vidge, anaesthesiologist; Texas (Houston)-. Thrity Desai, pedi ­ atrician; Yasmin Engineer, OB & gyn; Bomi Hormuzdi, pediatrician; Adel Irani, cardio-thoracic surgeon; Dinshaw Irani, family medicine; Katie Irani, physiatrist, physical medicine and rehabilitation; Natasha Dastoor Irani, resident in pediatrics; Dinaz Mody, pathologist; Phiroze Sabavala, Anaesthesiologist; Jeroo Sethna, psychiatrist. Quebec (Montreal)', Jehangir Appoo, resident in cardio-thoracic surgery; Burgiz Mistry, resident in anaesthe ­ siology; Yasmin Patel; Zubin Pun* thaky, resident in plastic surgery. Virginia: Faruk Presswala, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, Common ­ wealth of Virginia. Wisconsin: Yezdi and Shirley Godiwalla; Burzoe Ghandhi; MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER MEHER AMALSAD Professional Speaker, Author and Seminar Leader Westminster, California Bom in Karachi, Pakistan, Meher Amalsad came to the US in 1985, at the age of 26, after having completed his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the Nadirsha Edul- jee Dinsha University (NEDU), the only Engineering University in Karachi. He obtained his Master ’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Northrop University in Los Angeles. In Karachi, he taught at NEDU as well as at the Pakistan Naval Engi­ 59 Parsiana May 1997 Lneering University, and in the US he has been a visiting professor at West Coast Engineering University. He worked at ITT Technical Institute to create programs in computer net ­ working, electronics and career plan ­ ning. He later joined Hughes Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation as a Pro ­ gram Manager and Staff Engineer. In 1995, Meher changed professions Mn| completely. He left his technical job, and joined the independent Capital Management Group and became their district manager. He has now branched out into the field of helping others to enhance their human potential. For more than a decade, Meher has educated, moti ­ vated, entertained and influenced the lives of thousands. Meher is an interactive presenter, who speaks to Fortune 500 corpo ­ rations on how to achieve the American Dream. He shares his sensitivity, strength, expressive ­ ness, creativity and intuition, to help others enhance and develop their fullest potential. He also speaks to professional associa ­ tions on “Healing Relationships Through Unconditional Love. ” Meher ’s books and inspirational talks have been promoted on TV and Cable, as well as in nationally syndi ­ cated radio talk shows. He will be a speaker at Whole Life Expo in 1997. Dr. Mehrdad Zomorrodi of Xerox Corporation writes: “Not only did you create a positive vision for us, but also you left us all supercharged. Keep up the marvelous service to humankind. ” His book. Gifts that Lifts, Shifts, and Uplifts, [order on the Internet at Angeles. www.healthy.net] presents concepts, quotes and affirmations on parenting, unconditional love, spiritual con ­ sciousness, success and excellence, has been widely acclaimed, and endorsed by health organizations, churches, and schools. His next book Bread for the Head has just been released, and Meher has had several book signing presentations at Bodhi Tree, Barnes & Noble and other book stores. Author John Bradshaw calls it “An inspirational book teeming with the wisdom of the ages. It belongs in everybody ’s pocket. ” Meher has also made several other best-selling audio programs, including Math Magician, a book for children who have prob ­ lems with math. 1 KB Meher has been very involved in conununity work as well. He was the founder of “Helping Hands Zarthusti Youth Communication Network ” committee of FEZANA, and the con- ceptualizer of Youth Congresses. He chaired the First North American Zoroastrian Youth Congress in Los Angeles in 1987, and the First World Youth Congress in 1993, also in Los which He produced Navzote Master, an audio tape which teaches Avesta prayers to infants and toddlers in a unique way. At present, he is Direc ­ tor of the Zoroastrian Youth Super- star Group, which creates self-empowerment songs based on Zarthusti prayers. Meher is married to Ketayun, and has a 7-year-old daugh ­ ter Anahita, who he claims, is the inspiration for his work. MUSICIANS FAROBAG COOPER Conductor and Music Director Chicago, Illinois Music Director of the Chicago Phil- harmonia since 1985, and Artistic Director of the Professional B Instrumental Music Series at the University of Chicago, Farobag Homi Cooper [photo left] has per ­ formed on the piano at Carnegie Recital Hall and participated as a chorus member in over 100 per ­ formances with the New York Metropolitan Opera. He was accepted as a scholarship student in violin at the Manhattan School of Music, and, in 1975, continued studies in piano, theory, and con ­ ducting at the Eastman School of Music while simultaneously enrolled at the University of Rochester as a degree candidate in mathematics and philosophy. In addition to symphonic reper ­ toire, Farobag Homi Cooper is also a skilled interpreter of Baroque literature. Cooper ’s stylistic renditions which concate ­ nate period performance tech ­ niques with modem instruments have led ensembles specializing in seventeenth century repertoire to request his services as an artistic advisor. One of these, the Camerata Virtuosi, was featured with Cooper on Illinois Tourism Bureau commer ­ cials in 1990 and 1993. PIROOZI COOPER Performer, Oboe and English Hom Lawrenceville, New Jersey Piroozi Cooper graduated from the Manhattan School of Music, acquir ­ ing her Bachelor ’s in Music in May 1988. She studied English Hom with Thomas Stacy, English Hom of the New York Philharmonic, and Oboe with Robert Bloom, former Assistant Oboe and English Hom with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Piroozi has also undergone Montes ­ sori training for preschool children and trained in Kindermusic with Linda Swears. She has extensive 60 Parsiana May 1997k Zane Dalal the 18 experience in teaching at the pre-school level including teach ­ ing music to children between ages of months to 5 years at the Jew ­ ish Community Center at Stam- ford,Connecti- cut. Piroozi has had engage ­ ments playing the Oboe ancVor | English Hom j with several orchestras including the New York Chamber Sym ­ phony, the Greater Trenton Symphony Orchestra, Long Island Opera, the Opera New England, and the Chicago Philharmonia. She has performed with various chamber music ensembles including Alice Tully Hall in New York City, Connecticut Chamber group, the Gesualdo Quartet at the Juilliard School of Music, and has given solo Oboe/English Hom recitals in Stam ­ ford. She has participated in the Thomas Stacy International English Hom Seminar and the Estherwood Music Festival in New York. Zane Dalal Cooper resides in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, with her husband Behzad Pavri and their 4-year-old son, Cyms. ZANE DALAL Conductor and Music Director Dallas, Texas “Zane Dalal is an extremely gifted con ­ ductor who possesses a good com ­ mand over the orchestra, as his stick technique is very clear and commu ­ nicative and his musical ideas sub ­ stantive and well thought out. I think he is on the verge of embarking on a good career.'' n - Zubin Mehta Zane Dalal was bom and educated in England. He was awarded an Organ Scholarship to the University of Oxford where he held the position of Choirmaster and Organist at Oriel College Chapel. During his tenure the choir made several tours within the UK, notably to the cathedrals at Lichfield, Ely, Coventry and York. He holds Masters Degrees in Music from both Oxford, UK, and Indiana University at Bloomington. Dalal made his debut in Orchestral Conducting in the US at Indiana Uni­ versity. He became one of their most College of Fine Arts, distinguished conducting students, performing a wide range of new Oklahoma City Philharmonic and the works, concert! and symphonic lb Cx/rus Ginwalla repertoire. In 1989, he was named the Assistant Conductor of the Opera Department and was extensively involved with several major produc ­ tions, including Verdi ’s Otello, John Eaton ’s Cry of Clytaemnestra and an acclaimed public performance of Humperdinck ’s Hansel and Gretel. Also in that year, Dalal attended rehearsals and coachings at the Bayreuther Festspiele, under the aus ­ pices of Maestro Daniel Barenbo'im and Wolfgang Wagner. He has par ­ ticipated in several music festivals and competitions including the inter ­ national competitions in Besangon and Lugano. Dalal was appointed to the Universi ­ ty of Oklahoma where he was Music Director of the Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of the University Opera Theater, from 1991 to 1993. Under his direction, the Orchestra received tremendous recognition when they made their first statewide tours. In this capacity, he was appointed to several fundraising committees and was a major contrib ­ utor to the outreach program for the He has appeared as guest conductor with the American Youth Symphony in Los 61 Parsiana May 1997Lefi, Sorab Wadia. Above, Wadia (in black costume) as the evil Monostatos in the Aspen Opera Theater’s performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, in Aspen, Colorado. Angeles. He has also been invited to audition for Associate Conductor at the St. Louis and Cincinnati sym ­ phonies. In 1994, Dalal led the Utah Sympho ­ ny Orchestra in a special gala concert for the Lord Mayor of London, launching the St. Paul ’s Cathedral Appeal Fund in the United States. Prior to this event, he recorded a compact disc with the Utah Sympho ­ ny Orchestra that traverses both ‘pops ’ and ‘classical ’ repertoire and has been hailed as a breakthrough in recording technology. In 1995, Dalal competed in the pres ­ tigious First Leonard Bernstein Jerusalem International Conductor’s Competition. From a starting field of 233, Dalal was one of seventeen international candidates invited to conduct in Jerusalem. Of three can ­ didates advanced to that stage from professional summer light opera the US, he was the sole winner of the company in Baltimore. Cyrus has maintained an eclectic per ­ forming career, including appear ­ ances in orchestral, operatic and chamber music concerts. He has also appeared with the Minnesota Orches ­ tra, the Boca Pops and the Sewanee (Tennessee) Summer Festival Orchestra. He recently spent five weeks as visiting faculty at the St. the US, he was the sole winner of the competition held in Tanglewood — conducting members of Boston Sym ­ phony in the final round. Last year, by nomination, he was one of nine participants at the National Conductor ’s Preview, held in Kansas City, under the mantle of the Ameri ­ can Symphony Orchestra League, and spent much of the summer at the 62 Parsiana May 1997 Ravinia Festival by invitation of Mae ­ stro Christoph Eschenbach. This year, Dalal was invited to be acting assis ­ tant and cover