Apr 1997

a y-iif. w I * .1 ,} ^i!i ’^ri. P-iv z/S* 4 f ,5 :l IS < 5) y. '% ¦^1, 1' X' SS?-' ':^ ’K '¦-A r* fl t. 'i' Jt 4 I. y : . • ¦ Z a' rl . 9^ •' ¦ 'f a^. '/•> ..•i-S *T->' ¦ m ’ .1 /’• ' ir ii!^' •^- 'i'' 'v. ^oVW ^'1 i t f! J J / / X. ;«'2^EDITOR JehangirR. Patel MANAGING EDITOR Arnavaz S. Mama EXECUTIVE EDITOR Parinaz M. Gandhi SENIOR EDITORS Dina K. Mehta, Hilla P. Guzder ASSOCIATE EDITOR Roxana A. Driver April 1997 Volume 19 Number 8 2 Readers’ Forum 10 Events and Personalities 16 Zoroastrians Abroad: Rusi Ghadiali I DESIGN Kranti M. Shilotri 21 A Hollywood love affair by Hilla Guzder MARKETING DIRECTOR Veera Patel ADVERTISING MANAGER Zarin Mistry ADVERTISING EXECUTIVES Niloufer Panthaky, Susan Hadvaid FINANCE B. L. Arora EDP Rohinton E. Daroga MANAGEMENT Jasmine Driver 26 The Pen of Parsidom by Parinaz Gandhi 28 The Parsi Brand Equity by Arnavaz Mama 32 Dancer Astad Deboo by Anuradha Guptan DTP Bakhtavar R. Batliwalla, K. P. Ravi SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER Khurshid Panthaki ASSISTANT SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER Swarupa Kamat ASSISTANT PURCHASE MANAGER Bindu Pillai 36 Leaves from a diary —II 38 “If life is a party...” by Ruksana Mehta 42 Books 46 Milestones ACCOUNTANT Anagha Korde ASSISTANT ACCOUNTANT Varsha Godbole 48 In Memoriam ACCOUNTS ASSISTANTS Indu Pillai, Satwant Kaur OFFICE ASSISTANTS Umesh Poojary, Selvan Mark, Sunil Sakhare, Govind Salgaonkar, Mahipat Jadhav Cover: Douglas Fairbanks and senoritas in The Private Life of Don Juan Photograph: Chetan Mistry Parsiana is published by Jehangir R. Patel for Parsiana Publications Pvt Ltd at C/o H. L. Rochat, K. K. (Navsari) Chambers, ground floor, 39 A. K. Nayak Marg, Fort, Bombay 400001 and printed by him at Kaiser-E-Hind Pvt Ltd, 300 Perin Nariman Street, Bombay 400001. Color processing. Comart Lithographers: black and white processing, Tricolour. All rights reserved. ISSN: 0971-3786. Phone: 2078730,2072624. Fax: 2074541. For editorial enquiries phone: 2078183. 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Cheques and drafts are to be drawn in favor of Parsiana and posted to GPO Box 892, Bombay 400001.READERS' FORUM WiWwsjaA “A question of priorities” This is in reference to the report “A question of priorities ” published in your journal and I feel that he should be honored by a (Parsiana, February-March 1997). ¦ In this connection, I would like to categorically state as under: •I have never described myself a.s one who repeatedly failed in the SSC exam, learned “Global Umbrella to repair radios and tape recorders and We have read the letter written by Mr wanted to go to Dubai and while readying Homi B. Minocher Homji (a dear friend of for the trip learnt of the demand for certain ' ........ spare parts and started an import business. large numbers. He really served his fel ­ lowmen irrespective of caste and creed Dasturpad — the word Dastur instead of Ervad should be added before his name in prayers. nergish plumber long standing) under the heading “Global umbrella ” (Readers ’ Forum, Parsiana, The above words attributed to my speech December 1996). are absolutely false, untrue and a figment of the imagination. For your kind information, I passed my SSC exam at the very first attempt with first class distinction. Until now my association with radios and tape recorders is limited to only playing them, hence to learn how to repair them professio ­ nally has alway.s remained beyond me. Hence the question of going to Dubai as Readers’ views are welcome on any subject of interest to the community and should be sent to the Editor, Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, G.P.O. Box 892, Bombay 400001. Letters are subject to editing for reasons of space and clarity. Unsigned letters or those without an address will not be published. We all know that for well nigh 100 years, the community is divided between “traditionalists ” and “reformists. ” Every religious grouping in the world has this problem. The only difference in the case of Zoroastrians is that this division is now acute a.s a result of declining numbers and the global spread of the community. Mr Homi Minocher Homji offers a talk shop solution for this perennial problem, professional repairer of radios and tape but before applying that solution globally recorders has never occurred. Let me also ¦ clarify that I have never been associated with the business of import of such items. During my speech I had given an example of a Parsi youth, whom I happen to know, who had failed repeatedly at the SSC exam and subsequently learnt repai ­ ring of radios and tape recorders. A.s a result of his professional knowledge, he is now well established in Dubai in his respec ­ tive field. It seems that your learned reporter has mixed up the above issues and painted a very different picture, viraf n. chiniwala a “Federation’s nod for...” In the article “Federation ’s nod for World Council ” (Parsiana, January 1997), you mention, “[FEZANA (Federation of Zoro ­ astrian Associations of North America) Arnavaz. Mama replies members voted overwhelmingly in favor My apologies for the error, of the (World) Council (of Zoroastrian Federations) as per a telephone message to Gandhi the following day...] ” “We are here to defy...” With reference to “We are here to defy IwouldliketoinformyouthatFEZANA extinction ” (Parsiana, January 1997), I members have not as yet voted to join the wish that among the photographs of the WCZF. This will be an item on the agenda jashan and other event.s you had also in ­ fer our annual general meeting in August, eluded one of the late Nadarsha Aibara What the member associations did support (the father of Yazdi is the general principle of forming a world Aibara, the present body whether through WZO (World Zoro- panthaky). I consider astrian Organisation) or through a federa- ’ ’ tion of world councils. DOLLY DASTOOR President, FEZANA Arnavaz Mama replies There seems to have been an error of perception. Parsiana regrets the misinter ­ pretation. him (Ervad Nadarsha Aibara) as the guid ­ ing spirit of that Agiary. It is because of him and his won ­ derful nirangs that people started flock- Aihara: agiary’s ing to the Agiary in guiding spirit should we not be made aware as to how it is being implemented in North America, since how long and with what results? So far, some of us, who have attended North American Zoroastrian congresses, have observed that deep divisions exist in North America too and when attempts are made to raise matters of concern to the commu ­ nity, they are quickly quelled by an edict from the chair “No controversial matters can be discussed. ” Mr Minocher Homji opine.s that Zoro- astrians are very opinionated and states that “strong egos, power pol itics and vested interests ” are inhibiting the coming to ­ gether of Zoroastrians globally. WZO’s aim has always been to unite the commu ­ nity globally, to work for its upliftment, forward movement and welfare. To this end, its membership consists of anjumans/ associations and individuals, in Short, the community in its totality. WZO ha.s a large membership of individuals throughout the world and also of many anjumans/associa- tions spread all over the world. Since the aims of the WCZF are the same as those of WZO, established in 1980, may we please enquire as to whose “strong egos, power politics and vested interests ” are prevent ­ ing individuals and associations/anjumans/ trusts from joining the WZO? Mr Minocher Homji states, with some exasperation and without a shadow of doubt, that a body will be formed. The Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) and 2 Parsiana April 1997 J L! for the letter against such registration sent I to Paris by an ex vice president of the ^perim ’en ’tal basis for a limited period of 'ofTdi'a;it has held major internationtd time. ” How strange! Repeatedly, WZO has suggested to those individuals and anjumans/associations that have not joined WZO to join it for a period of 10 years (“experimental basis ”), work from within the WZO and if after the experience of 10 years, it is felt that the constitution of WZO should be changed in a certain man ­ ner, then WZO would be willing to con ­ sider the change after due debate and de ­ liberation. WZO’s offer is still open. Are the proponents of the WCZF prepared to accept it? Mr Minocher Homji states in his letter, “Once this global body is formed and our continuity is ensured... ” We are sure that you and your readers would not think that such a causal link exists between the for ­ mation of WCZF and the continuity of the community. The Zoroastrian community will continue in existence and prosper when individual Zoroastrians come to ­ gether globally and the WZO committee responds to the wishes of the individual Zoroastrians. It is vitally important for every i.. —- ------ — he/she belongs to a world body and there ­ fore contributes directly to its preservation and welfare. Such a feeling cannot be engendered in the concept of WCZF. Implicit in the concept of WCZF is the notion that anjumans/associations are rep ­ resentative of the Zoroastrians living in their catchment area. It may be true in some rare cases but is it really universal? Is that true for Surat and Karachi Parsi deputy dncctor Punchayets where trustees are s -------- and not elected. Do the BPP trustees really represent the Zoroastrians of Bombay? Bombay Samachar and Jam-e-Jamshed to know the answer. In the UK, there are about 7,000 Zoroastrians against a total local membership of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) of about 900 only 12.9 percent of the UK population. Is the ZTFE representative? Do we as a com ­ munity want oligarchy in an age ot democ ­ racy? Since its formation in January 1980, WZO has functioned as the only world body of Zoroastrians. It has helped dis- Dlaced Zoroastrians from the Middle East- would not be allowed to practice u.cn ern countries to settle in the West, it has religion and that all the tire-temples would represented Zoroastrians in their dealings have to be dismantled, then it would be it was almost regis- nothing short of a repetition of what had tered by the United Nations Educational, happened to our toretathei s in Iran around onH rnimrni Organization but 692 AD. In that scenario, we would again “elected or nominated representatives would be invited to its membership from all over the world. ” This “could start on an time. ” How strange! Repeatedly, WZO ijumans/associations that have not joined (“experimental basis ”), work from within responds to the wishes of the individual Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans conference.s on Zoroaslrian religion, cul ­ ture and history in UK and overseas, it has recovered the assets of the deceased in one country lor beneficiaries living in another i country, etc. In addition, it has acted vi orously to raise the standard of living of poor Zoroastrians living from hand to mouth, something local organizations failed to do for decades, helped deservin; medical cases, helped bright young Zoro ­ astrians to gain further education in UK/ USA, encouraged entrepreneurship, etc. In short, it has done all that a communal world body sliould do. In the light of the foregoing, should the community not ask the question What would another world body specifically do that has not been done or cannot be done by the WZO?” Let us hope diat we receive an unambiguous reply to this simple ques ­ tion. We would urge the proponents of the (T WCZF to think again and we sincerely hope and pray that good sense ' and that they would join WZO whole- be compelled to find another hospitable country which would allow us to practice our religion. It is in this sense that wc all have to believe and practice “I am a Parsi first and an Indian afterwards. Isn ’t it ironic.that it had to be another Mehta to set the record straight by assert ­ ing .... - an eye opener to all “secular ” Parsis with misplaced patriotic fervor. SAM M. niLLIMORIA that we are Parsis first? This should be Benefactors, both Let inc clarify and add to your tributes to two of my many benefactors — Dinshahji < * ¦ 1X1 Seervai (left) and Malegamvala will prevail Malegamvala (“Trust-worthy Malegam- strians. ll vnaiiy .V* ---- individual Zoroastrian to feel that heartedly, thereby uniting and benefittm^ the Zoroastrian community globally. SHAHPUR F. CAPTAIN C’liairiiKiii, WZO, LoirIoii, UK ’ala ” In Memoriam, Parsiana, Novem- _ ' 1 legend, ” In Memoriam, Parsiana, July- through Ms Ratanbai Merwanji Sett, in 1958, but Dinshahji was so kind and so eager to help any Zoroastrian that no Zo- roastrian ever needed anyone else ’s intro ­ duction to him for help. He not only helped Vctici, in JVicinoridiTi, raimcuki , her 1996) and H. M. Seervai (“The legal legend, ” In Memoriam, Parsiana, July- August 1996). I came to know Dinshahji through Ms Ratanbai Merwanji Sett, in 1958, but Dinshahji was so kind and so “Teaching Guiarati... , This has reference to the write-up “Teach- roastrian ever needed anyone else s mtro- ing Gujarati in the UK,” (Zoroastrians duction to him for help. He not only helped Abroad, Parsiana, December 1996) by Arnavaz S Mama. Mr Maneck Mehta, became my friend, philos phci and guide, di^ctor of the Lancashire based I visited him veryden jit_^Bombay selected Preston College, comes out beautifully. Lest it misses the Parsi community , I would like to highlight what has been mentioned ences and even .r/ead".hXlu™„7T?L b, Mr M:.,,; he co„sid=;s himself .0 -..... ' ii^^h.J<^^rr,r,rhnr!in(\.Jam-e-Jamshed to be a Parsi lirst, Indian second and Bn is last. How very refreshing when compareU to the cattlcfeed on which generations of Parsis have been brought up. I refer to Sir Pherozeshah Mehta .s quote that I am an Indian first and a Parsi afterwards. Through generations, this has been quoted ad nauseum by our “secular ” Parsis. Parsis must not forget that it was for the sake of preserving our religion that we left to be passed in India today that Parsis Iran. Hypothetically speaking, if a law were to be passed in India today that Parsis would not be allowed to practice their House from 1958 to 1960 when I was a student at the Tata Institute of Social Sci- ____ _ • 1 thereafter when I visited India. He had virtually become my uncle. He knew I was a priest and talked with me at length about our religion. His admi ­ ration for Dasturji Khurshed Dabu was boundless. I do not know of his interest in a Kerala guru or Vedanta which may have developed after 1960, but they do not to me in any way reflect a lack ot enthusiasm for his own religion and people. He told me he visited fire-temples often, espe ­ cially Thoothi Agiary. Your tribute to H. M. Seervai rightly depicts him as not a very religious person, but that is only because he did not wear his 1 on his sleeve or did not believe in practicing its outer layers and forms. Deep within, he was as true a Zoroastrian that Asho Zarathushtra wants one to be in the on his sleeve or did not believe in and that all the fire-temples would religion 1 within, he was as true a Zoroastrian that Scientific and Cultural Organization but Gathas. His mind was always full of '4 Parsiana April 1997vohumana (good thinking), his actions al ­ ways suggested asha vahishta (best truth) to the whole nation, his exercise of his pect of his life with Feroza decades before powers as advocate-general, etc was so judicious (kshathra vairya), not yielding to the corrupt government of later years and even standing up to the upright Morarji Desai in the 1960s, as I recall some in ­ stances Ms Feroza Seervai herself narrated to me then. In 1946 Feroza and he instantly volun ­ teered to help me even without knowing me upon learning of the sad turn in my family fortune, a help that has changed my destiny. “Such a person ” indeed, as pro ­ claimed by Asho Zarathushtra in Yasna 45.11, “by reason of his virtuous concep ­ tion is an ally, a brother, or a father (of Thee), Wise Lord. ” He was also the founder oftheBombay Philosophical Society where mentioned. He spoke regarding “Notes on I could feel his zeal for finding the higher truth in life. Moreover, he was willing to serve the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) as a trustee in 1960 or so, but was defeated by a conservative candidate. If, as T. Andhyaru- jina asserts (“He goes by the law, ”Parsiana, November 1996), “five such men (Seervais) in India ’s legal system would change the Council), face of the system, ” his election as a BPP trustee would have changed the face of our BPP. The way he actively shared every as- interpreted our scriptures through the Internet, lectures and writings. Further, allow me to clarify as I was one of the members on the Zoroastrian Society of Ontario ’s task force on intermarriage we knew of women ’s lib is yet another aspect of his truly Zoroastrian and Gathic uu unviiiittiiittgv character and the basis for his brilliant (“ZSO’s task force reports, ” Zoroastrians success in life. Dr kersey H. antia Abroad, Parsiana; July-August 1996). Any discerning reader will question the counter-productive suggestion that al ­ though intermarriage is detrimental, we accept this harmful “change. ” The task force ’s mandate was only to inquire into the incidence of intermar ­ riage, why it happens and to suggest ways of preventing it. The acceptance/rejection of the children of such incidence was not the goal of the task force. In fact, it was pointed out that children of intermarriage themselves marry out. The proposition about the acceptance of children was in ­ cluded in the last and final meeting, after the draft was prepared and distributed. The report presented indicates some Dr KERSEY H. ANTIA Illinois, USA Open to interpretation Mr Farrokh Vajifdar has, perhaps uninten ­ tionally, omitted mentioning only one name from the long list of invited panel at the seminar on “Literature of the Zoroastrian Tradition, ” held in London, UK, spon ­ sored by the World Zoroastrian Organisa ­ tion (“Zoroastrian literature, ” Readers ’ Forum, Parsiana, July-August 1996). Dr Ali Akbar Jafarey ’s name is not the Composition of the Avesta. ” The same lecture, by the same speaker (Dr Jafarey), was cancelled at the FEZANA annual gen ­ eral meeting held in Kansas, September puzzling conclusions: 1995, due to protests from individuals and both the mobed councils: the Iranian (Coun ­ cil of Iranian Mobeds of North America), and the Parsi (North American Mobed The holy scriptures words and Dr Jafarey has, too often, mis ­ •If intermarriage “was not desirable, ” and if it is accepted that children of intermar ­ riage, in turn, marry out, why accept such undesirable change? •Why was the task force set up in the first are the revealed place to prevent such incidence unless, indeed, it was detrimental? M ATCH YOUR AMBITION TO A CAREER To do so we offer you: < Diploma Course in Business Management (Postal) (IMC) Executive Secretarial Course Private Secretarial Course Personal Assistants’ Programme (Working Stenographers) Shorthand/Typewriting/Electronic Typewriting Telephone Operating & Receptionist Techniques English Conversation & Writing Skills Personality Development and Computer Packages Enquire at: Sir J. J. College of Commerce 14, Nanabhoy Lane, Hutatma Chowk Mumbai 400001 Tel: 2871058/2844329 Fax: 2871185 5 Parsiana April 1997by leaders who had an egalitarian. West ­ ern education background, being rich and influenced by English social values. The Parsi community in India had then been ..i'L.wd ...