Oct 1997

S' ¦^‘ WWI ' ¦' 7'^ ) , 3 ir»y^ :»' > X •» i ¦1' f- ¦ •I'i ¦ i ‘.i ¦# f- » 1 f ¦? **V . t ¦f' /'¦ / OCTOB^’^ 1997 RS 25 r ¦. J -*.<'r' f. \ ¦¦<. Jt' •'^ ¦ I* ' c • . it -* V ¦ "51 ^4 »> < '^f'. H ¦ if 5. V» • 4: i-' i-: .^1 ¦ t-? 4f-75r5 ' < '<’'' 1'. r^Ax r?’ ? eZj 4October 1997 Volume 20 Number 3 I k EDITOR Jehangir R. Patel MANAGING EDITOR Arnavaz S. Mama EXECUTIVE EDITOR Parinaz M. Gandhi SENIOR EDITORS Dina K. Mehta, Hilla P. Guzder ASSOCIATE EDITOR Roxana A. Driver DESIGN Kranti M. Shilotri, NiveditaS. Dhotre MARKETING DIRECTOR Veera Patel ADVERTISING MANAGER Zarin Mistry ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE Susan Hadvaid FINANCE B. L. Arora MANAGEMENT Jasmine Driver DTP Bakhtavar R. Batliwalla, K. P. Ravi SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER Khurshid Panthaki ASSISTANT SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER Swarupa Kamat ACCOUNTANT Anagha Korde ASSISTANT ACCOUNTANT Varsha Godbole ACCOUNTS ASSISTANTS Indu Pillai, Satwant Kaur, Hufrish Charna OFFICE ASSISTANTS Umesh Poojary, Selvan Mark, Sunil Sakhare, Govind Salgaonkar, Mahipat Jadhav 2 Readers’ Forum 12 Events and Personalities 18 Zoroastrians Abroad: Dina McIntyre by Arnavaz Mama 20 Udvada: Embarking on an embankment by Sarosh Sana 24 The Agas’ exquisite embroidery expertise by Parinaz Gandhi 30 Face Off: A wordy duel 36 The lost legends of Deolali by Behram Dastur 40 The epic episode by Phiroze Kutar and Dinaz Kutar Rogers 42 Books 45 Milestones 48 In Memoriam: Gooi Tata Cover: Jacket embroidered by Armayesh Fashions Photo: 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. E-mail: parvo@giasbm01 .vsni.net.in. For subscription enquiries and payments: C/o Kaiser-E-Hind Pvt Ltd, 300 Perin Nariman St (Behind Reserve Bank of India), Bombay 400001.Phone: 2658619,2665661. Fax: 2654585. Annual inland subscription for one year (10 issues) Rs 250; for two years (20 issues) Rs 475; for three years (30 issues) Rs 700. Foreign subscription rates: Seamail for one year Rs 450/US $ 14/UK £ 9; for two years Rs 850/ US $ 25/UK £ 15; for three years Rs 1,250/US $ 36/UK £ 22 (please allow six months or more for delivery from the time of publication). Airmail for one year Rs 750/US $ 23/UK £ 15 (for Pakistan, Indian Rs 525); for two years, Rs 1,400/US $43/ UK £ 27 (for Pakistan, Indian Rs 975); for three years Rs 2,100/US $ 60/UK £ 37 (for Pakistan, Indian Rs 1,450). For Indian upcountry cheques add Rs 20 for bank charges; for US cheques add $ 5; for UK cheques add £ 3. Cheques and draffs are to be drawn in favor of Parsiana and posted to GPO Box 892, Bombay 400001.READERS’ FORUM or bows to the Kuwa, with soiled hands, vitiating/polluting the atmosphere and purity of the Kuwa? That Parsi lady should gracefully re ­ sign from'the Rotary Club and devote her considerable energy as witnessed in the completion of the public toilet towards the welfare of members of her own commu ­ nity. BHIKHAJI M. ADENWALLA At Mother’s mass I was dismayed at the manner in which our Zoroastrian community was “represented ” at the funeral ceremony of Mother Teresa. The variou,s religious heads/priests recited prayers from their own religion ex­ posing and expressing their sentiments from their own religious books/scriptures. I was anxiously awaiting rep ­ resentation from the Zo­ roastrian religion and expected one of our learned dasturjis to say the prayers and explain the significance of it. But alas it was a total disappointment when a gen ­ tleman in English suit represented the Parsi and assimilation are burying Judaism as effectively as pogroms and persecution. Pray, the author says to his people, so that you may survive. Mr Abrams urges a “return to the syna ­ gogue ” to stave off an imminent disap ­ pearance of the community. He is alarmed by what he calls the “demographic disas ­ ter ” which has seen a steady decline in Jews as a percentage of America ’s popula ­ tion. In 1914, Jews comprised four percent of Americans. Today there are only two percent. The Jewish commu ­ nity ’s headlong plunge into liberalism and assimilation has led to the phenomenon of “the vanishing American Jew. ” This deracinated Jewry, Mr Abrams be ­ lieves, is due to intermarriage with people from other communities. More than 60 percent of Reform Jews today marry out ­ side the community. Intermarriage is a symptom of the “flight from Judaism, ” not its cause. My sincere prayer to my fellow Zoroas- trians all over the world is to think before you take the plunge. Our forefathers have sacrificed their entire lives to preserve our religious identity. Even in Iran today our people are going through enormous diffi ­ culties to maintain our religion. As stated by Dr Fredie A. Mehta (“We need an agenda for survival, ” Parsiana, February- . astrian "body and/or the local anjuman/ March 1997), we Parsis are modernizing, federation will arrange to depute one of our respectable learned dasturjis, to pray and addres.s the gathering. own Readers’ views are welcome on any subject of interest to the community and should community, 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. Is there no anjuman or a dasturji in Calcutta? I sincerely hope that in future whenever such occasion calls for, the Bombay Parsi Punchayet, the World Zoro- The well-wishers? Congratulations are now in order to the Rotary Club and especially to its president and more so to that Parsi lady Rotarian for Pray for survival the successful opening of a public toilet ' ‘ “ near Bhikha Behram Kuwa (Well). In this task, they were ably aided by our benign tion and a prominent member of America ’s Municipal Corporation; disregarding a massive hurt and revulsion inflicted on the peace loving Parsi community. Emboldened by the above venture, the said Rotary Club should not hesitate to construct more such public toilets near holy places of all communities and get their commitment to secular liberal values blessings from the masses of people using them. After every visit to a toilet, whether private or a public one, a Parsi is enjoined of itself a.s a “religious community. ” to wash his face, hands and feet and, thereafter, recite kusti prayers. What about a non-Parsi who rushes out from that beau ­ tifully constructed public toilet straight to Bhikha Behram Kuwa either to drink wa ­ ter, of course from the other side of the well B.H.HANSOTIA globalizing and secularizing to our final extinction. r. n. daruwala Middlesex Industry of yore It is said the Parsis of the 19th century were more honest, hard-working, adventurous, self-respecting and more religious than Jewish community has argued that if his their descendants. They displayed more people “are not careful, they will soon face ‘self inflicted extinction. ’” In his new book, Faith or Fear: How Jews can survive in a Christian America, Mr Abram.s calls on Jew.s to reconsider Mr Elliott Abrams, a former assistant sec­ retary of state in the Reagan administra- strength of character, morality and ideal ­ ism than those of the present generation in whom a love of luxurious living has de ­ stroyed many of these traits. They do not like hard work but prefer soft jobs even though the returns are much less than in business which involve.s greater hardships. that have now become “the greatest threat to the Jewish community. ” He urges the Consequently poverty is increasing among American Jewish community to conceive the Parsis and unles.s a change of heart is effected, no radical cure will be found for Mr Abram.s call on Jews to abandon this problem, their complacency. Free from the scourge of anti semilism, Jew.s have prospered and in many cases come to dominate the Ameri ­ can mainstream. In this success, however, lies a bitter paradox: professional triumph priests are not learned enough to spread the It was for their religion that our ances ­ tors left their native soil and after suffering innumerable hardships landed on the shores of India. Unfortunately, most of the Parsi 2 Parsiana October 1997mastered many difficult classical tongues with ease. It is unfortunate that they have lost their grip over their own mother tongue. If they wish to retain their communal solidarity, it is necessary that they should pay more attention to their language. Or is it now too late? As long as the Parsis remain attached to ____ ______________ their ancient religion so long will their harmony, which fortunately they have been greatness and supremacy continue, and so adjusting themselves to this century and changing conditions, they must retain what is vital in the old. In any case, they must stand by their religion and in spite of all the message of Zoroaster among the Parsi population, and this has contributed in a large measure to the decline of our reli ­ gion. . , , . . Literacy among the Parsis is higher problems they face in these changing times, anism. At the same time they should not isolate themselves from other Indians nor from Indian politics and continue to live in -----J -------- J ------ , doing, and contribute in a very large long will they be able to maintain that measure to the economic development large-heartedness and nobility of spirit and growth ofthis country in all spheres of which distinguishes almost every indi- life. vidual member of our community. The beautiful fire-temple at Udvada has taught us Parsis to lead pure lives and gion. ] than in any other Indian community. Many they must maintain the spirit of Zoroastri- modern Parsis believe that everything western is good, and look down upon their eastern culture. This attitude of theirs has also contributed to their downfall as has the spirit of dissension among the ortho ­ dox and today ’s reformists. Many feel that Parsis should once again take up their independent business, give industrial education, make changes in their mode of living, spend less, show more religious fervor and revive their past glory. Extravagant and luxurious living have _ _ brought them to this pass, but luckily for began to write in it and produced novelists, them, they are few in number, and hence their problems can be more easily tackled than those of the other larger communities. The present generation of Parsis do not measure to the economic development large-heartedness and nobility of spirit dramatists, poets, journalists and writers of note. They encouraged and enriched Gujarati literature, bringing to it the imagi- ________ ______ native richness of a race which had for its strive to maintain the prestige in which heritage some of the greatest epics of^^H they were held. Some of their old integrity and nobility is disappearing, and as never before, a few of their ranks have been accused of robbery and hooliganism, and quite a few have even taken to drugs and crime. The Parsi.s should realize that, while The Parsis came to India 1366 years ago, and mostly settled in the villages and „ hamlets of Gujarat, learning to speak the to aim at high ideals. It has been the language fluently. In course of time, they emblem of a great civilization whose art ....... and culture have been the envy of the world. PESI D. MUNCHERJI Baroda Any options for survival? The Parsi Zoroastrian community is well time. Unfortunately, the position today aware of its inevitable deinographic disas- has altered considerably. Except for Kavi Ardeshir Khabardar, the legendary poet, and a few others, the average Parsi in the process ofbeing westernized does not know and more how to write or speak decent Gujarati. * Parsi.s are good al languages, and have ter before the middle of the next century, but does not seem sufficiently concerned to avert it. It prefers to look to its past glory ; recent achievements as a dike against the deluge. There is no attempt to mobilize public awarcncs.s or to form a For Pure Diamonds JEWELLERS 324, Grant Road, Bombay 400007. Telephone 3099648 Fax 3073483 APPOINTED VALUERS BY THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA 4 Parsiana October 1997practices in the home think tank or to constitute a group of multi ­ disciplinary wise men to even deliberate upon the subject. The Iranian Zoroastrian community is better placed in its demo ­ graphy and reproduction rate but as they migrate towards cities or to the West and fall prey to modernization, they too may soon find their growth stunted. The Zoroastrian Society of Ontario (ZSO) recently gave some thought to un ­ dertaking a long-term plan of activity, right into the beginning of the next cen ­ tury. It issued a list of some 34 schematic helpful projects grouped into eight major sectors and circulated it to the Ontario community with a view to eliciting their choice of five projects therefrom in their order of priority. The outcome was: •Encourage Zoroastrian youth (to partici ­ pate) particularly by involving them in all activities of ZSO, including membership disciplinary wise men, to deliberate upon on the executive and other working com­ mittees •Assist the home-bound Zoroastrian eld ­ erly and the handicapped, with a network of voluntary care through friendly visits, meals, etc •Enhance the Zoroastrian faith and spiri ­ tual needs of the community, by providing religious education, by age groups, and educating parents to maintain Zoroastrian members from Iran, Pakistan, UK and •Develop appropriate physical facilities North America? These will hopefully be for the community for housing of seniors and establishing a Zoroastrian cemetery. This report and the format of projects ’Do nothing because we cannot agree on has been circulated to the Zoroastrian Press anything. That is our current tradition, in Bombay, Delhi and North America. A copy can be requested by mail from the Zoroastrian Society of Ontario, 3590 Bayview Avenue, Willowdale, Ontario, M2M 3S6, Canada. The objective is to get . . all Zoroastrians around the world thinking (demographers and sociologists will about and deciding to implement the projects most suited to their long-term survival. But this can only be viewed as a cata ­ lytic attempt to wake up to the dangers then do it by stages e.g. acceptance ot non- the saviors of the community. Prima facie what are these options? •Do nothing because we cannot agree Ahura has helped us to survive 4,000 years and will continue to do so (hope springs eternal in the human breast!) •Ask the youth to marry early a Zoroas- trian spouse and produce more children ¦" con- sider such a behest ridiculous) •Go back to the Gathic age of Asho Zarathushtra and open up the religion to all mankind. If all this seems ‘so sudden. confronting us. In this writer ’s view what needs to be done additionally, is to consti ­ tute a global think tank of some multi- Zoroastrian spouses and children of mixed marriages and widows and those who had Zoroastrian parentage two or three genera ­ tions back •Acceptance selectively of known non- Zoroastrians who are prepared to fully and solely accept the good religion and abide by its injunctions. When considering these options one the options wc have within this crunch and then circulate their thoughts to all commu ­ nity associations around the world in order to seek their individual views and priori ­ ties. Could the Federation of Parsi Zoroas- ¦ill, trian Anjumans of India or the Bombay must keep in mind that the only other Parsi Punchayet take a constructive and serious global lead in this matter and con ­ stitute such a think tank and, in these days of immediate ‘e’-mail, also include some alternative is total numerical disaster and final disappearance. We have gone through a long period of Sasanian conversions and abundant non-Zoroastrian spouses. We are MASTER MARINE SERVICES Surveyors Licence No: SLA 19207 Surveyors and Consultants Ship, Cargo and Marine Surveyors, Loss Assessors, Technical Consultants, Container Terminal Superintendents and General Contractors, Container Repairers Reefer Cargo/Container Surveyors 22/D, S.A. Brclvi Road, Fort, Mumbai 400001 Phone: 2873567/2832145/2870716/2886642/43 • Cable: ‘MOORINGS’ Telex: 118-2119 MMSB IN • Fax: 91-22-2870139 • Email: g=mms/s=bom/p=gcms/a=vsnl/c=in Internet: mms.bom@gems.vsnl.net.in Branches Ahmedabad - Calcutta - Jaipur - Kandla - Ludhiana - Nhava Sheva - New Delhi - Surat 6 Parsiana October 1997adjusting themselves to this century and changing conditions, they must retain what is vital in the old. In any case, they must stand by their religion and in spite of all the message of Zoroaster among the Parsi population, and this has contributed in a large measure to the decline of our reli ­ gion. Literacy among the Parsis is higher problems they face in these changing times, than in any other Indian community. Many they must maintain the spirit of Zoroastri- modern Parsis believe that everything anism. At the same time they should not western is good, and look down upon their eastern culture. This attitude of theirs has also contributed to their downfall as has the spirit of dissension among the ortho ­ dox and today ’s reformists. Many feel that Parsis should once again take up their independent business, give industrial education, make changes in their mode of living, spend less, show more religious fervor and revive their past glory. Extravagant and luxurious living have brought them to this pass, but luckily for them, they are few in number, and hence their problems can be more easily tackled than those