Winning and working

Thirty-one healthy happy babies up to three years of age participated in the All Parsees Bonny Baby Contest organized by the Rustom Baug Association at the Neville Wadia Hall on February 15, 2004.

While the Jeroo M. Baria Memorial Trophy for the most healthy happy bonny baby 2004 was won by Pearl Irani from Bandra, Delzeen Singpurwalla of Parel Tank Road was declared the most charming baby of the year, according to the results forwarded by the vice president of the Association Kumi Daroowala. Divided into four age groups, in the first category of birth to six months, the winners were Rohaan Irani of Rustom Baug, Tushan Elavia of Jer Baug and Vahista Pallonji of Cusrow Baug. In the six months to one year category the winners were Hushrav Buhariwalla of Godrej Baug, Zarkesis and Zaal Nalladaru of Jer Baug and Berjis Batliwalla of Rustom Baug. In the one to two years category Pearl Irani, Kyra Mistry of Grant Road and Vahram Adajania of Godrej Baug were adjudged the best. In the two-three years group, Sheroy Cooper from Dadar, Freyan Kalapesi of Rustom Baug and Farzin Dalal from Jogeshwari were declared winners by the judges Dr Anahita Contractor, a pediatric house surgeon at the Breach Candy Hospital and Dr K. P. Sanghvi, neonatal pediatrician and consultant at the Jaslok and Prince Aly Khan Hospitals. Dr Porus Kapadia, a family physician, was the convener of the program sponsored by Byculla Pharmacy and Hindustan Lever.

At the biannual prize distribution function held by the Rustom Baug Association on December 6, 2003, artist Jamshed P. Irani and Hoshang J. B. Jal, superintendent, customs and central excise, Bombay were each presented a plaque and citation. "These two achievers have brought credit to the country for which the community is proud,” notes Daroowala.

Key winners of the All Parsees Bonny Baby Contest at Rustom Baug

It is to Irani’s credit that he designed the five-rupee commemorative coin of Dr Dadabhai Naoroji, the first coin issued by the Government of India for a Parsi. The coin was released by the Union finance minister Jaswant Singh on October 2, 2003 at the UNESCO-Parzor program to celebrate the 3,000th anniversary of Zoroastrian culture. The following month 65-year-old Irani was felicitated by the Bombay Natural History Society with the Salim Ali Loke Wan Tho Special Award "in recognition of his yeoman service and dedication he displayed over decades while working on Dr Salim Ali’s The Book of Indian Birds and on a body of work including The Birds of The Eastern Himalayas for special postage stamps, hand books, posters, cards and calendars. Irani defines perfection and has set high standards for others to emulate.” According to the write-up forwarded by the Association, Irani learnt the art of scientific bird painting and designing of postage stamps from Salim Ali. To date he has reportedly designed over 30 special stamps — on wildlife, the Konkan Railway, Indian women pilots, economist A. D. Shroff, centenary of Godrej and many other individuals and institutions. His oil paintings of Prophet Zarathushtra adorn many Parsi homes. After he retired as senior manager ­— advertising, Larsen and Toubro Limited, Irani has enjoyed developing his farm in Karjat.

Achievers Irani (left) and Jal

During the nearly 20 years he has served the customs and central excise department Jal has "a very impressive record of seizures to his credit,” according to information provided to Parsiana. He has reportedly detected 26 cases on his own information and intelligence, involving seizures of foreign marked gold, silver and foreign currency collectively valued at over Rs 18 crores. He has additionally been involved in innumerable cases involving seizure of contraband goods including narcotics totally valued at over Rs 123 crores and detecting central excise cases involving duty evasion of over Rs 48 lakhs. This "brave and honest” superintendent whose late father Jal was the assistant commissioner of police, Bombay, has repeatedly won laurels from the country.