-C nominated seat in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha, but unfortunately the egalitarian Parsis lacked political foresight. On the other hand the and state assemblies. “For example, during were given two Gandhi, as president of the All India Con- committee, gave nominations io three - Tomil NoH,! <1IW1 V;^rc;nS;i^gtheNewSouthWd2 WestTenS. which r!ght and privilege they still enjoy though the number of the Anglo-Indian community is less than the Parsi community in India. I had a meeting with the respected •If religion is open to interpretation, whose assemblies or interpretation will be accepted? There will be as many interpretations (opinions) as the number of Zarthushtis and other stu- open to interpretation be as many interpretations (opinions) tliV HUUlUVi —_________ dents of our scriptures! Besides, if reli- ¦ ¦ • 3 are open to interpretation by individuals, is the religion or the word then termed “revealed? ” Can we then be “People of the Book ” if our “Book ” is open to personal interpretation? pervin j. mistry gion/scriptures are “AZA goes Fasli i” Ontario, Canada ¦ ’L r state legislative councils. The numerical strength of the Parsi com- munity is such that we do not count in the political structure of any party. Earlier on, visionary leaders 1.— — Jawaharlal Nehru, Ms Indira Gandhi and Mr Rajiv Gandhi always saw that the mem ­ bers of the Parsi Zoroastrian community education background, being rich and like the late Pandit offered one visionary leaders Mr Rajiv Gandhi always saw that the mem ­ bers of the Parsi Zoroastrian community were given nominations for Parliament and state i------------ the period 1985 to 1990 the late Mr Rajiv nominations to three blies in the states unfortunately the egalitarian Parsis lacked political foresight. On the other hand the leaders of the Anglo-Indian community 0 permanently nominated the Lok Sabha and one to two of Uttar Pradesh, seats m nominated seats in the legislative assem- gress Committee, gave c? ms lor men --------- Gu/arat Legislative Assembly elections ing the Fasli calendar (“AZA from Bulsar and who was even elected the ¦ speaker ofthe Gujarat State Assembly; Mr =¦=“755 “SH'SSi cSab^for^he Maharashtra Legislative revive the demand for nominated seats or the seasonal point Assembly. But, alas, today^here is no^^^^^ and"medSo^L^^^^^^ representation anywhere m India, me m mganu b . . . ward looking leadership of the Congress I was _ __ _____ ____ party in Bombay even denied nomination ...L. 1.1 the southern hemisphere where to Mr Rustom Tirandaz or the seasons are opposite those in the north ­ ern part, the Shehenshahi calendar could continue to be followed as it would be the appropriate one. But the Australians sheuld start adding the extra day every leap year, as in the Fasli calendar, to prevent their calendar from backsliding further and perpetuating the error. In the alternative, a new beginning could be made by them with the Fash calendar itself with necessary adjustments conforming to seasons in the southern hemi ­ sphere. HOMl F. BAGWALA Reservation rights Today the Parsi community does not have - either house of Parliament — Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha, none in any c. - 6' Zoroastrians for their progressive outlook in accepting ----------- goes Fasli, Zoroastrians Abroad, July-August 1996,) I would request the Daraius Nariman Australian Zoroastrian Association presi- dent Noshir Sachinwalla to consider the following: Our calendar is mainly based on the seasons (fasals). From t -------- of view, the Fasli calendar would be cor ­ rect for the northern hemisphere. After all, the calendar was evolved in Iran. As Aus ­ tralia lies in t ------------ . the seasons are opposite those in the north ­ ern part, the Shehenshahi calendar could rect for the northern hemisphere. After all, a single representative in of the 24 state legislative Dorrabji’s JERROZ HOTEL Under Cliff, Ring Road Panchgani 412805 Phone: (91) (02168) 40238 6 Persian a April 1997 was given the nomina- representation anywhere in party in Bombay even denied nomination 1 .. Dnrej candidate except Mr Noshir Mehta. The tragedy of the Parsi community is that in 1947 when the Constitution of India was being West Bengal, which right and privilege Parsi community in India. mg least. There were several nominated seats in educational institutions which were pio ­ neered by the Parsis, but the then trustees/ owners c. ----------- , , in educational institutions which were pio ­ neered by the Parsis, but the then trustees/ owners of such institutions unfortunately surrendered all the seats leaving today ’s Parsi students who obtain over 95 percent ¦ ' in the fields of g framed they were represented marks totally stranded in We never take our guests and breath-taking views for granted Lord's Central Hotel Matheran 410102 Matheran Telephone 021483-0228 Fax 021483-0595 Bombay telephone 3867776As a newly appointed member of the National Commission for Minorities I have decided to take up this issue on a priority basis. But by myself I can do very little unless the whole community can come to- medicine and engineering. Even the Mandal Commission report has advocated the need for Parsis to be offered certain reservations for education and in the selec ­ tion for professional services. This can be a good starting point. Today, there are gether on one plank. If we stand united we hardly any Parsis selected in the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Ser ­ vice or Indian Foreign Service, the princi ­ pal reason being the reservations extended to members belonging to the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other back ­ ward classes who get selected even when they obtain only 40 percent marks whilst community ’.s future as a whole. Parsi boys and girls obtaining distinction marazbanj . A. patraw ala class marks can never get into these ser ­ vices. Through your columns I would like to urge once again the trustees of all Parsi trusts, especially in Maharashtra and Gujarat, that there must be made some provision for reservation of seats in Parlia ­ ment, state assemblies, and in educational institutions which had been founded by recounted in sangeet form. The audience Parsi Zoroastrians. A case in point is the was held spellbound by Mr Katrak ’s reci- Sangli-Miraj Engineering College where rations rendered in a soul-stirring manner, even today two seats are reserved for Parsi boys seeking admission for engineering high thinking. His selfless service and degree courses. I must compliment those sincerity of purpose, his frank and philo- Parsis who have protected this right to date sophical approach to the subject appealed which has benefitted dozens of Parsi boys. male voice and beautiful presentation en ­ deared him to his listeners. Such programs on topics of religious importance should be arranged more often for the benefit of the community. DrM. H. PANTHAKI Keen to correspond? I am an educated Englishman, 62, married. culture. In order that I may contact a suitable correspondent to assist in my study of your great country I would like to corre ­ spond with mature, perhaps retired Indians of either sex, to discuss history, literature, poetry, music, philosophy, politics, soci ­ ology, environmental questions, linguis ­ tics, etc; in fact every subject except sport! Each letter will be treated with warm esteem and an answer is guaranteed. As well as being assured of a stimulating and interesting correspondence, they would, if can do a lot and fight for these rights which will help the future generations. The trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet have done yeoman service by lite-long student and admirer of Indian taking up the problem of housing on a war footing, but they should not slacken their efforts to pursue issues which concern the Sonorous presentation Dasturji Kukadaru ’s birth anniversary was most appropriately celebrated by MrParvez Katrak ’s excellent presentation on April 12, 1997 at the Aslaji Agiary. The pious life of Dasturji Kukadaru, his achievements and miracles were vividly they so desire, have the opportunity to further develop their knowledge of the English language. Please write to George Evans, 85 Sidney Avenue, Hesketh Bank, Preston, Lancashire, PR4 6PD, England. GEORGE EVANS Lancashire, England Mr Katrak is a man of simple living and to the discerning audience. His sonorous Edited by Paiinaz M. Gandhi Adfactors-Quantum Direct/IR/94-929 8 Parsiana April 1997Events and Personalities Nature-friendly religion In the presence of nearly 2,000 Zoroastri ­ ans who had gathered at Bombay ’s Radio Club on the occasion of the Ava Ardevisur Parabh on March 29,1997, Dastur Kekobad Dastur was felicitated for completing 25 years as High Priest of Udvada. Remarking on Dastur ’s dignity and humility, Kersi Limathwalla who was in ­ strumental in organizing the function wished him many more years in office to guide and govern the destiny of the com ­ munity. Cowasjee Dinshaw recalled Dastur ’s role, at the cost of his safety, when bringing the fire from the Adenwalla Agiary in Aden to Bombay and then to Lonavla. A purse of Rs 2,01,101,collected within a fortnight. largely through the efforts of Zarir Bhathena, was presented to the High Priest, according to the press release. Acknowl ­ edging the generosity and love of the described Zoroastrianism as an environ- community, Dastur thanked Ahura Mazda ment-conscious and nature-friendly reli- and the blessings of the Iranshah for giving gion that believes in going through nature him the opportunity to discharge his duties without fear or favor. Earlier in the evening, Dastur presided by Mani Mulla and her group. The Zoroas- over the jashan performed by 21 mobeds and a humbandagi. A minute ’s silence was observed in memory of the late Dinshaw Merchant who along with Rustom Kuka had revived the community tradition of holding the Ava Ardevisur and Farvardian parabhs 17 years ago. As pointed out Clockwise from top left: Dastur; Bhathena, Dinshaw, Dastur, Modi (partly hidden), Limathwalla and Rusi Bhumgara; a section of the audience Limathwalla, the Ava Ardevisurparabh is the only event of its kind in the community when such a large congre ­ gation gathers motivat ed purely by religious sentiments and not any frills or meals. In his educative talk, Ervad Nadir Modi to nature ’s God. Adding eharm to the evening ’s function were the religious songs trian Jashan Committee, the Young Colle ­ gians ’ Zoroastrian Association and TheM. J. Wadia Agiary were the other institutions involved in the organizing of this event, as per a write-up. ZOSTA gives gold For the first time in its 17-year history, the Zoroastrian Student Teacher Association (ZOSTA) presented pure gold medals worth Rs 6,500 each, donated by Zarir Bhathena, to the three Zoroastrian students who had scored the highest percentage of marks at the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC), Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations of March ’96. Farhad Tarapore of R. D. National College (HSC, 90 percent), Meenaish Dalal of St Mary ’s High School, Poona (ICSE, 94 percent) and merit lister Naval Daver of St Mary ’s High School, Bombay (SSC, 91.06 per ­ cent) received the awards at the ZOSTA annual prize distribution held on February 25, 1997 at the Framjee Cawasjee Insti ­ tute. Almost 80 other young achievers received silver medals and certificates in recognition of their securing 75 percent and above at the Board examinations. Zo ­ roastrian students scoring 60 percent and above at the degree examinations were also honored. Roshen Driver, ZOSTA chairperson and principal of the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Parsee Charitable Institution (BJPC) con ­ gratulated the winners and said, “may you 10 Parsiana April 1997From left: Gold medallists Dalal, Tarapore (receiving trophy from Mody) and Dover ot the ZOSTA awards function in Bombay 1 2 3 S 7 I 9 ID B2l2ag24 !24 shine out in the world in your chosen careers. ” Dr Nawaz Mody, head of the department of civics and politics of Bombay University, advised the young scholars not hospital). While in Houston, Naval was to be discouraged by difficulties and an ­ nounced, amidst applause, that the BJPC Institution, which had so far been running a school and junior college had been granted permission by the University to open a senior college in its commerce section. Homi Ranina, the donor of trophies for degree examinations, exhorted the stu ­ dents to avail of the opportunities avail ­ able in India and not be lured by the material successes of the western world. Meher Dastoor, Headmistress of Shri Shakuntala K. I. Jain Girls ’ High School, andZarineBasla, principal oftheManeckji Cooper Education Trust School with 32 and 26 years respectively in the teaching profession, were also honored. Other teach ­ ers felicitated were Homai Katgara, Banoo Shroff (35 years experience), Freny sketch, read and “observe human and ani- Sunavala and Gool Mehta (over 25 years). Cover Mistry, RoshanElavia, Pervin Mehta and Amy Pardesse (over 15 years). Graduates securing a first class also received silver coins and certificates. Among the toppers were Khushnoor Govadia (BA), Mehernosh Randeria and Molina Patel (BCom), Armin Asundaria ally), it organizes a wide range of student- and Persis Pochkhanavala (BSc), Nazneen Antia (BVSe and AH), Burgess Cooper (BE) and Rukhshad Moghal (BEd). Of the three gold medallists, Daver achieved the distinction of standing 15th on the merit list of the Bombay divisional SSC Board. He did his early schooling in salgreh of the H. B. Wadia Atas Bahram in the USA where his doctor parents, Gustad and Rekha, were doing superspecialization in their respective fields at the Texas Medi ­ cal Center (Gustad is now Professor of Surgery at the Grant Medical College and petition on a religious theme was orga ­ nized. Seminars and workshop.s on Zoroastrianism are held, aimed at awaken ­ ing in young minds a love for their ancient selected for SIGHT (Special Instruction heritage. Hiiia p. Guzder for Gifted and Highly Talented Students) and won a trophy in the Regional Mathema ­ tic Olympiad, state.s his bio data. He has been a student at St Mary ’s School from standard five onwards and enjoys partici ­ pating in elocutions, science quiz and essay competitions, according to his write-up. Dalal, doing her BCom at the Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce in Poona, plans to follow in the footstep.s of her chartered accountant father Marazban. Her hobbies include dramatics, swimming, badminton, music and travel. The HSC topper Tarapore i.s currently studying electronics engineering at the Thadomal Shahani Engineering College. He likes to play the guitar and keyboard. Sir J. J. Hospital, Bombay, while Rekha is Professor and Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the same 'O Crash course for kids About 110 students from five schools in Madra.s attended the one-day orientation course on the Zoroastrian faith hosted by The Madra,s Parsi Zarthosti Anjuman jointly with the The Madras Parsi Associa ­ tion (MPA). This was part of a non-formal certificate course for school children con ­ ducted by the Gandhi Peace Foundation that seeks to promote unity among differ ­ ent religious faiths, mentions MPA honor ­ ary secretary Zarin Mis try. Being the first time such a workshop was organized in the city. Mistry writes, “The course wa.s significant considering that our religion and community remain obscure in this part of the country. ” The program on January 25, 1997 at the Piroj Clubwala Memorial Hall was organized mal behaviour, ” according to his bio data. ZOSTA, founded in 1979, has 55 prin ­ cipals, 305 teachers and 17 Parsi-managed by Perviz Dara Bhote, who regularly rep ­ schools in Bombay as life members on its rolls, as well as a large, but fluctuatin; student membership. In keeping with its motto, Frashmi Aethrya (Progres,s cultur- 'g. resents the community at the Foundation ’s inter-faith prayer meets, with the ,assis-; tance of the Parsi youth from Madras. With suitable demonstrations the audience was familiarized with the concepts of Navroze, the Navroze table, navjote, jashan, ghambars and the dokhmenashini mode of teacher activities. On September 7, ’96, a get-together of teacher-members was held at Cama Baug disposal of the dead. After a lively ques- on the occasion of Teachers ’ Day. On October 7,90 Zoroastrian children dressed in traditional attire celebrated the 167th the fire-temple ’s main hall with religious song,s and skits, and the presentation of charts and models made under the guid ­ ance of Zoroastrian Studies. In December, an inter-school essay com- tion-answer session , the students were made to participate in a simple quiz. Commending the unique manner in which the course was structured a.s also the well-researched and interesting presenta ­ tions by the Parsi youngsters, the secretary of the Foundation expressed his gratitude and admiration to the organizers, notes the press release. 