conductor with the Dal ­ las Symphony for selected concerts with Maestro Andrew Litton. Michel Block says of Zane Dalal: “There is no doubt in my mind that he is a young man with an important future. ” CYRUS GINWALA Music Director and Conductor Kingsport, Tennessee This year was Maestro Cyrus Gin- wala ’s first season as Music Director and Conductor of the Kingsport (Tennessee) Symphony Orchestra. Prior to that appointment, Ginwala was Music Director and Conductor of the University Orchestra at Tow­ son State University, and of the Young Victorian Opera Company, a Summer Petersburg Conservatory. Ginwala is a former Assistant Conductor at the Peabody Conservatory, where he conducted annual opera productions and was the only conducting student entrusted with a major production of the Peabody Opera Theater. He has conducted summer festivals in Aspen, Colorado, and participated in the International Seminar for Orchestral Conductors in Italy in 1984. He has been a member of the Young Artists Programs Conducting Staff at Tanglewood. During his years at Tanglewood and at Towson State, he conducted choral music. Ginwala has worked extensively with young musicians as guest con ­ ductor with the Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestra, and at several Orchestra Festivals for high school students; and presented lectures and workshops for school students and faculty. He appeared on Maryland Arts “Opera-on-Film ” series, “Meet the Strings ”, a program for children, and “Face the Music ”, a popular pro ­ gram broadcast on Baltimore ’s WBJC. Cyrus has a Bachelor of Music in Piano from Boston University, and an MM and DMA in Orchestral Con­ ducting from Peabody Conservatory. L% I. SORAB WADIA Pianist, singer, actor Baltimore, Maryland I began studying piano at 4 with my Mom, Coomi Wadia, who is conduc ­ tor of the Paranjoti Chorus in Bom ­ bay, and later with Farida Dubash. After doing a diploma, the Licentiate of the Trinity College of Music, Lon­ don (LTCL), I was the first Indian to be awarded the Palamkote Bursary to study at the college in London and spent a term there in 1988. It was my first experience of studying music in the West and it thrilled me. I vowed to do it full time and not as a hobby any more. So it was off to the States for me. Fortunately, I got a wonderful oppor ­ tunity at a superb school of music — The Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University in Balti ­ more. Though both my Bachelor and Master of Music degrees were in Piano Performance, I got a chance to explore and get attracted to the world of opera, and now I am as much an opera singer as I am a pianist. I have been a featured pianist with the Bombay Chamber Orchestra, the Peabody Wind Ensemble, the Peabody Camerata (an ensemble spe ­ cializing in 20th century music) and have played several solo recitals in India [1] and the USA. As a singer. I’ve performed with the Aspen Opera Theater, Opera Omaha ’s Heartland Opera Theater, the Young Victorian Theater Company, Peabody Opera and the Curtis Opera. Highlights include doing a world premiere of an opera, Ligeia, written for and conducted by Mstislav Ros ­ tropovich, at his Festival (Recontres Musicales d’Evian}, in Evian, France. Last season I sang at the Scotia Festival in Halifax, Nova Sco ­ tia [2] and then went on to Aspen, Colorado, to do The Magic Flute with the Aspen Opera Theater. “Performing at the prestigious Aspen Festival (in Aspen, Colorado) was truly awesome, ” says Wadia, “the experience changed my life. I got to work with some of the finest musi ­ cians in the world and spent nine weeks in one of the most beautiful parts of America. I have been invit ­ ed back to Aspen this year. ” After Aspen, I spent two and a half months traveling all over Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota with Opera Omaha ’s Heartland Opera Theater. I sang the role of the Witch in Humperdink ’s Hansel and Gretel. Another evil role, but this time it was a female [3]! I have chosen to specialize in charac ­ ter tenor parts and also love narrating works like Prokofieff ’s Peter and the Wolf and William Walton ’s Facade. My mission in life is entertaining people in music, piano, opera, the ­ ater, radio, TV — whatever, and wherever. I work a lot with children (and adults), conducting Master ­ classes and Workshops. I love doing this because I get to infuse a love and understanding of ‘classical ’ music in people that erstwhile thought classi ­ cal music was for prudes. “I want to show kids that classical music can be quite hip, cool and fun. I want to de-mystify this ‘unap ­ proachable ’ music. I am currently working on a radio show that will allow me to do just that. “Besides my passion for music, I also love cooking Indian food (Parsi, Goan, Gujarati ...), yoga, e-mailing, walking and trekking especially in places like Nova Scotia and Aspen, and learning languages. Currently I’m working on French and Italian. And this year I have vowed to go sky-diving! ” [ 1 ] The Merchant of Venice and Piano Recital were reviewed in the Jame Jamshed, Bombay, March 3, 1996; “Sorab Wadia looked every inch the Prince of Morocco, and one couldn ’t believe he ’s the same boy that mes ­ merized the audience at the National Centre for the Performing Arts only last month with his Moonlight Sonata. Sorab is a volcano of talent. ” [2] The Chronicle-Herald, Halifax of June 1, 1996, said: “But nothing could prepare you for the brilliant comedy of Bombay tenor Sorab Wadia ...” [3] The Lincoln Journal Star of Lin­ coln, Nebraska October 21, 1996 reviewed the performance: “Kudos go to Wadia, the scariest Witch on record ... Wadia ’s every movement and his coaxing lines meant some parents had to tell the kids that this was, after all, just a story. ” OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY JASMINE COOPER Pediatric and Adolescent Psychiatry Montreal, Quebec Jasmine Cooper [photo overlecrf] obtained her Bachelor ’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Bombay University in 1988, graduating first in her class. While waiting to pro ­ cess her Canadian student ’s visa, she put her newly acquired OT skills to work as a volunteer OT at the B.D.Petit Parsee General Hospital. Soon after, she was accepted into McGill University ’s Master of Reha ­ bilitation Science program, and made her move to Montreal, Canada. She graduated with a Master ’s degree in 1992 and formulated a standardized sensory battery for children as part of her graduate study. She has also pre ­ sented her work at several confer ­ ences and published papers on the subject. 63 Parsiana May 1997MH Portrait of Canadian novelist John Metcalf by Sam Tata, from 50 Portraits by Sam Tata [Deneau Publishers, 1983]. In a tribute to Sam, Metcalf states: "Without him, our lives would have been thinner. His art has ennobled us." Above, Sam Tata, photographer. Below, Jasmine Cooper, occupation­ al therapist. For the past five years, Jasmine has worked at the Montreal Children ’s Hospital in pediatric and adolescent psychiatry. She deals with children who have severe behavioral prob ­ lems, issues of physical, sexual and substance abuse, suicidal attempts, as well as developmental and functional difficulties. She was also a partner in a consultation service for adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Dis ­ order. Jasmine enjoys teaching, to which she was first exposed during her Master ’s work. She is a guest lectur ­ er for a few courses at McGill, and has been invited to teach an elective course in Child and Adolescent Psy ­ chiatry. For the last four years, she has been a member of the Publication Committee for the Canadian Associ ­ ation of Occupational Therapy, whose duties entail creating policies and monitoring procedures regarding publications submitted to the natio ­ nal association. SHEROO MADAN Occupational Therapist Montreal, Quebec Sheroo Madon grad ­ uated from Bombay Uni­ versity with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy. I'J This was originally a diploma program at King Edward Memorial Hospital, but was phased out due to the advance of sci ­ ence and technology, and due to increasing emphasis on health care needs of society. Madon joined the KEM Hospital as a clinician, provid- 64 Parsiana May 1997 LL •* ¦ • 4' i* - *• •« ' 4' * t «« 7''. Shahrokh Khanizadeh is a leader in Quebec's promoting strawberry and apple breeding program, and is Therapy, and ensuring stan- also involved in breeding diverse resistant let- dards of excellence. tuce for the Quebec climate. His major research objective is to breed cold, hardy, dis­ ease-resistant strawberry and apple cultivars with good quality and long shelf life. He has saM TATA cultivars and two new apple cultivars. ing therapy to clients and their fami ­ lies treating a wide spectrum of con ­ ditions. Sheroo emigrated to Canada in 1971, and as a ‘door-opener ’, started work ­ ing at Jean Michel Hospital for cere ­ bral palsy children in Longueuil, Quebec. Next, she joined the .dynamic team at L’Institut de Readaptation de Montreal (IRM) as an Occupational Therapist. This is a 104-bed hospital for adult patients. Presently Sheroo is Assistant Head of the Department with a staff of over 30 people. IRM is a facility affiliated with the University of Montreal, and is specialized in the field of rehabilita ­ tion. There are five major pro- grams here: stroke, amputee, . spinal cord injury, closed head injury and cerebral palsy. With the number of years of service, she has achieved a B|||b wide range of experience as a clinician, researcher (with clinical-published articles on multifunctional hand prosthe- sis, shoulder pain in hemiple- gia and others), administrator and a teacher in the rehabilita- tion field, all within hospitals and universities in the Montre- al and Ottawa area. ¦¦ Sheroo was a clinical stu- HH dents ’ coordinator in occupa- tional therapy at the IRM for Montreal and McGill Univer- sity students, and received an award from the McGill Uni- versity in 1996 for contribu- tions made to clinical assignments for students. Sheroo has also worked on numerous committees at the provincial and national level Occupational s P®TOGRAPHER strawberry Photojoumalist Montreal, Quebec Bom in 1911 in Shanghai, China, where his father was the manager of two Tata cotton mills, Sam Tata, LED, BCom (failed, as he jokingly says) should have been a businessman and followed his father into the textile business. First Sam went to Hong Kong University, where a chronic weakness in mathematics ended a career in science. Sam ’s father was undeterred. “Who needs higher math ­ ematics to run a cotton mill? ” he asked. But Sam fared no better in business. “My father despaired of me, ” says Sam, “because all I ever achieved at the mill was the status of a glorified clerk. ” It was in the mid 1930s that Sam dis ­ covered photography. He was drawn to portraiture, and became adept in the use of