Upkeep of Udvada

Every visit to Udvada makes me feel very sad and helpless. We have our Atash Padshah well enthroned amidst its frail, few, geriatric Parsis. These are the rakhewals (guardians) of the place, a mute reminder that they are the last. After them who, what?

While strolling down the roads of Udvada, looking at the forgotten, abandoned, locked, diplapidated, uncared for, vast, unimaginable Parsi properties, literally going to seed, I wondered why our founding fathers did not make Udvada into a model town creating opportunities for Parsis to work and settle there, something like Jamshedpur in lawless Bihar.

This can still be done. To start with we could have a residential school, along the lines of Boys’ Town at Nasik, or many state of the art type of boarding schools with stress on a sports academy; a comfortable, clean, Parsi based institution. The school should have neat row houses for the staff and tutors and ample space for the children to partake in all activities. A Parsi run institution is always looked up to and believe me it would be a profitable venture. Only one condition, all Parsi kids from all walks of life should be given totally free education, or on pay if you want basis.

Udvada: "vast Parsi properties going to seed”

This way Udvada which is just a few hours from Bombay could be nurtured into a Parsi colony from bursting-from its-seams-Bombay. This close proximity to Bombay could be taken advantage of by opening new avenues for people at large and Parsis in particular. Industrial houses like the Tatas and Godrej (just to name a few) can certainly rewrite the destiny of Udvada and thereby the Parsis. Daman which is turning into a very lucrative industrial belt could be the site for Parsi owned industries. By generating housing and jobs the bottleneck in Bombay would get some respite, plus Udvada would get to be a thriving town well looked after by Parsis under the benevolent eye of Ahura Mazda. I think this is a challenge to the present breed of Parsi entrepreneurs to prove to the world that the pioneering spirit is still in our genes.

If we can’t take care of our own then how can we expect Lord Zarathushtra to take care of us?

Unfortunately if things don’t change, then the ultimate solution would be to someday reshift the Iranshah to the hub of Parsis, Bombay!

RODA D. HAKIM

Baroda