11 Parsiana April 1997Rabadi ’s work. The navjote prayers and certain select topics were included in Rabadi ’s original booklet in Gujarati nearly 125 years ago. With the addition of new topics this compilation reportedly went into 16 editions. Realizing the “need for simple books such as this one, ” and also riculum vitae. He i.s the author of Interpret Your X-Rays, Oral Cancer: The Risk Fac­ tors and co-author oi' Colour Atlas — Oral his post ­ graduation in dental surgery, specializinj Surveyor’s master moves Holding the highest national rating among correspondence chess players in India for the last 15 years, to Dr Aspi B. Surveyor Diseases. Alter completing also goes the credit for performing the “incredible feat of winning the national correspondence chess championship five times, ” writes chess historian Vijay D. Pandit. His accomplishment was recom ­ mended for entry in The Guinness Book of Records last year but, as conveyed corre ­ spondence editor Amanda Brooks, We do not currently publish records for corre ­ spondence chess in the book. We however confirm that the details you left with our office have been added to our tiles in case we are able to review the situation in the future. ” According to Surveyor, victory in cor- ¦g in radiology, from the University of Bom ­ bay, Surveyor was selected as Fulbright scholar to do a certificate course in oral medicine- oral diagnosis from the University of Pennsyl- “as a labor of love. ” vania. While professional commitments have com ­ pelled 63-year-old Sur ­ veyor to discontinue r.sw aware of the fact that presently “most young people do not know Gujarati, ” Giara, who found this book useful for his navjote class, decided to translate it into English The booklet is divided into 25 chapters starting with “God ” and ending with the “Era of Prophet Zarathushtra. ” The maxi ­ mum number of pages are devoted to the Sur\ eyor: ch winning feat ¦'discontinue Prophet and his miracles. All topics arc with correspondence chess, he continue.s dealt with in a question-answer lormat, be ¦ ' ¦ it an introduction to the amesha spentas and yazatas, the names of the gahs, days. to play over-tlie-board chess, retaining his 1 title ofchampion at the Dadar Chess Circle. Nearly three decades earlier he had tied lor respondence chess is far more difficult than in over-thc-board chess for the oppo ­ nent has recourse to books, consultations with experts, even computers. Not only is there no prize money involved, the vota ­ ries of correspondence chess have to bear the costs of postal transmission of moves. As explained, at the national level, the competition rules pit 16 players, all-play- all simultaneously. Assuming that each rCnaZ gOCS pOp individual game were to last for only 35 moves, it means a total transmission of 525 letters for every tournament, each of which lasts for approximately two years. While it is played in the solitude of a participant ’s home without the tension of anxious onlookers, the rules of competi ­ tion demand that a player on an average make five moves every single day for almost two years of scheduled play. There is further the botheration of non-receipt ol replies which involves sending reminders, writing to the defaulter, the tournament director and the secretary of the Corre ­ spondence Chess Association of India which organizes such tournaments. Surveyor has created this record of five titles in a decade, writes Pandit, “while teaching at 17 dental colleges (10 in India and seven abroad), doing research, acting as examiner and inspector of several universities...and dental colleges, as advi ­ sor to several state governments and local bodies, as consultant to Colgate-Palmolive • knnbe” (India) Limited, not to mention his private Need fOF Simple bOOkS practice as oral diagnostician and radiolo- “Our ancestors and community organiza- gist. ” He is attached to the Jaslok Hospital tions recognized die need for imparting ® _ t. . _ti __ ^1,, 14 /-MI«’ /-kzl I i/'nf I on tri \/oiinCT Zoroastrian boys and girls starting from navjote age to high school...level, ” writes the first place at the all-India open S. K. Vaidya Memorial Tournament. Beside.s his proficiency in chess he holds the national service badge in scouting, enjoys dramatics and is the author of several plays and poems, according to the press release. competition rules pit 16 players, all-play She ’s dropped her surname from the inlay cards. And the nasal intonation in her voice. She ’.s even changed the spelling ol her name from Penaaz to Penaz; and, more importantly, her ‘attitude ’ as well, don- ning a suit instead of a sari. Penaz Masani with her curly mop has now gone pop! Masani with her golden voice has risen above the average lyrics and turned out a good album, Tu Dil De De with Rahman Rajan, the Canada-based music director. The eight numbers featured vary from the frothy hip-hop feel of the title track, to the ballad-like quality, as in Yaadein. There ’s reggae (O Jaan-e Jaan), calypso (When Yo^Touch Me), even an old-time sixties beat in Tu Aur Main. Masani displays a fine vocal virtuosity in rendering these widely ranged tracks, as she stakes her claim to join India ’s pop brigade. Produced by Magnasound, the audio cassette of Tu Oil De De is available for Rs 40, and the compact disc for Rs 150. Honii J. Rogers practice as oral diagnostician and radiolo- E- ' ' ’ and Research Center as consultant maxil ­ lofacial radiologist. In addition to presenting 121 papers at international/national/state/city confer ­ ences, Surveyor has published 73 scien- tific/research papers, according to his cur ­ “Our ancestors and community organiza- timely religious education to young Parsi Marzban J. Giara in his preface to Our Zoroastriaii Religion, a 52-page English translation of the late Ervad Fardunji N. 12 Parsiana April 1997 months, Gathas, ghambars or certain brief references to Iranian roots, the signifi ­ cance of prayers, sudreh-kusti and the pur ­ pose of offering lohan (incense). Relevant Masani: impressing young audiences quotations from the scriptures with their corresponding explanations make certain passages more meaningful. While most questions are grouped to ­ gether logically, bringing in the topic of one ’s duty towards God and belief in His existence when dwelling on the sudreh and its constitution seems rather incongruous. Typographically there may be very few errors but sentence construction is often awkward which could perhap.s be the re ­ sult of translation from Gujarati to English. The price of the book is not mentioned but those interested in its availability may contact Giara at Dhunmai Building, Lady Jehangir Road, Dadar, Bombay 400014. Telephone; 4166204. English Patient welcome 667, It ’s not uncommon for a movie to boost thehardback version with a movie photo terity all the ancient scriptures of Zoroas- slapped on the cover. Reports the Wall Street Journal that though the initial print run of Everyman ’s edition i.s usually 3,000, through the centuries. ” It can be accessed The Histories got 10,000. A spin-off such a.s this should help Zoroastrians to rediscover their past, while being ‘in ’ with the present. trianism. The site “gives a good overview of the religion and traces its evolution sales of a book. But normally the book that is the beneficiary is the one which has been converted to celluloid. This year. The En­ glish Patient, winner of nine Oscars in ­ cluding best picture, has sparked sales of not only Michael Ondaatje ’s Booker prize ­ winning novel on which the film is based, but also of another book: The Histories. An account running into over 700 page.s of the Greek wars with Persia, The Histo- Two Zoroastrian sites ries is written by Herodotus, the acknowl- Living Computers, a monthly magazine edged “father of history, ” some 2,500 years from Bombay on home computing, educa- ago. In the film, the mysterious burns patient (played by Ralph Fiennes) carries the book as a talisman, reading from it, scribbling in the margins, and pasting in letters. Enough reason to spark off a run on the tome by audiences who have loved the movie. According to the Wall Street Jour­ nal, sales of the paperback version of Herodotus ’ book surged 450 percent at Borders Group Incorporated, US, in the two weeks after the movie opened, and has kept on rising. At Rizzoli Bookstores In ­ corporated, sales of the Penguin paper ­ back (priced at US $ 10.95) soared to make it to the best-seller list in December. Meanwhile Alfred A. Knopf Incorpo ­ rated issued a $ 23 Everyman ’s Library on http://www.avesta.org/avesta.html . The second site mentioned covers “all the Parsi favorite ” dishes from gosht H.J.R. jardaloo ma, paatraa ni machhi, akuri, dhansak to dal ni pori and lagan nu cus­ tard. It also gives some details, we are told, on Sir Ratan Tata Industrial Institute and Parsi Dairy Farm. The site is accessible on http://www.ultranet.com/kapadia/cooking . H.J.R. tional entertainment, multimedia and the Internet, has compiled a list of “The Best html. of India on the Web ” for its Net sites pages in the April 1997 issue. The list, interest- SPOTLIGHT ingly, features two Zoroastrian-related In the Industrial Safety Performance Com- sites, a fine distinction for the community petition 1996, conducted by the Director ­ considering that the magazine claims to have “gone through most of the sites in- depth, and then...picked up a few of the sites and reviewed them. ” Say the editors: “Some sites are truly world-class, and sev ­ eral others are getting there. ” The two Zoroastrian sites (re)viewed factories employing up to 99 workers (ex- are on Parsi cuisine and the Avesta Web cept engineering, chemical and pharma- Server; the latter getting a three-star rating ceutical, and electronic manufacturing —one more than cuisine — of a possible plants). maximum of five stars. The Avesta Web Server, slates the review, records for pos- ate of Industrial Safety and Health, Pune and the Rotary Club of Poona-North, the first prize was bagged by White Cloud Filter Pads Private Limited, reports man ­ aging director Rusy Kapadia. The com ­ pany qualified for this award among ali Compiled by Pariniiz M. Gandhi With Best Wishes from Mr Rusy M. Shrofif, M.B.E. 14 Parsiana April 1997 and Mrs Purviz R. ShroflfZOROASTRIANS ABROAD “Religion is personal faith JJ Singapore’s Russi Ghadiali compares life in Bombay with that in the island state Arnavaz S. Mama “We are trying to ensure that the youth Jal Shrott, has enthused the Singaporeans carry on the traditions and that the Asso ­ ciation survives. We will be as flexible a.s we need to, to make that happen, ” says the Singapore Parsi Association president Russi Ghadiali. The 150-member Association ’s New Year dinner at the Singapore Island Club on March 21, 1997 was almost fully at ­ tended by the Zoroastrians residing in the island state. Having organized a Navruz table, Ghadiali says they had to explain everything to their interested chief guest, the city state ’sminister for community de ­ velopment Abdullah Tarmuggi. “Our children don ’t understand what poverty means. They are living in a very affluent society there, ” Ghadiali explained the rationale behind some of the Association ’s new social service projects to Parsiana in the course of an interview in early April this year. Community service for charitable institutions like the Red Cross, the local homes for the aged and the disabled where “time and dedication are required, not money ” are being encour ­ aged to get the community to work to- death, ” say.s Ghadiali. So there will be open discussions, the freedom to ask ques ­ tions and a welcome for the whole family if even one member is a Parsi Zoroastrian. Ghadiali estimates the community ’ s age profile to comprise 40 percent under 40 years, 30 percent between 40 and 50, and 30 percent above 50. Several couples have no child. Others have one or two. There is only one family he knows of that has three children. Having been based in Singapore for over 20 years, Ghadiali was unhappy at the dearth of young Zoroastrians coming there. “The government is encouraging Indian.s in establishing their own community cen ­ ter. “They said if we could get a piece of land from the government, they would work with us to raise funds, ” informed Ghadiali who was of the opinion that the impending po ­ litical change in Hongkong was unlikely to affect the Zo ­ roastrians sett ­ led there. To promote broader par ­ ticipation from with skills and qualifications, ” he informs. Association members six subcomm i t- tees have been constituted, each comprising one commit ­ tee member and three non-commi ttee mem ­ bers. Apart from the aforementioned com ­ munity service and scholarships to send children out, a youth service is designed to help children understand the role of the Association and seek their participation in gether. They also want to send one child its running. Other such committees deal each year to a Zoroastrian youth congress starting with the scheduled meet in Lon ­ don this July. Ghadiali says he has been looking for 10 donors who would agree to donate Singapore $ 200 each towards the cost. At the time of the interview Ghadiali said he had seven commitments in the bag. The candidate selected to represent areas of interest with other associations/ Singapore would be outstanding in his/her own field of endeavor. The selection would serve as a measure of the community ’s appreciation of the youth ’s achievements and help encourage the children to under ­ stand the community better. A visit from a 14-member delegation from The Incorporated Trustees of the Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hongkong, Canton and Macao, led by their president know what ’.s happening Gluidieili: "Go out” with the Association ’s communications and finances. Communications between community members as also between Zo- roastrians and non-Zoroastrians has long been a “major problem in Singapore, ” says Ghadiali. A program called “Friends of the Parsis ” is now being developed to share engineers, information technologists, man ­ agers, executives and entrepreneurs being particularly welcome. Professional educa ­ tion there is however restricted. For ex ­ ample, 70 percent of medical college ad ­ missions are reserved for people of Chi ­ nese origin, 25 percent for Malaysians, only five percent being available for the rest, he says. Malaysia and China are also good places for Zoroastrian youths to explore, accord ­ ing to Ghadiali. Career opportunities are also emerging in Hongkong whence the Chinese, who had fled mainland China earlier, are now leaving. “Foreigners are coming to fill the gap. There is a shortage of people, ” avers Ghadiali. “Our commu ­ nity should start looking at these areas, ” he adds. Though he admits that some young Zoroastrian information technologists have been going to Singapore in recent years communities. As Ghadiali describes it, every month some prominent people would and that the recession has had an impact be invited to pot luck dinners to partake of Parsi cuisine. This idea has been borrowed from the Rotary Club of Raffles City where he had been president, Ghadiali confides. The subcommittee on religion will be organizing informal talks. “Calling dasturs (alone) doesn ’t work. (People) want to here, not after everywhere, he believes that more com ­ munity members “should take up the chal ­ lenge to grow, not just seek security. ” Surveying the economic horizon in Bombay he asks, “Today where are the jobs for Parsis here? ” and identifies the bank jobs of yesteryears as a source of “big problems ” as they promoted the yen for 16 Parsiana April 1997security ah^l ,stifled risk taking. “Arc you 1 And when you come back after 50 years) going to be left at that level with no growth? your friends are still there, Ghadiali lists the advantages of the bangs. He contrasts this scenario with that in Singapore where Go out. If you have the skills, you can grow. ” Ghadiali traces parallels between the Parsi community in cosmopolitan Bombay and Singaporean society — a tiny state within the comity of Asian nations. Like the Parsi bangs in Bombay, people in Singapore are well housed. “There is so much security, they are so comfortable, they don ’t want to go out (of the country even though) the government is encourag ­ ing people to go out, to get more experi ­ ence and exposure, ” says Ghadiali. Again, while military service is compulsory for its male citizens, Singaporean girls use the time to study and, like their Parsi counter ­ parts, often find themselves way ahead of their prospective spouses. Marriages are on the decline, as is the birth rate. So the government has established the social de ­ velopmentunit to undertake matchmaking, lieves in accepting non-community mar- organize functions and trips to promote riages because the world is changing. “How matrimony. Having grown up in Bombay ’s Cusrow Baug, Ghadiali appreciates the vision of as long as possible. Currently vice president of International Rectifier, Ghaidali is a navar-martab who started as a management trainee with E. Ruttonsha and Company. He thank.s his ¦ late boss Jal Ruttonsha “for the little knowl- Malaysia and China edge I do have of my religion. ” He says J _ I T5 1 I ? + /-X *-« r-, L » 1»-» 1 o 1 I fti are also good places for Zoroastrian youths to explore Ruttonsha gave up eight years of his life to the writing and production of the book In Search of my God. Pages of the manuscript were passed to Ghadiali who was then quizzed. “Because I was a priest, he felt I knew the religion ! I told him, a Zoroastrian priest only knows how to pray. ” The book initially disillusioned Ghadiali about the religion. He felt that he had been wrongly guided in the course of his train ­ ing to priesthood. It was only later that he began to see that “My prayers are mine; my he believes Parsi children don ’t meet be ­ cause there is no community institution where they can all get together. “If I had money, I promise you I’d build a baug, ” he notes fervently. Ghadiali maintains that one “can only God (is) my God... Even if you don ’t guide children, not fight them. ” He be- understand (the injunctions), just follow them. ” Admitting that there is every possi ­ bility that good people may seek to be converted to Zoroastrianism — “I can ’t shut my eye (to that) ” he concedes — Ghadiali urges fellow Zoroastrians not to more now than when he lived there. “Would we have survived without them? ” he asks. The maximum marriages occur in the bangs munity ones, he feels that parents should because the children meet early, he says, enjoy their children ’s happiness, sustain it many parents have not talked to their chil ­ dren for 10-15 years? The time is gone, ” he notes sadly. Registering his personal view than break it up. ” Noting that Parsi mar ­ riages are as prone to break up as intercom- by asking questions. But he maintains, “I don ’t see why we should discuss conver ­ sion if... religion i.s personal faith. Your own faith is the most important. ” With Best Compliments From LEACH & WEBORNY When in Bombay Contact For attending to your laundry. They are Launderers & Dyers of repute. They will also attend to your carpets for cleaning or dyeing. 