of the other larger communities. The present generation of Parsis do not strive to maintain the prestige in which they were held. Some of their old integrity and nobility is disappearing, and as never before, a few of their ranks have been accused of robbery and hooliganism, and quite a few have even taken to drugs and crime. The Parsis should realize that, while JOIN mastered many difficult classical tongues with ease. It is unfortunate that they have lost their grip over their own mother tongue. If they wish to retain their communal solidarity, it is necessary that they should pay more attention to their language. Or is it now too late? As long as the Parsis remain attached to their ancient religion so long will their isolate themselves from other Indians nor from Indian politics and continue to live in harmony, which fortunately they have been greatness and supremacy continue, and so doing, and contribute in a very large long will they be able to maintain that measure to the economic development large-heartedness and nobility of spirit and growth of thi.s country in all spheres of life. The Parsis came to India 1366 years ago, and mostly settled in the villages and hamlets of Gujarat, learning to speak the language fluently. In course of time, they emblem of a great civilization whose art began to write in it and produced novelists, dramatists, poets, journalists and writers of note. They encouraged and enriched Gujarati literature, bringing to it the imagi- . . native richness of a race which had for its Any options for survival? heritage some of the greatest epics of all The Parsi Zoroastrian community is well time. Unfortunately, the position today aware of its inevitable demographic disas- has altered considerably. Except for Kavi Ardeshir Khabardar, the legendary poet, and a few others, the average Parsi in the proces.s of being westernized does not know how to write or speak decent Gujarati. Parsis are good at languages, and have DAVARS’S COLLEGE OF COMMERCE BANKE^G, SECRETARIAL, COMPUTERS AND LANGUAGES Established 1900 For * Job Oriented Courses * Translations in all Languages * Jobs Guaranteed FREE PLACEMENTS Only at Davar’s FIRST COUNTER from FRONT ENTRANCE at Fountain Phone Fountain: 2042007/2824678 Vashi: 7685046/7686567 Goa Panjim: 221140/234257 which distinguishes almost every indi ­ vidual member of our community. The beautiful fire-temple at Udvada has taught us Parsis to lead pure lives and to aim at high ideals. It has been the and culture have been the envy of the world. PESI D. MUNCHERJl Baroda ter before the middle of the next century, but does not seem sufficiently concerned to avert it. It prefers to look to its past glory and more recent achievements as a dike against the deluge. There is no attempt to mobilize public awareness or to form a The Combined resources of CroU-Reynolds amt Mazda Provide a Comprebensive range of world's most efficient equipment. 4 nrazda CONTROLS LTD. Vacuum Systems, Air Pollution Control- Equipments & Two- Stage Liquid Ring- Vaccum Pumps Reducing Valves, Safety Valves, Control Valves, Desuperheaters & Valve Positioners Ul Mazda House. Panchwati 2nd lane, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad - 380 006, INDIA. Phone : 408014. 408967. 6447004. Fax : 079-6565605 E-Mail No. mazda@ad1 .vsnl.net.in L22 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 cards and just decisions. The present day management technique calls for highly specialized and efficient, but well paid bare minimum work-force. It is recommended that a commission be appointed, consisting of eminent persons, not even remotely connected with the Punchayet or the Parsi community, to re ­ view the organizational set-up of the Parsi Punchayet and recommend suitable mea ­ sures for its proper, speedy and efficient DALI J. GUNDEVIA may be deserving, are also no angels. There are families who have more than one flat, unoccupied for over 10 years, re ­ served for their children to occupy the same when they grow up. Nobody can expect any individual, how ­ ever rich or poor, or any institution to be one hundred percent efficient or above board. We are all human, born with virtues as well as weaknesses, to a smaller or greater degree. With more power and higher oneself to commit more mistakes and there likelihood of one becoming arrogant ----------- also The Punchayet and the members of I have noticed m certain letters addresse the community are trying to hoodwink each other and in the end the sufferers are those who may be desperate for accommo ­ dation. What was good enough for yesteryear may not be relevant today. We must move forward according to the changed circum ­ stances. It is fashionable to install a couple of computers to make the organization appear modern but that is not enough; (here is need to change the work ethics and basic attitude. What is perhaps required today is a young, dynamic and energetic leader who is trusted implicitly by the community. We want action, quick, fair position there is the possibility of allowing working. Praise the Lord ¦ IS to you that the name of our Prophet is merely written as Zoroaster or Zarathushtra without a prefix of respect as Lord Zoroaster or Asho Zarathushtra. Our Prophet is second to none and it behoves our Parsis to give due respect when mentioning his name. HOMI J. KAIKOBAD Rawalpindi, Pakistan It is not the style of the magazine to place a prefix consistently before any name Editor Edited by Pahnaz M. Gandhi WiV/r compliments from B. B. GARDA & SONS 10 B. J. Road Poona 411001 10 Parsiana October 1997I Events and Personalities ^Taithful to my pledge” welfare and education, recommends Tam- “The first year has been a year in which holy, efforts have been made towards consolida ­ tion, cultivating team spirit with colleague the first year of a seven-year term have trustee being anjn- individual, there are very often spir ­ ited debates on the multifariou.s is­ sues that come up for ation... What is segment of the community expected to be provided housing facilities. However in the current times of inflation...even the middle class and upper middle class look towards the BPP towards meeting their housing needs... the ratio of supply vis-a- vis demand being 1:20, the result can only be discontentment. ” The Punchayet ’s merit rating scheme for housing is apparently not able to bring a consensus among the trustees for, as explains Tamboly, “Some trustees believe that the allotment of flats should be linked with the generation of income for the trust by way of receiving donations to augment the resources of the BPP thereby creating opportunities towards increasing the hous ­ ing stock for the community. On the other force to do that, which in (his/her) hand, some trustees —of which I am a part • •’ — maintain that all the vacant flats (bar- opmion IS oesi lui me euiiiiiiu...vj . That the donors have chosen to dissoci- ring exceptions which necess tate consid- ate themselves from the working of the eration on compassionate an humanitar- BPP indicates that “the policies of the BPP ian grounds) should be allotted only to have caused disillusionment, ” candidly those on the waiting list My views are admits Tamboly. Having been actively based on the philosophy that the pursuit of involved with other welfare institutions like the World Zoroastrian Organisation „ and having been a successful mobilizer of much more important than profit, resources, he has been trying to impress on his colleagues that “the wishes of any donor are not only sacrosanct, but once having accepted a contribution, it would be sacrilegious to go back on a given commitment...that ‘transparency of action ’ and ‘accountability to donors ’ is the very foundation upon which a donor-donee re ­ lationship is established. ” Happy with the role of the Parsi Press as “watchdogs rather than lapdogs ” which ensures that “the trustees and the adminis ­ tration remain alert and sensitive to the needs of the community, ” Tamboly has clarified his stand on certain issues. Al ­ most one-third of his write-up pertains to While maintaining that the board of trustees “functions in the true spirit of trustees... My sentiments on completion of democracy, ’ Tamboly clarifies. Lac ' ----- 1 in- been an admixture of satisfaction tinged dependent minded with pensiveness, ” mentions Dinshaw Tamboly in his nine-page write-up titled, “On completing one year as a trustee of the BPP (Bombay Parsi Punchayet). ” “The satisfaction that I feel stems from the fact that I have remained faithful to my pledge of discharging my duties with cour ­ age, candor and conviction and of having important to real- functioned as per the dictates of my con ­ science, even when faced with criticism, opposition and detraction. My pensive ­ ness flows from the realization that so much needs to be done, honor and grace needs to be reinstilled, the confidence of the community and the legion of donors won back, and BPP the institution rein ­ stalled on the pedestal that an august insti ­ tution such as it should justifiably oc­ cupy, ” states Tamboly. Pained that “the reputation as well as the image of the BPP in general and the trustees in particular is at its lowest ebb ever, ” Tamboly writes, “The community deserves and expects a blend of maturity and sagacity from its leaders. This can be achieved if we (the trustees) work as a team, within the framework of set policies, a commonality of purpose, taking ‘com­ munity friendly ’ decisions with alacrity, remain responsive to the needs of the com­ munity, lend a sympathetic ear to those in distress, keep intact the self-respect and dignity of those who knock on our doors for redress, and generally by projecting " humane image of the institution. ” Revitalize the management of various portfolios, ensure a turnaround of the non- performing assets of the BPP, look beyond Punchayet properties and as he states. In housing and evolve schemes in the areas of earlier days, only the economically weak consider- 12 Parsiana October 1997 a ¦I ¦- Tamboly: so much ize is the fact that needs to be done each trustee serves with determination, commitment and driv ­ ing 1---- — — ------. opinion is best for the community. ing stock for the community. On the other — maintain that all the vacant flats (bar- BPP is philanthropy and not commerce... for an institution such as the BPP, honor is 50 years of travel The first recipient of the International Travel Agent of the Year award instituted by the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) is Adi J. Katgara, director, Travel Corporation (India) Limited (TCI), notes - press release issued by TCI. He was -- ferred the award on September 7, 1997 at the annual ASTA convention in Glasgow, Scotland. Instrumental in pioneering the development of tourism in India and the subcontinent, as also promoting the inter ­ ests of ASTA in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Iran and Afghanistan, Katgara was report ­ edly the unanimous choice for this presti ­ gious award. “There are few members of the travel a con-human being but in this great mo­ ment of our sor ­ row and un ­ bounded grief, all of us have to do some intro- ___ spection and re- solve to contribute our mite in our ¦ own small way to alleviate the suffering of our fellow brethren as our humble tribute to the greatest legend of our times. ” Rcfening to Mother Teresa as BRB “an epitome of compassion and ser ­ vice for the sick, homeless and downtrodden people of the world and particularly for the people of Calcutta, ” Rabadi asked, “Can there be a better example of such an ideal human being...? ” Through her Missionaries of Charity, not only did she reach out to the ¦ H Katgaia (center) flanked by Karen Beard (left) and Gerry Jung (Right) Rabadi: humble tribute sue- writes Prof S. M. Ambani, former princi ­ pal of Valsad ’s J. P. Shroff Arts College, in his write-up on Avari. Now in his late 40s, Avari, who was the Gujarat chess champion for five succes ­ sive years and had represented the state, and even captained the team at the national chess championships, had opted out of competitive chess for nearly 14 years, writes Ambani. In 1996 though, he once again participated in the Commonwealth Chess Championship where he earned his FIDE international chess rating. Thereafter he also participated in the World Amateur Chess Championship at Hastings, England, and the International Hastings Chess Con ­ gress A category tournament where he shared the runners-up prize, states Ambani. “The most amazing aspect of this industry who can claim to have had Adi ’s human being...? ” Through her Missionaries cess story ” is that Viraf, the youngest son profound impact on the future of our busi- of Charity, not only did she reach out to the of the late Phirozsha who had represented ness. It ’s appropriate that this industry unfortunate, but she also served to inspire the Western Railway inhockey andciicket, ’ • ¦ — .................... ’ ¦¦ ' “• - L--:.--...... 1----------- ,0 “started his career as a wrestling champion way back in the early ’60s.” But ulti ­ mately, the muscle made way for the mind. Goons on the prowl That aged Zoroastrians, residing alone in Bombay, are victims of burglary, assault and murder had been known. That Zoroas- trian.s in other regions too need to fear for the safety of their person and property came to light on September 16, 1997 when The Times of India reported that a sandal ­ wood dealer, Rattansha Katila had been found strangulated in his Udvada home ­ stead. The assailants also decamped with a couple of lakh rupees from the 76-ycar-old Katila ’s residence, according to the news I the fortunate “to bring some cheer and smile to those who suffer, ” he added in his tribute. pioneer is named ASTA’s lirst Interna ­ tional Travel Agent of the Year, ” said ASTA awards committee chairman, Will ­ iam H. Hunt, giving Katgara credit for fostering “the expansion of ASTA’s global scope for nearly 50 years. ” The world ’s largest and most prestigious travel trade association, 66-year-old ASTA has over 28,500 members in 177 countries, reports the handout. Katgara had served as the president of its India chapter when its international division was formed in 1960. He also enjoys the distinction of being the only Indian to be elected as director ot ASTA’s international division. “While the country celebrates 50 years of independence, Katgara celebrates the same number of years in the travel indus ­ try, ” points out an article in the Sunday Review of October 26, 1997. “A man who rarely minces words, he has been instru ­ mental in representing the travel industry Roshan and sister-in-law Faiida R. Avari, to the government and getting its grouses addressed, ” states the article. Man’s mind and muscle Under the leadership of international chess player and Gujarat chess master Viraf P. Avari, the Valsad based Avari Chess Acad ­ emy (ACA) organized three memorial chess tournaments in June 1997 when more than 150 players including children under six years of age competed for the 45 prizes in various categories, according to a write ­ up sent by the ACA principal Roshan Avari. The three rolling chess cup.s as also the other prizc.s were donated by Viraf Avari in memory of his mother Sherbanoo and brothers Marzban and Ratansha. “It really is the duty of champions to report, promote and popularize the game. That is exactly what Viraf Avari is doing in his Chess Academy, ” assisted by his wife ig At Mother’s mass “Our community draws deep inspiration from our beloved Mother Teresa ’.s legend ­ ary work, by her unlimited affection, kind and loving words and deeds to the suffer ­ ing humanity, ” noted Adi Rabadi, member of the West Bengal Minorities Commis­ sion, who was representing the Zoroas ­ trian community of Calcutta at the funeral ceremony of Mother Teresa at the Netaji Subhas Stadium on September 13, 1997. Reminding the assembly that good thoughts, good words and good deeds is the basic message of Zoroastrianism, Raba ­ di noted, “Death is inevitable for every VirafAvari: concentrating on chess PhotoiKumar Studio. Active in chess tournaments (from left): K. Pandya, ProfG. T. Pandya, V. Avari, R. Avari and P. Avari Less than a month later the city ’s dailies splashed the news that the Fort office ot Asiatic Travel Service which is celebrat ­ ing its golden jubilee became the scene of high drama on the afternoon of October 6, 1997 when seven men, armed with pistols and choppers, barged in. They demanded that all ornaments and cash p’resent on ¦ iMIBBOWmJn J,; ssmaswiw | 14 Parsiana October 1997y. x- f) •jguCTC tfeWgkSBRVI-CPJ the Pankaj Kapadia Six Hours Non-Stop Skating Event held in Surat, says his bio data. Among his trophies are the South light shootings are criticized because they Gujarat Skating Championship in Febru- are bad for business... “It is utopian to believe that repealing a few laws would suffice. Citizens need to think of the city that they shall bequeath to Mantralaya...to the lowly municipal ward office in the distant suburb. No longer are criminal acts found objectionable on moral grounds. Increasingly, the murders and day- Asiatic Travel Service where assaulters were nabbed person and at the premises be surrendered to them. One of the goons rushed into the cabin of Silla Motivala, a partner of the firm, but