‘A prayer for peace’

Consecrated in 1855 when "many a Parsi family resided in Davier and the place throbbed with Zoroastrian rites and ceremo­nies,” the Bai Navajbai Goiporia Agiary celebrated its 147th anniversary on April 20, 2002 in the presence of nearly 800 coreligionists, notes a press release.

The function began with a jashan performed by Ervad Aspandiar Dada­chanji and eight other mobeds. The gathering joined the president of the Davier Zarthosti Anjuman Fund Marz-ban Wadia in a humbandagi for the "prevalence of peace in the land of Gujarat which was recently evidencing unwarranted communal disharmony and natural calamities,” states the write-up. Crediting the com­munity’s survival in India to the hospitality of this land Wadia asserted it was "our duty to hold a shanti-prarthna (prayer for peace).”

Dadachanji later explained the various kardas recited in the jashan ceremony while Bombay Parsi Punchayet trustee Rustom Tirandaz spoke of the tokham kyani (Iranian ancestry) of Zoroastrians. Hoshang Wania, president of the Nargol Anjuman, invited larger numbers to visit the agiary and Rohinton Davier­wala, president of the Sanjan Anjuman, thanked the Wadia family for making the event a success. Wadia, in turn, referred to the efforts of Bapsy and Dali Wadia in maintaining the Agiary premises since 1995, and Pervez Mistry for his assistance in collecting funds (amount­ing to over Rs 15 lakh) for the upkeep of the fire-temple, and Zubin Batliwala for his help over the years.

With the migration of Zoroastrians from Davier to neigh­boring cities the Agiary fell into bad times when the paucity of funds and non availability of a full-time mobed reduced it to a dad-gah.

When Marzban Wadia, his brother Pervez and Davierwa­la appealed for help, monetary and otherwise, several donations were received. Noted philanthropist NarYman Dubash was one of the main donors.

With sufficient funds in hand, the Anjuman hopes to start refurbishing the Agiary after the monsoons, reports Marzban Wadia. With the assistence of MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) Ramanlal Pathkar and the police, railway and electricity departments of the area the celebrations came to a successful end with a lunch organized by Kurush Dalal of KFD Caterers.

Simin J. Patel