66, Off E. Moses Road, Worli, Bombay 400018 Phone: Head Office 2654294 Factory: 4924384, 4925644 18 Parsiana April 1997HOBBIES COVER STORY A Hollywood love affair Firoza Dalal treasures her grandfather’s collection of Hollywood memorabilia Hilla P. Guzder man descent known for her sensuous sing ­ ing and acting in The Blue Angel (1930), box-office triumphs. It ’sMaryAstor ’stumnow, “ToDinshaw Academy Award in 1972 for his contribu- Variava — may your fine publications continue to prosper! ” Mary Pickford, “America ’s sweetheart ” and second wife cerely Walt Disney, ” wrote the man who won 26 Academy Awards and brightened the lives of millions of children with his creation of animated cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto wish always. ” A youthful David Niven and Bambi, sent his “best regards ” while a boyish tion to the film industry. “Greetings to Dinshaw S. Variava! sin- They were the stars of Hollywood ’s “dream man descent known for her sensuous sing- with Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford factory ” in the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s — ing and acting in The Blue Angel (1930), and director D. W. Griffith, producing, di­ Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn, Greta whose cameo roles in IVztness for the recting and starring in, among others. The Garbo, Merle Oberon, Bette Davis, Clark Prosecution (1958) and Judgment at Kid (\92i), The Gold Rush (1925), City Gable and many others. Audiences all over Nuremburg (1961) helped make the films Lights (1931), The Great Dictator (1940) the world felt the fascination of their mov- box-office triumphs. andLimelight (1952) and receiving a special ies, they laughed and they cried with their Hollywood heartthrobs. Today, half a century down the corridor of time, that era is long past. And not many fans, particularly in India, can claim to of Douglas Fairbanks, remembered for her have a well-preserved collection of Holly- portrayal of wholesome characters (Poor wood memorabilia of days gone by, in- Little Rich Girl, Daddy Long Legs'), ac- cluding photographs signed by some of the companied her signature with “every best biggest names in Hollywood. But that isjust what Firoza Dalal claims, sent his “best regards ” while a boyish Hollywood heavyweight, Samuel The photographs in her possession are Henry Fonda, whose first film was made in Goldwyn, producer of All Quiet on the cherished reminders ofher maternal grand- 1935 and the last (On Golden Pond, for Western Front, the war drama which won father Dinshaw Shapurji Variava ’s heady which he won an Academy Award) in the Academy Award for Best Picture in days as a partner of Nagpur ’s Raj Vilas 1981 just prior to his death in 1982, wrote 1930, and Wuthering Heights (nominated theater. Dalal, who works with the Essar “good luck to you! ” for Best Picture in 1939 but lost out to group in Bombay, displays a pile of black Dalal shows a signed picture of Charlie ‘deadins ladies" (left to and wh,te enlargements In two sizes - Chaplin, looking older and so very different 14, 41“ ,4 P 'Diarid, a,d Mar, Astor: (bottom) whteh says, To Mr Vartava may yon 70 ftims tn hrs etneer - “the little trtmp," ^^rle Ohrron and have lots of luck in your new office. And with his baggy pants, enormous shoes, Constance Bennett looking at you is the face of Marlene battered hat and bamboo cane. Chaplin co- r, , > Dietrich, the sultry femme fatale of Ger- founded United Artists Corporation in 1919 TranspalCdes of’photol Ctetan Mistry 1935 and the last (On Golden Pond, for which he won an Academy Award) in 1981 just prior to his death in 1982, wrote “good luck to you! ” Dalal shows a signed picture of Charlie Chaplin, looking older and so very different from the character he made immortal in 70 films in his career — “the little tramp, ” with his baggy pants, enormous shoes, battered hat and bamboo cane. Chaplin co ­ founded United Artists Corporation in 1919 21 Parsiana Apri/1997 Will I- .va Gone with the Wind) sent his autograph, “For Mr Dinshaw Variava — with best wishes. ” Dalal also has unsigned photographs, among others, of legends like Fred Astaire (“can ’t act, slightly bald, can dance a little ” said his screen test report!), fresh- faced Audrey Hepburn (she won the best actress Oscar ior Roman Holiday in 1953), Frank Sinatra (who won an Academy Award for his non-singing performance in From Here to Eternity) and the six-foot three “yup ” “nope ” man Gary Cooper who won an Oscar for his performance as the determined sheriff in High Noon (1952). Dalal displays two photos of Indian film star Devika Rani, one of which is signed “with very best wishes ” and dated October 27, 1934. She has pictures of Ashok Kumar and a promotional invitation card signed by Sohrab Modi when his film Jhansi ki Rani was released. “Grandfather loved movies. He probably wrote to the Hollywood stars and some of them responded by sending him their photographs for publicity, ” conjectures Dalal. “He was himself a very good tap dancer, tap ­ ping away on our family dining table in Nagpur. I lived with him from age seven as I was studying in the J. N. Tata Parsi Girls ’ High School and later at Hislop College in Nagpur while my parents, Beji and Aban Bajan, lived in Katni near Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. My father runs a limestone business there in the name of T. C. Bajan and Company Private Limited. My great grandfather, Tehmuraspji Cawasji Bajan, was a malguzar (landlord) of Katni while (“can ’t act, slightly bald, can dance a Signed pictures of (top row): Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Charles Laughton; (bottom) Henry Fonda and David Niven; celluloid sweetheart Mary Pickford; Charlie Chaplin, a legend in his lifetime A film poster (below) grandfather, Cawasji Bajan, was given my grandfather, uawttsji oujau, givvu the title of Khansaheb. Many institutions in Katni have been the recipients of their philanthropy, ” states Dalal proudly. “Un- fnrtiinntftlV for praudfather Variava, in fortunately lor grandfather Variava, course of time circumstances L—.....- - HAL ROACH pnmnM i SCom lAURE ¦ 22 Parsiana April 1997 *r ¦ ¦ I I f that he had to give up his theater and take up work as an insurance agent. Rain or shine, he was ready for work, going around on his cycle even when he was 80!” nar- rates Dalal. He never really talked about his Hollywood memorabilia acquired it, she adds. She does recollect, rather ruefully now, that she used to see her grandmother lining thepeenjru(meat safe) at home with Hollywood posters! She displays the few posters that have or how he V ai luvu, ... survived the ravages of time — Laurel and became such Hardy ’s Saps at Sea, Chai lie Chaplin s The The Kid, Yul Brynner ’s Magnificent Seven (“seven and they fought like seven hundred, ” says the blurb). She then shows the publicity booklets wherein the big studios unveiled their prestige products: “20th Century Fox presents The Robe in the modern miracle of Cinemascope says one of them. There is a booklet on Metro Goldwyn Mayer ’s (MGM) masterpiece Gone with the Wind made in 1939 and watched by the then largest movie audience (300 million) in history, winning 10 Oscars including the Best Picture and the Best Actress Award for the raven-haired Vivien Leigh ’s fiery portrayal of Scarlett O’Hara. “We, the Screen Stars of extending the Screen Hollywood, join in felicitations and Birthday Greetings to 20th Century Pictures and to Joseph M. Schenck and Darryl F. Zanuck on the occasion of this First Anniversary Celebration... ” says a printed letter, containing the signatures of Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Cary Grant, Johnny Weismuller, Gin- continued on page 34 ISEMINAR The Parsi Brand Equity The BPP's Holiday Programme for Youth participants were urged to maintain the advantages of belonging to a well liked community Text by Arnavaz S. Mama • Photographs by C. C. Gandevia 1 52 educational institutions, as informed hadplayedcricket, football, indoor games; Diana Marfatia, the program ’s long- had rendered social service including the standing popular coordinator. The group- cleaning of agiaries and the doongerwadi Shroff- Second row: Guzder with ness and parent-child workshops; had had Lawyer, Bakhtawar Chenoy, Farah a first-hand exposure to the election pro- Lawyer and Mehroo Irani. (Middle) “Impressive buildings only stand if they hgani, Pune and Surat. They represented design and execution of fashion shows; have a solid foundation. We aspire to give you the foundation to bear the stress of life, ” Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) chair ­ man Jamshed Guzder told the youths who that she described as “hardworking, com- grounds, entertaining old people, organiz- had completed the month-long Holiday mitted, competitive ” had been exposed to ing a blood collection drive (65 bottles Programme for Youth (HPY), the BPP’s a variety of information on career opportu- collected, courtesy St George ’s Hospital); star social service program tailored for those who had just finished school. Held at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Parsee tory, yoga and natural medicine; had wit- At the HPY (first row, left to right) Charitable High School and Junior Col- nessed karate and judo demonstrations; Malegam, Marfatia. Balaporia and lege, April 26 to May 22, 1997 the 11th had partaken in public speaking, self aware- edition of the popular annual event saw 163 enrolments for the camp comprising 85 boys and 78 girls, including 13 from cess including the preparation and deliv- Panthaky, Taleyarkhan, Siodia, other cities including Ahmedabad, Baroda, Bardoli, Dahanu, Mhow, Navsari, Pane- a variety of information on career opportu ­ nities, leadership, body language and sex had visited the Braille Press, the Society education, Zoroastrian religion and his- ery of manifestos; had engaged in elocu- Lilaowala and Bamji. (Extreme right) tion, dramatics and debates as well as the Ghadiali c 28 Parsiana April 1997 ?> 4 « «who cleared the marshes of the Nile when that you climb should make you more faced by drought, like the white Ameri- humble... Humility to superiors is duty... “We as members of the Parsi commu- cans who went west, risking comfort, fac ­ ing danger while seeking opportunity. Toynbee referred to such communities as “border people ” who had the grit to sur ­ vive and prosper while others succumbed. benefits our forefathers provided as rights, not recognizing changes that the environ ­ ment demands. ” According to Malegam ties, ” the medical, housing and educa ­ tional facilities, the opportunities and de ­ gree of recognition “disproportionate to the young people who have gone abroad for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals the “hiccups along the way... Each block and the Hindustan Lever complex. One of the aims of the program is to bring the dispersed Zoroastrian contempo- to inferiors, nobility. ” raries into contact with each other, utiliz ­ ing the long break after the SSC, ICSE nity are a very privileged lot, ” noted audi- ‘ examinations. Ten years of the HPY had tor Yezdi Malegam, chief guest at the benefitted about 1,500 young Zoroastrians inaugural. Referring to the community ’s Malegam drew attention to the danger to and had yielded four marriages, according “standard of living which is perhaps much the Parsi community of “accepting the to senior BPP trustee Minoo Shroff who higher than that of many other communi- presided over the inaugural program. “That ’s not a mean achievement (for) a community where the age of marriage is so late and...there is a general aversion to get our numbers in the country, ” Malegam are like Toynbee ’s border people as were together, ” said Shroff. asked, “Do these benefits pose a danger to our immigrant forefathers whose consci- Commenting on the new scenario where the future of the community? ” entiousness and toughess won the commu- young management trainees start at in ­ comes of Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 per capacity for survival in the light of histo- month — an emolument known only to rian/anthropologist Arnold Toynbee ’s managing directors of companies a bare theory. In his monumental Study of His- (must) respond to the challenge and the five years ago — Shroff referred to the tory Toynbee had enunciated that the most youth of our community are the spear- tremendous opportunities available to the important civilisations were created by the youth in India today. “Each one of us people who could meet the challenge of a wants to be successful in life but... the changing environment, like the Egyptians measure of success tends to vary, ” he noted, enumerating the criteria for success as hard work, determination, dedication, te ­ nacity and stamina. Quoting Singapore ’s former prime min ­ ister Lee Kuan Yew, the man who raised Singapore ’s per capita income beyond that of UK citizens. Shroff added, ‘“Life is an endless marathon without a finishing line. ’ We are not all born equal. Some have the stamina to make it, many don ’t. ” Though only a few people can get to the top. Shroff told his young audience “a lot of us can have self-fulfilling lives. ” What one decides to do, how one does it and the satisfaction one re ­ ceives from utilizing the capa ­ bilities one has, were some mea ­ sures of success that Shroff enu ­ merated, even as he emphasized the need to choose the vocation that one finds personally conge ­ nial and cautioned them about asked, “Do these benefits pose a danger to He sought to gauge the community ’s nity respect and admiration in India. They have made a success of their lives. “We can do the same thing in this country... We head. ” Noting that “the core of progress is the individual and therefore if you develop the i to R (from top) Ziyan Contractor and Pashna Munshi with Lawyer; Janice Disawalla with Roshan Driver; Nariman, Percy Vaid, Lawyer and Danesh Chinoy; Taleyarkhan and Aniza Patel; Nariman with Silloo Kavarana; a view of the audience ¦» / 29 Parsiana April 1997 Llives, on the threshold of another. “Build on your hopes, your dreams, your ambi ­ tions, but don ’t be embittered if you don ’t individual, you develop a community, ” Malegam said the role of the Punchayet is not to preserve posterity or the community ’ s comfort but to “maintain the character of get immediate results, ” she cautioned, our community. ” Describing the attribute Though the overall current demand is for as “difficult to define but easy to recog ­ nize, ” the low-profile, much respected pro ­ fessional (see “The corporate sleuth, ” Parsiana, July-August 1996) referred to the HPY’s multifaceted activities with approval, particularly sports, which teaches one “to accept defeat with grace and suc ­ cess with humility. ” Speaking of the community ’s ‘Parsi ’ label as “brand equity ” — the characteris ­ tic that distinguishes one product from another, recognized by the user as a guar ­ antee of quality, consistency — Malegam suggested the professor, emphasizing the noted, “All of us who have the benefit of coming from the Parsi community enjoy the brand equity that goes with it — integ ­ rity, social consciousness, environmental concern. ” He urged the youths to ensure that this brand equity is maintained: “The youths...are an advertisement for the Parsi community...enhancing our collective value and therefore our individual value. ” “The story of life...is that hurdles are never over, ” Vispi Balaporia, dean of of independence, “a cardinal principle of Bombay University ’s arts faculty told the youths at the end of one chapter of their the commerce stream there are many op ­ portunities opening up for arts students “We as members of the Parsi community are a very privileged lot” with a variety of combinations available, the Indian population, Taleyarkhan sug ­ gested to each young Zoroastrian to “make at least one person literate. The unrigh ­ teous man is often an uneducated man, ” he reasoned. Zeenia Lawyer, managing director of Associated Breweries which produce.s the popular London Pilsner brand of beer, was the day ’s guest of honor. Noting that “girls today can run their father ’s business as successfully as anybody, ” Lawyer referred to the traumatic month.s following her father ’s death and the pride she possessed in maintaining the quality of her product. For the aspiring young women in the audi ­ ence who would be juggling career and family responsibilities in the future she had a special word of advice: “Plan