lighting and techniques of the pictorialists. Shanghai was bombed by the Japanese in 1937, and occupied by them through World War II. These years were spent by Sam in pursuit of pictorial work, seeking out rare photographic materials. After the war, Tata devoted himself full-time to photography. In 1946, laden with cameras, Sam spent two years traveling and discovering through his lens, the country of his origins, India. In 1948, in Bombay, he visited an exhibition of photographs by French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, whose photography was to influence a generation of photographers. This fortunate meeting and the close and lasting friendship that developed between the two, resulted in a com ­ plete break with traditional photogra ­ phy for Tata. Sam returned to Shanghai in 1949 and along with Cartier-Bresson, roamed the streets of the city docu ­ menting the fall of the Kuomintang regime and the advent of Mao Tse Tung’s government. Sam ’s pho ­ tographs of those turbulent events are, according to Canadian novelist Hugh Hood “the most searching record in existence anywhere ... With the Communist takeover, the family ’s management of the Tata mills came to an end. In 1952, Sam and his wife Rita, whom he had met in Shanghai, moved to Hong Kong, In 1956, at age 45, Sam and Rita emi ­ grated to Montreal, Canada, with their daughter Toni. He soon gained some acceptance in Canada as a photo-journalist, and practiced photo-reportage full time. Tata ’s works have been exhibited in well known art galleries across Cana ­ da including the National Art Gallery in Ottawa, the Museum of Fine Arts in New York and the National Por ­ trait Gallery in London; and pub­ lished in magazines {Macleans, >9 65 Parsiana May 1997Chatelaine, Time, Weekend and oth ­ ers). Numerous books of his pho ­ tographs have been printed. His Collection of Works of Sam Tata 1937-1987 in the Canadian Writers series is currently being published. A major retrospective The Tata Era, organized by the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, toured Canada. Sam is the recipient of many nation ­ al and international prizes in recogni ­ tion of his lifetime endeavor. In 1982, he was honored with a Doctor of Laws by Concordia University, Montreal. The Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators pre ­ sented Sam with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989. [Excerpted from Geoffrey James foreword to A Certain Identity — 50 portraits by Sam Tata, Deneau Pub­ lishers, Canada, 1983.] PLANT BREEDER SHAHROKH KHANIZADEH Plant Breeder, Physiologist, Statistician St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec Shahrokh Khanizadeh, Eng. Ph.D. was bom in Kerman, Iran. After fin­ ishing high school in Firooz Bahram in 1971, he obtained a degree in Agricultural Engineering in 1975 from the University of Tehran. After two years of military service in Iran, he moved to Montreal in 1979. In 1983, he obtained his M.Sc. and in 1989 his Ph.D. from McGill Univer ­ sity in the area of tree fruit physiolo ­ gy and biochemistry. During his post-graduate work, he set up his own business in computer pro ­ gramming, hardware and software setup, data analysis and consultation in landscaping and horticulture. His post-doctoral research was in the area of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Physiology. From 1992 to 1995 he was Assistant Professor at McGill University before joining Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Federal Hor ­ ticultural Research and Development Center as a Research Scientist, work ­ ing as a Plant Breeder, Physiologist and Statistician. He supervises grad ­ uate and doctoral level students, and has published over 80 refereed arti ­ cles and authored 3 book chapters. As an invited guest speaker at inter ­ national and national scientific meet ­ ings, and member of several professional organizations, he orga ­ nized the scientific program of the 92nd annual meeting of the Ameri ­ can Society of Horticultural Science, the 40th annual congress of the Canadian Society for Horticultural Science in 1995, in Montreal. Shahrokh has developed 8 PC pro ­ grams related to horticulture, and 3 mathematical formulae for evaluat ­ ing and scoring fruit characteristics such as appearance, firmness, flavor, vigor, susceptibility to disease, etc. These formulae are used extensively in evaluating horticultural crops in Canada, USA and Europe. Two of his statistical analysis programs are very popular, and used frequently in research. Until 1991, no software existed in drawing a pedigree of breeding lines and cultivars. Shahrokh was the first to develop a Pedigree for DOS, used by research scientists to trace the pedigree and maintain information for over 34 different horticultural crops. The Windows version (3.x, 95, NT) of Pedigree will be released in April 1997. His web site can be visited at WWW.Pgris.Com . PUBiC RELATIONS JIM ENGINEER Communications Specialist Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Jim Engineer is a communications specialist at Mellon Bank Corpora ­ tion in Philadelphia, where he serves as spokesperson for the Corporations more than 130 branches. His prima ­ ry responsibilities for the past two years have consisted of communicat ­ ing Mellon ’s expansion initiatives and breadth of financial products and services to both an internal audience of more than 3,500 employees, and to the public through newspaper, radio and television media. Additional responsibilities include: speech writ ­ ing for senior management; staffing interviews between senior executives and the media; creating multi-media presentations for quarterly senior officer meetings; and serving as a reporter for Mellon ’s corporate-wide newsmagazine. Newslink. Prior to his current post, Jim served for two years as an account executive at a small public and investor rela ­ tions firm in Illinois, where he gained basic client/agency and media rela ­ tions experience. Jim graduated from Northern Illinois University with a BA in Journalism and a minor in Business, in 1992. He attributes his modest growth to experiences at three summer intern ­ ships: his first as a reporter with the Naperville Sun, a suburban Chicago newspaper, where he had served as a reporter since age 16; his second at Chicago-based Leo Burnett, the world ’s largest privately-owned advertising company; and his final internship (unpaid) at Margie Kor- shak Associates, one of Chicago ’s leading public relations agencies. Jim recently garnered his first public relations award from the Public Rela ­ tions Society of America (PRSA) for outstanding public relations pro ­ gramming of a Mellon-sponsored anti-violence project. He is a mem ­ ber of the International Association of Business Communicators, and while working in Chicago, served as co-chair for PRSA/Chicago ’s Young Industry Professionals. Jim is Chair of the FEZANA Public Relations Committee. Previous con ­ tributions to FEZANA include a term as Co-Chair of the Zarthusti Youth Network of North AMerica (ZYNA) with Mazda Antia, and creator and editor of the Youthfully Speaking section of FEZANA Journal, both of which continue to grow under new leadership. Jim, who is 26, attributes his devel ­ opment to three fundamental princi- 66 Parsiana May 1997r s IZ) § w d 5 £ Top, Jim Engineer, com­ munications specialist. Bottom, Mohur Sidhwa, psychic and palmist. t, ¦(.J, pies: the ability to effectively market one ’s self, a determined approach to gathering experience through rela ­ tionship building, and maintaining an unrelenting passion to achieve any desired goal or dream. PSYCHIC MOHUR SIDHWA Psychic and Palmist Houston, Texas •I’ve always been psychic, though it was closer to age 6 or 7 that I realized that not all people had the ability to come to the correct conclusion about events and situations based on mini ­ mal data, the way I often could. At 10,1 spent a summer in Afghanistan and was exposed to a gifted and wise lady who encouraged me to sharpen ing and research assistantships! So, upon graduation, I set up an office in Tucson, Arizona, in 1985, advertised to the general public, and kept my fingers crossed. Meanwhile, from 1985-1994, I gave lectures in a class on Paranormal Anthropology at the University of Arizona, specifically in the area of pre-cognition. A popular subject, classes were always full. I had to work very hard to distinguish myself from the fly-by-night fortune teller types in this field, who promise to solve all problems for all people for the right amount of cash. As time went on, my business thrived, word went out, and people from all over the country called for readings. Over the next ten years I developed a good client base. In 1996 I moved to Houston to be closer to family and am building up business here. I consider myself a fairly competent I psychic, and to the extent that I can I keep tabs on my accuracy rates, it is I about 80%. Occasionally there are people I just cannot read — it may not be appropriate for them to know their future, or because I know them too well to give an unbiased reading. I no longer read for family or friends. Doing readings is fairly exhausting. Usually my limit is 4 people a day. For every hour I spend for a client, I need a half hour of meditation time. I do not encourage people to have readings too often, as there is the danger of building a dependency. I’d rather people be busy creating a life, than waiting for life to happen. Most of my client base is American, of both genders, of above average education. They are often sheepish or uneasy the first time. Their cul ­ ture frowns a bit on ‘fortune tellers ’. my skills. Over the years I learned to read palms as an aid to my natural pre-cognitive skills. Growing up, I also discovered anoth ­ er very important aspect to my gift — the ability to look at pictures, and touch handwriting samples to get an enhanced ‘sense ’ or connection to the person or situation being investigated. It works the same for business logos. I did my graduate work in Anthropol ­ ogy as this is one of the few fields in which I could study the art and sci ­ ence of precognition and the paranor ­ mal from a cross-cultural and academic perspective. While in graduate school, word got around that I could give unique insights into people and situations. I My rates range from $30 for a simple found I had a better income from doing readings than from my teach ­ specific question to $60 for a com ­ prehensive look. ! J I ¦1^ ¦ Parsiana May 1997I take my work and professionalism very seriously and have enormous respect for my field, and do not work from home. If I’m accosted at a funcdoa with, an outstretched tjalm., asking to be read, I decline to do so. That would be equal to reading a couple of sentences of a book — that would be out of context. PSYCHOLOGISTS Psychologists at Work By Parastu Dubash Did you know that there are many Zarthusti psychologists