Aid Kanpur corpus

The Byramji Nowroji Javeri Dare-Meher in Kanpur was established in 1930. Currently, it is the only regularly functioning agiary in Uttar Pradesh. Parsis from the adjoining areas of Lucknow, Jhansi, Vara­nasi, Ghazipur, etc also visit the agiary on important days such as the atash-no-parav and especially during the muktad days.

The main agiary building and the other residential blocks (including the priests’ quarters) need major repairs and painting. Unfortunately, the agiary does not have adequate funds from which to meet its regular expenses let alone spend money on repairs. Our total corpus is about seven lakh rupees, and our regular expenses are in the range of Rs 90,000 to Rs 1,00,000 per annum. With the low rates of interest prevailing at present we find it very difficult to manage our expenses.

Our agiary is looked after by only one priest who is now 70 years old. We are very fortunate that our panthaky has been very loyal to our agiary. He gets a salary of only Rs 3,600, along with free residence, water and electricity. A magnanimous donor in Bombay helps us by sending our panthaky Rs 1,000 per month.

Kanpur’s Javeri Dare-Meher

Priests are reluctant to come to a state like Uttar Pradesh, and even if someone were to agree, he would insist on a high salary: certainly not less than Rs 7,000 per month along with many other facilities. Our funds are so meagre that we will simply not be able to afford such a salary. There are no other trained mobeds or even members of the priestly class in Kanpur itself.

The Parsis of Kanpur also maintain an aramgah in Kanpur, which is separately looked after by the Cawnpore Parsi Aramgah Committee. This year, in a very severe rainstorm, a very large stretch of our aramgah wall collapsed. This stretch will have to be reconstructed, and the estimated cost of this alone is Rs 1,75,000. The corpus of the aramgah is only Rs 3,00,000.

We are really worried that for lack of funds, we may be compelled to close down our agiary in the not too distant future. This has to be prevented under all circumstances, hence this appeal to the entire Parsi community. Cheques for the agiary may please be made out in the name of "B. N. Javeri Dare-Meher, Kanpur,” and cheques for the aramgah in the name of "Cawnpore Parsi Aramgah Committee.” Your cheques may be directly sent to the undersigned, Secretary, B. N. Javeri Dare-Meher (Parsi Fire Temple), 63/3, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kanpur 208004. All these donations will be taken and credited to our corpus so that we can become self-sufficient in future.

ADIL BYRAMJI

Secretary, B. N. Javeri Dare-Meher, Kanpur