your need to build inner strength and honesty of day well in advance. Time management i.s purpose. She particularly advised the extremely important. ” youths, “Do not try to destroy those in the way (of success). ” Veteran politician Homi Taleyarkhan who was chief guest at the valedictory function emphasized the need to promote a “trusting relationship between students, teachers and parents ” for maximum edu ­ cational benefits. Noting that after 50 years parents ’viewpoint. Speaking on behalf of the principals of the participating schools, she complimented the organizers on the continued on page 34 Whenever the school has a vacation, “the parents get enormous tension as to what they are going to do with their chil ­ dren at home... an innate fear as to how the children are going to spend their time, ” New Era School principal Cool Ghadiali enunciated the benefit of the HPY from the Wanted old copies of the Shah Nameh in Persian. Write to: The Advertiser (Shah Nameh) GPO Box 892, Bombay 400001 Always remember TATA BATA i2«Hi KHAMBATA Ketayun & Bomi 22/A, Wellington Terrace Wellington Street, Bombay 400002 Tel No: 2069636, 2057242 Pager No: 9602-104007 30 Parsiana April 1997 the Constitution — free education up to the age of 14,” had failed to percolate through MATRIMONIAL Alliance invited for Parsi boy, 35 years, 5’4”, BSc degree educated, lives and works in UK. Seeking good natured Parsi girl between 25-32 years also living in UK. Please send detailed information with photograph (returnable) to: The Advertiser Parsiana, Matrimonial (April/14-97)* GPO Box 892, Bombay 400001 ‘Please make sure the reply envelope bears the reference number cited here. MATRIMONIAL Parents of educated daughter, 29 years, well domesticated, residing in UK, invite matrimonial correspondence from educated, Zoroastrian men with outgoing and friendly personality with a view to settling permanently in UK. Apply with photograph (returnable) to: The Advertiser C/o 16, Haydon Park Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 8JY, England 22 Carat Guaranteed Gold KUMAR JEWELLERS House of Gold, Silver & Diamond Jewellery Specialist for: Asho Farohar & Lord Zarathushtra Medals in Gold and Silver 596, Chira Bazar, Near Wadia Fire Temple, Bombay 400002 Tel: 2017707/2011894 We buy old Gold, Silver and Diamond Jewellery We accept Master, Visa, Diners, BOB & Inter cardsDANCE << CHOMaota^ MCUS Anuradha Guptan From Kathak and ballet Astad Deboo has evolved his own dance style ( the Khajuraho Dance Festival and then at modem dance in these cities. ” Deboo inherited his love of dance from his mother. He remembers as a child watch ­ ing her learn dance and music. He himself started his initial training in Kathak when He is known for pioneering modem dance in India and internationally acclaimed for the Elephanta Festival of dance and music, his distinctive and original dance style. He is said to have performed in as many as 55 countries across the globe. His perfor ­ mances have thrilled distinguished audi ­ ences including the royal families of Japan in Bangalore and Madras, though I have Das atJamshedpur. Besides Kathak, Deboo and Thailand. He has danced at prestigious attended conferences and held talks on venues such as The Great Wall of China, the John F. Kennedy Center in Washing ­ ton DC and the Chelsea Theatre, London. These are just glimpses of the illustri ­ ous career of Astad Deboo, one of India ’s finest contemporary dancers and recipient of the Sangeet Natak Academy award for 1996. Deboo was presented the A award for his outstanding work in j the field of ‘creative dance. ’ Though pleasantly surprised and pleased with the recognition, Deboo is sceptical about this translating into actual support for his work. Among the first to introduce modem dance in India, Deboo has had to work hard to make a place for himself in an environ- ment dominated by classical dance. “In India, ” he says, “people have set notions about everything. Whatever does not fit into the conventional mold is promptly dismissed. And since Indian classical dances have always been story-based, modern dance with its abstract themes is not easily appreciated. ” * The main problem, as he sees it, is getting sponsors. It is a vicious circle: to cultivate a receptive audience you need promoters, and promoters won ’t come forward unless assured of a good audi ­ ence. “But things are changing now, ” he adds. “In ’91,1 was invited to dance at These are mainly for Indian classical danc ­ ers and just getting invited there was like breaking the ice. But the pace of change is slow. To date I’ve not been able to perform he was just six years old from Guru Prahlad i Deboo: “In India people have set notions” later trained in Kathakali from Guru Krishna Panicker. The journey from classical Indian to contemporary i dance was not a path chosen con- sciously by him, but “more of a H gradual process. ” After finishing H school he wanted to join the Film R Institute at Pune, but his parents were V keen on a college education for him. I So he took up commerce at the Podar I College in Bombay. It was around this time that Uttara Asha Coorlawala came down to Bombay from New York with the Murray Louis Dance Company. Deboo happened to be involved in a workshop conducted by Uttara and for the first time in his life was exposed to Western dance. While watching the Company perform, he became aware of the potential of the human body. It made him curious and want to try out different things. That was the beginning of a number of explorations for Deboo. He began looking out for books on dance at the USIS library and started see ­ ing more of other classical danceJorms. “I was curious but had no guidance. There were no institutions in India then where one could learn modem dance. So I de ­ cided to go overseas to study it, ” he ex ­ plains. Was that what set him off on his famous trip around the globe, you wonder. “No, ” he says. “I had dreamt of hitchhiking even before any of this happened. A school friend had done it and the sheer adventure of it had excited me. Fortunately, after finishing college, I got admission to the Martha Graham school through Uttara. Now my dream had a purpose to it. I told my parents that I wanted to hitchhike 32 Parsiana April 1997 LI r through Europe before going to the States for further studies. They supported me and it all came through. ” And their support has been with him ever since, he tells us. Deboo left the country on a cargo ship as a deck passenger. Hi.s first destination was Tehran where he had his first televi ­ sion show. He had two and a half months to survive in Europe on the meager sum of money he was carrying with him. The payment for his performance on TV showed him a good way to keep him going. After that he tried doing shows wherever he went. When he did not get paid, he did it for the exposure it offered him. From Tehran, with the help of his thumb, a,s he puts it, he went on to Turkey, Greece, Italy, Geneva, Germany and finally reached England. In London Deboo joined the London School of Contemporary Dance, teaching Kathak techniques to the class as return payment for his training in the Martha Graham dance style. He also took ballet classes because ballet is the foundation of modern dance. The whole process of un ­ learning Kathak and learning something new turned out to be a challenging and revealing experience for Deboo. It helped him realize all that his body was capable of and also to understand the limitations of training in one exclusive dance form. “Our Indian dances are all earth connected whereas ballet is kind of ‘above. ’ I found that the body was made to do a lot of things which I felt were not natural. There wa.s a certain amount of emotion but not the kind of bhakti or spirituality which is very much the soul of our dance even today. With Indian dance the movements flow, but when I was learning ballet or even the Insomnia, an abstract work, the entire piece Anything related to the performing arts Martha Graham technique it was painful. ” ' ...... - - '—-—- ' • ¦ . ¦ When his UK visa expired. Deboo moved on to Canada and from there to Japan with the help of some friends. Japan was “love at first sight ” for him. He was completely fascinated by the Japanese way of life. The reverence, discipline and de ­ termination to be perfect that went into everything the Japanese did struck a chord absolutely straight like a plank of wood ' and not sink into the mid-space below. ” In another highly acclaimed piece,/l.sy- lum, Deboo uses his toe to depict the characters ol a child, lover and tormentor alternatingly, the whole dance being based on a lunatic ’s interaction with his toe. His highly critical to patronising; speaking of which he says, “Many Indian dancers have now started innovating dance forms. They turn around and tell me what I am doing is Western while what they are doing i.s inno ­ vative Indian. Which is not true because so in him. One of the special memories he has • of his sojourn in Japan is doing a body painting dance show with an American painter. Dipped in huge canisters of paint, his body smeared in a multitude of colors. Deboo would dance on a white canva,s spread on the dance floor. After Japan, it was short stints in Indo ­ nesia, Korea and Malaysia before eventu ­ ally going to America. On his return, he took to learning Kathakali from Guru 33 Parsiana April 1997 Krishna Panicker, being involved at the Mangalore Street which is a dance drama same time with two dance companies, the American Pilobolous Dance Company and Pina Bausch with whom he worked for some time. Deboo ’s own works range from pieces of abstract bodywork to narrative pieces to dance dramas based on political satire. In one of his popular works, Lakdi ka Raavan, a political satire, he plays Raavan as the modern day politician. The play depicts performed with him. So ’too, has he danced the torturous reign of Raavan and the suf ­ ferings of his subjects till they finally rise set against the backdrop of a street by that name in Bombay. Deboo has also done large collabora ­ tive shows with puppeteer Dadi Pudumjee in India, and with Maya Plisetskaya the prima ballerina of the Bolshoi theatre at the Pierre Cardin theatre in Paris. With Bharat Natyam dancer Rohinton Cama, Deboo shares a good rapport and ha.s even with Dodo Bhujwalla. However, there ha.s been no interaction between him and Shiamak Davar, their forms of dance being quite different from each other. For the last six years Deboo has been actively involved with Calcutta's Action Players, a theater company of hearing impaired thespians . His relationship with the company started with a work- shop he conducted for them in which , I he helped them coordinate movements and found a way of giving them a beat by breaking the music into a count. After which he has done a number of shows with them. “They work with different objects whereby you create different spaces for them, ” he explains. Working with them is a wonderful and challenging experience lor Deboo from which he derive.s immense satisfaction. Deboo loves doing dances, no matter in what context or form the opportunities present themselves. It i.s this approach that has led to short stints in Bollywood as well, doing dance sequences in two films. And he wouldn ’t mind doing more if he had the chance. “I am not averse to the idea. I do like to watch some of today ’s Hindi film songs. They are quite entertaining even if against him and he mect.s his doom. In they tend to be repetitive, ” he admits. •ming arts interests Deboo, be it music, theater, cin ­ ema or working with the handicapped. By and large the Zoroastrian commu ­ nity doesn ’t respond to his dance perfor ­ mances. Few appreciate or even under ­ stand hi.s style and form of dance. There i.s very little interaction with the community a.s far a.s his dance i.s concerned, .say.s Deboo who regards himself as a practicing Zoroastrian who wears the sudreh and kusti, and goes to the agiary when he feels the need to do so. Over the years other dancers ’ opinion.s on Deboo ’.s style have ranged from the Dchoo is drawn to the abstract is performed on a base of two horizontal pipes on which he could Just rest his neck and ankles while the rest of him remained suspended in mid-air. The dance is an interpretation of the restlessness of a per ­ son unable to sleep. “It was really fascinat ­ ing, ” he explains, “to know the extent to which I could push my body to remain Other famous creations include Broken Pane, which is adcpictionofa drug addict ’s sufferings; Chewing Gum, again an ab ­ stract work which has him dancing in a small box with a sheet of elastic; andmany of my themes are based on everyday Indian life or political satire which is very Indian. I have used Dhrupad music by the Davis, Warner star — it ’s “an early mar- Gundecha brothers in my shows. Just be ­ cause I do not use heavy Kathakali tech ­ nique as a base, does not mean that my work is Western. It is just an individualis- “Many choreographers are stepping out of the traditional mold and beginning to work in the contemporary format” or happiness. ” “Joan Crawford, MGM star THE PARSI BRAND EQUITY — you ’ll have many suitors. ” For Bette continued from page 30 “long, strenuous hours of thinking, plan ­ ning and execution. ” Coordinators Marfatia and Monaz Dixit worked with the support of the BPP staff including chief executive Behram Laskari, additional joint secretary Sheroo Master, Bakhtawar Dastur and Persi Mistry. Aid­ ing them were HPY alumni Khorram Siodia, Ashdeen Lilaowala, Fabian Panthaky, Parizad Tirandazi and Teenaz Bamji who continue to be members of the a picture of a lavish outdoor set used by BPP Youth Club — a body that provides riage, ” for Gary Cooper “it ’s o ’er land and sea you ’ll go, ” while Clark Gable ’s mes ­ sage is more sinister, “money coming through a death. ” Dalal opens a copy of the 1933 World Film Encyclopedia — a veritable treasure house of infonnation with 1,000 Film biog ­ raphies, with actors and actresses ’ real names, birthdays, marriages, etc, illustrated with art plates of studios, scenes and stars. There is tic style that is developed by taking differ ­ ent elements and forming a body of work. You have to look at it in its totality. ” He is a little disappointed by the fact that even today few of our leading dance performers Ravi Gupta, the managing director of Na- have seen his work. He wishes that every dancer would view a lot of other dancers ’ work with a certain open-mindedness. However, according to Deboo, more is happening in the contemporary dance scene in India today than a few years ago. “One sees a lot of changes taking place today, ” he says. “Many choreographers are stepping out of the traditional mold and beginning my grandfather, ” relates Dalal. “He was to work in the contemporary format. To ­ day leading dance performers like Chandralekha, Daksha Seth and Mallika Sarabhai all have their own companies and are creating their respective styles. How ­ ever, they do tend to stick to themes and ideas they feel safe with. I still find a lack of abstract, social and political work. ” So, where does he see himself as a choreographer today? “Well, ” he says, “I continued from page 26 am still learning, experimenting. There ’s a long way to go. I often meet people who ask me, ‘You ’re still around? ’ and I tell them, ‘Yes, I am still around. And going strong! ”’ Cecil B. DeMille in the making of The Sign continuing voluntary contact for the youths of the Cross', there are pictures of the MGM casting office in Culver City with crowds of “extras ” waiting hopefully for a job. “It was grandfather who taught me to value things. I think this collection is very at the end of each HPY camp. This year too, as on earlier occasions, the youths had requested that the camp be prolonged, noted Marfatia. Extra social service meets were on the cards as was valuable, I may sell it if I get a very good photographer Boman Irani ’s offer of a price, ” states Dalal. She mentions that workshop for photography enthusiasts. Participant Diana Nariman who had begun the program not knowing “what was ex ­ pected, ” said she found that “the spirit of giving, so dominant in our Parsi culture, was emphasized. Whatever was needed was done... New vistas, new doors. tional Film Development Corporation, had seen her collection and opined that she had enough good material for an exhibition. Dalal plans to approach international valuers and seek their expert opinion. The signatures on the photographs have not yet opened... been authenticated. “Whatever I am today is because of always encouraging me to do things, to achieve! ‘Rough and tough hano,’ he used to say. ” She remembers him as a friendly, helpful person, a well-known figure in Nagpur. She tends with care his movie memorabilia, in a manner befitting the pat ­ riarch who treasured Hollywood at home. MATRIMONIAL THE PEN OF PARSIDOM plus the cost factor ” compelled the fre ­ quency to be brought down to three edi ­ tions a month. While individuals “showed admiration and sympathy and gave dona ­ tions, the real expectation from the trusts, industrial house.s and companies did not materialize, ” discloses Kadva who has given himself a six-month deadline after which he will perforce introduce subscrip ­ tions, advertisements and sponsorships instead of the present set-up where any written request for inclusion on the mailer list is acceded to, free of cost. In the meanwhile Parsidom plans to continue as a “humble, small size publica ­ tion. ” As optimistically stated in the first ries. ” Each card has a photograph of a issue, “We remain hopeful that we shall be popular star on one side and a message on the reverse. “Maurice Chevalier, Para ­ mount star —you ’ll have to choose money A HOLLYWOOD LOVE AFFAIR continued from page 22 ger Rogers and a host of stars who had captured the world ’s imagination. Like a conjurer, Dalal then pulls out a pack of tiny playing cards, just 3 cm x 4.5 cm in size. They are the “Broadway For ­ tune Telling Cards, ” presented with “SE­ CRETS — the