found only papers, while the others moved around to remove valuables off the em­ ployees. When Morvarid Tafty, the daugh ­ ter of another partner, was genuinely un ­ able to remove her bangles, she was threat ­ ened that her hands would be chopped off. She however managed to run to the door and raise an alarm that resulted in five of the criminals fleeing the scene. Meanwhile some of the other employ ­ ees had managed to overpower the other criminals, assaulting them with ticket vali ­ dating machines, paperweights, flower pots, especially when it was realized that the pistol which had landed on the floor was but a toy! The police who were sum- . . _ moned to the office arrested the bleeding First Inter-School Roller Skating Charnpi robbers and one of them had to be hospital ­ ized, mentions the report in The Times of India of October 9. While interrogations are still on, “Their arrest has led to the detection of other robbery cases including the theft at Globe Travels near Metro Cinema in July, the Binny ’s showroom at Colabain December 1996 and a chemist ’s shop at Byculla in March, ” according to a police statement related in The Times. “They are also in the process of recovering gold chains worth around Rs 35,000” with which the ab ­ sconding robbers escaped. “Bombay ’s increasing notoriety as the crime center of the country is rapidly out ­ weighing its numerous positive aspects, ” notes a write-up in Business India, Sep­ tember 8-21, 1997, adding, “So completely enmeshed is Bombay ’s underworld with virtually every segment of society that its tentacles leave nothing untouched — from ary ’96 and the Ramanlal Memorial Shantilal Certificate in speed skating. He was declared the first Master Thums Up Champion at the first Miss and Master their children. This involves investigative Thums Up Roller Skating Championship reporting ofcriminal acts, exposing the nexus held in Surat in June last year, states his between criminals and the political admin- skating profile. Hiiia p. Ouzder istration and a commitment to keep one ’s neighborhood safe... Today, cleaning (Bombay) needs the raw courage of many Mohandas Karamchand Gandhis, far more than it needs the Hindu-Maratha homilies of a Bal Thackeray. ” Good throw Shot-put, discus throw and javelin throw are the three events in which 18-year-old Abad Irani specializes. During the year 1996-97 he participated in several athletic meets at the state, district and zonal levels winning five gold medals and three silver medals in shot-put, three gold, one silver and three bronze in discus throw, and two old Khushroo Minoo Dumasia won the gold silvers and two bronzes in javelin throw, medal for the champion pair in artistic skat ­ ing, a silver medal in freestyle skating and a bronze in figure skating at the 16th Super by well-known organi- National Championship at Surat in June zations like t..>- 1997, according to a press release. The meet was ( School, New Delhi and organized by the Gujarat Roller Skating School, Surat. A sixth standard student ol St Xavier ’s High School in Surat, Khushroo has trained under M. R. Bharti, technical advisor of the Gujarat Roller Skating School, Surat. In February this year, he won the first prize tor the champion pair, artistic skating at the On a roll Starting his skating career at the St Xavier ’s skating rink in Surat two years ago, 11-year- notes a press release. Besides competing in meets organized zations like the Maharashtra Amateur conducted by the Indian Roller Skating Athletics Association, the Young Men ’s Chris ­ tian Association, Bharat Petroleum, Irani has also had an occasion to rep ­ resent the Maharashtra Irani: west zone at the inter- covering zonal meet and was even distance selected for the national games at Bangalore held in January ’97, states the release. Standing six feet, four inches tall, Irani is in the second year of junior college, studying commerce at Dahanu. SPOTLIGHT Hailing from a family of ophthalmolo ­ gists, Daraius Shroff’s recent admission to Delhi ’s Maulana Azad Medical College marks the entry of a fourth generation Shroff into the medical profession, writes ® Lt Gen Adi Sethna, president of the Delhi Parsi Anjuman. Daraius ’ great-grandfa ­ ther Dr Sohrabji was the founder of the Dr Shroff Charitable Eye Hospital in Delhi where presently his grandfather Dr Minoo, father Dr Noshir and uncle Dr Cyrus play an active role. Family support, together with hard work, determination and pres ­ ence of mind at the pre-medical test are the factors that have contributed to his suc ­ cess, acknowledges Daraius. onship in Surat. In May, he participated in 3t Dumasia: skating success Compiled by Parinaz M. Gandhi 16 Parsiana October 1997ZOROASTRIANS ABROAD 44 You cannot be kind... without being loving Lawyer Dina McIntyre speaks of the Gathas as a message of love Arnavaz S. Mama ness for which we were hardly prepared. McIntyre described herself as “turned And yet this soft voice was of one capable off on religion — a Zoroastrian dropout of firm action and much achievement. “We were like a family in Pittsburgh, ” she ness for which we were hardly prepared. “God ’s love for man is expressed in the fact that He brings us knowledge of His divine forces as a means of salvation, a way out of the misery created by violence, »»v.v ...xv «........ j ...._ -o—---------------- oppression, deceit, and the other products reminisced when we inquired about her of Pittsburgh. She said it made her hunger of wrongful choices... There are numerous verses in the Gathas in which God ’s love is expressed in terms of pro ­ tection, support and help. ” Dina McIntyre, partner of the Pittsburgh law firm Mc­ Intyre and McIntyre, was speaking on one of her favor ­ ite subjects atBombay ’s K. R. Cama Oriental Institute ’s (KRCOI) Library Hall in June 1997. “The Notion of Love in the Gathas” as elaborated by McIntyre: practicing McIntyre, was the glue that the Gathas ’ message bonded Zoroastrians to their community ideals of kindness, generosity, charity. “If you think about the ideas behind these labels (‘beneficent, ’ ‘blessed, ’ ‘gener ­ ous, ’ ‘munificent ’), you will see that you cannot be good, you cannot be kind and generous, you cannot have charity in your heart for others, without being loving, ” she elaborated. Acknowledging the incompleteness of our knowledge of Zarathushtra, the man, McIntyre noted, “We are lucky to live in an age when for the first time in more than a thousand years, we are beginning to under ­ stand Zarathushtra ’s own words. Some­ how it seems fitting that we should have to use our minds to try to puzzle out the ideas of a Prophet whose most basic teaching is the quest for truth with good thinking. ” McIntyre noted that what she offered was but one perspective, that of “a student of intellectual debate. All the 12 editions were the Gathas, and a practitioner. ” ............... ‘ A tall, well made individual, McIntyre ’s dulcet tones, both in public address and private conversation, revealed a gentle- 18 Parsiana October 1997 when Merwan Irani asked her to do some legal work for the Zoroastrian Association for her roots, ” but was “confused and disappointed with what (she) read ” until she started on the Gathas. Then she says her “interest in religion bloomed. ” She read into comparative religions — Chris ­ tianity, Hinduism, Buddhism. “I do not claim to be an expert on comparative reli ­ gion, ” she maintains, but from all the religions and philosophies she has exam ­ ined, “what Zarathushtra offers is the most satisfying to me, the most interesting — spiritually, emotionally, intellectually: the full spectrum. ” According to the lady, the orthodox are a vocal minority in North America. “Most people are kind and well disposed (and) beginning to be offended by some vocal types... They are getting tired. ” She has a lot of faith in the Zoroastrian youths who are proud to be Zoroastrian “but (are) not really into ultra-orthodoxy except a few. ” Most of them “think for themselves and practice what Zarathushtra preached. ” Though it is “unfortunately ” the nature of youth to be intemperate, she feels “the religion is in safe hands. ” A member of the World Zoroastrian series of 12 essays. An Introduction to the Organisation — “the only Zoroastrian or- Gathas of Zarathushtra, in 1989-90. Each was a handpicked topic addressed by an expert, among her contributors being bers ” — McIntyre feels that with the pro ­ Stanley Inslcr,Farhang Mehr, Lovji Cama, ............ ... I ¦¦ tt- Ali Jafarey, Kaikhosrov Irani... and each edition contained a feedback from the read- -------------, ers of the previous one, sparking a lively structured way is the best way in which the ...................................... ¦¦ ¦ will of the majority is expressed. ” A frequent speaker at the biennial North American Zoroastrian Congresses, Mc- far, more than 680 people have asked lor the Intyre is happy that the youth is being essays, she says. continued on page 38 hard-hitting letter withdraw ­ ing from the Zoroastrian As­ sociation of Pennsylvania (ZAPA) a decade ago. The Ilyin the ointment had been a speaker from India who expounded exclusionary practices. McIntyre said she was offended. Having been happily married to fellow lawyer Richard McIntyre for many years, she “did not want 10 belong to a group which considered non-Zoroastrians as second-class citizens. ” Referring to the usual or ­ thodox argument that people should con ­ tinue with the religion to which they have been born, McIntyre asks, “But what if the parents are atheists or cultists? ” Zoroastri ­ anism being a religion that deals with living the good life, McIntyre believes it is unfair “to deprive anyone of such a beau ­ tiful way of living and worship, ” if he or she is attracted to it. With the emotional and financial sup ­ port of her husband, McIntyre published a ganization to which I belong, the only one which welcomes non-Zoroastrian mem- posed World Council of Zoroastrian Fed ­ erations “we are strangling ourselves with bureaucracy. ” She believes that “the un­ airmailed free of cost to anyone, in any part of the world, who wrote to ask for a copy. SoENVIRONMENT Embarking on an embankment has been sanctioned by the Gujarat An amount of 50 lakh rupees I government for the Udvada Offshore Breakwater Scheme Sarosh Bana Guzder was present on the dais, while a further Rs 2.5 lakh had been contributed by the Baroda Parsi Punchayet, represented at the function by its chairman, Shavak Patel. In his message that was read out on the occasion, Vaghela expressed his great ap- outlook as well as their cosmopolitan chan ties “You fully deserve whatever my gov­ ernment can do for you in ensuring the survival of this heritage village, ” he added As a parting gift to the Parsi community under the Congress ’ withdrawal of sup ­ port, Chief Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela ensured the sanction of a Rs 50 lakh em­ bankment designed to check the, waves in south Gujarat, 178 km north of Bombay. Away in Delhi for his Rashtriya Janata Party ’s national convention, Vaghela was unable to announce the sanction at the pub ­ lic function held in the village on October 19,1997 by the Save UdvadaTrust, chaired in ministry by former minister, ambassador and com- Said Mohanbhai Patel. My min y munity leader Homi J. H. Taleyarkhan. Vaghela sent instead his finance minis ­ ter, Babubhai Shah, and water resources minister, Mohanbhai Patel. Taleyarkhan told the 400-strong gath ­ ering that though his Trust was not a com­ munal but a cosmopolitan one, this coastal idyll was the sanctum sanctorum of the Parsis as their holiest fire was enthroned here. “Iranshah itself is jeopardized by the seepage through seawater ingress and it is just a day before his government tottered Vaghela sent instead his finance minis- minister, Mohanbhai Patel. Taleyarkhan told the 400-strong gath ­ ering that though his Trust was not a com­ munal but a cosmopolitan one, this coastal idyll was the sanctum sanctorum of the Parsis as their holiest fire was enthroned here. “Iranshah itself is jeopardized by the seepage through seawater ingress and it is imperative to devise a solution to over ­ come this danger, which is, however, not imminent, ” he specified. Both Shah and Patel lauded the minus- century emigrants from Persia had been assimilated by their host community as “sugar in a bowl of milk. They pointed out that their government had granted approval to the project officially known as the Offshore Breakwa ­ ter Scheme for Prevention of Erosion in Udvada — because the Trust had agreed to bear 25 percent of the cost. Taleyarkhan, said his Trust had been able to garner five lakh rupees from various sources, includ ­ ing Zoroastrians settled abroad. c________ „ . had been donated by the Bombay Parsi has been categorical that this project be completed within the scheduled period of 18 months, ” he announced. Mohanbhai Patel assured the gathering that the project would be seen to its logical conclusion by the state administration even if the Vaghela ministry proved to be short-lived. Taleyar ­ khan recalled the time when the late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had told him once, in jest, how most foundation stones in India started sinking before the projects they marked finally took shape. B. G. Parmar, secretary to the Water Resources Department, claimed that ef­ forts would be made to complete the project completed within the scheduled period of 18 months, ” he announced. Mohanbhai Patel assured the gathering that the project would be seen to its logical conclusion by the state administration even if the Vaghela ministry proved to be short-lived. Taleyar ­ khan recalled the time when the late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had told him once, in jest, how most foundation stones has a budget of Rs 1,000 crore, but most of it is apportioned to vast hydel and irriga- tion projects with enormous outlays. Tiny unfortunate iiwii J . . . , - LI. f— ti'ii-t nvp.r tr administration only if the local com- ... similar demands for schemes like this could be viable for our state administration only if the local com­ munities pitched in their mite. ” According to him, there were similar demands for retaining walls at_27 spots along the coast and if the Udvada precedent proved success, it would serve as a i------ - replication elsewhere. said tenders had been received, for the week. “Our chief minister to him, there were from Bharuch to Surat in southern Gujarat 1 a model for nivuuwi. Unveiling the foundation stone, Shan project and the decision would be exer- cule Parsi community saying these eighth cised within a w.-.-. -- century emigrants from Persia had been assimilated by their host, community as “sugar in a bowl of milk. They pointed out that their government had granted approval to the project Scheme for Prevention of Erosion, in bear 25 percent of the cost. Taleyarkhan, said his Trust had been able to garner five lakh rupees from various sources, includ ­ ing Zoroastrians settled abroad. Of the amount raised, one lakh rupees had been donated by the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP), whose chairman Jamshed Alongside: Taleyarkhan (center) looks on Photos: Sarosh Bana felicitating Shah while Khorshed Patel 20 Parsiana October 1997 Resources Department, claimed that ef­ forts would be made to complete the project within 12 months. Taleyarkhan deemed it that the advancing shoreline claimed several a school and a had over the past years homesteads as well as dispensary, but expressed confidence that the six fortified sections of the stone and concrete wall along the beach would weather the fury of the Arabian Sea. The project has been devised by the Central Water and Power Research Station at Khadakvasla, and coordinated by its repre ­ sentative Dr Z. S. Tarapore who is a mem­ ber of the Udvada Trust. There will be two sets of three walls each of linked stone and concrete blocks that will run perpendicular wall along the beach would • ! ¦ ¦pSlON 4 • r I I w J ft?Rashida Suntook-Shahparast, a resident of the seaside Baug-e-Iranshah since ’92 when she retired from ICICI in Bombay tionist, she had also advocated upgrading and an outspoken local member of the Save Udvada Trust, says, “This has been a According to her, she wrote to Valsad ’s super- also a mobile patrol that can cater to the three ad- to the shoreline from the beach into the tidal waters. This is the first time such a scheme is being implemented in India, Tarapore said. “Concurrently with the wall project, the Trust proposes to take other preventive well-calculated, well-motivated murder. ” measures such as planting of mangroves and other shrubbery to check erosion, ” Taleyarkhan remarked. “We will also pro ­ pose the inclusion of ecology in the cur ­ riculum of the local schools to inculcate in the community here an awareness about their environment. ” There were many among the audience who felt the meeting should have started with a minute ’s homage to 76-year-old intendentofpoliceandthe Ervad Rattanshah Katila, who was gagged police commissioner of and brutally strangulated to death on the Ahmedabad seeking re- rainy night of September 13 when power opening of the chowky as had failed as it often does in Udvada. It was after most speakers had