in North America? As a psychologist myself, I found it very interesting to contact and learn about many of them. The individuals you will meet in this arti ­ cle share many attributes. They are fascinating, motivated and success ­ ful; they are recognized in their fields; and they are making signifi ­ cant contributions to the field of psy ­ chology and to the lives of many people with whom they interact. For non-psychologists, the field of psychology is perceived as fairly nar ­ row. An image of a Freudian psy ­ choanalyst interpreting the dreams and unconscious thoughts of a client on a couch, or a scientist in a white lab coat teaching rats to run through mazes, might be images that psychol ­ ogy invokes for many. Others who have taken an introductory psycholo ­ gy course may be more aware that topics psychologists examine and approaches they use are quite diverse. And yet others, are more familiar with the empirical and scien ­ tific nature of the field. Every day, psychologists conduct experiments and use other scientific methods to better understand the actions of humans and animals, from the activi ­ ty of a single nerve cell to the work ­ ing of memory, to the social conflicts in a complex society. Because psychology is a science, all of its subfields emphasize empirical research — in other words, research that goes beyond philosophical spec ­ ulation or reasoning about behavior worked, and mental processes, to carefully gather and systematically analyze information about psychological phenomena. queries into the personal and profes ­ sional lives of a number of Zarthusti psychologists, I met some individuals who will hopefully broaden your per ­ spective about the practice, research and application of psychology. I will begin this exciting tour of psy ­ chologists with professionals who have worked, practiced and researched for many years in the field. They are accomplished, active and involved in their professions. I move next to young professionals who are just a few years beyond their hard-earned degrees, and are at the beginning of their careers. Later, we examine the interests and pursuits of graduate students and one undergrad ­ uate in psychology whose excitement about the field is refreshing. BAPAIBATLIWALLA was bom in Bombay in 1918, and, in 1943, was the first Parsi woman to receive a Master ’s degree in Political History. She earned her first Master ’s of Social Work from the Tata School of Social Work in Mumbai in 1947. Later, upon completion of her second Master ’s at Smith College in Mas ­ sachusetts in 1950, she returned to India as the first psychiatric social worker in Mumbai. After a brief stay in India, she returned to the US to fulfill a com ­ mitment to the Henry Street Settle ­ ment House where she helped migrant Puerto Rican families settle in New York. returned to India to complete her psychoanalytic training and worked in a multi-disciplinary agency, pri ­ marily with children. Restless for more challenge, she began a nursery school which pro ­ vided child, parent and family thera ­ py, and also helped develop a school of social work at a local college. Fueled by these projects, she helped establish and became a founding Eventually, she Society, Unandi member of the Confederation of Indian Social Workers, and helped coordinate its first conference. In 1960, Bapai acquired full profession ­ al membership of the Indian Psycho ­ analytical Society, and the International Psychoanalytical Soci ­ ety. She has also held positions with Zoroastrian Unandi Dwara, N.M.Wadia Charities, JJ Hospitals, Parsi Panchayet, Lakeshore Hospital in Toronto, Montreal Children ’s Hos ­ pital, and Westminster Institute of Bioethics. Bapai emigrated to Canada in 1961, where she still resides. She was called upon as a consultant to the newly-established Calgary School of Social Work in Alberta. She also served on a number of social work faculties at the University of Manito ­ ba, Cambrion College, Fanshawe College and Case Western Reserve. Bapai retired in 1978, but in name only. She pursued her doctorate, and served on a number of community boards dealing with issues such as home health care and the development of ethical professional standards. Seven years ago, Bapai became total ­ ly blind, however she is in excellent health. She continues to be involved in community projects such as serv ­ ing on Task Forces dealing with Community Health Services, and working to create and implement the Ontario Provincial Disability Act. Her particular interest is in “human nature and dignity of the individual rights, particularly of non-white women, handicapped groups, and those caught under the clutches of bureaucracy and of power positions. ” In 1994, Bapai was honored by the President of Smith College with the Day-Garrett Award, the school ’s highest honor. Bapai, a 1950 alum ­ nus was cited as a social worker, edu ­ cator, humanitarian, mentor and advocate. DOLLY DASTOOR was born in Bombay, where she did her Master ’s in Clinical Psychology at Bombay University. She left for Nigeria in ( innovator. 68 Parsiana May 19971964 only two weeks after her mar ­ riage to Phiroz Dastoor. In Nigeria she worked at the University teach ­ ing hospital, in Ibadan as a research fellow iss^tfee. < «- history of his people, starring Zubin Mehta, Nigel Terry and an interna ­ tional cast. A monumental effort, it involved supervising a crew and cast of 400 people over a period of two years and raising $750,000 to finance the production. As Executive Producer at Discovery Channel during 1989-1990, Bharu ­ near-impossible chance that I should survive, I would remain a vegetable. And, even if I were to come out of my coma, it would take me over a decade just to get back to my pre ­ accident level. I spent the next month in a coma and the next half-year in therapy and rehabilitation at three different hospi ­ tals. Needless to say, returning back 80 Parsiana May 1997Cyrus Bharucha to school was no picnic. I was put back in a lower grade, and even there, my grades left much to be desired; and because of the nature of my injuries, I suffered from terrible behavioral problems. I would lash out at authority and make a complete fool of myself in an attempt to be funny and popular. I achieved only the latter half of that goal. Oh, I became popular alright! I was now the most disliked person in the school — ostracized by my peers and victimized by my enemies. My teachers and principal had all but given up on me. My only way out seemed to be sui ­ cide. But thank God I was talked out •of my first attempt and stopped from my second. I was faced with an ulti ­ matum: I could either smarten up, grow up and clean up my act or I could continue on this downward spiral and become yet another statis ­ tic. I opted for the former. I decided to get involved in extra ­ curricular activities at school to keep myself out of trouble. I found that not only did I enjoy these activities and the gradual popularity that they eventually earned my degree in offered, but my grades also Broadcasting, and six months later, I improved. And with each succeeding year, I entered more and more activi ­ ties. Eventually I did become the most popular person in the school, but this time for all the right reasons. By the way, remember the original prognosis of 10 years rehab time? Corporation (CBC) our national net- Well, in less than five — four and a half, to be exact — not only did I reach the academic level of my peers to eventually graduate with the same class that I had originally entered high school with, but I was also rec ­ ognized for raising the most funds in the school ’s history for a charity drive, I received an award that was second only to Valedictorian, and I was honored by the Government of Canada for my contributions to my school and my community. So much for doctors. The following year, I entered the University. And while I did not grad- Khush Panthaky uate immediately (actually taking twice as long to finish the course), I held two jobs in the TV industry. I started out as a volunteer for a local multi-cultural station, CFMT, in Toronto, as a news writer and eventu ­ ally a reporter. At the same time, I also worked for the Canadian Broadcasting work as a researcher and writer. After my contract with CBC expired, I was promoted to Senior Reporter at CFMT, where I work for South Asian Newsweek. Because the show deals with news and issues from the South Asian region and community in Toronto, I have had the opportunity to see just how strong a community it is. It has also allowed me to produce and narrate a mini-documentary on Zoroastrianism. I’ve reported on crime, politics, education, medicine, employment and sports — all per ­ taining to South Asians. 81 Parsiana May 1997 bI have since served as a motivational speaker at my former high school and I also served as MC at ZSO’s 25th anniversary gala banquet. So that ’s where I stand today. Senior reporter and news writer for CFMT. But driven as I am by my hunger for bigger and better things, you won’t find me resting there on my laurels. So let this be a warning, USA — Peter Jennings won’t be the only Canadian to anchor a major Ameri ­ can newsdesk ... [Khush Panthaky, son of Jal and Meher Panthaky, was born in Mon­ treal in 1969, and moved to Toronto with his family in 1983]. MOJDEH SHAHRIARI Film Producer and Dancer Vancouver, British Columbia A first generation Canadian immi ­ grant, I came to Canada in 1986, with a strong background in writing, the ­ ater, dance and photography. I had been dancing since the age of six with various ballet schools in Iran and had taken training in Iran, France and the US. In Canada I had continued studying both academically and independent ­ ly. I obtained a double honor ’s degree in Film and Sociology from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1991, during which time I also made several award-winning short films and documentaries. Nostalgia, a 7-minute 16mm film, won a Merit Award at the Montana Film Festival in 1989, and Lines in Motion, a 4-minute experimental video won the second-best video award at the BC film and Video Awards. Independently produced Us, Men, and Canada (1991) is a 24-minute documentary about Iranian immi ­ grants in Canada. This film was well received and is currently being used in many educational institutions including UBC’s School of Social Work. I further advanced my studies and completed my Master ’s of Fine Arts in Film at UBC in 1994. in the City of Toronto, and has allowed me to develop friendships with the pets and their owners. I try to care for pets in a proactive, wellness approach, rather than the tra ­ ditional reactive approach. I have the My award winning film. Salt Please (1994) is a half-hour comedy about gender roles, produced in Vancouver, with funding both from public and private sectors. This project was mainly supported by Alayar Dabestani of Vancouver, who was the advantage of seeing the pet in its own Executive Producer of the film. I am also the founder and artistic director of Atash Dance Group, a modem Persian dance group in BC since 1990. My dance company has won several awards from the North Vancouver Arts Council. I am also the recipient of the 1995 Ann McDonald Art Educator of the Year award in North Vancouver. Atash has produced several shows based on the Iranian and Zarthusti heritage for NoRuz cel ­ ebrations, a celebration of Asha va Hishta in 1993, and Mehergan. We participate in many dance and multi ­ cultural events with dances that are all originally choreographed — a fusion of western ballet and jazz techniques with eastern styles. Currently I am working as an inde ­ pendent film and video director and continue to work as a dancer and dance choreographer. tBBgBBaaaagwwHg^y j *>-44 » g A x >5 S S&jiatlSLS r t fk r?