paper with the most sto- able to make our presence felt and make our contribution for the larger welfare of Parsis. ” 34 Parsiana April 1997 Alliance invited from well educated Zoroastrian gentlemen by fair, attractive, professional lady, aged 31, residing in the United Kingdom. Apply with photograph (returnable) and full details to: The Advertiser Parsiana, Matrimonial (April/15-97)* GPO Box 892, Bombay 400001 ‘Please make sure the reply envelope bears the reference number cited here. LHISTORY Leaves from a diary—11 I_ 1111 f~\ D I I -y /-M- Hilla P. Guzder A Parsiana reader identifies the unknown diarist When our December 1996 issue carrying extracts from an 1896 diary penned by an unknown Zoroastrian reached the home of one of our subscribers, 76-year-old Aloo Shiavux Mistry (nee Banaji) of Bombay, it was the pictures of old Bombay which first attracted her atten ­ tion. She started to read the diary. “In the evening I with MissesTehmina, Goolbai and Master Maneckjee went for a drive to the Victoria Gardens, ” wrote the anonymous diarist. To her surprise, Aloo realized that Master Maneckjee (but knew that Tehmina and Rustom had been a child of three or four in 1896) was none married around the year 1900, they being other than her own father and his sisters were Tehmina and Goolbai! “At night my poor sister Bachoobai un ­ der travail, ” continued the writer. Aloo knew that Tehmina, Maneckjee and Goolbai ’s mother ’s name was Bachoobai and this was therefore her own grand ­ mother. And Nusserwanji Limji Banaji had been her grandfather ’s name! Realiz ­ ing that the family being referred to was none other than her own, she delved deep siana presenl.s for its into the recesses of her mind, recalling readers the ancestral tree of the diarist ’s words and events that had taken place when she was a young girl more than half family — the Davars as well as the Banajis (of Fort ’s Banaji Limji Agiary family), a century ago. Putting memories together. Not much is known ot the diarist himself, she came to the conclusion that the un ­ known diarist was her grandmother Bachoobai ’.s brother, Ardeshir Edulji Davar. . , The jigsaw seemed to fit perfectly for perusal by Dadi K. Banaji, trustee of when she read, “I proposed Tehmina ’s hand in marriage to my friend Rustom (D. J. Mistry) but he refused the offer... ” She nor have we been able to find his photograph. The diary had been given to Parsiana by Sylla Vatcha. The Banaji Limji family tree was given to Parsiana married around the year 1900, they bein^ none other than her husband Shiavux ’.s own parents! (As was common during yes ­ teryear, Aloo Banaji was married in 1939 to her father ’s sister ’s son Shiavux Mistry — see family tree.) On the basis information provided by Aloo Mistry and her daughter Armaiti, Par- the agiary. The photographs of Tehmina and Rustom, Maneckjee and Jerbanoo with their children were provided by Aloo Mistry. The photographs of Bachoobai, her other daughter Shirinbai with husband Merwanjec Panday were presented by Shirinbai ’s grandson, Zarir Rustom Joshi. of ¦st Above: Maneckjee and Jerbanoo Banaji in the 1930s with their children (from left) Phiroze,Daulat and Aloo and Avabai Colabawalla, Jerbanoo’s mother Right: Bachoobai Banaji photographed in the 194()s Transparencies of photos by Chetan Mistry 36 Parsiana April 1997Below: Shirinbai and Merwanjee Panday in 1917 Right: Tehmina and Rustom Mistry around 19/0 with Daulat and Shiavux (center) T 1 * j THE DAVAR FAMILY Eduiji Davar T T 1 I Tehmina married Rustom D.J. Mistry Behram Bachoobai married Nusserwanjee Limji Banaji Goolbai married Ardeshir Shroff 1 Mehra Bahadur married married Dali Master Khorshed Haveliwalla Shiavux married Aloo Pirozbai married Cursedji Framji Davar Ardeshir (Our diarist) probably a bachelor Merwanjee married Bapaimai Saklatwala T Jamshedji married Piroja Sidhwa Bhikaiji married Ruttonsha Billimoria Shirinbai married Merwanjee Panday Maneckjee married Jerbanoo Colabawala Firoze “I Rustomji Dhunbaijee Minoo married Aloo Patel Feroze married Daulat Noria Soli Aloo Tehmi/ Phiroze Daulat married Roshan married Shiavux (Twins) Rustom Mistry Tehmi/ Banoo Contractor Daulat Shiavux Jamshed married married married Mehli Aloo Naju Panday Maneckjee Master Masalawala Banaji Tehmi married Keki Burjor married Homai Patel Gool married Rustom Burzor Joshi 37 Parsiana April 1997OBSERVATION 66 If life is a party. Ruksana Mehta Katie Pastakia’s heroic suffering was alleviated in the care of compassionate people Then came a time when she was deemed to be in remission. Katie was happy, grate ­ ful and very relieved when her treatment was stopped. She mentioned to me that chemo had reduced the quality of her life to “nothing. ” Unfortunately, the ag ­ gressive return of her disease made it nec ­ essary to restart her treatment in a few months. While she always astounded me with her courage, Katie also puzzled me by her reaction to an injection. She could cry like an infant when she saw the needle ap ­ proach her arm during the chemotherapy. This recurring scene was perhap.s embar ­ rassing to her, as well a.s to the medical staff. We talked about the situation and she explained that the fear had been with her since childhood. On the next appointment I decided to distract her from the approaching ordeal and began to “interview ” her for an article I said I was writing on courage. I kept up a barrage of questions at the critical time, make my exit while I was having a good Sometimes this approach helped. As she time. I remember her smiling at me and saying, “I like that view. ” Thi.s was the only time we talked about death. In the early days of our association, I had some apprehensions about how Katie or with fear and terror. I also remember quoting to her what I had once read some ­ where: “If life could be viewed as a party which we all attended, some of us would go home early, while some would want to stay till the very end. ” I told her that given As I ponder over the past, I wonder what control, if any, we have over the mile ­ stones, or even the less significant events of our life in this world. There is a view that we have multiple choices and are therefore rulers of our destiny. Conversely, others believe that only chance or fate can ex ­ plain the events unfolding in time and space. It was at a jashan in the home of a friend, that Behram Pastakia, someone I knew only by sight, chanced to sit by my side. After the prayers were over, I turned to him and introduced myself. In the ensuing con ­ versation I offered to assist his wife Katie in any way I could since she had been diagnosed as suffering from ovarian can ­ cer. Having experienced health problems myself, I was anxious to help but also cautious about avoiding embarrassment should my offer be rejected. I suggested to Behram that he mention my offer to his Pastakici: a profile in courage wife, and leave the decision to her. The very next morning I got a call from Katie Pastakia. “Can you take me to hospi ­ tal for a blood test? ” she asked. “I am unable to drive myself. ” Thus we met, and continued to meet frequently, the main purpose being the transport and company I provided for her medical treatment. Our friendship, trust and affection developed would handle the inevitable, and how I slowly over a period of 3.5 years. The first serious conversation we had and the eventual parting. All my fears were under discussion. on our very first meeting was on death, unfounded. With calm acceptance and Even as her cancer progressed and she Katie brought up the subject as we drove to amazing grace she carried her heavy bur- coped with the loss of energy, Katie in- hospital that morning. Knowing that the den every step of the way. She never once sisted on going to work at the National prognosis of her illness was terminal, I complained in my hearing about the ill- Institute of Health (NIH) where she was a tried to gloss over the subject. But Katie ness which caused her a great deal of pain, research scientist. How ironic and tragic, I was too intelligent and strong to accept discomfort and perhaps fear in her heart. I thought — being employed in the sanctum less than the truth. She mentioned that she watched her cope with the loss of hair after of finding cures for diseases, and being knew of my medical history, of my brush with death. She said, “Most people have not thought on this subject, I feel you must have. ” I expressed the view that since death is inevitable for us all, our choice was to face it with grace and equanimity. the choice, I would personally prefer to said simply, “We all have to deal with the difficult. ” She admitted that for her the night brought out the “monsters of fear and terror which I can keep under control dur ­ ing the daylight hours. ” Katie was an ex ­ cellent listener, with empathy for people would accept her progressive failing health and was able to contribute to any subject and the eventual parting. All my fears were unfounded. With calm acceptance and amazing grace she carried her heavy bur ­ den every step of the way. She never once complained in my hearing about the ill ­ ness which caused her a great deal of pain. Ig. watched her cope with the loss of hair after chemotherapy. I observed that her right leg afflicted by an incurable one yourself. It was larger in size than the left, making surprised me that she would always re ­ balance difficult and sometimes causing her to topple over as she walked. I feared for her as she gasped for breath during the smallest exertion. quest me to drive her to work after her morning session of chemotherapy. On one occasion when her morning had been par ­ ticularly stressful and exhausting, I asked 38 Parsiana April 1997her why she insisted on going to work. “I identify myself by the work I produce, ” she said. “I feel awful doing nothing at home. I also enjoy the feeling of achieve ­ ment. ” I can still see Katie saying this in my mind ’s eye. Her colleagues went be ­ yond the call of duty in assisting and welcoming her at work. Many gave up their leave for her and helped her deal with a host of problems. Their compassion and affection for Katie was touching. Katie was the only child of a middle ­ class Bombay family. She was encouraged Katie made a few hard choices. She let by her parents to excel at her studies. They others handle her household chores. She repeatedly reminded her that she was ca ­ pable of doing wonderful thing.s in life, that no goal was beyond her grasp. Look ­ ing back on her life, Katie frequently ex ­ pressed gratitude for her dad, now aged waited by the telephone to hear that Mehr and almost completely blind, and for her mother whom she adored. She had great love for Indian dancing and the piano. She could not pursue her love of dancing since, in keeping with the times, her parents viewed it with disfavor. Her skill at the piano however, was a source of great joy and comfort to all in her times of anguish. Katie had continued her postgraduate edu ­ cation by winning scholarships to the UK. She had earned her masters and doctoral degree in research before going to the USA and finding employment at the NIH. Katie married a colleague. Dr Behram Pastakia, in 1983. A.s a young married couple they led a normal life, fulfilling the demands of career and family. The light of their lives wa.s their only child, their daugh ­ ter Mehr. Katie tried to be a parent in the same mold as her own, putting emphasis on education, discipline and self-reliance. To meet the demands of medical care, her work schedule and her inability to drive. also took the decision of letting Mehr, now 10 years old, walk alone to a friend ’s house for a ride to suimner school. This decision caused her a great deal of anxiety a.s she had safely reached her destination. Mehr progressed to become an excellent dancer in kuchipudi style, and went regularly for piano lessons. Katie put up a brave facade regarding her illness for her daughter ’s sake. Yet in her own way, she also prepared Mehr for the inevitable parting her illness would force on them. Unable to move at this stage always, tempered with kindness. In my without a wheel chair, Katie continued going to work where a wheel chair awaited a classical Indian dance ‘g her arrival. The number of friends who cheered Katie on was indeed remarkable. I could only guess that she had touched many lives in the nicest ways. Cooked food was al ­ way.s being brought in by friends, and . many volunteered their time to take her for the medical care she required. Katie once referred to all these friends a,s her “guard ­ ian angels. ” What was surprising was that the friends not only spanned many cultures and multiple economic levels, but also many age groups. Sometime,s I would have to brace my ­ self to enter Katie ’s home with a deter ­ minedly cheerful exterior, making every effort to behave in a normal way. I think she appreciated that, and enjoyed having friend.s call in. In the early day.s she made the effort to wear a wig or put on a scarf to cover her loss of hair. In time she was reconciled to her lot. It became normal for u,s to see Katie in her hairless state, and those of us who loved her saw her radiate an inner beauty. In our conversations she alway.s “called it a.s she saw it ” — there was truthfulness very last conversation with her, she said she was at peace and forgave all who had For Pure Diamonds JEWELLERS 324, Grant Road, Bombay 400007. Telephone 3099648 Fax 3073483 APPOINTED VALUERS BY THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA 40 Parsiana April 1997 L MiGLOBE THEATRES Pvt Ltd Established April 3, 1915 Pioneers oF Show Business in India for the last 81 years We rededicate ourselves to the ideals we have cherished and practised all along - namely to show NOTHING BUT THE BEST to our ever increasing number of Patrons Controlling: REGAL BOMBAY CAPITOL BOMBAY GLOBE CALCUTTA The above three cinemas are installed with nniOOLBySTCTeOl 41 Parsinna April 1997 ever harmed her. In constant pain, her mental facultic.s were intact till the very end. Often I found myself pondering a quotation I had chanced upon: “What I can give is never a.s much as I get from the giving. ” How true! Katie enriched me con ­ stantly. Katie ’.s mother rushed in from Bombay to be with her dying daughter. Her mother ’s presence gave Katie solace and joy. One cannot even guess at the agony of this mother who kept her own emotions under cheek, helping her only child face the unknown. Katie ’s husband faced many challenges with equilibrium, including the prospect of becoming a single parent. Katie took her suffering well. Unable to turn, sit up or walk without help, she lay quietly in bed with her eye.s closed. As wc watched the end approach, wc could not help but admire the courage and fortitude she ex ­ emplified. At one level, she was aware that time was running out. She made her last wishes known to a lawyer. She left instructions for the disposal of her last remains — but at another level she seemed to think the end was distant. She spoke of her need for health insurance in the future; she per ­ ceived a need to build up her strength by eating healthy foods for which she had no appetite; and she even insisted on having her teeth cleaned by her dentist who worked on her at home, three days before the end. Katie frequently said that love for her daughter gave her the determination to fight for her life, and she fought valiantly — every inch of the way! On the afternoon of December 14, 1996, at the age of 45, Katie slipped away from this world friends who will remember and miss her always, sometimes desperately. A few of us gathered together in her home that evening to say our final goodbyes pri ­ vately. As I sat in the living room down ­ stairs, the decorated Christmas tree placed near the window seemed to remind us that life goes on, even a.s the sound of tranquil prayers floated down. The funeral wa.s remarkable for the crowd.s that came to pay their last respects. Mehr ’s plaintive plea to her mother to return was heartbreaking, as wa.s the burst ­ ing of the dam that had long held Katie ’.s ¦ mother ’s emotions in check. 