had their say that Guzder made a mention of this ghastly joining villages of Ud- episode, noting that Katila had his hands and feet bound and his body was found lying face down in his bed. With several houses of Parsis mostly policemen plying frequently through our remaining locked up with their residents streets and there are indications that a sub- either away, hospitalized or dead, Udvada police station will be opened shortly, ” she has seen numerous burglaries in the past. But this unprecedented killing of an aged and respected member of the local Parsi community for a reported theft of Rs 2.5 lakhs from his house, apart from other belongings, has convulsed the peaceable of the village ’s development, indeed sur- and characteristically mild Parsis who in ­ habit this village. There are an estimated 80 of them, mostly unmarried or widowed and almost all over 60. There were alleg ­ edly three local youths involved in the break-in, of whom two have been arrested and one continues to abscond. the level of instruction in the local schools to afford the local Parsi children access to decent education. To check erosion, she She recalls that at the Gram Punchayet Lok had recommended growing mangroves and Sabha meeting held on July 16, she had raised the issue of the police chowky be ­ hind Globe Hotel that had remained closed for years on end. “In times of difficulty, we have to call for police all the way from Pardi or even Valsad, ” she laments. You deserve whatever my government can do for survival of this heritage village vada, Sophalia and Kolak. ren of the original settlers have moved out, there is little security, domestic help is al ­ most impossible to locate and even some of the old hotel s around which childhood memo­ ries of a good many of us are woven are being dismantled and put up for sale, ” he says. “If we don ’t have an Udvada, what will the Rs 50 lakh wall protect? ” He believes Udvada is always reeling istAbanBanain 1982.ButBana ’sconcept from one crisis to another. In the past, it was sanctified but today there are hardly any priests left to carry forward that enno- “It may be my letter, it may not be, but we now do have a patrol van with rifle-toting notes. The Save Udvada Trust itself is a late outcome of the Save Udvada Scheme en ­ visaged by the Bombay-based education- A section of the audience tries as well as agro-businesses to induce Parsis to settle in Udvada. Being an educa- other sand-binding shrubs and trees. Faramroze Sidhwa, secretary of the Udvada Anjuman, emphasized, “The need of the hour in Udvada is drinking water and electricity, both enormous problems for the residents here. ” His refrain is taken up by Baji Maloo, a Bombay ­ based advertiser who has been frequenting his sea­ side bungalow in Udvada ever since he bought it in 1972. “There are so many important things that need to be done in this village to ensure its survival: child- Aspi Irani, the Bombay-based builder who has constructed two of the earliest apartment buildings to come up in Udvada — Spenta and Pherozegar —is more blunt: money. ” He stresses, “What Udvada re ­ quires is a workable program that involves the entire local community. ” The erosion can be checked in a very simple manner, he indicates: “Illegal min ­ ing of sand for construction works contin ­ ues unabated from the Udvada beach, ren ­ dering the shoreline vulnerable to the ad ­ vancing waves; why don ’t the authorities stop this and instead allow dredging of the nearby creek? ” he asks. He believes that by this dual approach, the deepened creek would channel much of the tidal waters and its sand could be used for construction. “Mark my words, this Rs 50 lakh wall will be smashed in no time at all as the three earlier ones (erected by the Gram Punchayet in the course of the last 10 years or so) have similarly been, ” Irani warns. “The debris-laden beach of Udvada today bears ample testimony to this. ” vival, had been very different from the Rs 50 lakh embankment project now being bling work, he points out. pursued by the Trust. In a blueprint she had published in Jani-e-Jamshed then and which she had discussed with the late Tata Sons director Naval Tata, who had shown great interest in the scheme but unfortu- “TheRs501akh wall is a criminal waste of nately died before his time, Bana had urged the establishment'of cottage indus- re *ra 22 Parsiana October 1997- » • I ! p' w L '¦ w *iB A model displays an outfit bearing the Armayesh touch 24 Parsiana October 1997 BUSINESS COVER STORY Exquisite Embroidery Expertise The choicest embroidery assignments undertaken by the Agas of Armayesh are displayed on the ramp at international fashion shows Parinaz M. Gandhi reads like a who ’s who of the high fashion industry worldwide. ” Be it Tina Turner or Elton John, the late Princess Diana or the Keen to buy a motorcycle during his col ­ lege days, Naozer Aga approached his fa ­ ther Jamshed who did not share the same enthusiasm. To dissuade the son, the father Princess of Monaco, several celebrities have undertook to contribute only 50 percent of purchased garments from world renowned the costs. Faced with the responsibility of fashion designers who are reportedly raising the balance Rs 3,500, an enterpris ­ ing Aga, with three colleagues, formed a group called Cupid and his Arrows. By are sporting outfits embroidered in India, arranging three socials the group was able the Agas — Naozer, wife Sheila and son to earn sufficient funds to finance Aga ’s two-wheeler. The success of this first ven ­ ture gave him the necessary confidence. “We realized we could make money, ” con ­ fides Aga. Thereafter he was keen “not on studies but on being financially indepen ­ dent. ” Over the years, 56-year-old Aga, as Group board chairman of the 25-year-old Armayesh Group and Associates compris- Armayesh ’s clients. Though the high pro ­ file socialites may not be aware that they Armand — are immediately able to recog ­ nize their works of art and they have in their possession several such catalogs and al ­ bums with their embroidered motifs adorn ­ ing reputed figures. Besides comely women even portly men have displayed vestments which have their roots in Annayesh. The cap and the robe which Pope John Paul II had worn at the Easter mass in 1993 was reportedly em- ing 12 private limited companies and one broideredatArmayesh.ThreeleadingSumo partnership firm in India, Europe and USA, wrestlers opted to wear belts embroidered has nurtured and expanded operations in- ~ volving business service centers, finance and investment, computer assembly, manu- is also supposed to bear the Armayesh facture and export of high quality hand touch. In fact, they enjoy the distinction of embroidered products to constitute a being the exclusive exporters to two lead ­ multicrore turnover group. In terms of prof- ing high-fashion leather houses in Paris and itability, all these concerns may be equally California, remunerative, but in terms of respect and — recognition, it is the embroidery compo­ nent of the business which offers the most challenges. They are rated among the world leaders in the export of hand embroidered products elaborates Naozer . Usually a prototype of a to Italy, France, Germany, England, USA, ” Japan and other countries, according to Aga who also claims, “Our customer list providing quantity, they also have to be from here. The costume for the figure of singer Cher at Mme Tussaud ’s in Australia This “time-sensitive ” business is per ­ ceived as a “tremendous responsibility ” by the Agas. “We have to meet the season. If it doesn ’t go on time, it doesn ’t go on the ramp; if tiiere is no catwalk, then no order, ” design obtained from France or Italy is sent to them in India for mass production. While 1 II Top (from left): Naozer, Armand and Sheila Aga with some of the motifs embroidered at Armayesh Center and below: Master craftsmen working on intricate designs Photos: Chetan Mistry i^T>on^go to thefire-tanfle and then cut others^ thvats or cheat someone in business^^ also have to be particular about quality for cheap, shoddy work would be instantly rejected. When accepting an embroidery order for 600 white velvet dresses, they had to ensure that there was not a single black speck. bHH This is the difference between quality embroidery jobs under- taHB taken by mastercraftsmen and HH| amateur attempts, elaborates hHH Sheila who is not only a full-time director in the know of every h|H task on hand but one who takes pride in the excellence and abili- ties of Indian craftsmen, rating them “the best in the world for zardosi (zari work). ” “For ari (hook technique) too we are world class, ” believes Armand, also a director, who makes it known that despite the nature of their industry, they have gone in for maxi ­ mum computerization of the production, employing tailor-made user-specific soft ­ ware. At their Veena Killedar Estate premises in Bombay ’s Byculla locality, barring the few rooms set aside for sales and adminis ­ trative work, the rest are reserved for pro ­ duction where the cream of the Indian workforce are engaged in producing little masterpieces. On the day of the Parsiana visit. August 22, 1997, the city was receiv ­ ing its heaviest rainfall of the season with roads flooded and traffic grinding to a standstill in many areas. The dull, gloomy they have honored all deadlines except during the communal riots in 1992-93 when all the Muslim craftsmen lied to their hometown.s in Delhi, Calcutta, Lucknow, Madras. “We went to the villages and got Nearly three years later, Charles Jourdan, them to work and somehow executed the order, ” reminisce.s Sheila. The delay was condoned due to customer loyalty despite being in the export business “where every hour is critical, ” she adds. They are geared with a generator too so that in the event of a power failure, lights immediately come on to facilitate resumption of work with only a minor interruption. “Forme, work is money. For Sheila, it ’s the love of the product and the recognition received when someone appreciates (the efforts), ” candidly admits Naozer while putting in perspective their respective con- Arniciyesh creations Photo: Chetan Mistry tributions to the export venture. In fact, the genesis of this busi- . ness is traced to Sheila. She had been noticing craftsmen at work on the roadside (Darabsha Road, off Napean Sea Road) close to where they reside. She hired one of them, Aboobaker Noor Mohammed, who till this day remains their master embroi- derer. Starting with handbags, then shoe uppers, garments, sa- ris, they have had to shift pre- mises to accommodate the ex- panding business. First, it was from the balcony of their resi- dence. When they started spill- ing over into the hall, they trans- ferred operations to Kamanwala Chambers at Fort which is also the headquarters of Shapoorjee N. Chandabhoy and Company, the almost 130-year-old architectural firm currently managed by Naozer ’s father Jamshed who is also the Group board chairman emeritus. As space there proved inadequate, they shifted to their present location, with the Kamanwala Chambers premises being used as a business center. are judged. The design complete, the qual ­ ity control department take.s charge to make sure that there are no traces of print ­ ing solution (used when transferring dc- sign.s from paper to cloth) or stains, all threads are cut neatly, the design matches Presently nearly 600 people (including job the original, the finish of the neckline and workers) are employed by the Armayesh sleeve.s is tidy... So far, not once have any Armayesh embroidery consignments been returned due to substandard quality, maintains they had set up a stall displaying hand Sheila. In terms of time commitments too. group. Actually the boost for the export busi ­ ness came in 1985 when at a show abroad. afternoon with rain lashing outside seemed to be no cause for distraction to these artisans engrossed in their missions. Seated on the floor with paper designs before them, they meticulously follow the written instructions regarding the color scheme and items to be used to create distinctive tapestry. There are others work ­ ing on bigger fabrics stretched across two poles. The craftsmen are mainly Muslim men, this being a trade which is passed on from father to son. “And the father will only teach his own son, ” Sheila explains the secret of their nimble fingers. They may come trained in various degrees and yet “they are forever training for there are alway.s new designs, new skills and im­ proved speed ” on the basis of which they a 27 Parsiana October 1997 embroidered handbags, swatches, gar ­ ments, relates Naozer. Through their stall, Andre Cora of France, a big importer of shoe uppers from Madras, became inter ­ ested in hand embroidered shoe uppers. a big French company celebrating its 75th anniversary, wanted to go into embroi ­ dered shoes in a big way. For their single order worth Rs 1.1 crore, requiring 3,00,000 pieces to be delivered within a period of four weeks, over 1,000 workmen were on the job, he recalls. “We are not a fashion house. We are a specialized hand embroidery company sup ­ plying goods to fashion houses, ” clarifies Naozer. “In India, there is yet no fashion house of repute (through which their prod ­ ucts could be routed). So we thought, let us offer our custom-made, hand embroidery ”he tried his hand at various activities: a car hire firm called Comfort Kars, consultancy to J. G. Vacuum Flasks Limited, the manu ­ facture of frozen sea foods under the name of Armayesh Foods and Processing Pri ­ vate Limited, the manufacture of profes ­ sional quality printed circuit boards in the name of Rodal Circaprint Electronics Lim- VIIVVUI — J------------------------- J arduous process “unless you want to do ited, sole distributorship in India for Rhone- have to meet the season. If it doesnt^o on time^ it doesntgo on themmp^^ should be preserved in muslin, and can criminal things, ” Naozer is convinced, even be dry-cleaned when necessary, states t »h«nk T have cheated Sheila. “They are definitely a good invest ­ ment, ” impresses Naozer, “because the cost of labor is always appreciating. It ’s like jewelry which appreciates and yet there is the pleasure of wearing it. ” Puck ­ ering of the cloth which is evident in machine embroidery is one signal for the uninitiated to differentiate it from quality inducted into the field of architecture^was hand embroidered products, reveals Sheila. Whether it ’s a consul ’s wife or even an unknown buyer, Sheila welcomes any cus- „ tomer to their salesroom for as explains her not inherh any drawing ability , s^tates son, “The interaction is human, not with a <1- * fax, which gives birth to the creative in ­ stinct. Besides, it also gives customer feed ­ back. ” While 90 percent of the Indians prefer embroidery on silk, depending on the client determination, they undertake jobs on chiffon, organza, leather. Best suited for formal occasions, such clothing joined Voltas Limited --------- ... . ” can be worn at glitzy functions or could trainee and resigned from there 10 years with determination and commitment, lend the required sophisticated touch when later as all-India product manager in the clarifies the father who includes in his for example it is black embroidery on marketing (chemicals) division after gam- “tangible assets: Sheila, who has sup ­ black fabric. It could be colorful threads, ing sufficient work exposure and confi- ported him in every venture, Armand, who glittery strings or varied beads, the final effect depends on the combination chosen. In case of zari products, as little exposure as possible to moisture and perfumes will contribute to a longer life-span, discloses Sheila. So while Sheila is happy to manage the day-to-day affairs in Bombay, Naozer who is constantly travelling, takes charge of the planning, policy decisions and finance, and Armand involves himself in both the spheres. For the present they plan to con ­ tinue with the existing set-up rather than diversify as there is yet “tremendous scope and potential for both the operations ” if finance, investment and business centers are considered as one component of the directly to the Indian market. Thus in India business, and hand embroidery the other segment. Actually it was the father ’s in ­ tention that Armand imbibe “his value system from the family business. Then if he chooses he can diversify or branch out. It is the ‘quick-buck mentality ’ in the modern generation that I didn ’t want to they serve as manufacturers and retailers as “we don ’t want to be out of the home market, ” stresses Naozer. At their show ­ room at Byculla they have on display, exquisite jackets, shawls, swatches, saris and even garas which they have been mak ­ ing for the last one year, with the cheapest encourage. ” Raising money is a steady and in the vicinity of Rs 20,000 (the costliest are worth around two lakh rupees). They come as close to the original as possible for not only do they hand embroider but they also twist the threads as they continue with the stitches, points out Sheila. The fabric on which they embroider the garas may differ today from the original version where there is always fear of “saas ni much hi spilling on it, ” and not having any avenues to clean it, points out Naozer. New