^.OJ^lWlSlM«8888BS KHORSHED BALSARA Veterinary House Calls Toronto, Ontario I have always been very fond of ani ­ mals and interested in the biological sciences. seemed to be the perfect vocation for I apprenticed on farms with large animals such as cows, pigs, goats and horses. Later, at the Uni­ versity of Guelph, I was admitted to pre-veterinary science. The five-year course was intensive but enjoyable and prepared me well for my future as a clinical practitioner. At Guelph I met my life partner Dar ­ rin Tooth, and it was at his encour ­ agement that I started my own business doing veterinary house calls. Central Toronto Small Animal Mobile was founded in 1988 and has been an actively growing practice ever since. This is a unique service vStebinarians Veterinary Medicine 82 Parsiana May 1997 me. environment, which can be very help ­ ful in diagnosis of many problems. Two years ago, one of my classmates from Vet School introduced me to a new product from Oxy fresh for the dental care of pets. As I introduced them to my clients and found they loved the products, for their ease of use and effectiveness, I decided to devote a part time effort to promoting these products to others via the method of network distribution. Mojdeh Shahriari, founder and artis­ tic director of Atash Dance Group. LMy husband and I have always had the pioneering spirit, first when we enough to deal with creatures who started a most untraditional pet house call practice, and now by entering Network Marketing. ZAVER SHROFF Veterinarian, Small Animals Sunnyvale, California My name is Zaver Shroff, and I own and operate a Small Animal solo practice in Sunnyvale, California. I got my veterinary degree from the University of Bombay, and my MS in small animal surgery from the Uni­ versity of Minnesota. I worked in Los Angeles area for some years as an Associate, before getting married and moving to Sunnyvale. As far back as I can remember, I bonded with all four-legged crea ­ tures. This trait, together with my love for the outdoors and exposure to the health care field (my father was a physician) had a decisive impact in the choice of my profession. " My mobile hospital is equipped to treat diseases of companion animals. compassionate, gentle and caring can ’t tell us where it hurts. My hus ­ band, Sarosh Patel, our children Delara (6) and Arzan (3), our cat Luigi and I live in Sunnyvale. YOGA It has a surgical suite with full range of anesthetic equipment, X-Ray equipment and EKG to name a few. We also board and groom animals. A ‘typical ’ day may consist of seeing patients in the morning, followed by one or two elective surgeries, dentd prophylaxis or diagnostic work. Like human medicine, veterinary i medicine has come a long way in the ¦ last 50 years. Pets requiring more H sophisticated tests like ultrasound or S CAT scans, are referred to a Univer- I sity, as the cost of maintaining these i machines in a private practice is pro- 3 hibitive. Medical insurance for pets 3 is now available and when cost is not S a factor for the client, procedures like 3 cataract surgery, total hip replace- « ment, laser treatment for skin can- H cers, kidney transplant in cats and 3 cardiac surgery to correct congenital H defects is performed. ¦ Will Rogers said “Personally I have Top, Toronto veterinarian, Khorshed always felt that the best doctor in the Balsara, with daughters Zara and Emma. Below, Zaver Shroff, veteri­ narian with practice in California. world is the veterinarian. He can ’t ask his patients what is the matter, he ’s just got to know.” We have to be environment. PERVIN DAVAR Yoga Falls Church, Virginia Pervin Davar has a degree in Educa ­ tion from Poona, India. She trained as an instructor in yoga and pre-natal yoga through the Integral Yoga Insti ­ tute in Buckingham, Virginia. For the past ten years she has been con ­ ducting yoga classes, including teaching in hospitals, health centers, and at the US Senate. An interest in homeopathy, acupres ­ sure, reflexology and Reiki, comple ­ ment her work in yoga. She spends as much time as possible in her gar ­ den and also works as a potter, main ­ ly using the pit-fired and raku methods. Pervin teaches Hatha Yoga, which is a scientific system for the complete and harmonious development of the individual. She teaches yoga in a non-threatening Through non-straining stretches, breathing and relaxation, the body, breath and mind become calmer, stronger and more flexible. Her aim is to bring a sense of balance into the lives of her students. Yoga is not meant to punish the body. It is an enjoyable way of releasing tensions and improving physical and mental health. Through focus, concentration and awareness, her students are con ­ stantly working towards a sense of balance, or harmony. There is no competition, and each person works according to their own abilities. Much of what is learned in class can be adapted to daily life to help reduce stress and tension. She encourages her students to practice regularly. A few minutes a day is much more ben ­ eficial than only once a week in a class. She feels that anyone can begin yoga, no matter what their age, and whatever their physical type. ¦ 83 Parsiana May 1997 LBy Rustom Kevala Gaithersburg, Maryland The Engineering Profession ¦ i ¦ ¦ “Always take on a job That is too big for you" - Harry Emerson Fosdick ver since I was a scab-kneed 9 year-old, I had always wanted to be an engineer. My concept of engineering was to build dams, roads and bridges for India ’s entry into the modem world. After two years of general science and math courses at Jai Hind College, I secured admission at the L.D. College of Engineering in Ahmedabad. This was 1957 and I was 18. I had confi ­ dently embarked on my life ’s jour ­ ney. But soon, I realized how limited my family ’s resources really were. Often, I had no money to eat. I was devastated when I had to find excus ­ es not to join my friends for a ‘fil- lum ’ in the city. I finally wrote to my mother that I could not go on. That is when she suggested that I apply to the charities that were available for poor Parsi students. My dad reluc ­ tantly agreed and sent me the forms. I had no trouble getting financial help, and with the grace of our fore ­ fathers, I continued my studies. During the final year, our class took a tour to study some of the famous dams and bridges of India. That ’s when I realized that building dams and bridges was not my calling. At that time (1960-62), the government of India was offering a stipend of 400 mpees per month to all graduate level engineering students. That stipend seemed quite generous, and I secured admission at the Indian Insti ­ tute of Science (IISc, founded by ....... .............. on the Saturn V rocket (the moon tion of Indians) in Bangalore towards rocket) engine. When NASA fund- a graduate course in aeronautical engineering. This was to be my crowning achievement. I dreamt of designing and flying jet planes built in India and making India one of the preeminent countries conducting research in aeronautics. After gradu ­ ation in 1962, I joined Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at a salary of Rs. 600 per month. Bangalore was a sleepy city in those days, with clean, wide streets, hardly any traffic, and terrific coffee-hous ­ es. I was on top of the world. But my euphoria did not last long. I felt frustrated at the pace of progress and opportunities in India and after read ­ ing of the rocket and space research opportunities in America, I applied for admission at several American universities. Oklahoma State University, located in the exact center of the map of the US, offered me the chance to obtain a Ph.D. Again, I applied for loans and scholarships from the renowned Parsi charities in Mumbai, and with the major help of the J.N.Tata Endowment (Tata Scholarship), I arrived in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in September 1963. That November, as I sat in an examination hall, my pro ­ fessor announced that John F. Kennedy had been shot and killed. I did not know it then, but America was changing. My first job was with IIT Research Institute in Chicago, doing research Jamshedji Tata for the higher educa- Environmental ing got shifted, I shifted to jet noise studies and then to pure acoustics. I received an offer to work with an MIT acoustics professor for two years and then obtained a position with the consulting firm of Booz, Allen & Hamilton, Inc. in Washing ­ ton, DC, to help draft new noise stan ­ dards for the Protection Agency. This led to studies in noise and exhaust emission mechanisms of diesel engines and studies in model ­ ing of atmospheric pollution from automobiles. After the energy crisis, I began to help formulate research programs for energy conservation and pollution reduction. During those years, development of battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs) became fashionable because they would not require petroleum fuels. In the late 1980s, I found myself writing papers on the prob ­ lems of batteries and electronic sys ­ tems and going all over the country conducting workshops for EV mechanics. EVs are in the news again nowadays for their environ ­ mental benefits. All major car manu ­ facturers are finally getting serious about developing EVs. In 1992,1 accepted a job as a VP of a new start-up company in New Jersey to manage a $15 million contract for developing a fuel cell-powered bus. The idea was simple — the fuel cell, which runs on hydrogen, generated 84 Parsiana May 1997 Lelectricity on board the bus. Its power output was supplemented by a battery to provide the power needed to drive the traction motor. The hydrogen was obtained by reforming methanol. The implementation of this simple idea required the integra ­ tion of the skills and knowledge of scientists and engineers who knew automotive design (CAD/CAM), mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electrochemistry, circuit design and host of other areas. The fuel cell was made in Japan because none of the American