'We who sat in the funeral home were all united in our com ­ mon grief, and barely an eye remained dry. Katie ’s suffering and pain are over, that is my only consolation. I also draw com ­ fort from my belief that death is a part of life, and not an end. Ig leaving behind family and Ig. g' With best wishes from Farah & TanyaBOOKS Gentlemen in Business R. M. Lala Lite’s Flag Is Never Furled—Godrej, A Hundred Years 1897-1997, Volume I by B. K. Karanjia. Published in 1997 by Viking Penguin Books India Private Limited, 210. Chiranjiv Tower, 43 Nehru Place, New Delhi 110019. Pp:265 + xxi. Price: Rs 295. tury. The Wonder of the World. ” The Godrej story itself begins with Ardeshir B. Godrej, the visionary patri ­ arch of the family. In 1894, young Ardeshir, fresh from law studies in Bombay, had gone to argue a client ’s case on behalf of a well-known firm of solicitors in Zanzibar. The case went well. Narrates Karanjia, __ “Ardcshirconductcd his ---- Industrial pioneers Ardeshir (left) Ardeshir to whom challenges were the stuff of achievement that he should have begun by trying his manufacturing skills on a product that would test them to the utmost and could be put to a highly spe ­ cialized use. ” The product was surgical goods. He failed to break the British mo ­ nopoly as earlier, Jamsetji Tata had failed to overcome the British stranglehold on shipping. BL'\ Ardeshir made a small begin- H \ ning by hiring a tiny shed beside the Bombay Gas Works at Lalbaug at Rs 20 a month, and started the manufacture of locks in 1897. From locks, safes were to follow. Ardeshir cleared the prevailing misconception that the heavier the safe, the more secure it was. He stressed that it was the design, not the weight, ______ that made all the di fference . The 16-corner bend of Godrej safes made them fire, fall and burglar- resistant. Having taken a major step forward in achieving total self-reliance in security engineering, one would think that Ardeshir would have sat back content to consolidate his gains. But it wasn ’t in his nature to do so. Gains, in a monetary sense, meant little ¦ H I There are times in the history of a nation when, amid crises and chaos, leaders of great vision and stature emerge and a part of their greatness descend.s on those who live in their shadows. X Author and journalist, Burjoi / K. Karanjia, who has chro- / nicled the 100 years of the / House of Godrej, feels that / India in the early 20th cen ­ tury was at such a point of time when it covered, in a brief span, the track of cen ­ turies. \ He says, “It was a great \ time to be alive. A time to dream great dreams. There was \ ¦ a tremendous upsurge of activity \. everywhere. India ’s underdevel oped economy was undergoing a rapid transformation, as if the energies of the entire nation were bent by one common urge, not only to be free, but to eradicate Pirojsha the vestiges of age-old poverty and misery of the masses. ” ; Karanjia begins the Godrej story with calm and reasonableness, when, during the to him. He wanted just enough tor his the early development of Bombay as the course of argument, an unforeseen diffi- backdrop. “Two factors, ” says he, “helped culty arose. The truth would have to be the city to become what it is today: able British administrators who had the vision and the means to mobilize the resources required for translating that vision into reality; and innumerable Indians of all legal fraternity in Zanzibar lost a scrupu- races and creeds who helped to implement lous lawyer. But India was to find an and execute the bold plans being made for the city ’s development. ” Karanjia, as if on the wings of a time machine, takes us through the era when palanquins and palkhis, drawn by sweat ­ ing hamals dotted the streets of Bombay, and Queen Victoria ’s diamond jubilee was celebrated as “the most successful impe ­ rial pageant ever staged. ” Cinema, Karanjia informs us, came to India during the mon ­ soons of 1896. The Bombay edition oiThe Times of India dated July 7, 1896, carried an advertisement inviting its readers to reach Watson ’s Hotel, Kala Ghoda, at 7 imported ones — and cheaper, p.m. to witness “The Marvel of the Cen- arguments not with flamboyance but with twisted in his client ’s favor, the sort of thing that the usual lawyer takes in his stride. But Ardeshir was an unusual man. He refused. ” He returned to India. The needs and his needs were spartan. He was restless unless he was trying out new things, exploring yet newer avenues to self-reli ­ ance as if seeking to capture some myste ­ rious inner vision. Long before soap manufacture was known to India, Indians were using their own cleansing agents like soap suds for washing and gram flour for battling pur ­ poses. Ardeshir therefore decided to try his hand at manufacturing soap. In 1920, he produced the first toilet soap to be made purely from vegetable oils and sold com ­ mercially. Economically, it was a sound industrial pioneer. While some leaders were waging a po ­ litical battle, Ardeshir, like Jamsetji Tata just before him, was convinced that with ­ out economic self-reliance, freedom for India would remain a distant dream. Brit ­ ish goods sold in India at the expense of proposition because plentiful supplies of Indian good.s (at times, of as good a quality vegetable oils were then available within if not better) were forging the chains that kept the country subjugated. The British had, therefore, to be beaten at their own game. Indian goods had to be manufac ­ tured in India that would be as good as the Says Karanjia, “It was characteristic of the country. Socially, too, the experiment was blessed because it respected religious sentiments by replacing animal fats from which foreign soaps were made. Today, we have film stars who endorse beauty products like soaps. In Ardeshir ’s time, national leaders did that. For exam ­ 42 Parsiana April 1997 Lpie, Rabindranath Tagore declared, “I know millionaire) whose threatening demeanor of no foreign soap better than Godrej, and 5 I have made it a point to use Godrej soaps. ” Mahatma Gandhi was approached by a railing to their death in the University competitive soap-maker for his blessings. * ’ Gandhiji replied “I hold my brother Godrej in such high regard and he is of such a charitable disposition that if your enterprise is likely to harm him in any way, I regret very much I cannot give you my blessings. ” Ardeshir fervently believed in Swadeshi products. To the surprise of his nephews, he once threw British-made and attrac ­ tively-packaged biscuits out of the window, admonishing them that they should think of eating biscuits only after they were made in India; adding that, any ­ way, home-made chapatis were healthier. There was, however, never any rancor in his dealings with the British. Carefully hidden behind his serious demeanor, was a puckish sense ' of humor. A British friend once remarked, “You know, Mr Godrej, we British are today on top of the world. ” Quick came Ardeshir ’s retort; ‘Well, I’m glad to hear that because, as you know, the world goes round, and what ’s up has got to come down. ” Ardeshir was a simple man who be ­ lieved in unostentatious living. He would take public transport or walk to his destina ­ tion, using a car only late in life at brother Pirojsha ’s insistence. He was a man of considerable culture and a voracious read ­ er, particularly of literature and philoso ­ phy. His brother, Pirojsha, was fond of books, too. Every morning, Ardeshir spent a few minutes at the Vatchagandhi Agiary on Hughes Road. “But, ” says the author, good. Money, to Pirojsha, was forconsoli- “he was truly religious in the sense that he lived his religion, particularly in the prac ­ tice of philanthropy. ” In 1921, he donated • three lakhs of rupees (nearly three crores today) to the Tilak Swaraj Fund. He also had his share of misfortunes. Tragedy struck Ardeshir immediately af ­ ter his marriage when his young wife, Bachubai, still in her teens, accompanied legislation in the labor benefits he pro- by her cousin, Pirojbai S. Kamdin, went up the Rajabai Tower for a bird ’s-eye view of the city. They were followed up the stairs by a ruffian (the son of a well-known ¦ 4 I 43 Parsiana April 1997 SO alarmed the girls that, panic-stricken, with no way to escape, they jumped off the Gardens, 200 feet below. The event caused a sensation in the city. There was an outcry in the Press. Typical t ’1 k V * At the wedding of Nadir Godrej to Rati Vaghaiwalla: (standing, left to right) Adi, Vijay Crishna, Soonu, Pheroza, Dosa Naoroji, K. N. Naoroji, Burjor and Jamshyd; (sitting, L to R) Sorah and Jai. (alongside) Navrd. a couple of decades later. He draws attrac ­ tive vignettes of executives who made the House of Godrej tick. The Godrej story is not limited to industrial excellence and enlightened concerns. It is also a very human chronicle of strong, determined persons, gifted with vision and talents, pioneered a large and unique < busines.s empire. For example, who pioneered a large and unique of the sense of outrage and commiseration were the word.s of J. R. B. Jeejeebhoy, “They (the two girls) loved the name of honor more than they feared death. It was a glorious immolation, the triumph of the soul over the flesh, for which the annals of Bombay seek for any similarity in vain. ” Tragedy drives some men to despair, it ennobles others. Ardeshir never spoke about his loss. He did not remarry and died childless, showering great affection on hi.s brother Pirojsha'.s children. While Ardeshir did not care for money in itself, his brother Pirojsha demonstrated that money used properly can do a lot of Naoroji Godrej was capable of stripping off his shirt if a machine went wrong, and set it right. His brother Burjorji, a learned scien ­ tist was humble and straightfor ­ ward. The best known among the brothers in our time is Sohrab (fondly called Soli) whose inter ­ ests lie in the field of philan ­ thropy, wildlife, the environment and family planning. Perhaps no industrialist of our country has travelled as widely as he has — including a visit to the Antarctic. Mr S. P. Godrej ’s passion in life is the preservation of the envi ­ ronment — a passion he inherited from his father, Pirojsha. Godrej have shown at their Vikhroli plant how indus ­ try, far from spoiling the environment, can enrich it. Their schools are models. The vision of the founders and the second generation was to create a prosperous, caring nation by their concern for their staff and society. And the third genera ­ tion which has taken on the challenges, will feature in a yet-to-be-published Vol ­ ume II. Karanjia, in his tribute to Pirojsha, quotes, “He never sold the truth to serve the hour/Nor pattered with eternal God for power... ” The importance of this book for to ­ day lies in the fact that it port ­ rays ‘gentlemen ’ in business, at a time when the , I, .. business ethos Author Karaniia . , , , IS ruthles,s and unethical. Thi.s is the legacy that the young « 8 dation and expansion, for greater employ ­ ment and bigger benefit.s to workers. Profits were religiously ploughed back into the business, taxes were paid to the state. When taxc.s reached a punishing Godrejs inherit. We wish them luck in level, Godrej decided to set aside 32 per ­ cent of their profit for charity. Pirojsha was far ahead of government vided. He and his son Naoroji (Naval), knew each worker by name. Karanjia, who himself worked atGodrej at the start of his career, returned to Godrej their endeavor to live up to it. The only criticism one could have of the book is that in todayhs world of high speed and pressures, it moves at the leisure of Victorian times. The text could perhap.s have been much more compact, eliminat ­ ing minor details or keeping them in an appendix, if need be.Emphasis on ethics Ervad (Dr) Ramiyar P. Karanjia Social Philosophy as Found in the Sacred Books of the Zoroastrians by Dastoor N. D. Minochehr- Homji. Published in 1996 by Mr B. K. Laskari, chief executive, Parsi Punchayet, 209 Dr D. N. Road, Fort, Bombay 400001. Pp: 203 + vi. Price; Rs 135. “right conduct is above everything else” Originally a thesis submitted in I960 by the author to the University of Bombay for his Master of Arts degree in sociology, this book richly draws its source from yasht literature. In his introduction the author speaks of the val- ues in the Zoroastrian reli- gion which made Iranian his- tory and culture “a factor of real importance ” in world history. The book is a trea- sure trove of references from Avestan and Pahlavi scrip ­ tures, from the Shah Nameh and other literature on the topics covered here. In fact, just on the basis of the cros.s Minochehr-Homji: references one can gauge Dastur Navrooz Minochehr- Homji ’s deep study and mas ­ tery over his chosen field of sociology. The first chapter starts out with an explanation ofthe “all comprehensive term topics like the faculties and acts on which Asha, the fundamental law of the uni ­ verse. ” The author has explained the com ­ posite scheme of ameshaspands, their hamkars (co-workers) and their work. He has dealt with virtues like love, charity, joy, truth, education, mercy and forgive ­ ness which spring from the seven ameshaspands. The author deals with the institution of family in Iran after the advent of Prophet the universal renovation. In this chapter Zarathushtra and speaks of the impact of his moral and ethical teachings on it. The topic of marriage, “a very important socio ­ religious institution and a sacrament, ” forms an important portion of the second chapter covering in detail the different types of marriages in Iran. It ends with a • description of the ideal man, woman and child and the ideal education to be pro ­ vided to children according to the Avesta. the social aspects of religion, rather than A short chapter deals with an important institution of Iranian society — the four ­ fold professional class division into priests, warriors, agriculturists and artisans. Mino- chehr-Homji deals with a hitherto little known institution of Iranian society — the anjoman, the controlling assembly of el- gB der.s whose purpose was to regulate the religious (ethical and ritualistic) and social affairs of its members. The head of the anjoman was called a rad or ratu. Thi.s anjoman, constituted of responsible per ­ sons of the community, had the power to settle disputes, set punishments and exer ­ cise general control over the members. Ceremonie.s like marriage were to be per ­ formed in the presence ofthe anjoman. The most voluminous I chapter of this book concern.s ” Zoroastrian ethics. It begins with an explanation of the I constitution of man and goe.s I on to deal with the Zoroas- I tri an concepts of Daena, I Sraosha, Mithra, Veret- I hraghna, Rashnu, Ram and S Ashi. The descriptions in ­ volve a lengthy summary of the respective yaslits dedi ­ cated to the above divinities ; and unique analytical tables giving the contents of the yashts. Dealing with the Zoroastrian philoso ­ phy of life after death, the author attempts the future life of the soul depends, the divine tribunal, a description of heaven, hell. Chinwad Bridge, reward and retribu ­ tion to the soul. This chapter ends with a complete translation ofthe Pahlavi-Pazand CORRECTION text thQAogeniaide, which the author calls Sorry we ‘slip’-ped “The Zoroastrian sermon on death. ” The last chapter is a summation on the final goal of men in this mortal world and the author discusses the Khvarenangh Ya- sht (popularly known as the Zaniyad Yasht) “to substantiate facts regarding the reno ­ vation. ” The book end.s with references to renovation from the Pahlavi books Zand Akasih (Iranian or Greater Bundahishn) our review-weary eyes by helpfully sending and Dadistan-i-Denik. a xerox copy of the index page with the relevant entries highlighted. We apologise for the ‘slip. ’ However, in our defence we may state that while almost all entries are indexed by surname, and though Baqa Jilani is referred to as ‘Jilani ’ in the text, the index strangely catalogs him under ‘B’ as Baqa Jilani. Yet, with true ‘gentleman-cricket ’ spirit, Meher-Homji concede.s our point sugges ­ ting that “limited-overs internationals One ’s final impression is that the book should have dealt more with sociology and Zoroastrian theology and angelology with which it i.s replete. The author ’s penchant for simplifying the concept.s of the Zoroastrian religion is evident throughout the book and so is his affinity for going beyond the written word. In this context the clarification offered about ‘sea ’ Vourukasha i.s noteworthy, as here the author has proved beyond any doubt the oft-repeated truth that word.s — common as well as proper nouns — should not be taken at face value but should be viewed in their scriptural context, as they stand for different thing.s at different times. In the same vein, Minochehr-Homji give.s the allegorical significance ofthe Prophet ’.s son.s and daughters as suggestive “of the stages of progress of his mission. ” The author also give.s a “detailed treatment ” of the scheme of the Prophet ’.s future ‘sons ’ and ‘their mothers ’ in the latter half of the last chapter. The point emphasized in this book is that “right conduct (i.s) above everything else, ” surely above mere rites. The author ’.s preference for ethic.s over rituals is again evident when he say.s that religion as “the repository of values... advance.s the world to perfection. ” The ethical aspects of the Zoroastrian religion are thus over ­ emphasized and the ritualistic aspects are grossly neglected in the book. Prof K. D. Irani observe.s in the Fore ­ word, “Zoroastrianism is an old religion... which place.s upon its modern scholar the responsibility of interpreting the term.s and propositions of a literature embedded in cultural layers of different period.s of an ­ tiquity. ” The Bombay Parsi Punchayet needs to be commended for publishing this book. One only wishes that it had been brought out earlier, preferably during the lifetime of the late author. f Apropo,s our review, “Wicked Wicket Way.s {Parsiana, November 1996),” of Kersi Meher-Homji ’s book Hat Tricks, we stand corrected on our statement that the book ’s index doe.s not make a mention of Baqa Jilani and Ghetan Sharma, both per ­ formers of a hat trick, whose achievements have been featured in the book. An ever ­ vigilant Meher-Homji points this out to ig 44 Parsiana April 1997should have been given more space. ” He is also “grateful ” that we pointed out omis ­ sions of Mubarak Ali ’s and Nyalchand ’s Walsh-like hat-tricks, and promises to add these items if a reprint of the book is „ ’ undertaken. Homi J. Rogens Investment in property Pune is the best city For sale, purchase or lease of residential or commercial properties in Pune, contact Minoo Bhathena BySel Estate 302, Devika Apartment 2010 West Street, Pune 411001 Tel: 650757 THE PARSIANA BOOK OF IRANIAN NAMES The Iranian names of boys and girls along with their meanings which originally appeared in Parsiana have now been reprinted in an attractive 24-page booklet. The book, which is priced at Rs 25, is available on sale at : Kaiser-E-Hind, 300 Perin Nariman Street, Behind Reserve Bank of India, Fort, Bombay 400001. Faredoon and Burjor Sandalwood Shop, Princess Street \ \ Union Press, 13, Homji Street, Bombay 400001 >¦11 Addendum Due to an oversight the photo credits for certain pictures in the February-March 1997 issue were omitted. We list below the photo­ graphs along with the names of the respective photographers: pic­ tures of the inauguration of the Pherozeshah Mehta Bhavan, Tu­ ran Jamshidian, Gool and Din­ shaw Joshi, Khorshed Jungal- wala. Sir Dinshaw Petit and a few pictures of the 10th All India Zoro­ astrian Youth Seminar (AIZYS) were shot by Arnavaz Mama. Other photographs of the 10th AIZYS were by Homyar Mistry of Homz Prints. The pictures of the Navsari Parsi Association honor­ ing Dastur Mirza were by Adi Sudder. Forthe photograph of the book release function of The Parsis, credit goes to Noshir Desai. The transparencies