Fund-raising luncheon

On the third Sunday of every October is held the Udvada luncheon get-together, an annual fund-raising event initiated in 1984 by the late scholar Prof Eruch Munshi of the Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York (ZAGNY) and his wife Perin. In 1984 the amount collected was $ 2,916 and in the year 2001 it reached the figure of $ 27,400. ZAGNY with the help of other Zoroastrian associations of America has collected a total amount of $ 1,94,809 an equivalent of Rs 93,50,832 in the last 18 years.

Every year the total amount collected is sent to Udvada, Navsari and Surat in equal part. The funds are to be used towards the maintenance of atash behrams, agiaries, to help financially needy dasturs, mobeds and for the general amelioration of the poor.

After the passing away of the Munshis, Dr Lovji and Mehroo Cama and Prof Munshi’s sister-in-law Piloo Bharucha carried on this worthy project.

The different abodes of the Iranshah, starting from Sanjan and ending in Udvada

What wonderful work is being done by the members of the community residing miles away from the motherland. The community members residing in India and the administrators of various charity institutions of the above three places are and shall remain grateful to the members of the Parsi community residing on foreign soil for keeping in mind the needs of the deserving members and institutions of the old centers of Parsi population.

Dr SAM S. BHACCA

Surat