com ­ panies believed that it could be made small enough to fit into the back end of a bus! Not the least part of my job was cost management, personnel relations, and keeping investors happy. By 1994, one bus was com ­ pleted and tested. Two more buses were made and delivered in 1995. Today, fuel cells are at the forefront of technologies for generating elec ­ tric power in remote areas and they are seriously being considered as power sources for future electric cars. All-in-all, it was a very fulfill­ ing experience. Last year, I became a private consul ­ tant with the US Department of Ener ­ gy and several private companies in the EV area. In addition, I am work ­ ing on opportunities for transferring American mass-production technolo ­ gies to India. I had started out as an engineer thinking that I would help India ’s development by building dams. I still want to help, but to my dismay, I am finding that the political conditions and bureaucracy in India are much worse today than they were 30 years ago. I don’t know if I will succeed, but I am trying — fortu ­ nately, I am having fun while trying. . Engineering Jobs of the Future ne message that comes across from all the engineers I have talked with is that one has to continually update skills to get ahead, and sometimes just to survive. Engineering is a very diverse field. Agility and willingness to change jobs either within the company or o of today ’s outside, learn entirely new flelds of specialty, and to take on ever-more- difficult assignments, are the hall ­ mark of today ’s successful engineering careers. In engineering, you can ’t make it without a can-do attitude. If you want to reach the top, you must be willing to write well, take charge, and be willing to go to bat for your colleagues. Above all, you must know how to get along with some of the smartest and most competitive people in the world — your fellow engineers. John F. Kennedy had been shot and killed, i did not know it then, but America was changing. The new jobs in tomorrow ’s industry, in manufacturing and services alike, will call for more than button-press ­ ing automatons. They will require workers that are literate, numerate, adaptable and trainable — in a word, educated. We often hear that the mix of jobs is changing rapidly away from manufacturing and towards ser ­ vices, ancient and modern. But many of these new activities are based to a greater extent than ever before on information. Engineers in the information and computer industry are profiled under ‘Computer Profes ­ sionals ’ [page 24 J Let us take a look at some Zarthusti engineering professionals (in alpha ­ betical order). KAMRAN BEHDINAN Mechanical Engineer, Computational Mechanics Victoria, British Columbia Kamran did his B.Sc. at K. N. Toosi University of Technology in Tehran in 1985, and his M.Sc. from Sharif University of Technology in 1987, in applied mechanics. He then joined K. N. Toosi University as a faculty member. In 1992, he entered the Ph.D. program in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Uni­ versity of Victoria, Canada, working on “Dynamics of Geometrically Nonlinear Sliding Beams ” using non linear finite element analysis, which has applications for highly flexible structures or space manipulators. After receiving his Ph.D. in 1996, he started post doctoral research there. He is now involved with finite ele ­ ment modeling of the human heart, which involves both material and geometry nonlinearities. “Computational mathematics has great applications in various areas of mechanical engineering, such as aerospace and biomechanics, says Kamran, “It is highly dependent on computer technology and requires very good knowledge of engineering. I see a great future. ” DINSHAW N. CONTRACTOR Professor, Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Tucson, Arizona Dinshaw Contractor received a BE (Civil) from M.S. University of Bar ­ oda in 1957 and an AIISc from the Indian Institute of Science in Banga ­ lore in 1961. He received his Ph.D. in civil engineering from the Univer ­ sity of Michigan in 1963 and joined a new research organization Hydro- nautics, Inc. in Maryland. From 1968 to 1981, he taught in the civil engineering department at Vir ­ ginia Tech. This led to a full profes ­ sorship in the CEEM department of University of Arizona in Tucson, Ari ­ zona. During 1994-1996, he served as the head of the CEEM department. In 1994, he received the Robert M. McGratten Literature Award for co ­ authoring the outstanding paper in the ASME Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology. 85 Parsiana May 1997Above, Boman Damkevala with daughters Zarine, Diana and Persis, and wife, Bachi. Right, Siamak Forouhar with Exceptional Achievement Award. value to the community lies in his skills in changing lightbulbs, setting raccoon traps, and fixing things around the Darbe Mehr. In short, he is the resident ‘Mr. Fixit ’ at the ZAC. His advice to young Zarthustis is: “Be proud of our heritage, be flexi ­ ble, work hard, finish the work you have started, and never give up.” SIAMAK FARQUHAR Photonics (Lasers) Research Pasadena, California Siamak Farouhar received his B.Sc. in electrical engineering from the Aryamehr Institute of Technology in Iran in 1972; an M.Sc. in microwave and modem optics from the Univer ­ sity College, London, in 1976; and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of California, San BOMAN (BOMI) DAMKEVALA Civil Engineer Naperville, Illinois Bomi Damkevala obtained his B.Tech. degree in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technol ­ ogy, Powai, Mumbai, and arrived in Chicago in 1969 to earn his MS in civil engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. (In 1983, at the time of the inaugura ­ tion of the Arbab Guiv Darbe Mehr in Chicago, he also earned the hon ­ orary degree of “I.M.S., F.R.C.S.” while playing the role of Dr. Vikaji Vaghmaru in the hilarious Parsi Gujarati skit Gher No Gahambar.) Bomi has worked as a structural engi ­ neer and as a cost estimating engineer with the consulting engineering firm of Sargent & Lundy for the past 24 Diego, in 1983. years. They specialize in the design of nuclear and fossil fuel power plants. Prior to joining Sargent & Lundy, Bomi worked as a Highway Design Engineer for three years with Christian Roge & Associates. Bomi lives in the Chicago area, with his wife Bachi, and three daughters development and packaging of high- Diana, Zarine and Persis. Bomi has been a founding director of the Board of the Zoroastrian Association of Metropolitan Chicago. He was one nology Group at Jet Propulsion Lab- of the four initial drafters of the ZAC oratory. Here he developed the constitution, and has served the Zarthusti community of Chicago in various capacities — as Secretary, VP and President. No job is too small for Bomi, who feels his real He then joined the fiber optics depart ­ ment of Rockwell International in Dallas, Texas, where he became the principal scientist in charge of design, fabrication and characteriza ­ tion of lasers. Next, at Polaroid Cor ­ poration, he was in charge of process power laser diodes for high- resolution printing applications. In 1987, he joined the Photonic Tech- oratory. world ’s first continuous InGaAs strained layer semiconductor laser in the 1.8-2.1 micron wavelength range, which has many spectroscopy and medical applications. 86 Parsiana May 1997 I I Sj Current sales of this type of lasers exceed several million dollars per year. He also developed the first effi ­ cient high power 980 nanometer strained quantum well lasers for opti ­ cal amplifiers and optoelectronic integrated circuits and various other types of semiconductor lasers which have wide applications in communi ­ cations systems. He was promoted to Group Supervi ­ sor in 1992, for semiconductor laser, photonics and optoelectronic compo ­ nents, in charge of ten scientists per ­ forming research with a budget of over 2 million dollars. This position requires a great deal of interaction with different government agencies and US industries. Siamak holds two patents.1 He is f NEVILLE GAI Bioengineer Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Neville Gai received a B.Tech. in electrical engineering from the Indi- / an Institute of Science, Mumbai, in 1988; an MS in electrical and com ­ puter engineering from the State Uni­ versity of New York in 1991; and a Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997. Neville received the Bombay Zoroastrian Parent-Teachers Associ ­ ation Award for obtaining the highest aggregate marks among Parsis in 1984, and the J.N. Tata Endowment Scholarship in 1989. He received the University of Washington Center for Bioengineering Research Fellowship and the Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Research Fellowship in 1991. He is a Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. “The most lucrative and fastest- growing field in engineering is soft ­ ware architecture and computer communications, ” says Neville, “The demand far outstrips supply in this area. I would especially recom ­ mend computer science as a major for those who do not wish to pursue advanced degrees. ” NOSHIR LANGRANA Professor of Mechanical Engineering Robbinsville, New Jersey Noshir Langrana obtained an ME from the University of Bombay in 1968, and MS and Ph.D. in mechani ­ cal engineering from Cornell Univer ­ sity in 1975. In 1976, he joined Rutgers University as Assistant Pro ­ fessor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. He became an Associ ­ ate Professor in 1982 and a full Pro ­ cessor in 1987. Noshir is a member of the Biomedi ­ cal Engineering Graduate School Program and a Director of the Col­ lege of Engineering CAD Lab. He assumed responsibilities as Under ­ graduate Director of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program in 1990. Since 1985, he has also been an adjunct Professor at the Uni­ versity of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Department of Orthope ­ dics. His research interests include computer-aided design, solid model ­ ing, finite element analysis, biome ­ chanics, and Rapid Prototyping Technology. Noshir was responsible for managing the Directory of Zoroastrians in North America, which was published by FEZANA last year. He is the co- chair for the next North American Zoroastrian Congress, which will be held in New York in 1998. KAYOMARSH MEHTA Logistics Palos Hills, Illinois 1 and i Kayomarsh I was bom Navsari, India, —1 received his BE in elec ­ trical engineer- ' ing from the M.S. Universi ­ ty of Baroda in 1969. After graduate study I at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, he went on to complete his MBA in finance and marketing at Northwest ­ ern University in 1974. He has had a very rewarding career with Viskase Corporation (formerly a division of Union Carbide) for the last 27 years. He started at the Cor ­ porate Engineering Department