of Rohinton Chinoy were by Chetan Mistry. The omission is regretted. SEVA SADAN SOCIETY a Prestigious iocation Pune Cooking Department supplies delicious Parsi tiffins, lunch and dinner, reasonable rates, party orders undertaken, also Indian style vegetarian tiffins, place your orders today. Pandita Ramabai Road, Gamdevi, Mumbai 400007 Telephone 3648005 1.30 p.m. to 5 p.m. rful 7 Cflff A <nonDf<jflR where you can mix music with beer Near Regal Cinema, Colaba Causeway, Mumbai-39. Ph: 2020591 5 At Gidney Park (Salisbury Park) in quite sylvan by-lane, two bedroom and three-bedroom premium flats with modern amenities in exclusive four-storeyed building. Superior construction. Special reservation rates. Few flats available. Apply immediately; The Advertiser Parsiana (Flats for sale) GPO Box 892 Bombay 400001 45 Parsiana April 19971MILESTONES “ births, marriage.s listed in this issue) ranged between and death.s has been compiled from 22 and 44 years, the arithmetic mean (the total number of indi­ vidual ages divided by the total number of brides) being 30 years. The corresponding figures for the complete or consistent: we are grooms were 27 and 46 years, averaging at 33 years. TheBombay Towers of Silence registered 49 deaths in April as compared to 15 births. The major hospitals — births in suburban killer — heart disease — took a toll of 13 lives of which nine were 80 years plus. Eight Zoroastrians fell prey to lung disease and pneumonia whereas cancer claimed seven lives. Six patients succumbed to old age and general the marriage list when a civil debility, fourto brain disease, three marriage precedes a religious to bronchitis and two to kidney ceremony. In the breakup ot deaths failure. The six isolated cases registered for April were septi­ cemia, vehicular accident, demen­ tia, hypothyroidism, Parkinson’s The age of Zoroastrian brides (as DIED Manijeh Cawasji Engineer (87), residing at F. S. Parukh Dharamshalla, Hughes Rd, 400007; April 1 Dinoo Jehangir Jabbar (71), 100/1, Sant Tulsidas Apts, 826/8, Dastoor Meher Rd, Poona, 411001; April 1 according to illnesses, especially Av}’ Soli Shroff (66), Nariman of the elderly, death is often due to a combination of several diseases. If readers have any births/ disease' and uremia. The youngest marriages/deaths they would like to die was a 10-year-old boy as compared to the oldest, a 102- year-old lady. The Zoroastrian life expectancy at birth, in Bombay in April, was 76 years. AGRA BOR N A boy, Male alm, to Jenifer and Porus Debara on November 6, 1996 AHMEDABAD DIED Hoshang Pirojshah Contractor (67), husband of Rashna and father of Shezad; April 23, 1997 BOMBAY BOR N Twins (girls) to Farnaaz and Burjor Sethna; April 3 A girl to Behroze and Hoshang Engineer; April 12 A boy to Seema and Homiyar Patel; April 13 A girl to Natasha and Rishad Lalla; April 15 A girl to Khurshid and Vispi Palkhiwalla; April 16 A girl to Hufriz and Cyrus Poonawalla; April 17 A boy to Kashmira and Behram Billimoria; April 21 A boy to Suzanne and Pali Poncha; April 21 A girl to Armaity and Noshir Shroff; April 21 information supplied by various newsletters and anjumans in India and abroad, courts and hospitals. This information is not always unable to carry data from areas where the anjumans do not furnish the particulars; the birth figures for Bombay are supplied by four hospitals and private nursing homes are not included unless individuals send us information together with a copy of the birth certificate. There may be an inadvertent repetition of names in published, some proof to ensure the veracity of the report would be required. We are sure our readers would appreciate this requirement and cooperate with us. A girl to Villa and Vicky Irani; April 22 A girl to Far7ana and Viraf Master; April 22 A girl to Kamal and Rustam Titina; April 28 A girl to Pouruchisti and Cawas Duhash; April 29 A boy to Pervin and Homiyar Wadia; April 29 MA RRI ED Hutokshi Rusi Ookajee and Hoshedar Ratansha Zaroliwalla; April 5 Aban Kaikaus Mistry and Yezdi Phiroze Chinoy; April 6 Kashmira Naval Daruvala and Behram Pesi Dubash; April 8 NHoofer Adi Anklesaria and Viraf Jamshed Anklesaria; April 13 Dhun Dossabhoy Kamdiii and Aspi Burjor Chhapgar; April 13 Anahita Neville Modi and Xerxis Soli Daruvalla; April 13 Rashna Gev Pastakia and Rohinton Tehmuras Sanjana; April 13 Yasmin Homi Kapadia and Naozar Minoo Dittia; April 17 Farahnaz Faredoon Parvaresh and Kayomerz Boman Irani; April 18 Sliernaz Minoo Driver and Porus Keki Irani; April 19 Rookzain Keki Daruwcdla of New Delhi and Armin Minoo Sorabji; April 22 Benaifer Aspi Wadia and Jarir Pesi Hira; April 25 Venus Adil Dubash and Percy Darabshaw Mehta; April 26 Bldg, 162, M. Karve Rd, 400021; April 1 Homai Framji (Ghadiali) (93), 139, Minoo Lodge, Tardeo Rd, 400034; April 2 Arman Meherbun Khosravi (35), Clifton Bldg, Prof Almeida Rd, Bandra, 400050; April 2 Jal Cowasji Powvalla (83), 26, Old Khareghat Clny, Hughes Rd, 400007; April 2 Shazad Soli Irani (39), Kemas Cottage, Patel Pada, Dahanu Rd, 401602; April 5 Nergish Rustomji Bengali (66), 22, Gilder Lane, Lamington Rd, 400008; April 6 Phiroze Eruchsha Minocherhomji (70), 5/1, Sir Ratan Tata Clny, Tardeo, 400034; April 6 Darabsha Bejonji Bulsara (87), Devidas Mans, Balaram St, 400007; April 7 Tehmina Ruttonshaw Dungor (90), Jehangir Mans, A. Podar Marg, 400020; April 8 Rustom Bomanji Garda (91), 1-5/U, Cusrow Baug, S. B. Rd, 400039; April 8 Franey Pheroze Katrak (93), 94/B, Pandey Hse, August Kranti Marg, 400036; April 10 Rustomji Ratanshaw Patel (76), F. S. Parukh Dharamshalla, Hughes Rd, 400007; April 10 Jal Nariman Bhaisa (82), E/1, Sea Face Park, Bhulabhai Desai Rd, 400026; April 11 Soonabai Ardeshir Irani (95), 9/31, Sion Mans, Sion (W), 400022; April 11 Coomi Nariman Mistry (75), 9, Transval Ter, P. B. Marg, 400008; April 12 Fall Nusserwanji Vazifdar (63), 803/B, Adajania Hse, Dr Ambedkar Rd, Parsi Clny, Dadar, 400014; April 12 Kersi Burjorji Billimoria (70), F. S. Parukh Dharamshalla, Hughes Rd, 400007; April 14 Freny Jehangir Avasia (74), 611, Pateti Block No 3, fame Jamshed Rd, Parsi Clny, Dadar, 400014; April 15 Jal Kaikhushru Bardi (80), Hardinge Hse, Gowalia Tank Rd, 400036; April 15 Sarosh Aspy Minocherliomji (10), Lady Dorab Tata Bldg No 3, Tata Blocks, S. V. Rd, Bandra (W), 400050; April 15 Perin Rustomji Mistry (T2.), 275/B, Captain Bldg, Chikalwadi, Tardeo, 400007; April 15 Dolly Boman Irani (68), 1, Park Hse, 81, Wodehouse Rd, Colaba, 400005; April 16 Mani Nadirshaw Shroff (70), F/13, Nowroz Baug, Lalbaug, 400012; April 16 Shirin Rustamji Daruwalla (85), 35, Ratan Mans, Forjett St, 400036; April 17 Coomi Sohrab Mistry (82), Ahura, 84, Sion Rd, Sion (E), 400022; April 17 Hilla Kaikhushru Sarkari (97), CoolShanagh, N. Gamadia Rd, 400026; April 17 Farida Jamshyd Sethna (44), 82, Goolestan, 34, B. Desai Rd, 400026; April 18 Ratti Keki Chinoy (82), 286/A, Bhatia Co-op Soc Bldg, Princess St, 400002; April 19 Parvez Noshirvan Dastur (62), Panthaky Hse, Behind Panthaky Agiary, Off Turner Rd, Bandra, 400050; April 19 Minoo (Minocher) Kaikhusroo Lakdavala (79), 34, Jupiter Apts, 41, Capt P. Pethe Marg, Cuffe Parade, 400005; April 19 Adi Jehanbux Mody (75), 1, Dhanjibhoy Bomanjee New Bldg, Nawab Tank Rd, Mazgaon, 400010; April 19 Edul Faramrose Dhondy (80), Jehangir Towers, 10, Setalwad Rd, Off Napean Sea Rd, 400036; April 20 Dinbai Faramroze Printer (Makhania) (94), 2, S. R. / 46 Parsiana April 1997 L¦r Contractor Bldg, Sussex Rd, 400027; April 20 Burjor Rustomji Dudhmid FIT}, Karani Bldg, Raja Ram Mohan Roy Rd, Grant Rd, 400007; April 22 Jamshedji Jehangirji Dumasia (68), 34, Irani Bldg, 7th Khetwadl Lane, 400004; April 22 Sorab Dorabji Motafram (96), 84-D/l, Bharucha Baug, S. V. Rd, Andheri (W), 400058; April 23 Barzo Irach Taraporewala (75), 14, India House No 2, August Kranti Marg, 400036; April 23 Zarin Keki Dumasia (55), 220/B, The Reward, Tardeo Rd, 400007; April 24 Banubai Shawakshaw Hansotia (93), D/8, Cusrow Baug, S. B. Rd, 400039; April 24 Banoo Tehmurasp Shroff (83), 211, Major Vetrinathan Rd, Colaba, 400005; April 25 Dhunmai Framroze Daruwala (86), Haji Habib Bldg, Naigaon Cross Rd, Dadar, 400014; April 27 Ardeshir Ratanji Udwadia (88), B, Awabai Petit Chawl, Balaram St, 400007; April 27 Tehmina Pirojsha Laher (96), 9/D, Mistry Bldg, M. P. Agiary Lane, Balaram St, 400007; April 28 Savaksha Behramji Morena (76), 786/A, Khareghat Rd, Parsi Clny, Dadar, 400014; April 28 Cawas Khurshedji Bharucha (90), E, Wassiamull Bldg, Grant Rd, 400007; April 29 Dosibhai Dinshaw Dadiburjor (102), 202, Jewel Tower, St Paul Rd, Bandra, 400050; April 30 Noshir Framroze Mistry (88), Ahunavar, 617, Jame Jamshed Rd, Parsi Clny, Dadar, 400014; April 30 FIGURES AT A GLANCE ‘ This issue Bombay 1996 1997 This issue India 1996 1997 World This issue 1996 1997 BORN Boys Girls 4 11 98 118 31 30 3 1 9 4 5 3 34 38 3 6 MARRIED Parsi INTERCOMMUNAL Males married out Females married out DIED CONSIGNED Males Females CREMATED Males Females 13 24 25 193 120 6 1 19 25 20 3 2 2 7 1 1 457 502 143 164 14 19 98 89 39 42 68 48 9 11 1 Overseas deaths are listed in the consigned column as Parsiana does not have a breakup of those cremated. ‘These figures pertain to information provided to or collected by Parsiana. They do not represent the total number of births, marriages and deaths in the Zoroastrian community in India and abroad. Jer and Kersi and brother of Shirzad; April 15 INDORE BOR N Triplets (two boys and a girl), Hormazd, Arban and Friyan, to Thrity and Adil Dossabhoy, April 19 LUCKNOW DIE D Freny Anklesaria (73), wife of Behramshah and mother of Kerfegar and Farshogar; April 20 NAVSARI DIED Daulat Sadri (75), wife of Pcsi and sister of Najamai Jalejar Bacha and Mithamai Pallanji Bacha; April 3 Ro.shan Kasad (69), wife of Sohrabji and mother of Yezdi, Zarir and Mahrukh Mehernoz Billimoria; April 19 Shirinbai Faredoon Maktedar (75), C/o Cyrus Chiniwala, Desaiwad, Mota Falia, 396445; April 21 Bhikhajl Dhunji.ihaw Variava (80), husband of Perin and father of Parvez, Pervin Pervez Kumana and Khorshed Dhunji Vaghchipawalla; April 22 Sheramai Cooverji Rajvadewala (68), mother of Dara, Veera Sarosh Irani, Zarine Jamshed Irani, Gulshan Parvez Sopariwalla and Shiraz Percy Patrawalla; April 23 Cava.yi Khur.shedji Kolwal (96), father of Khurshed and Mancck; April 27 Najoo Navrojl Tamboli (82), mother of Bachi Dinshaw Tamboly and Sorab; April 30 MHOW DIE D Kairus Masalawala (23), son of POONA DIED Avan A. Kapadia (75), Avan Abad, 826/13, Mahadji Shinde Rd, 411040; March 2 Hilla Savak Nicholson (89), 1968, Gafferbag St, 411001; March 2 Pestonji Phiroshaw Daverwala (96), 6/2, Virdhawan Garden, Salisbury Park, 411037; March 4 Cawa.i .Jeliangir Jeejeebhoy (53), 4, Stavely Rd, Iron Gates, 411001; March 8 Homai Firoze Dastur (79), 2/22, Gtiruprasad, Bund Garden Rd, 411001; March 11 Sorab/i .1. Poonawalla (90), 1/B, Dr Coyaji Rd, 411001; March 12 Shelia Ardeshir Irani (75), 70, New Bazaar, Kirkee, 411003; March 13 Khorshed Phiroze Bhanja (96), 29/A, Kahun Rd, 411001; March 14 Phiroza Merwan Irani (76), 2/7, Ardeshir Baug, Nana Peth, 411002; March 19 Noshir Sherry Irani (30), 19, Sethna Bldg, Parel Tank Rd, Bombay, 400012; March 24 Minocher Sorabji Cooper (99), 202, Shahjanand Complex, East St, 411001; March 29 Ardeshir Rustom Irani (69), B/14, Parmar Ngr, F/1, Fatimanagar, 411001; April 3 Bomansha Rustomji Balsara (74), C-5/6, Kubera Park, Lullanagar, 411040; April 14 Piroja Dhunjishaw Aga (96), 12, Boat Club Rd, 411001; April 15 Katayan Eruch Soonawala (J'i), 6/11, Sachapir St, 411001; April 26 Tehmy .Jal Javeri (85), 304, Lilac, Raheja Gardens, Wanawadi, 411040; April 27 Kuru.sh Rohinton Aga (24), 12, Boat Club Rd, 411001; April 30 PORBUNDER DIED Dolat Bharucha (89), wife of Ardeshir and mother of Khushroo, Tehmina, Roda Naqvi and Meheryar; April 30 SECUNDERABAD DIED Khorshedbanoo Poonegar, wife of Nariman and mother of Shirin Jehangir Hormusji; April 17 SURAT DIED Din.'ihaji Manackshaw Patel (85), Nanpura, 395001; April 1 Savaksha Edalji Elavia (78), Village Rajpardi, Dist Bharuch, 393115; April 6 Dolatbanoo Ratan.'iha Umrigar (84), Bajanji Kotwal St, Nanpura, 395001; April 17 Gool Dhanjlshaw Todiwala (70), Dehla St, Rustompura, 395002; April 27 Compiled by Roxana A. Driver 47 Parsiana April 1997IN MEMORIAM The mirth of the man Parinaz M. Gandhi Died: Jimmy Ardeshir Pocha, 71, veteran actor of yesteryears rd known for his F comedy roles in Adi Marzban ’s productions, on September 22, 1996 in Bombay following can ­ cer. With superb timing and ludicrous at ­ tire, his tall frame dressed in a half ­ buttoned Parsi ____ dagla exposing (Prom left): Khandalavala, Pocha and Marzlxiii: all Adi s produc- the sudreh-kusti their forte was comedy tions, on his portly Uma. midriff, the hemline of his baggy khakhi <----- ,------- ---- ----- , , . trousers altered to display his red socks and from everyone else, ” she continues. “Woe canvas shoes, a sling bag hung over his shoulder, there was no mistaking Pocha ’s entry on stage. His presence was a must happy remi- l»—I his him, playing the straight man. Goody Seervai would strike up the band. They were times, ” nisced The After­ noon. “Beside.s act ­ ing and singing (and playing a screeching violin sometimes) he was the stage manager — and a most efficient one at that — for Institute while Pocha was a student there. In fact, even during his school days — Pocha was first at Bombay ’.s Bharda High School for Boy.s and later at Billimoria High School in Panchgani — he could impress spectators with his performances. His involvement with the theater mani ­ fested in yet another way. For almost 15 years he worked as manager of the Bhulabhai Desai Auditorium and for 10 years thereafter, of the Sophia Bhabha Auditorium, impressing patrons with his natural managerial skills and flair for pub ­ lic relations. Known to be a “very devout Zoroas ­ trian, ” he would never retire to bed unless he had done his kusti, even if it be at 2 or 3 a.m. after returning home from a show, recalls Uma. Notwithstanding his “great ­ est respect for the community, ” he had chosen to be cremated so that his wife, a South Indian Hindu Brahmin, could be present by his mortal remains. They came from varying backgrounds, he enjoyed his non-vegetarian food, while Uma is a strict vegetarian. Yet committed as they were to / states ‘Highly each other they never sought to impose disciplined himself, he expected discipline their views, preferring instead to adapt to the different life-styles. When their chil ­ dren Adi and Tina had to be navjoted, it was the mother who learnt and taught them the Zoroastrian prayers, disclose,s Uma, formerly a medical practitioner with the Bombay Municipal Corporation and pres ­ ently director of Avehi, an audiovisual research center. “He had a great passion for animals — especially dogs and horses, ” reveals Uma. Pocha was equally at ease with children betide those who were not present at least one hour before the show or who did not follow instructions. ” At the condolence in every play and variety revue produced meeting in his honor, held three days aftei by Pesi Khandalavala and staged by his demise, their daughter Tina acknowl- Marzban ’s Co-operative Players, reports edged, “He was so honest — blunt, forth- his singer wife Uma who often shared the stage with him and was occasionally the butt of his jokes too, although she is best known for her sensational hit, Bombay - . meri hai. Recognized as the “Danny Kaye stagebut was a regular on Marzban ’spopu- and could play with them for hours, mak- of India, ” his forte was comedy. He did straight roles also, ” mentions Uma, “the only problem was that the audience would start giggling the moment he made his entry. ” “Adi Marzban, Pesi Khandalavala and Jimmy Pocha, they made Parsi theater the roaring success it was in the 50s and 60s. Adi was the director, Bombay ’s first genu ­ ine full-time theater man. Pesi looked after the production, the organization, the sale of tickets. Jimmy, sometimes known as Jamaji after one of his more famous roles, was the star. The Parsi theater was all comedy, there was no place for tears in it, ” states a tribute in The Afternoon Despatch Dinyar Contractor. and Courier of September 24, 1996. “ “Jimmy would come on the stage and start exchanging jokes with the audience, one- liners off the cuff, Adi Marzban would join ics production of St Xavier ’.s Technical right, rude, obnoxious, call it what you may but you were never in any doubt as to what he meant or where you stood with him. ” Not only did he entertain audiences on lar Gujarati series, Biiddhi Dhansak ing him a favorite with the kids at their Mandal, on All India Radio. In one of the residential complex. He enjoyed holiday- earlier favorite Doordarshan series Avo Mari Sathe too did Pocha feature, as also in other television plays. Marzban ’.s tribute mg ing in Mahableshwar and was fond of nature. His concern for wanton tree felling was recalled by an admirer. Subhash to Pocha was recalled by Jehangir Chaina Sampat, in The Afternoon Despatch and in the Jam-e-Jamshed of September 29, 1996; “Jimmy ha.s been my loyal col- Courierot' September Tl, 1996: “Jimmy is unforgettable. He has left an imprint of a league since many years. Apart from being Parsi character in my heart and mind. ” a fine actor he is a good singer and a " ....................... “ ¦ ” wonderful comedian. To him I dedicate one of my earlier variety revues, Adhi Kalakni Hasahas." After Marzban ’s de ­ mise, he associated himself with the pro ­ ductions of Burjor Patel, Hosi Vasuniaand The thespian ’s histrionic talents how ­ ever had been honed by Marzban who noticed his potential at an amateur dramat- Describing her dad as “weird, ” Tina remembered him tucking her into bed to the accompaniment of jokes instead of fairy tales! “Needles.s to say, as I got older, the jokes got more raunchy. ” At the condo ­ lence meeting she therefore felt that “in ­ stead of irritating my father by reading some sentimental stuff from Kahlil Gibran, I’d like to dedicate a joke to him. ” Pocha is survived by his wife Uma, son Adi and daughter Tina.