garas name of Rodal Circaprint Electronics Lim- Poulenc, France, investment operations m stocks, bill discounting and finance. Through the years the Armayesh Group has continued to focus attention on certain spheres and chosen to dissociate them ­ selves from the rest to meet the business objectives of the time such that they can presently pride themselves on not having any long or short-term or working capital loans, borrowing or debt, Naozer provides an insight into the Group ’s forays and “Personally, I don ’t think I have cheated fortunes, anybody. No overcharging. We have been exporters for years. In spite of the competition...high overheads which in ­ creases our costing, (ourclients) have stuck you a 10-page reply on this subject ” says with us. They feel they are getting their money ’s worth. ” One of the reasons why Naozer was not Working under different regimes and various climes, how do they view the business climate in India? “I could give Naozer, but to put it briefly, “there is tremendous opportunity sandwiched by acute aggravations like paperwork, red- tapism, limited infrastructure. ” The sports enthusiast views the scenario as “a race horse continuously pulled back...but we ther was disillusioned. “And besides, I did can still succeed. To prospective businessmen keen to join the fray, Naozer reminds them that this business “needs colossal finance — to set up the enterprise, to meet the day-to- day kharchas (costs) which are staggering; getting clients, servicing them; delivering quality products. Basically it is hard work. ” “Also requiring direction, ” stipulates management Armand. “There is need to be focussed trainee and resigned from there 10 years .... ------------------ because of the prevalent underhand deal ­ ings in this profession with which his fa- matter-of-factly. His maasa (mother ’s sister ’s husband) Jal Mehta of Navsari was very keen to absorb Naozer (who had completed his schooling from St Mary ’s and science graduation from St Xavier s College) in the textile chemistry business. But destiny had ordained differently. He as a 1 marketing (chemicals) division after gain ­ ing sufficient work exposure and confi ­ dence. His mother, the late Shirin (whose is coming up, and married daughter Ayesha father Sir Dhunjisha Cooper was the Dadyburjor who although settled in Texas, founder of Cooper Engineering Limited in keeps them updated on current trends and Satara, now merged with the Walchand designs. “If any Zoroastrian entrepreneur Group) “also played an influential part in my decisions, ” he acknowledges. Starting with his limited savings, he ventured independently on September 10, 1972 to promote companies that constitute the Armayesh Group. The name Armayesh was derived by combining the first names wants to start, he is most welcome to contact me and I’d like to give him assis ­ tance, ” he assures although he has noticed that Zoroastrians are on the lookout for a cushy job which is not too demanding. Basically the entrepreneurial spirit is still there in the community, though quite of their children, Armand and daughter unlike the British days when they were Ayesha. To build a capital he undertook marketing and trading activities for com­ panies like Nycer, Bombay Potteries and Tiles, Jyoti Limited, Indian Electrochemi ­ cal Industries. At different points of time catalysts, observes Naozer. This is be ­ cause “there is a considerable change in the environment, for the worst. The value systems have deteriorated, corruption is increasing. This is creating a conflict with 28 Parsiana October 1997the Zoroastrian value system. We could that “we should have a crematorium at the have been 10 to 100 times bigger but we ’d doongerwadi. Let each have the option. ” rather live with our conscience. ” Inad ­ equate knowledge of how to start and conduct a business may also be contribut ­ ing to a job mentality, points out Armand. “When Zoroastrians go abroad, see them flourishing. ” To Naozer, the Zoroastrian religion means “good thoughts, good words, good Enterprise, Freedom First, All India Man- deeds. That ’s enough. Don ’t go to the fire- agement Association, Indian Liberal temple and then cut others ’ throats or cheat Group, Freemasonry, Lions International, someone in business, ” he advocates, pre ­ ferring to maintain a low-key having mar ­ ried a non-Zoroastrian. Similar to many other families, in their case too Sheila knows more about Zoroastrian prayers than Naozer. She can speak and even read day mornings to follow the progress of Gujarati, although Punjabi, the language formula racing, having once won the spoken by her father ’s family, can only be understood by her. With inbreeding creat ­ ing so many problems, Naozer fails to understand why so much emphasis is given to Zoroastrian lineage. “It is the value system which distinguishes Zoroastrians from Others, ” believes Naozer whose pref ­ erence is for cremation, even advocating Besides serving as trustee of the Zoro ­ astrian Building Fund, Aga is associated with several other family charity trusts. Membership duties at the Indian Mer ­ chants ’ Chamber, Indo-American, Indo ­ German and several other chambers of commerce and industry. Forum of Free and alumni associations of his school and college usually take care of Aga ’s spare time. He does though look forward to reading, books on management and business, and viewing television on Sun- 500 cc motorcycle championship. To own such a high speed two-wheeler like Kawasaki continues to be his dream. Just as one BSA motorcycle had spurred Naozer to set the business wheels roll ­ ing, another classy variety may help him accelerate his pace in his sphere of ac ­ tivities. 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 Dorrabji’s JERROZ HOTEL Under Cliff, Ring Road Panchgani 412805 Phone: (91) (02168) 40238 PRUDENTIAL SHIPPING AGENCIES PRIVATE LIMITED Shipping agents, cargo brokers and container operators 55A/63A, Walchand Hirachand Marg, Opp G.P.O., Mumbai 400001, India Tel: 2692787 (10 Lines), Fax: 2652841, Tlx: 11 82307 PS AB IN Email: g=prudential / s=bom / p=gems / a=vsnl / c=in Internet: prudential. bom@gems.vsnl. net.in Registered Office: 77, Mint Road, Fort, Mumbai 400001, India Tel: 2694203, 2659055, 2658396 Branches Bombay -- Nhava Sheva - Kandla -- New Delhi - Ludhiana - Ahmedabad 29 Parsiana October 1997SEMINAR A wordy duel The Youth Wing of the World Zoroastrian Organisation invited two orators Khojeste Mistree and Nadir Modi to debate on the community’s prospects Sarosh Bana This is a report on a unique debate recently think of the community in terms of its future, organised between arguably two of the Parsi community ’s most eloquent and scholarly speakers, Khojeste Mistree, would take our community into the next prosperous and there were disputes about parking of cars rather than the more de ­ Mistree maintained that there did not seem to be any enlightened leadership that spondent questions about how many square ¦ t meals a day the residents could get. “Yet founder of Zoroastrian Studies (ZS) and century. He deemed it curious that despite we expect the Bombay Parsi Punchayet Nadir Modi who has founded the Young Collegians ’ Zoroas ­ trian Association (YCZA). A capacity crowd of 150 turned up at the Ripon Club on Sun ­ day, October 5, 1997 to hear these two luminaries expound on the subject, “Are Parsis as a Community Progressing or Stagnating? ” It was followed by dinner. The Youth Wing of the World Zoroastrian Organisation (WZO) had announced the evening as a face-off. Mistree ¦ maintained that in the spirit of ¦ the debate at hand, he would be presenting From left: Modi, Bana, Engineer and a more pessimistic position of the commu ­ nity, “which is very unlike Khojeste Mistree. ” This was with the intention of squaring off with Modi who was to portray a relatively optimistic image. He nonetheless emphasized that he would tell the gathering some home truths which he felt very strongly about. “Having from the clergy who were traditionally the been in front of the firing squad of commu ­ nity affairs now for nearly 20 years, I think, with a certain degree of conviction, that it is not easy working with the Parsi tribe, ” he confessed. “It is difficult because by nature we are individualistic, ” he explained. “All of us believe we are right, all of us believe that what we think is what should happen and, as a result, we have far too many generals considered infra dig to be living in them. ” and no soldiers. ” According to him, when one works with a community which is highly literate and highly organized — “70 percent of our people are graduates, pro rata making it the highest in the world ” — then we have to Ms 30 Parsiana October 1997 '*7^ ,^3 ft Mistree Photo: Carl Sethna certain areas where we excelled, such as in education, or as lawyers, accountants, ar- emphasized, chitects, professionals, such intellectual cadres of men and women have not given community leadership. “It doesn ’t come (BPP), being the largest land- owner of the community, to look after these properties, ” he regretted. “In other words, we, as a community, take from our community, live at the most infinitesimal rates and then expect the Punchayet to undertake 50 percent of the repairs. To me, something is very wrong. ” Today, we are pro rata the richest community in the world, but the same people — who individually grow richer by the day and who have marble and granite in their flats in the baugs — will not commit themselves to looking after the external building. “To me, that is a bankruptcy in values, ” he This innate selfishness, he noted, was also evident in the fact that whenever any well-meaning project was proposed, there were always those who came and shot it leaders of the community, and it certainly down, instead of lending their support and doesn ’t come from the laity. ’’ Mistree then questioned the concept of trusteeship. Our forefathers created a vision wherewithal that would help it to fruition. “This dog in the manger attitude has been another of our weaknesses, ” he lamented. “I that meant that the community as a whole found this 12 years ago when the ZS founded could collectively benefit. “We must ask ourselves what has happened to that vision today, ” he pointed out. “In the olden days continues to flourish and I know the kind of when the baugs were constructed, it was the Athravan Education Trust (AET), which, with the grace of Ahura Mazda, tremendous pressure that we were under to basically stop the project which was de ­ signed to improve our priesthood. ” He also referred to the frequent refrain adding, “Those trustees had a vision which within the community about how our num- was unashamedly Parsi and was for the bers were dwindling. “But if that was so, benefit of the community. ” Mistree noted how come the need for flats continues to that today, these baugs were extremely increase? ” he asked. Today they are the more sought after properties in Bombay, Mistree indicated.Mistree was convinced that the bane of first. It is difficult to be Indians first if we the community was that it lacked a think tank, a team of specialists, who would take the trouble and effort of solving the community ’s problems, not from an emo­ tional point of view or from a reformist or orthodox perception, but from the point of view of knowledge. It is crucial to deter ­ mine what the community would be doing 25 years down the stream, he averred. “But nobody has even discussed this vital aspect in the Press, ” he regretted. Mistree strongly recommended a team of visionaries for the Zoroastrians “if this com­ munity truly has to get into the 21st century mode. ” He indicated that our tragedy was ad hocism in the sense that our religious prob ­ lems were being dealt with more in the manner of damage control. “What our com­ munity requires is not damage control, but munity today — again reflecting on the visionary perception, ” he observed. Mistree bemoaned the fact that there was no ombudsman in the community and asked, “Why not? ” He said it was doubt ­ less that if our community had to change, the change would have to come from our leaders and permeate through our social structures. “It has to then focus on what it means to be a Zoroastrian, ” he stressed. He branded as “misplaced secularism ” when our leaders exhort us to be Indian.s look at the portraits of all great Parsis of the past, they were unashamedly communal first. “And that is why it is no coincidence do not know who we are ourselves. “If we realize as a community who we are, not only are we going to be good human beings that today our so-called leaders have ceased for ourselves, but we will also be good to be leaders because they have forgotten citizens of whichever country we live in. ” The bane of the community was that it lacked a think tank, a team of specialists Elaborating on this aspect. Mistree emphasized, “To me, the bane of our com- what I loosely call Parsipanu.” Modi commenced his response on a more personal note: “My friend Khojeste has been in the stream of Parsi affairs, I think, for the past 20-25 years... Regretta ­ bly, I have been in the field for 45 years and I have lost any belief that I will be able to improve any thinking generally. ” Modi was, however, firm in the belief that our community was progressing “in every which way. ” Referring to the open ­ ing remarks by the Youth Wing president Sarosh Bana that the two speakers were selected simply because they were the best on community affairs and there was no one better, he felt the truth lay in the fact that the Youth Wing was looking for “the old ­ est young speaker and the youngest old context of our leadership — is that those who are influential and brilliant in their respective fields of learning have aban ­ doned their community on grounds they speaker they could find. ” don ’t want to appear communal. All the big industrial houses will share their wealth took on functions such as the one he was with their communities, their jaatbhais. Is addressing and spoiling his Sunday eve- that not communal? But it is we Parsis who willsay, ‘Communal nahithavanoo, khottoo chhe (It is wrong to be communal). ’” In conclusion, he said that if we were to He recalled his son asking him why he nings. He told his son that he enjoyed spending time with young people, which was also evident in the fact that he had founded his organization, the YCZA, as 32 Parsiana October 1997 LHe noted that though there was nodearth of leaders within our community today, one may quite justifiably ask why the present-day leadership was not more dy ­ namic or productive. Modi explained that in the past, the Zoroastrian community was way ahead of the other communities because of its vigorous productivity. But today, the other communities too have made rapid strides in productivity and it is in this light that it seems that our commu ­ nity is not making enough progress. Modi was of the view that though we should evaluate what remains to be done, let us also count our blessings because we have done, arc doing and will be doing well enough for ourselves. But he also suggested that we recognize the fact that there was “a kind of a north-south divide within our community, with the more afllucnt of the lot generally not adequately intertwined or uti­ lized in our community affairs. ” He added, ing to the difficulties faced by them; think however, that these privileged community of Christ, who was a leader of the first ' " ” ’ water, but was crucified; or Zarathushtra himself who, in his days, was virtually treated under TADA [Terrorist and Dis­ ruptive Activities (Prevention) Act] and Dinshaw Tamboly who had excelled in so­ cial welfare, or Mistree himself who had contributed his mite towards furthering our understanding of our religion. “You may say that wc need more lead ­ ers, but then I suppose every community many as 45 years ago in ’52. He said that he loved smiling faces and that young people smiled easily. “Then why don ’t you stay at home and keep smiling in the mirror? ” Modi said his son asked him. “I told him, ‘Look, I am an Ahmedabadi and as an Ahmedabadi, I don ’t like giving any smile free, but I like getting smiles free; ’ that is why I am here this evening. ” He concurred with the introductory re ­ marks on the subject of the debate by WZO (India) president Dadi Engineer who pointed out that nothing ever stagnates, but either progresses or retrogresses. “Be­ sides, most of us at this side of the dais need a face-lift rather than a face-off, ” he said. Modi did not feel leadership was lacking among Zoroastrians. “When we look at our past, we look at generations put together, but when we look at October 1997, we are looking at but a moment of time, ” he indi ­ cated. “One cannot take all the leaders of the past and put them together and think of the present, ” he said. He also said that in the gathering itself he saw a good many com­ munity leaders who have acquitted them ­ selves creditably in their respective fields, such as Engineer, who was the president of a dynamic organization like the WZO (In ­ dia), trustee of the Bombay Parsi Punchayct behind bars. ” Modi said that a part ot a as well as a legal luminary, or BPP trustee “What our community requires is not damage control, but visionary perception” needs more leaders, ” Modi