of Union Carbide in Chicago as an elec ­ trical engineer in 1970, and has held positions as Supervising Engineer, Manager and Senior Manager. He led a re-engineering project for the company, which resulted in the for ­ mation of Viskase Corp., in which he became Director of Finance. Recently he was promoted to the position of Director of Logistics. “Engineering is a very rewarding profession because one gets the satis ­ faction of creating new technologies, machines, plants and more, and watch them grow, ” says Kayomarsh. His whole family is very active in the in Chicago area Zarthusti community. He teaches religion classes for the youth. For FEZANA, he has devel ­ oped a religious education curricu ­ lum based on ongoing activities at many North American Associations and is working on the committee for its implementation. FARROKH MISTREE Professor of Mechanical Engineering Atlanta, Georgia Farrokh received a B.Tech. in Naval Architecture from IIT Kharagpur (India) in 1967, and an MS and Ph.D. in engineering from the University of California (Berkeley) in 1974. He then became a Lecturer at the Uni­ versity of New South Wales in Aus ­ tralia, where after a sabbatical at MIT in the USA, he was promoted to posi ­ tion of Senior Lecturer. In 1981, he and his family emigrated to the US, and he secured a position as Associ ­ ate Professor at the University of Houston. He became a full professor in 1987. Since 1992, he has been a Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, which is ranked first or second among all engineering schools in the US. He is also a direc ­ tor of the Systems Realization Labo ­ ratory of the Institute. Farrokh ’s teaching experience spans engineering design, naval architec ­ ture, solid mechanics, operations research and computer science. His research focus is on concurrent engi ­ neering as applied to the design, deployment, operation and support of ‘open engineering systems ’. He enjoys innovating and experimenting with ways in which engineering design can be learned and taught [see WWW. srl. gatech. edu/DLS]. He is one of the principal developers of the Decision Support Problem Technique, widely used in the imple ­ mentation of concurrent engineering today; and the associated software (which sells for $100,000 per copy). DSPT has been used in major pro ­ jects at the BF Goodrich Company, Directorate of Naval Architecture, the Department of Defense in Aus ­ tralia, and the Maritime Research Institute of the Netherlands. He is currently supervising the research of 87 Parsiana May 19975 doctoral, 7 masters and 2 under ­ graduate students, with funding from several US and foreign governments. He has co-authored two text books and 180 technical papers, including 15 dealing exclusively with educa ­ tion. He is on the editorial/advisory boards of several technical journals. Engineers Noshir Langrana (left) and Farrokh Mistree (right). In Australia, Houston, and now in Atlanta, Farrokh has been an active force in the religious education of Zarthusti children. In his spare time, he writes stories for children. Far ­ rokh ’s mission in life is to have fun in providing an opportunity for highly motivated and talented students to leam how to achieve their dreams. He advises: “Leam how to make Change your ally, by committing yourself to continually seeking knowledge. ’’ BAHMAN NORUZIAAN Engineering Manager Nepean, Ontario Bahman Noruziaan obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Sharif Univer ­ sity of Technology in Iran and Ph.D. in Structural Engineering from Carl ­ ton University in Toronto, in 1995. After spending a year in Iran, he returned to Canada with his wife Parvin, who is an environmental hygienist, and two children. Bahman works for Chidiac and Asso ­ ciates in Ottawa as a structural engi ­ neer. His specialty is numerical modeling of structures. He recently presented a paper on the effect of earthquakes on concrete dams, at the 6th Canadian Conference on Earth ­ quake Engineering. 88 Parsiana May 1997 SAROSH PATEL Mechanical Engineer Sarosh obtained a BE in mechanical engineering from MS University of Baroda in 1971, an MS from Stan ­ ford in 1972, and a MBA from State University of New York in 1980. He is currently a senior engineering manager at Taradyne Corporation. BOMI B. POCHARA CNC System Developer Thornhill, Ontario Bomi obtained a BE in mechanical engineering from Pune, India, and obtained diplomas in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) program ­ ming, computer-aided design and technological and management machining (CAD/CAM) and Micro- — • ..-i-i- processor Technology at Seneca College in Toronto. Since 1988, he has been working at New Era Tool & Die company in charge of CNC programming, spe ­ cializing in the precision machining of large complex components and assemblies for a broad spectrum of industries such as steel mills, pulp and paper, mining, marine, aerospace and chemicals. PURVEZ RUSTOMJI Coating Engineer Houston, Texas Purvez obtained a BS in civil engi ­ neering from Karachi and an MS in structural engineering from the Uni­ versity of Missouri, Columbia, in 1966. After working for two years as a structural engineer in Chicago, he returned to Pakistan to work for the Water and Power Development Authority in Quetta and Esso in Karachi. He also started a business as Coating Engineers in Pakistan. But as the frustration and level of liv­ ing day to day became difficult, Purvez decided to emigrate to the US in 1979. The first three years in the US, Purvez worked for Sutton Coatings in Houston. After gaining experience in the working conditions in the US, in 1982, at the height of the collapse of the oil industry in Houston, he decid ­ ed to start his own company again to supply industrial coatings as Coating Engineers, Inc. The company has prospered during the past 15 years. Purvez and his family recently moved into a new custom-designed home of their dreams. Purvez ’s son, Arish, obtained a degree in finance and accounting from Baylor University and joined the firm after working for three years at Daniel Industries. As a result of working together, the business has doubled in less than three years. Although his business is not in his field of education, Purvez feels that he has been successful because gen ­ eral engineering principles can be applied to any business requiring skills. hIs advice to young people is to get any kind of education, prefer ­ ably up to the Master ’s level, gain experience by working in industry for a few years, and then start their own business; “Financial success cannot be achieved by working for others. ’’ Purvez is active in the Houston Zarthusti community. Since 1982, he has been the Chairperson of the Zoroastrian Building Fund which has been successful in making the Zarthusti Center project a reality. His next project is to establish a Zarthusti colony including a retire ­ ment home on 16 acres of land sur ­ rounding the Center.I 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. Anew 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 and even freeship to Deserving Students. Children of priests-freeship. Navar Martab facility. Also arrangement to send such boys at Trust expense to their vari ­ ous destinations, so that they are in touch with performing religious rituals. Also further studies after SSC can be ar ­ ranged if desired. Apply to THE MANAGING TRUSTEE P. N. MEHTA EDUCATION TRUST Cooks Building, 3rd Floor 324, Dr D. N. Road Bombay 400001 JAMSHED SHOGLI Software Engineer North Vancouver, British Columbia Jamshed Shogli was bom in Tehran. He received honors in computer sci ­ ence from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. He participated in an International ACM Progr ammin g competition in which his team came 23rd overall, but beat Berkeley, Stan ­ ford and other better-known univer ­ sity teams. For the past three years, he has been a software engineer at Northern Tele ­ com, Multimedia Communications Systems in Ottawa, and software engineer for satellite communica ­ tions at Macdonald Detwiler and Associates. He advises people to “Be dynamic. Technology is chang ­ ing too fast for people with specific and limited skills. ’’ ZUBIN TARAPOREVALA Construction Engineer Huntington Beach, California Zubin received a BE civil engineer ­ ing degree from Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli, India, in 1987. He worked in India in residential and industrial construction for three years before coming to the US. He obtained an MS in construction engi ­ neering and project management from the University of Texas, Austin, in 1992. He is now working for a general construction company on marine construction projects for the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Earning potential in his field ranges upward of $40,000. FARHAD VERAHRAMI Communications Engineer North Potomac, Maryland Farhad obtained his BSEE anc MSEE from Cornell University ir. 1984 and 1985. He worked as a hardware designer at COMSAT Lab ­ oratories in Clarksburg, MD from 1985-1996. Since 1996, he has been with Hughes Network Systems in Germantown, MD. ¦ With best wishes from Farah & Tanya 89 Parsiana May 1997 iOur Zarthusti community in North America has produced many outstanding individuals 9 who can only be described as stalwarts. Three of them are profiled here. » II K B ® Saleh, who was Iran ’s Minister of Health and President of Tehran Uni­ versity in 1963. Dr. Harvesf currently holds numer ­ ous positions, some of which are: Chief of Department of Pediatrics at St. Vincent ’s Medical Center, and member of several Boards there; Member of the Board of Directors at the Duval County Medical Society; Board Member and President of the Speech and Hearing Center, a United Way Agency; Board Member and Chairman of the Credential Commit ­ tee of North Florida Physician ’s Asso ­ ciation; and numerous other national and state professional societies. Religious and Social Activities. Dr. Harvesf is one of the founders of S azaman Fravahar, a Zoroastrian Youth Organization in Tehran, Iran, which has been active for the past 35 years. He succeeded in convincing the Iranian Army to allow Zoroastri ­ an servicemen to observe their reli ­ gious holidays, which was officially approved by the Second Branch of the Iranian Armed Forces in 1965. He was also solely responsible for the use of the Avesta instead of the Koran for graduations, swearing in and receiving ranks by Zarthusti ser ­ vicemen. He has donated several Avestas to the Iranian Armed Forces for swearing in ceremonies, in 1966. In return the Iranian Armed Forces had honored Dr. Harvesf with a cer ­ tificate of appreciation and recogni ­ tion for his services. Dr. Harvesf has given lectures on Zoroastrianism in churches, universi ­ ties, civic groups, and schools. He is one of the founders and chairmen of the Gathas Translation Committee, and has contributed a number of reli ­ gious, social and commentary arti ­ cles in different magazines. More importantly, he has tried and succeeded in correcting mistakes and false statements about the Zoroastri ­ an religion in books and publications in the Western world. Unfortunately, many more exist. And for that rea ­ son, with Ahura Mazda ’s blessing. Dr. Harvesf is in the process of form ­ ing an independent committee to take on this important and vital task. He has even contacted the poet Maya Angelou to remind her that in her inaugural poem for President Clin­ ton, she mentioned many religions and professions, but failed to include Zoroastrianism. After a long discus ­ sion, she promised Dr. Harvesf to remember this piece of information for future occasions. He has been in close contact and cooperation from the beginning in the creation of the much needed World Council of Zoroastrian Feder ­ ations, along with Mr. Rohinton Rivetna. Dr. Harvesf was asked by both the Rustom Guiv Foundation and the Darbe Mehr Zoroastrian Temple in New York to serve as a mediator by trying to bring the two sides together, for which he received thank you notes from both sides. Dr. Harvesf is the founder and Presi ­ dent of the Central Florida Zoroastri ­ an Community. He has worked closely with FEZANA, holding sev ­ eral FEZANA Committee positions, including; Chairman of the Funds and Finance Committee; member of the North American Zoroastrian Cen ­ ter Committee; and member of the Education Conference and Scholar ­ ship committee. The most important mission in Dr. Harvesf ’s life, which he has devoted most of his time to achieve, is to bring about unity between the Iranian and Parsi Zarthusti communities, without which we may not be able to survive. Keikhosrow Harvesf K eikhosrow Harvesf was bom in Kerman, Iran to Morvarid and the late Mehraban Kho- damorad Harvesf. He is married and has two children Mojdeh, a graduate student, and Cyrus, a middle school student in Jacksonville. Education and Professional Back ­ ground. Dr. Harvesf attended grade and middle school at Kaviani School and Iranshahr in Kerman, Iran, and high school at Firooz Bahram in Tehran. He received his medical degree from the University of Tehran, in 1964, working as a physi ­ cian in charge of the night shift in Jaleh Clinic, a local clinic in Tehran from 1963-1964. He entered the mil ­ itary as required by law, serving his duty as a physician from 1964-1966. Upon completion he received a cer ­ tificate of honor from the military university in Tehran. In 1967 he began his residency in Surgery at Sina Hospital. To further his education in pediatrics. Dr. Harvesf came to the US in 1968 and did his internship at Memorial Hospital, affiliated with Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York. He completed residency in Pediatrics in Jacksonville, Florida by attending the University of Florida College of Medicine (JHEP) and then went to Philadelphia and obtained his sub-specialty degree in Pediatric Gastroenterology from St. Christopher Children ’s Hospital at Temple University. In 1973, Dr. Harvesf established his private prac ­ tice in Jacksonville, Florida where he has been practicing for 24 years. Along the way, he has been the recip ­ ient of many awtirds and recognition, including a silver medal from Ker- cles in different man, Iran, and a letter of appreciation newspapers and newsletters, and recognition from Dr. Jahanshah 90 Parsiana May 1997Khodarahm Shahryary K hodarahm Shahryary was born in Kerman, Iran in 1925. In school, he excelled / in sports and was active in scouting. He vividly remembers that at one of the all-Kerman scout camps, he was given the storage room key, because, as a Zarthusti, he was considered tmstworthy. But there was discrimi ­ nation towards Zarthustis also. On the first day, when he tried to serve desserts to the scouts, no one would accept them. The next day, the camp president had to tell the scouts it was alright to accept food from a Zarthusti. His love was always sports and the mill- |||| tary. He was commissioned as a B 2nd lieutenant in the infantry division in 1949. He was sent for J training at the US infantry Center at Ft. Benning, Georgia, in 1955 and 1958 and to the US Military Academy at West Point in 1956, 1958 and again in 1960. He was an outstanding officer, winning the respect of his sol- WT". .^r.? diers and superiors, resulting in rapid promotions. In 1974, he received the rank of Brigadier General, and two years later, he became Vice-Commander of the Military Officers Academy. In October 1978, he was promoted to Division Commander of the Sanan- daj Army in Kurdistan, with com ­ mand over 16,000 men. “One of the prime reasons for my achievements was that I didn’t have to worry about any family problems, due to my very encouraging and kind wife, who stood by me in all my transfers and missions, like a brave soldier, ” says Shahryary. • After retiring from the army in 1980, General Shahryary and his wife, Irandokht came to the USA. Imme ­ diately, they both became active in the Zoroastrian Association of Metropolitan Washington. Known to everyone as ‘Timsar ’, he encouraged other Zarthustis from Iran to attend the Association meetings and take I i part in all activities, even when they complained of difficulties in commu ­ nication in English. Timsar and his family are always present at all func ­ tions, be they for Iranian festivals, Gahambars, or Parsi celebrations like Pateti. In 1988, the Guiv Foundation had promised a donation of $250,000 to ZAMWI for the purchase of land for a National Center in Washington, DC area. But when the Trustees expressed concern that there were very few Iranian Zarthustis on the ZAMWI Board, he was instrumental ' getting the Trustees to go for ­ ward with the donation, and in fact increase the donation to $450,000. The land was purchased in 1992. ¦K A separate Trust called the Vans- ™ dar Trust was established to man ­ age the Center. The culmination of his efforts came when the Cen ­ ter was opened for all Zarthustis on August 28, 1993. 1^ Today, he is working tirelessly to raise funds to build a larger facili- " ty including a library and a larger ¦ meeting hall and exhibits for visi- tors to the National capital. 5 ¦ 4 p Kaikhosrov Dinshaw Irani Tofessor Kaikhosrov Dinshaw Irani taught philosophy at the City College of New York, where he is Professor Emeritus, and Past Chairman of the Department of Philosophy. He is Director of the Academy of Sciences and Humanities of the City University of New York, and a member of the Academy of Sci ­ ence in New York, the American Philosophical Association, the Philos ­ ophy of Science Association, and the American Academy of Religion. Dr. Irani has lectured in his field at such institutions of higher learning as Top to bottom. General Khodarahm Shahryary, Dr. Keikhosrow Harvesf with children Cyrus and Mojdeh, and Professor Kaikhosrov Dinshaw Irani. 91 Parsiana May 1997 LUCLA, the Universities of Michigan, London, Goetingen, Vienna and Rome. A very popular lecturer at national and international conferences on the subject of Zoroastrianism, Kaikhos- rov has studied the Gathas on his own for many years and relies pri ­ marily on the translations of Hum- bach, Insler, Mills, Bartholomae, Taraporevala and that of his father, the late Dinshaw Irani. In 1966, Irani was the recipient of the FEZANA 1996 Lifetime Achieve ­ ment Award. In a glowing tribute to him, Dinshaw Joshi, Chairperson of the FEZANA Awards Committee, called Kaikhosrov “a great North American Zoroastrian who has not only achieved excellence in his cho ­ sen profession, but has enhanced the cause of the Zoroastrian faith and religion throughout the world, and contributed immensely to Zoroastri ­ an communities all over the world. ” Joshi spoke of him as “a Plato among living Zoroastrian philosophers and a Socrates to whom Zoroastrians in North America and indeed the world have turned to for scholarly knowl­ edge and wisdom of our faith. ” “In the last 25 years, Kaikhosrov has worked and researched in the area of History and Philosophy of Ancient Thought —, Religious, Moral, Myth ­ ical and Technological. “He has been a tireless ambassador who has selflessly traversed the globe to advance the knowledge of our faith, religion and community. He is a beloved teacher who has stimulated Zoroastrians, both young and old, to tackle issues facing the community and the faith, with care, prudence and understanding, and yet he has been a pragmatic and vision ­ ary leader who with foresight and wisdom has steered the community away from pitfalls. “Indeed, he is perhaps the only schol ­ arly voice of reason and moderation among Zoroastrians in both written and spoken word. ” ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ 92 Parsiana May 1997 continued from page 36 major studies in her native Vancou ­ ver, she was accepted by the Nation ­ al Ballet School in Toronto, from which she later received her Teach ­ er ’s Diploma with distinction. During 1989-1990 she undertook an extensive study tour of world- renowned ballet institutions in New York, Cuba, Denmark and Russia, where she studied with pedagogues of the Vagonova Institute in Kirov and Bolshoi School. In 1993, turning down several offers from company schools, she opened her own academy in Vancouver. “My goal is to have a small school where I can nurture and coach seri ­ ous students keen on achieving tech ­ nical and artistic excellence, ” says Rukshana, “I believe teaching is an art and one should constantly seek stimulating, innovative approaches to enrich tradition and challenge stu ­ dents beyond the confines of any one methodology. ” Although the school is still in its infancy, students have consistently received top exam and competition results. Beyond her regular teaching, Ruk­ shana has guest-taught master and professional classes and given lec ­ ture demonstrations, contrasting dif­ ferent dance techniques. Always keen to learn, her love of dance embraces many styles. In addition to her expertise in classical ballet, she has studied and performed Chinese dance, flamenco, ballroom and Bharat Natyam. Recently she performed in two premiers — Offranda and Narcissus by interna ­ tional Bharat Natyam artist Jai Govinda, at a festival of contempo ­ rary Indian dance. Rukshana has credentials and certifi ­ cates from the National Ballet School, Imperial Society Teachers of Dance, Maestro Ceccetti Societies International, the Benesh Institute of Choreology (London), the Beijing Dance Academy and the Canadian Dance Teachers ’ Association. She has also been awarded several grants, including one from the Canada Council. “I strongly feel that the arts are great ­ ly undervalued in North American society, ” says Rukshana, “Be it dance, music, drama or painting, art has the power to inspire and uplift and should in some small way touch all our lives. ” Rukshana Engineer, Artistic Director of the Vancouver Children's Ballet