maintained. “What is discernible is that these days, community leaders are becoming increas ­ ingly inhibited from coming forward ow- members were as Parsi at heart and as Parsi in concern as any of the rest. “So far as the question of the commu ­ nity ’s progress or retrogression is concerned, we need to realize that the community is considered a menace to society and put not something separate, but comprises us all, ” he declared. According to him, indi ­ vidual progress epitomized the fact that we leader ’s function is to carry the cross. MATCH YOUR AMBITION TO A CAREER To do so we offer you: ? Diploma Course in Business Management (Postal) (IMC) <7 Executive Secretarial Course <7 Private Secretarial Course <7 Personal Assistants’ Programme (Working Stenographers) <0 Shorthand/Typewriting/Electronic Typewriting Telephone Operating & Receptionist Techniques English Conversation & Writing Skills <7 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 3^ Parsiana October 1997 LWith best wishes from Farah & Tanya 35 Parsiana October 1997 as a whole were moving forward. Modi noted that many Parsis were prone to say that we were now no longer what we used to be. “To me our population does not concern me much, so long as our quality remains, ” he said. “We have made our mark in every field and this we have accom ­ plished by adopting our Zoroastrian reli ­ gious values - we start the first day of the month by thinking of Ahura Mazda, the supreme divinity, and the next day we have Bahman of Vahu mano, from which wc progress to Ardibehesht, thatespousesajr/jo/. There was a “kind of a north-south divide within our community” righteousness; and from axlioi, we come to Shehrevar, standing for all that is sovereign, and from that we proceed to Aspandarmad, dedication, to attain Khordad, that is, per ­ fection and Amardad, immortality. This is genetically in our programing; and with this we invariably continue to move forward. ” He urged the Parsis to behold the ex­ ample of the tortoise, which must stick its neck out if it is to make progress. “Parsi.s tend to keep their necks in, ” he mused. In his introductory remarks. Engineer recounted the anecdote of two Parsis dis ­ cussing the prospects of their community. The more pessimistic of them felt the community was going downhill, to which the optimist interjected, “Yes, but we are going downhill at a very steady pace. ” Taking up Mistree ’.s observation regard ­ ing the community ’s over-dependence on the BPP, Engineer declared that the Punchayet would be reduced to bankruptcy in the next three years because of persis ­ tent financial constraints. Bana, who moderated, urged all Zoro ­ astrians below 40 to join the WZO’s Youth Wing to give more strength to its activities and to provide a credible platform to all Parsi youngsters to give expression to their concern for the community. Youth Wing committee member Parvez Panthaky rounded up the proceedings, fol ­ lowing a lively question-answer session, while another member, Niloufer Dastur, proposed a vote of thanks. Membership forms for the Youth Wing and the taped recordings of the delibera ­ tions are available from Bana at 52, Bakh- tawar, N. Dabholkar Road, off Nepean Sea Road, Bombay 400006. Tel: 3679717. GLOBE THEATRES Pvt Ltd Established April 3, 1915 Pioneers of Show Business in India for the last 82 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 All the above Cinemas have now been equipped with nniDOtgySTER^ Sound SystemCOMMENT Zorasfrian Boarding School, Devlaii School Band The lost legends of Deolali Mi A Many factors contributed to the rise and fall of the first Parsi boarding school in India !• Behram T. Dastur communities. Trained by British education ­ ists, Eduljee had a clear vision of how to run a good school and nurture good students (all boys in those days). Like the Turks, he believed in the well-rounded personality, and consciously saw to it that his boys were not confined in a straightjacket, by becom ­ ing bookworms. He introduced a series of extracurricular activities, later enlarged by It is a fact that our microscopic community has been in the vanguard of all activities considered constructive, professional, charitable, national and educational. In this article I intend to confine myself to the last activity — educational. It concern.s three Parsi stalwarts whose memories lin ­ ger, though faintly, at the military canton ­ ment of Deolali. The pioneer behind the movement for hisvicegerentordeputy,D'iunjishahManekji spreading not just the message of educa ­ tion but sound education itself was the late Eduljee Talati who founded the first Parsi boarding school in India in 1907. He had distinguished himself as the first Indian principal of the Elphinstone School (now which was then an academic marvel, was the Elphinstone Technical School). . . .. To raise and run such an institution, he needed a band of dedicated ‘missionaries ’ who would support his vision of a modern public school — 90 years ago. Though it started out as the Zoroastrian Boarding early morninf’ prayer, gardening and High School, it had teachers from various school opening and closing prayers Jail (DMJ),which inclu' 'd the Poona Vol ­ unteer Rifles (the precursor of the UOTC and the National Cadet Corps), string and brass bands and even carpentry. Thus the foundation stone of an edifice laid by Eduljec and reinforced and strength- (Top row) School hand and cadet company; (second row) carpentry workshop and tea time; (bottom row) Zorastriaii Boarding School, Devlali Early MofnlnB prayor befors fire I -St** u I IK O ssl’t’ 36 Parsiana October 1997 B - •t ... ’d. M ill II M .^'>1 h; if utali L} B Zorastriaii Boarding School, Devlals Oaipeniry School, Devlali Openina & Oloalne of School with prayers Boarding rastrian Boarding School, Devlali ¦r . Btrdtnlng -ic.— kA ^.3 ' fi. S. w 37 Parsiana October 1997 IO ¦ B iened by DMJ. Eduljee needed a competent waivers, and these were granted. A heart ZOROASTRIANS ABROAD man and he had found one from a fairly that was large and a mind that refused to continued from page ]8 distant (in those days) place: Mhow, in Central India. DMJ had already put in 17 years ’ service in the cause of education (1890-1907). Because of domestic com­ pulsions, he could not obtain his BSc de ­ gree and had to discontinue his college cal or geometric problem or rider he could education by 1890 after Inter Science. He i was an authority on Euclid and was the first algebra and geometry (which replaced Ten years ago McIntyre was one ol nine non-Hindu rector of the Daly College for Euclid) till he died. The institution fell on finalists for three vacancies on the bench of princes. He was also an authority, surpris- such bad days that he had to liquidate his thcUnitedStatesDistrictCourtforthcwest- ingly, on Persian and Arabic, though he was personal wealth to pay the teachers. ern district ol Pennsylvania a position in the science stream. He was taken on as the Hisfuneral wasthegrandestthatDeolali narrowly missed. Advising businesses on vice-principal and remained in that position has seen. An estimated 5,000 people (out business problems, ” she is professionally till 1914 when Eduljee retired and handed of a population of 20,000, then) attended involved in a lot of contracts and transac- over the School to him, gratis, in apprecia- the funeral. The shops remained closed for tions. So are her two sons Richard Jehangir tion of his loyal and efficient service. Going by the value system of those days, DMJ was a firm believer in “spare the rod and spoil the child. ” He believed in and practised it till 1949, when he retired at the age of 81, establishing a British Empire record of continuous service for 59 years in the cause of education. He took the discriminate in matters concerning charity allotted a slice of time at these congresses, paved the way for the institution ’s decline — and demise — in 1949. Till he died in 1952, DMJ was a mental powerhouse, and there was no mathemati- not solve. He taught Persian, arithmetic, algebra and geometry (which replaced Euclid) till he died. The institution fell on such bad days that he had to liquidate his personal wealth to pay the teachers. His funeral was the grandest that Deolali Also, the World Zoroastrian Congresses every five years permit an exchange of ideas and provide opportunities to build friendships, “but once (there ’s) a world body, (there ’ll be) just a few people run ­ ning the show. ” of a population of 20,000, then) attended the funeral. The shops remained closed for four consecutive days — a phenomenon and John Dinshaw, the former being wedded not repeated since 1952. He had under him, as his headmaster, Tehmurasp Navroji Dastur (TND). A child prodigy from Navsari, TND used to bag so many awards as a schoolboy that he had to pause near parapets to rest his load of prizes before continuing his journey home. He School from strength to strength, starting completed his MA with English and Avesta- with 25 to 30 boys (all boarders) till, at the zenith of his career and fame, there were . 250 boarders spread over five buildings. Jejeebhoy scholar in English and Sir vent in Darjeeling. She recalls her stepfa- He expanded the School ’s extracur- Cowasjee Jehangir scholar in Avesta- ther, the late Jehangir (Jo) Gandhi, the ricular activities by adding a modern li- Pahlavi; at college, he was the Sir C. J. legendary managing director of the Tata brary and conducting classes in gardening, scholar in English and Sir HormusjiCowasji Iron and Steel Company (TISCO), as a He developed a cricket team and intro- Dinsha (Adenwala) scholar in Avesta- “fabulous guy (who) encouraged me to duced dramatics and elocution competi- Pahlavi. think. ” He was “not one of those who said tions. Successive educational inspectors Along with Professor N. S. Takakhav, girls shouldn ’t use their heads and recalls how delighted he was when she expressed intellectual interest. The family connec ­ tion remains strong. A large part of Mc­ Intyre ’s stay in India was with her mother in Jamshedpur, and her brother Sarosh Gandhi, former managing director of Tata administration of the School, which was Engineering and Locomotive Company believed to be one of the factors which to an American girl, Suzanne, who works for a hospice and “was a tower of strength to me” when husband Richard (Sr) succumbed to cancer earlier this year. A bachelor of science from the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now called the Carnegie-Mellon University) and juris doc ­ tor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, McIntyre is an alumnus of Kimmins Pahlavi, and was a gold medalist in his college days. At school he was a Sir Jamsetjee School in Panchgani and the Loretto Con- Jejeebhoy scholar in English and Sir Cowasjee Jehangir scholar in Avesta- Pahlavi; at college, he was the Sir C. J. Dinsha (Adenwala) scholar in Avesta- Pahlavi. Along with Professor N. S. Takakhav, from Nasik district and from the Bombay TND was an outstanding authority on old government gave excellent accounts of the and middle English, and a walking refer- School ’s performance between 1914 and ¦ . . - 1939, after which a gradual decline set in. DMJ was not only a man of education. He was an active Freemason, a nominated member ofthe cantonment executive board, a nominated life trustee of the Ratanbai China! Agiary at Deolali and a member of accelerated the decline of the institution, one or two informal organizations. It is said that he was instrumental in lining the streets of central Deolali with banyan trees ence-index for Shakespeare, Bacon and Milton. He could reproduce, verbatim, all the 54 sonnets of Shakespeare. He taught English and history, and took no part in the (TELCO), and his wife Sylla were present with their daughters to hear Dina speak at the KRCOI. Dina and Richard met when she was 18 at a Rotary Club dinner. Parted by death and freezing the taxes on those who plied there was no word in the English language after 38 years, Dina was still under the animal-drawn vehicles. he could not crack to get at its meaning. It shadow of her bereavement when she met While being strongly pro-Parsi, his was believed that the only word that evaded Parsiana and was “undecided about future charities were catholic in nature, and knew no bounds of caste, religion, province, language or color. All the needy went to him for succor and he gave it in full mea ­ sure: “The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth like a gentle rain from heaven. ..” Today when the root cause of the de ­ cline of the institution is analyzed in a detached manner, it may be said that the act of mercy was taken too far and prac ­ tised, at times, without discernment. Vile men and women went to him for favors and duced on these pages. between 1939 and 1949. Having been a student of Greek and Latin, apart from old and middle English, he could not crack to get at its meaning. It was believed that the only word that evaded him was “numismatist ” (a collector ofcoins). plans. ” In 1949 the Zoroastrian Boarding High School passed into the hands of a society, a majority of whose members were Parsis. But the complexion of the School changed gious education. ” Cama has been involved forever, and nothing has remained of those with the Zoroastrian Association of Greater three legends, not even their photographs. New York ’s (ZAGNY) religious classes and in the School which was re-christened Deolali High School. The legends are lost, beyond retrieval, and redeemed only in part by the few vintage photographs repro- On the North American communal scene she was particularly appreciative of Lovji Cama ’s “absolutely first-class work in reli- camps over the years and McIntyre says he has so enthused the youngsters, they now want to teach. “As long as there are people like him, youngsters will be motivated. That ’s where our hope lies... ” 38 Parsiana October 1997OBSERVATION The epic episode Committee^ to giving an affordable Gujarati translation of the Shah Namah 80 years ago, the Kutar brothers had to invest both time and money Phiroze Noshirwan Kutar and Dinaz (Sorab) Kutar Rogers A bright idea occurred to Faramarz, one of four Kutar brothers and our grandfather, to translate the Shah Nainah of Firdausi from Farsi into Gujarati, line by line, word by of Asia. In North India and in Kashmir these word. It would be his gift to his beloved Parsi community. Faramarz, whom we affectionately called his travels in Iran and the surrounding re- “Motabawajee, ” was around this time ap ­ proached thus by some members of the community: “Dasturji, most Parsis speak So, after the day ’s work was done, brothers and write Gujarati which has been our mother Mahiar and Faramarz would devote them- tongue for a few hundred years. Farsi, the language of our pioneers in India, is now spoken only by a few laymen and priests like you. Consequently, the majesty and glory of the Shah Namah is lost to the average Parsi, except for a few endearing Institute(KRCOI)inBombay,torthetempo- stories like Rustom-Sohrab passed on orally ".......................... .. by family members or at religious instruc ­ tion classes. With your command over both Farsi and Gujarati, you would perform a great service to our community by translat ­ ing the poem into Gujarati. Although we do not understand Farsi, it would be great to place the Farsi couplets transliterated into Gujarati on the left side of the page, and the Parsi-Gujarati translation on the right side, just as in Mohl ’s French translation of this epic poem. We would not understand the Farsi couplets, but the natural beauty of our ancient mother tongue would be pleasing to the ear. ” At the same time, Motabawajee was dis ­ couraged by others not to take on this monu ­ mentally difficult, time-consuming task. However Faramarz Kutar was not a man to shirk a challenge — which by now he had come to regard as his obligation to the Parsi community. Nor was he given to procrasti ­ nation; so with the help of the Holy Yazdaan, he began the task. Realizing that one man would be unable to handle this immense undertaking, his brother Mahiar assisted. Faramarz was aware, at the start of his venture, of the partial and complete transla- tions of this epic poem in English, French, temporary setback. Help came from valued Italian, Russian and other languages and the friends like Meherjeebhai Behramjee great joy these tales had brought to the cities - - Dotiwalla, a Farsi scholar and a devout man, without whose assistance (though he lived far from Bombay) it would have been very difficult to get the volumes to the commu ­ nity. Another great friend, Ervad Dr gions, how little children would weep at the Jeevanjee Jamshedjee Modi wrote a six- recital of tales from this extraordinary book, page deebacho (preface) datedroj 2,mah 8, 1282 YZ/April 11, 1913 in the first volume of the translation; this is worth reading as is the khulaso (foreword) and the deebacho by the two brothers. Others of invaluable help in this herculean task were stalwarts like Meherban Bhai Sahib Ervad Maneckjee Rustomjee Unwalla, Meherban Bhai Sahib Ervad Rustomjee Bejanjee Ranjee and Sahib rary loan of his copies of the 10 volumes of the Ervad Khurshedjee Behramjee Sahiyar of French translation by the German Orientalist, the Tata Seth Agiary in Bandra, Bombay . Julius Mohl. Mr Cama turned down the re ­ quest: the volumes were his private collec ­ tion. Even though Faramarz did not under ­ stand French he felt Mohl ’ s translation would be of great help. Undaunted, he asked around. Then someone told him about an advertise ­ ment in the Jam-e-Jamshed about the sale of that the final cost of each volume would the said Mohl translation. Grandfather ’s prayers were answered. He purchased those volumes. Jeevanjee Jamshedjee Modi also procured the said volumes from Paris, even though it took him about five years to do so. The task took Faramarz and Mahiar a long time, some 10 long years of hardship Press, had the translation printed at Frier and industry. Family members were in ­ volved and under pressure to help, from fetching glasses of water, pulling out the right reference books, to making sure of the consistency and temperature of the food served to die scribes. Most of the translation was done in the Bandra Agiary in Bombay. After the translation was completed, the two brothers did not have the courage nor the means to publish it. With support lack ­ ing for printing the volumes, Mahiar and Faramarz were helpless, but that was just a Rana (he who dazzled Akbar the Great with Persian exploits were celebrated in the Urdu language. Sir Henry Laird had reported, in selves to the task at hand. As the translation progressed, so did their elation and enthusi ­ asm. Our grandfather approached Mr K. R. Gama of the renowned K. R. Gama Oriental Now Grandfather had pledged to sell each volume for the sum of two rupees; that would be 20 rupees for the set! But there was one thing that no one had counted on — World War I. The War so inflated the price of the paper, printing ink and related tasks. now come to six-and-a-half to seven rupees. No one would print the volumes for two rupees each and my grandfather had given his word to the community... Two rupees per copy... he refused to renege. So he bought a defunct press, named it The Shahnamah Road and Karvar Street, Maneckjee Rustomjee Contractor Building No 50-62, Fort, Bombay. These efforts were regis ­ tered under the Government of India ’s Act XXV of 1867. Each volume was dedicated to a great Parsi Zoroastrian and a full page was de ­ voted to praising and exalting the contribu ­ tions these men had made to the Parsi com­ munity. The dedications read as follows: Volume I: To the first Dastur Meherjee 40 Parsiana October 1997 LMahiar (left) and Faramarz Kutar — was a humble Muslim poet called (minister) Khaj Hassan Maimandi who was Firdausi. He composed this epic of Iran in pure, classical Persian, using the least amount of Arabic words, which were a constant reminder of the defeat, downfall and subju- I envious of the poet ’s talents and of his being his piety and inspired Tansen to write a pure, classical Persian, using the least amount held in high esteem by others. Besides, three-line poem about him). Volume II: To of Arabic words, which were a constant Firdausi was a Shiite Muslim and Hassan the late Dastur Sahib Pahalan Faredoon and reminder of the defeat, downfall and subju- belonged to the Sunni branch of Islam, a the late Dastur Sahib Darab Pahlan. Volume gation of Zoroastrian Iran by Islamic Arabia, schism/chasm that has traditionally set apart III: To the late Dastur Sahib Jamashp Asha. It took this man, born in a village called the Arab Sunni Muslims from the Shiite Volume IV: To the late Deshai Shree Shadab, near Tus, a town somewhere in IranianMuslims.Firdausiwasgravelydis- KhurshedjeeThemurjee. Volume V: To the “ late Seth Maneckjee Navrojee Seth. Vol ­ ume VI: To the late Seth Noshervanjee Ratanjee Tata and the late Seth Jamshedjee Nosherwanjee Tata. Volume VII: To Sir Jamshedjee Jeejeebhoy, Baronet. Volume education. According to some, it was under VIII: To the late Sir Cawasjee Jehangir the patronage of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni Readymoney, CSI. Volume IX: To the late ( ' ' ; ' ' ~ ' DasturDarabjeeKhurshedjeeDastoorDarab loved and favored Persian literature) that through the RudbarGate, Firdausi ’s funeral procession was heading in the opposite di ­ rection from the Gate of Razan to the cem­ etery. “If Firdausi did not make any money on --------------- ,____ the Shah Namah, why should I?” True to GrandfatherFaramroze.) Volume X: To the an impoverished state. -----------------------------his word, Grandfathersold theShah Namah late Dastur Darabjee Mahiyarjee Dastur “Firdausi was promised a treasure in for two rupees per volume, personally ab- Merherjee Rana. gold coins and seven thousand dinars on sorbing the financial loss of Rs 5,000, a Volume I was published in 1283 YZ/ completion ofhis epic poem. Thinking why great sum of money in 1914 1914 AD and Volume X in 1287 YZ/1918 ¦' . ----- AD. When asked to sell the volumes at a failing to understand the value and excel- higher price than promised, our grandfather narrated the following tale: coins was substituted and duly dispatched. Roman dramatist Titus Maccius Plautus “The author ofthese magnificent tales of Perhaps the perpetrator of this treachery (254-184 BC): “Such is the stock I spring pre-Islamic Iran — that is Zoroastrian Iran was more likely not the king but his vazeer from. ” It took this man, born in a village called Shadab, near Tus, a town somewhere in Khorasan in Eastern Iran, some 30 years to appointed at this deceit and the poor, embit ­ complete 60,000 couplets. tered poet died in 1020, 10 years after the “The son ofa well-to-do property owner, completion of his magnum opus. Firdausi grew up in comfortable circum ­ stances and was fortunate enough to get an “Meanwhile, the king ’s conscience troubled him so that he dispatched the prom ­ ised payment of gold to Firdausi. And as a caravan of 12 camels bearing gold and other or Ghaznavid (who even though Turkish gifts was making its way to the poet ’s home Pahalan and the late Dastur Erachjee Sohrabjee Dastoor Meherjeerana. (Of the two Ustaad Sahebs, Darabjee Khurshedjee Ashishvangh and the month Asfandarmad, of Surat taught Farsi to Great Uncle Mahiar, 380 YZ in the Zoroastrian calendar. The and Erachjee Sohrabjee of Navsari tutored years of this labor of love had left the poet in ' ” an impoverished state. “Firdausi was promised a treasure in gold coins and seven thousand dinars on sorbing the financial loss of Rs 5,000, a Firdausi began this formidable task, which was completed in 1010 AD, the day orro/was would a poor poet from Tus need so much and what would he do with such wealth, or With pardonable pride we conclude our story, pieced together from family lore and by our reading of thckhulaso and deebacho lence of this classic, a chest full of silver by the translators, with this line from the coins was substituted and duly dispatched. was more likely not the king but his vazeer 41 Parsiana October 1997I BOOKS Integrity and intrepidity Burjor K. Karanjia Pherozeshah Mehta: Maker of Modern India ed­ ited by Dr (Ms) Nawaz B. Mody. Published in 1997 by Allied Publishers Limited, 15, J. N. Heredia Road, Ballard Estate, Bombay 400038. Pp: 295 + xvi. Price: Rs 250. exemplifies best in his own self. He speaks of Sir Dinshaw Petit, always ready and willing to lend a helping hand to every just cause; of Justice Telang for his sound and sympathetic judgment and his temperate and judicial guidance; of Dadabhai Naoroji for his unselfish zeal and devotion; and of Sir Jamsetjee Tata for bringing high moral purpose to commerce and business. Surely the tribute Mehta paid to Tata on the occasion of his statue being raised in Bombay on April 11, 1912, holds equally true of Mehta himself: “It is not to honor him (Tata) we are raising this statue, but great qualities, this great asset of inte ­ grity made him indeed a leader par excel ­ lence. ” To better focus on the many aspects of Mehta ’s contributions to national life, Mody divides the book for the sake of convenience into four parts — Sir Phe ­ rozeshah Mehta and Indian nationalism, the contribution and relevance of Mehta to higher education, Mehta and the Bombay Mu ­ nicipal Corporation and, fi­ nally, a miscellany of his con ­ tributions in the spheres of law, the Press, his liberal approach we are putting up a beacon light to succes- to politic.s and, significantly, the effects of liberalization on the Indian economy. Each of these four parts contains re ­ productions of the speeches made at the University Semi­ nar by several recognized au ­ thorities too numerous to mention indi ­ vidually in the short space of this review. The final chapter of the compilation, introduced no doubt in order to bring the book up to dale, is devoted to an address by Gandhi Marg, Ahmedabad 380001. Pp: 114. Price: Dr Ambu Morarka on the effects of liber ­ alization on the Indian economy. At first sight, since there is no mention of Mehta at all in the address, it may appear to be out of place. But it is not really so. Morarka deals in some depth with the many issue.s to be taken into account if the policy of liberalization i.s to be successful, like prior planning, greater attention to exports, a more clear demarcation between the pub- 4 sive generations of people coming after ­ wards, to exhort them and to tell them — go thou and do likewise. ” The modest outward appearance of Pherozeshah Mehta: Maker of Modern India edited by Dr Nawaz B. Mody, should not blind one to the many riches the book has to offer. Even the constraints of finance on its publication can ­ not dim the luster of the many- splendored personality it com­ memorates as part of his 150th birth anniversary celebrations organized by the University of Bombay. The constraints have certainly not dimmed the en- Mody: chronicling a thusiasm of Mody to whom must legend go the credit of this compila ­ tion, which is as topical as it is exhaustive, and most inspiring. Homi J. H. Taleyarkhan sets the book ’s tone with these words; “Pherozeshah Mehta was a legend in his lifetime. He always espoused the right and exposed the wrong. His legacy must never be forgotten — the legacy of integrity, integration, intrepidity and secularism. ” But the highlight of the compilation is the inaugural address by Dr P. C. Alexander, Governor of Maharashtra, whom it is always a delight to listen to, on the evolution of political leadership in India. Since the age of Pherozeshah Mehta is, according to Alexander, the starting point lie and private sectors, the crying need for of national level political leadership in the country, he divides this evolution into four distinct periods: Political leadership from 1885-1915, the Gandhian period from 1915-1948, the Nehruvian from 1948-1964 and the modern period from 1964 on ­ wards. On each of these periods Alexander offers valuable political insights. His con ­ cluding words, provoked no doubt by the all-pervasive corruption in the country to ­ day, deserve to be quoted: “Even his most fascinating reading with their brilliant dis- hostile critics, and he had plenty during his play of his gift for words and for the lifetime, had never raised a finger against him on grounds of lapses in ethics and integrity. Combined with his other a far better infrastructure, and so on. But Morarka ’s address has to be seen in the book ’s context, for more important than any of these issues for liberalization to be truly successful, more relevant to the times and certainly more fundamental, arc the values Mehta held dear but which are fast disappearing. Mody has wisely included towards the end a few of Mehta ’s speeches. They make illusion they give of the speaker holding up a mirror to himself, for the qualities he admires most in others are the very ones he 42 Parsiana October 1997 For daughter dear Hormazdyar S. Dalal Dayalu Dadarne Dogdona Patro by Dr Ratan Rustomji Marshall. Published in 1997 by Gurjar Granth-RatnaKaryalaya, Opp Ratan Pole Corner, Rs 48. Of all the complex creations by the Unseen Maker, the most complex is man. Psy­ chologists from Freud onwards have at ­ tempted to analyze a small substance called the human brain, yet to this day have not been able to give a complete explanation of its working. Still, most of us suspect that there is an outer and an inner man, and the outer self seldom knows what the inner self wishes to do. The psychologists call it man ’s dual personality, which he inhabits from the time he i.s born to the time he bids farewell to earth. Dayalu Dadarne Dogdona Patro (let ­ ters by Dogdo to kind and merciful God) describe the inner self of its author. Dr Ratan Marshall. They bring to mind the work of our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who had to spend chunks of his life in Indian prisons as a freedom fighter. Away month.s at a time from a happy family life, from his delicate wife Kamla- devi and daughter Indira, Nehru ’s physicalMATRIMONIAL Matrimonial alliance invited from qualified professional boy or business man around 30-35 years, for a good-looking, intelligent and qualified consultant doctor, 26 years, height 166 cms, from a good and respected Parsi family. Reply with photograph and bio data (returnable) to: The Advertiser Parsiana, Matrimonial (Oct/30-97)* GPO Box 892, Bombay 400001 ‘Please make sure the reply envelope bears the reference number cited here. 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 Matheran 410102 Matheran Telephone 021483-0228 Fax 021483-0595 Bombay telephone 3867776 SEVA SADAN SOCIETY 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. self was locked behind prison walls, but his mind was free and active. Day and night he conversed with his inner self and wrote The Discovery of India, and Letters to Indira - Priyadarshini. To continue the analogy, Marshall has a son, well-placed in life, married and with children. He is bound to have his own worldly problems to think of and as such, though close to his father as the only child, he is removed from him mentally and physically. Realizing this Marshall ’s creative mind presented him with Dogdo, a manas putri, an imaginary daughter with whom he could converse mentally, joke, tell her moral tales, narrate the teach ­ ings of Prophet Zarathushtra and much more. Once Dogdo was born in his mind, the author took it upon himself to educate her after his own principles of the good, cul ­ tured life. The result is 114 neatly printed pages of Dogdona Patro. Each page is a gold mine of moral tales, fables and stories. Through each of these tales Marshall gives his manas putri les ­ sons in honesty and truthfulness, teaches her to thank God for His lovely creations and to be kind to the poor, the physically handicapped, weak and old. He talks to her of the value of prayer, of generosity to ­ wards the have-nots and how to triumph over human weaknesses like jealousy, etc. In brief, Marshall wishes his ‘daughter ’ to be well-educated, kind, honest and God ­ fearing. On the face of it, the language of the letters is that of an adult, the thoughts expressed are also those of an adult. But the creative artist in Marshall attributes them to a small, singing bird in human form — a daughter who has an alert, active mind and a kind heart. To a casual reader, Dogdo might sound like a grown-up girl educated beyond her age, but her creator has at the same time preserved her inno ­ cent, child-like curiosity, her love for her parents and other artless qualities of a child. Dogdo is a lively, fun-loving be ­ ing who at the same time thinks noble thoughts. She is simple and endearing, a faithful and charming companion for her creator. In more than a dozen literary works, Marshall has brought to life outstanding social and historical personalities. But not one of them will be of solace and comfort to his heart like Dogdo, who will surely be a part of his life till the end of his days. In his sad, lonely moments she will whisper in his ears, “Daddy, tell me a story. ” 44 Parsiana October 1997MILESTONES h The age of Zoroastrian brides (as listed in this issue) ranged between 19 and 36 years, the arithmetic mean (the total number of indi­ vidual ages divided by the total number of brides) being 27 years. The corresponding figures for the grooms were 25 and 43 years, averaging at 31 years. As per the data collected by Parsiana there were 17 births compared to 78 deaths in Bombay in the month of October. The major killer, heart disease, claimed 24 Zoroastrians of whom nine were 80 plus. Eleven victims succumbed to cancer and 10 to pneumonia and lung diseases. Anemia took a toll of four lives, old age and general debility of three, whereas two patients each fell prey to kidney failure, hypertension and diabetes. There were 16 isolated cases registered for October. They were: intracerebral haemorrhage, peptic ulcer, cerebral malaria, fever, hae- matemesis (vomiting of blood), septicemia, haematoma (a swelling filled with blood), venous embo­ lism (obstruction of the veins by a solid body or air bubbles), tuber­ cular meningitis, cardiogenic shock, uremia, advanced Hod­ gkin’s Lymphoma (a progressive disease of a diffusely scattered series of cells), pyrexia (elevation of the body temperature above normal), dehydration, asthma and hemiplegia (paralysis of one side of the body). In the ease of three deaths, the coroner’s report was still pending. The eldest to breathe his last was a 97-year-old male compared to the youngest: a .34- year-old man. A stillborn female baby was also lost to the commu­ nity. The life expectancy at birth in Bombay, in October, was 74 years. The data on births, marriages and deaths has been compiled from information supplied by various newsletters and anjumans in India and abroad, courts and hospitals. This information is not always complete or consistent: we are unable to carry data from areas where the anjumans do not furnish the particulars; the birth figures for Bombay are supplied by four hospitals — births in suburban hospitals and private nursing homes are not included unless individuals send U.S information together with a copy of the birth certificate. There may be an inadvertent repetition of names in the marriage list when a civil marriage precedes a religious ceremony. In the breakup of deaths according to illnesses, especially of the elderly, death is often due to a combination of several diseases. If readers have any births/ marriages/deaths they would like 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. October 22 A boy to Kaneejeli and Vispi Patel', October 28 A boy to Hut oxi and Yazdi Captain', October 30 A girl to Analuta and Aadil Elavia', October 30 MARRIED Faraz Iraj Mandegari of Yazd, Iran and Farokh Rustom Sandalian', October 5 Lily Homi Sethna and Jahanbux Kaikhushroo Merchant of Vasai; October 6 Kashinira Dorab Vankadia and Shahrookh Cyrus Dumasia', October 11 Shiraz Jamasp Kasad and Khushroo Padam Khabardar', October 14 Benafshah Kaikhushrow Kolah and Firdosli Aspi Irani of Dahanu Rd; October 17 Dilshad Zarir Mehta and Farrokh Aspi Khambata', October 18 Tinaz Dhun Gagrat and Zubin Faredoon Bharucha', October 19 AHMEDABAD DIED Jamshed Commissariat, father of Kashmira Govadia on October 1, 1997 Khorshed Shapurji Balsara (65), sister of Dhun Saroash Ankleseria, Mani Sohrabji Jal, Daraius and Purvez; October 27 BILIMORA DIED Tehmina Savaksa Bhagwagar (Manmadwalla) (82), mother of Narges Maneksha Bhesania, Mehru Noshir Randeria, Bakhtawar Rusy Bilimoria and Jamshed; October 25 BOMBAY BORN A boy to Persis and Feroze Sethna', October 1 A boy to Binaifer and Pervez Aibara', October 2 A girl to Freny and Neville Patel', October 4 A girl to Jasmine and Runiy Cooper; October 5 A boy to Marzbin and Sheriar Irani', October 6 A boy to Khursheed and Homiar Vakil', October 9 A boy to Vehdaiti and Neville Gheewala', October 11 A boy to Yasmin and Feroz Ebtedai', October 13 A girl to Persis and Zubin Mody, October 13 A girl, Delafruz, to Hufrish and Honiyar Bulsara', October 16 A girl to Naznin and Phiroze Mogrelia', October 16 A boy to Nilufer and Noshir Bhiwandiwala', October 18 A boy to Kashmira and Marbin Colalr, October 20 A boy, Kerfegar, to Rukhshana and Darayas Modi, brother to Hormazdiar and Dinyar; DIED Daraius Shapoorji Mehta (80), residing at 39, Shankar Mhl, Sophia College Lane, B. Desai Rd, 400026; October 1 Tehmi Ardesher Wadia (67), 2, Jahangir Baug, Opp Jasawala Sanatorium, Juhu Rd, 400049; October 1 Faramroze Burjorji Choksey (88), 8, Cama Bldg, Kashinath St, Tardeo, 400034; October 2 Homi Dhunjishaw Javeri (69), 23, Meher Abad, B. Desai Rd, 400036; October 2 Dhunmai Ardeshar Irani (78), 73, Dawoodi Manzil, Gogha St, Fort, 400001; October 3 Najoo Ardeshir Italia (71), B-13, Nowroz Baug, Lalbaug, 400012; October 3 Byramji Cawasji Mobedjina (94), 598-B, Wadia Bldg, Prince.s.s St, 400002; October 3 Keki Hormusji Patel (83), 3-E, Karai Est, 248, Tardeo Rd, 400007; October 3 Sheroo Phiroze Pavri (85), A-4, Vanashri, L. T. Rd, Borivli (W), 400092; October 3 Peshotan Rustomji Movdawala (88), 648, Kaka Bldg, Firdausi Rd, Parsi Clny, Dadar, 400014; October 4 Kersi Minoo Karadia (34), 6-A, Kaka Bldg, Gilder Lane, 400008; October 5 Dadi Dinshawji Pavri (71), 386/C, Jagmohandas Bldg, J.S.S. Rd, 400002; October 5 Savak Dosabhai Hathiram (89), 46-B, Gool Mhl, Sleater Rd, 400007; October 6 Behram Hormazdiar Barhamond (Irani) (79), 10, Rajsi Mans, 4th Pasta Lane, Colaba, 400005; October 7 Hergis Eduljee (64), 7, Delite Apts, 2, Carter Rd, Bandra, 400050; October 7 Mithoo Pirojshaw Dalal (74), 598-C, New Wadia Bldg, Girgaum, 400002; October 8 Kershasp Framroz Master (75), 23-A, Surya-Kiron, Cumballa Hill, 400036; October 8 Jal Faramji Poonegar (94), Danawalla Bldg, Opp Nowroz Baug, Lalbaug, 400012; October 8 Homai Meherwan Daruvala (85), 613, Dinshaw Bldg, Jame Jamshed Rd, Parsi Clny, Dadar, 400014; October 9 Hoinai Noshir Dhabhar (74), 617, Ahunavar, Jame Jamshed Rd, Parsi Ciny, Dadar, 4000)4; October 9 Khorshed Pestonji Elavia (86), F-37, Cusrow Baug, S. B. Rd, 400039; October 9 Noshir Darabshaw Sutaria (66), B, Shireen Manzil, Dinbai Petit Lane, Balaram St, 400007; October 9 Nadirshah Bhikaji Andhyarujina (81), 23, Nana Bldg, Near Tardeo Bridge, Lamington Rd, 400008; October 10 Gool Homi Dadachanji (75), A/23, Nowroz Baug, Lalbaug, 400012; October 10 Maneckshaw Dinshaw Karbhary (51), 9, Simple Apts, Four Bglws, Andheri (W), 400053; October 10 Dolly Dinshaw Bhariicha (66), 230, Ava Mans, Tardeo Rd, 400007; October 11 Ratan Frainroze Billiinoria (62), B-20, Ashirwad, 7, Veera Desai Rd, Andheri (W), 400058; October 11 Perin Sorabji Pallandaru (82), Dr Dossibai and Jahangir Ratansha Dadabhai Charity Trust, Byculla, 400027; October 11 Roda Rusi Manekshaw (JJ), 43, Gulistan, B. Desai Rd, 400026; October 12 45 Parsiana October 1997Female baby of Nitofer Viraf Anklesaria (stillborn), X-94/15, Godrej Clny, Station Rd, Vikh- roli (E), 400079; October 13 Roshan Rustomji Banaji (76), D-35, Station Ter, Grant Rd, 400007; October 13 Kekhasroo Motabhai Billiinoria (78), Sethna Bhabha Bldg, Opp Charni Rd Stn, 400004; October 13 Dara Rustomji Mistry (82), Batliwalla Bldg, Chikalwadi, Grant Rd, 400007; October 13 Eruchshaw Pirojshaw Mistry (87), 586, Jagannath Shanker- seth Rd, Above Vijaya Bank, Chira Bazar, 400002; October 13 Faredoon Jehangirji Sopariwalla (72), A/3, Rustom Baug, Victoria Rd, Byculla, 400027; October 13 Tehmurasp Ratansha Bliatheiia (59), E-28, Cusrow Baug, S. B. Rd, 400039; October 14 Khorshed Pirojshaw Goiporia (88), F/125, Godrej Bldg, Contractor Baug, Mori Rd, Mahim, 400016; October 14 Aspi Maneksha Kharas (56), 1, Sir Ratan Tata Clny, Tardeo, 400034; October 14 Jal Riistomji Lola (87), Karim Manor, 8, Owen Dunn Rd, Gamdevi, 400007; October 14 Hoshaitg Dhunjishaw Lavaiigia (69), 9-A, Inside Mazgaon Apts Compd, Dr Mascarenhas Rd, Mazgaon, 400010; October 14 Homai Shavaksha Pastakia (73), Firuz-Ara, Opp Cooperage Bandstand, 400021; October 14 Tehmina Sorabji Patel (78), Room no 10, C. M. Banaji Bldg, Forjett St Cross Lane, Gowalia Tank, 400036; October 14 Firoze Jamshed Umrigar (65), 3, Mehta Ter, Dadi Santok Lane, Dhobitalao, 400007; October 14 Phiroze Kaikhushroo Baria (68), Room no 6 and 7, 189, Hirabai Petit Bldg, 400007; October 15 Coomi Noshir Daver (88), 21, Sherman, Narayan Dabholkar Rd, 400006; October 15 Firoza Mondegar Irani (82), Room no 1, Rohinton Hse, Umar- khadi Rd, 400009; October 16 Rustam Movandad Khodavaiidi (73), Parmar Residency, 1/230, NIBM Rd, Kondhwa, Pune; October 17 Naval Jamshedji Tata (72), 3/3, A. H. Wadia Bldg, Parel Tank Rd, 400033; October 17 Rohinton Pallonji Arsiwalla (65), C/o Minoo P. Todywalla, C-13, Nowroz Baug, Lalbaug, FIGURES AT A GLANCE* Bombay This issue 1997* India This issue 1997* World This issue 1997* BIRTHS Boys Girls 11 6 83 85 18 25 MARRIAGES Parsi INTERCOMMUNAL Males married out Females married out DEATHS CONSIGNED Males Females CREMATED Males Females 173 21 19 45 33 378 394 86 78 30 27 ?Running totals tor 1997 (January-October issues) 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. 400012; October 18 Nergis Faramjee Bhathena (76), 12/6, Rustom Baug, Victoria Rd, Byculla, 400027; October 18 Dorab Savakshah Chesun (56), F-14, Shapur Baug, V. P. Rd, 400004; October 18 Jeanie Adi Mody (73), 15, Gulab, 14, Carter Rd, Bandra (W), 400050; October 18 Khorshed Darabsha Divecha (87), New Khan Bldg, Chikalwadi, Grant Rd, 400007; October 19 Goolbanoo Dinshaw Khambatta (94), 275/B, Captain Bldg. Chikalwadi, Grant Rd, 400007; October 19 Keukhashru Sorcdrji Engineer (77), Wadia Block.s no 2, Malcolm Baug, Jogeshwari (W), 400102; October 20 Homi Fardoonji Kolah (65), 32, Bhabha Sanatorium, Bandstand, Bandra, 400050; October 20 Bachubai Navroji Kutar (93), 31, Agiary Lane, Fort, 400001; October 20 Erachshaw Dinshaji Misiry (92), F-9, Cusrow Baug, S. B. Rd, 400039; October 21 Jalejar Burjorji Sahiar (Tl), A/l 1, Nowroz Baug, Lalbaug, 400012; October 21 Phiroze Jehangirji Mistry (72), 15-382/Al, Pavwalla Bldg, Grant Rd, 400007; Octoba' 22 Hoshang Ratanshaw Sarkari (75), 5, Dhunwadi Tata Bldg, Dadabhoy Rd, Vile Parle, 400056; October 22 Thrity Maneckji Parekh (73), Old Khan Bldg, Chikalwadi, Grant Rd, 400007; October 23 Khorshed Rustomji Mithaiwalla (94), 1/1-U, Cusrow Baug, S. B. Rd, 400039; October 24 Homi Munchershaw Gandhi (64), D/4, Imperial Mhl, Khodadad Circle, Dadar, 400014; October 25 Sheroo Bejonji Avari (59), 23, Patel Apts, Agiary Compd, Tembhi Naka, Thane, 400601; October 26 Pestonji Sorabji Pithawala (86), 725, Khurshed Mhl, Dr Dinshaw Master Rd, Parsi Clny, Dadar, 400014; October 26 Keki Rustomji Umrigar (78), Rustom Palace, Tardeo Rd, 400007; October 26 Nariman Nadirshaw Akolawala (85), 10/A, Popular Apts, Convent St, Four Bglws, Ratan Ngr, Andheri (W), 400053; October 27 Perin Rusi Daruwalla (68), 17, Rustomji Bldg, Mahalaxmiwalla Block, Sleater Rd, 400007; October 27 Soona Hoinji Poonawalla (74), 14-A-31, Takshila, Mahakali Caves Rd, Andheri (E), 400093; October 27 Navoraji Rustamji Kalyanivala (97), 26-C, Nepean Sea Rd, 400036; October 28 Najoo Rustomji Bharucha (70), F. S. Parukh Dharamshalla, Hughes Rd, 400007; October 29 Merwan Jehangir Irani (77), A/4, Tardco Chmbs, Kasinath St, Tardeo, 400034; October 29 Cowas Framroze Singara (60), 101, Neelamber, 37, Peddar Rd, 400026; October 29 Piroja Cooverji Mistry (79), 16/4, Rustom Baug, Victoria Rd, Byculla, 400027; October 30 Goal Jamshedji Wadia (84), 91, Govar Mans, Mint Rd, Fort, 400001; October 30 Perin Dossabhoy Bharucha (81), A-3, Taj Bldg, Gowalia Tank Rd, 400036; October 31 Mahiyar Phiroze Dordi (50), 16/7, Rustom Baug, Victoria Rd, Byculla, 400027; October 31 NAVSARI DIED Soonamai Rustomji Bachan (78), mother of Roshan Dhunjishaw Bachan; October 1 Coomamai Bachan (78), wife of Behramshaw and mother of Viraf and Gool; October 2 Silloo Unwalla (SO), wife of Noshir and mother of Kersi and Maharukh; October 4 Manijeh Desai (70), wife of Navroji; October 17 Mehramai Jemi Sui (84), mother 6 4 2 3 7 2 8 1 4 1 6 9 3 1 3 5 1 46 Parsiana October 1997of Yezdi; October 17 Parvez Fakirji Langrana (Parahhia) (14), husband of Dhun and father of Vira Minoo Master and Parvin Cavas Anklesaria; October 23 August 9 A girl, Armita, to Mahbanoo and Farzad Khosravi', October 5 SURAT DIED Hilla Jamshed Daruwala (76), Bibini wadi, Sayedpura, 395003; October 4 Hormasji Nasarwanji Bhathena (86), Mota St, Rustompura, 395002; October 18 Mehru Nariman Ankleshwaria (15), Parsi wad, Gopipura, 395001; October 20 Keki Nariman Cooper (70), Nanpura, 395001; October 20 HONG KONG DIED Bejan Motabhai Shroff, brother of Rusy and Minnie Pesi Tahiti; September 24 PAKISTAN Karachi DIED Homai M. Kerewala (SI)', October 3 Framroze Maneck Dastur (30); October 5 Tehmurasp Dorabji Shroff (S2)', October 5 UDVADA DIED Rattansha Katila (76); September 14 Percy Kumana (27), son of Gool and Rusi and brother of Khushroo; October 28 *** CANADA Ontario BORN A girl, Julia Claire, to Pinny (Binaifer) and Gilbert Schaefer, UK London BORN A boy, Shavir, to Kashmira and Kersi Magok, August 3 USA Acton, Massachusetts BORN Twins (girl and boy), Amy and Ashtad, to Shirin and Farrokh Engineer, September 19 Compiled by Roxana A. Driver Kaiser-E-Hind, 300 Perin Nariman Street, Behind Reserve Bank of India, Fort, Bombay 400001. Union Press, 13, Homji Street, Bombay 400001. Faredoon and Burjor Sandalwood Shop, Princess Street, Bombay 400002. 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 40, is available on sale at: 0 With Best Wishes from Mr Rosy M. Shroff, M.B.E. and Mrs Purviz R. Shrofif M Parsiana October 1997IN MEMORIAM A Pillar of the Punchayet I Parinaz M. Gandhi Died: Gool Jamshedji Tata, 65, who looked after the welfare activities of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) as joint secretary, on July 2, 1997 in Bombay following cancer. “She was one of the main pillars ot the Parsi Punchayet, ” acknowledged a condo ­ lence resolution passed by the BPP trust ­ ees at their board meeting on July 8. In her distinguished career with the Punchayet spanning 44 years, “she came into contact with people from all walks of lite and (on a) majority of them she left a lasting im­ pression of an honest and dedicated human being, ” added the resolution. “This institution has lost a very de ­ voted, trusted and a loving friend and mentor, ” corroborated her colleagues at a condolence meeting convened by the staff of the BPP on July 4, 1997. Tata ’s exemplary dedication to the in ­ chairman of the Punchayet Jamshed Guzder, the erstwhile chief executive Rustom Anklesaria, or her successor Sheroo Master. Hoping that “many more will fol ­ low in her footsteps, ” Guzder further added, “Her devotion to the cause of ameliorating the condition of the weaker section of the Parsi community was mostcommendable. ” “Her doggedness in pursuing whatever tributes that had impressed Anklesaria. stitution was repeatedly cited, be it by the and with courtesy, efficiency and sympa ­ thy towards the hundreds of beneficiaries who approached her with various pi oblems. honest Lind dedicated design. Difference of opinion notwithstand ­ ing, they had stood together through good times and sad, mentioned Master. Along with a group of friends they would also holiday together and invariably their first visits would be to sites of archeological interest, she added. The limited leisuie hours she had at her disposal would be spent on reading, revealed Master. Neither very orthodox nor very reform ­ ist, the spinster did not favor intei mar ­ riage. She believed however that mar ­ riages are preordained, stated Master. A postgraduate in history, Tata s eaily edu ­ cation was at the Panday Girls High School after which she studied at St Xavier ’s College. Having joined the Pun^ayet as this institution and Tata: noted a tribute in The Boinhay Samachai of July 27. Although diminutive in size, she served as a buffer between a disgruntled commu ­ nity and the trustees and through hei empa ­ thy and considerate ways came to be le- spected and loved by all, stated Di Ratan Marshall of Surat in his tribute to hei in the tributes inai nau - ------------- iviaisum . Among her multifarious responsibilities, Jam-e-Jamshed ot July 27 1997. the Parukh Dharamshala and particularly beholden to her foi helpi g him with facts and figures in his literaly and research work. Blessed with an excellent memory, she was a storehouse of information who was constantly approached, said Master while referring to Tata ’s administrative quali ­ ties. “Both of us were like sisters, ” she recalled. “Wc never did things without consulting each other, ” not only on mat ­ ters concerning the Punchayet but even personal shopping and choice of dress July 27. ___________ _ _______] buffer between a disgruntled commu- Parsi community was mostcommendable. ” she took on hand, ” was one of hei at- thy and considerate ways Marshall of Surat in his tribute to hei m the the affairs of the Doongerwadi were “particulai ly close to her heart, ” mentioned Anklesaria. Any interest shown or treats organized tor the aged inmates ot the Dharamshala was sun to earn a letter of appreciation from Tata. Doles and assistance to the members of the community for education, medical relief and poverty too came within the purview of Tata ’s functions. She dis ­ charged her duties with complete disci ­ pline and respect towards her superiors charged her duties with complete disci and research work. to Tata ’s administrative quali- an assistant soon after her MA, Tata was fully committed to this institution and gradually got acquainted with the work ­ ings of different departments. With her vast knowledge of developments within the community, “she made herself indis ­ pensable to the trustees, ” according to The Sainachar write-up. In the major projects undertaken by the Punchayet like the hosting of World Zoro ­ astrian Congresses, in routine affairs at the time of the executive council meetings of the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anju ­ mans of India, at the Anjuman Committee or trusteeship elections convened by the Punchayet, Tata ’s presence was clearly visible. Her substantial efforts behind the scenes too were occasionally acknowl ­ edged like at the World Zoroastrian Con ­ function she would be presented with the^Congress chairman Jamshed Guzder, knowledge of developments within of India, at the Anjuman Committee was clearly gresses in Bombay when at the valedictory function she would be presented with a single red rose and kissed on the cheek by the Congress chairman Jatnshed Guzder, much to Tata ’s embarrassment and the audience ’s merriment. Tata is survived by her brother Ervad Sam, and sisters Meher Hoshi Kharas, Dhun Minoo PaliaandMaharukhRohinton Umrigar. e a 48 Parsiana October 1997